Podcasts about one spirit

St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Farmersville, OhioJune 15, 2025Trinity Sunday and Father's DayAnnouncementsPreludeOpening Hymn - "Holy, Holy, Holy" - LBW #165Apostolic GreetingKyrieHymn of Praise - "Glory to God"Prayer of the DayChildren's SermonFirst Lesson - Proverbs 8:22-31Second Lesson - Romans 5:1-5Hymn - "This is My Father's World" - LBW #554Gospel - John 16:12-15Sermon - "One Father, One Savior, One Spirit, One Truth"Song - "It is Well (Bethel Music)"Apostles' CreedOfferingOffertory - "Create in Me"Prayers of the Church and Lord's PrayerBenedictionExodus Hymn - "Our Father, By Whose Name" - LBW #357DismissalFor the video version of today's service, please visit https://youtu.be/9s40fZge_oQMay God bless you now and always!

Topics: Closer to God, Misconception of Earning God's Closeness, Understanding the New Covenant Closeness with God, Why Church Attendance Doesn't Equal Closeness to God, The Role of the Cross in Our Closeness to God, Old Covenant vs. New Covenant Closeness to God, Animal Blood vs. Jesus' Blood for Drawing Near to God, Hebrews on Drawing Near to God, Why Reading the Bible Doesn't Automatically Make You Closer to God, Understanding Bible Context for True Closeness, Jesus' Rebuke of Scripture Misuse for Closeness, The Obsolete Nature of the Old Covenant, The New Covenant Based on God's Promise to God, Why Sinning Less Doesn't Achieve Closeness to God, The Finality of Jesus' Sacrifice for Forgiveness, God Doesn't Leave You Based on Your Physical Location, Why Following the Law Doesn't Bring You Closer to God, Prayer and Fasting, The Old Covenant's Trade-Off System with God, The Obedience of Faith vs. Behavioral Holiness, Understanding Holiness in the New Covenant, You Are the Church, Your Identity as One Spirit with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17), The Permanence of Your Closeness to God Through Jesus, Hebrews 10:25 and the True Meaning of Assembly, The Significance of Hebrews 7-10 on Christ's Accomplishments, Colossians 3:3 and Being Hidden in Christ, The Truth About God's Dwelling Place Within You (1 John 4:13), The Difference Between Grieving God and Him Leaving You, The Meaning of Being Holy as God is Holy (1 Peter 1:16, Hebrews 12:14)Support the showSign up for Matt's free daily devotional! https://mattmcmillen.com/newsletter

One Spirit, Many congregations.

In His final hours before crucifixion, Jesus prayed fervently for unity among His followers. This unity wasn't about identical practices but rather a shared devotion to Christ and love for one another. Despite modern challenges like denominational differences and cultural divisions, true Christian unity becomes possible through humility, grace, and focus on core beliefs. The greatest testimony to the world isn't perfect doctrine, but unity in Christ despite differences.

Eavesdrop on a conversation between two friends who have dedicated their lives to listening to Spirit and serving humanity. Guest-hosting this edition of Mantz & Mitchell are Reverend Bonnie Barnard, founder of Spiritual Center Spokane and Rhonda Britten, founder of Fearless Living Institute, who speak to their life journey together as friends, ways to stay in Spirit and out of fear and the daily practices of connecting with Spirit.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eavesdrop on a conversation between two friends who have dedicated their lives to listening to Spirit and serving humanity. Guest-hosting this edition of Mantz & Mitchell are Reverend Bonnie Barnard, founder of Spiritual Center Spokane and Rhonda Britten, founder of Fearless Living Institute, who speak to their life journey together as friends, ways to stay in Spirit and out of fear and the daily practices of connecting with Spirit.

Series: One in ChristService: Sun PM WorshipType: SermonSpeaker: Roger Polanco

Audio Bible Study on 1 Cor 12:13 – For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit.

One Body One Spirit (Ephesians 4 v1-6) by David Antwi

One Body, One Spirit, One Hope of Your Calling (Ephesians 4 v1-6) by David Antwi

Heb je de preek gemist? Luister en bekijk hem hier terug. Laat je inspireren, bemoedigen en deel hem vooral.Wil je de hele dienst terugkijken?https://youtube.com/live/HF5Ezom-zoI

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God; the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). Hallelujah!!

Matthew Delaughter // 1 Corinthians 12 // 02.09.2025

Matthew Delaughter // 1 Corinthians 12 // 02.09.2025

Many Gifts, One Spirit sermon by Rev. Dr. David Brown on January 19, 2025 from St. Francis Episcopal Church in Palos Verdes Estates, CA. Wayfarers Chapel is an Ecumenical Ministry of the Swedenborgian Church and the National Memorial to Emanuel Swedenborg located In Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. The chapel and grounds are temporarily closed due to land movement issues. Support the show

The third Sunday after the Epiphany - Pastor James Pierce

Pastor Steven preaches from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!Welcome to Pastor Steven G. Lightfoot's Podcast. Sermons and homilies by Rev. Steven G. Lightfoot. Pastor Steven is an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church and serves as Senior Pastor to First Methodist Church Splendora and Shepherd Methodist Church in Southeast Texas. Thanks for listening! Join us each week for a new message. May God bless you and keep you.

In this episode we're joined by one of our very own co-hosts here at The Two Cities podcast, Dr. Kris Song, who is an instructor in New Testament at Bethel Seminary and the author of One Spirit: Pneumatology and Unity in the Corinthian Letters (published by Baylor University Press). In our conversation we talk about Paul's pneumatology in the Corinthian Correspondence, how studies in the concept of “third space” helps to move forward current conversations in Pauline scholarship, such as debates about Paul's understanding of the pneuma in Paul within Judaism. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Jennifer Guo, and Rev. Dr. Chris Porter. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we begin to examine Ephesians chapter 4, we see what Paul means by 'walking worthy of the vocation to which we are called.' Paul wanted the Body of Christ (made up of Jew and Gentile) to understand that they are called into a Fellowship defined by the One Spirit of the Head of that Body. He implores them to walk in accordance to this wonderful work of grace with a true sense of humility and meekness towards one another. Reference: Ephesians 4:1-6 Ephesians 2 and 3 Galatians 5:16-25 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Ephesians 1:17-23   thesatisfiedgod.com Subscribe to our YouTube page - The Satisfied God Podcast YouTube Please like and follow our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/thesatisfiedgodpodcast Thanks for all your support in every way. Please share this podcast with your friends. We are available on every major podcast provider including Podbean, Apple Podcasts,  Amazon Music, and Spotify. Also please subscribe to be made aware of every new episode. Thanks for listening and feel free to contact me at rabonbyrd@gmail.com You may help financially in the following ways: Give via PayPal by clicking this link: www.paypal.me/thesatisfiedgod Give via Cash App - $RabonByrdTSG Give via Zelle - rabonbyrd@gmail.com You may send financial support or other communications via U.S. mail to: PO Box 186 Marshall, AR 72650. Checks payable to Rabon Byrd. Memo: Satisfied God Podcast

January 5, 2025 - Rev. Alexander S. Brown

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Amelia Schafer (@ameliaschafers, Rapid City Journal) returns to discuss her recent investigation into a South Dakota boarding school and the thirty-eight graves that were uncovered last year.Follow today's guest on Twitter @ameliaschafers and Bluesky @ameliaschafer.bsky.social.Find more of Josiah's work hereFollow Josiah on Twitter @josiahwsuttonDonateIndian Country Today, to fund more nonprofit journalism like the work Amelia did, https://ictnews.fundjournalism.org/donate/COUP Council, https://coupcouncil.org/donate.Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation, https://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/projects.One Spirit, https://www.onespiritlakota.org/donate.Native American Heritage Association, https://www.naha-inc.org/donate.ReferencesAmelia's previous appearance on Fruitless, "Indian Country in Present Tense," https://share.transistor.fm/s/1adf122b"'They're ready to go home': Few answers at school gravesite," Amelia Schafer in Indian Country Today, https://ictnews.org/news/theyre-ready-to-go-home-little-answers-offered-for-hidden-gravesite-at-catholic-mission"Reporter's Notebook: Telling the tale of one boarding school," Amelia Schafer in Indian Country Today, https://ictnews.org/news/reporters-notebook-researching-a-catholic-boarding-schoolMusic & audio creditsOnion - LukremboYesterday – bloom.In My Dreams – bloom. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We conclude our series, "Many Gifts, One Spirit" by looking at how love is the greatest gift of all! You could be the most gifted person, but it's useless if you don't have love. Paul pleads for us to desire love over the rest of the gifts. We will be looking at how important it is that we look to Jesus for this love as we try to understand the love He has for us.

We conclude our series, "Many Gifts, One Spirit" by looking at how love is the greatest gift of all! You could be the most gifted person, but it's useless if you don't have love. Paul pleads for us to desire love over the rest of the gifts. We will be looking at how important it is that we look to Jesus for this love as we try to understand the love He has for us.

In this conversation, Dr. Paul Paul Pettit and Jason Epps discuss the themes of disability and community within the church, focusing on the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, both physical and social. They emphasize the importance of building genuine friendships, advocating for inclusivity, and the need for a mindset shift in how churches approach disability. The discussion also highlights the five-step plan for fostering relationships with individuals with disabilities, aiming to create a more inclusive and understanding community.To watch this interview, visit: www.YouTube.com/@BibleAndTheologyMattersTake Aways-Disability is often viewed through the lens of physical barriers, but social barriers can be even more significant.-Building genuine friendships with individuals with disabilities is crucial for inclusion.-Awareness of physical barriers can lead to better accessibility in churches and communities.-Advocacy is essential in helping individuals with disabilities navigate social situations. -The concept of 'temporarily able-bodied' reminds us that anyone can face disability at any time.-Engaging with individuals with disabilities requires a mindset shift from pity to partnership. -The five-step plan includes noticing, engaging, researching, incorporating, and advocating for individuals with disabilities.-Churches should focus on genuine relationships rather than checking off boxes for service.-Education and exposure to disabilities can foster understanding and compassion in communities.

Pastor Steve Perez | October 20, 2024 The Fountain Apostolic Church Build Your Church (2024) Learn more at tfachurch.com/plus Sermon Notes: Acts 2:44 Acts 3:1 An old Arab proverb teaching the importance of unity says, “One hand alone does not clap.” No one is a whole chain. Each one is a link on the chain. No one is a whole team, but each one is a player. We need each other. It has been rightfully said, “No man is an island unto himself.” We must have each other to survive. Another proverb says, “It is the right arm that scratches the left arm.” Both proverbs expose our need of one another. Unity has great impact on any organization. Where would the military be without unity? Would the football team win without unity and teamwork? Can a business progress when there is no unity among the partners? Can a marriage be happy if the husband and wife refuse to work together? Unity gets the job done! The Early Church was together and in one accord; their motives were correct. God brings unity. The devil wants to bring disunity and strife. God brings love. Satan brings jealousy. God brings faith. Satan brings doubt. God adds and multiplies. Satan subtracts and divides. Unity is the mark of a true Christian. This type of unity existed in the Early Church. In fact, the Church came into existence when the people had one mind. Acts 2:1 The Bible says in Acts 2:42, 44-47 that they broke bread together, with the spirit of love being strong. They sold all they had to meet the needs of each person. This true unity prevailed. The world took note, and the Christians had favor with all the people. Jesus proclaimed the world would know we are His disciples when we have love one for another (John 13:35). 1 Corinthians 1:13 The Scriptures abound with admonitions concerning unity: Ephesians 2:20-22 Ephesians 4:3 Philippians 1:27 1 Peter 3:8 Judges 20:11 Psalm 133:1 Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Mark 3:25 One strand of string can be easily broken by a child. But when many strings are tied together to make a rope, together they can withstand much pressure. Unity prevails in the church when we focus on Jesus Christ. We must be one. (One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God, One Salvation Plan, One Gospel, One Spirit, and One Bible.) The church is like that. Romans 12:3-6 tells us we have, “gifts differing according to the measure of grace.” Our brother adds what he has. Our sister adds the ability she has. Then God brings it all together into something that can be shared with a hungry world. What Kills Unity? Gossip: casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. Sinful Nature: Matthew 15:19-20 Offense Idle Time: 1 Timothy 5:13 The results? It destroys love. It destroys unity. It harms relationships, sometimes beyond repair. It creates barriers to reaching others. It dishonors God. It poisons work environments. It undermines trust. It is condemned in Scripture. It pollutes our spirit. And most of us tolerate it in our lives every day. Proverbs 6:16-19 Leviticus 19:16

One Spirit, One Body- Wildman 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 John 16:12-15

One Spirit, One Body- Behrens 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 John 16:12-15

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called. . . . — Ephesians 4:4 On August 4, 1983, Thomas Sankara, a young military captain, and his supporters took power in the country of Upper Volta and renamed it Burkina Faso. Four years later he was assassinated. He left no property or money. His legacy was the example of one who loved his country, served it with self-sacrifice, and treated women, children, and farmers with dignity. Today he is still an example for millions of young people in Africa: a leader who wanted to serve his brothers and sisters. He loved his country with all his heart. He also fought for African unity. In some ways this young leader's example reminds me of the only man who lived to serve, Jesus Christ. Our Lord prayed that his church would be united, that all who believe in him would be one. In that way the church can be a unified body. Even though it has many members, it is one because all have the same Spirit and the same hope. The unity of the church is the foundation for serving one another. Just as all the parts of a physical body work together for the good of the whole body, so the members of the church serve each other. We don't reject or compete with each other; we complement one another. What obstacles might your congregation be facing in terms of unity? How can you and your family promote the unity of the body of Christ? Lord of the church, we thank you for giving your life so that we can have life. Help us to promote unity in the church today, serving you and one another. Amen.

The sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, Ephesians 4:1-6, by the Rev. Bo Ubbens. Support the show

Sunday 9.29.2024, 10:30 AM Pastor Mark Jackson One Spirit United We Stand   Towne Church

Philippians 1:27-3027 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. GOSPEL: the Good News of Jesus Christ  Living a life worthy of the Gospel  1. Whatever happens! (v. 27a)27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.   2. One Spirit (v. 27b) I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 3.No fear! (vv. 28-30)28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Thanks for listening to this week's message from New City Church. To learn more about New City Church, visit newcitychurch.com and find a campus near you!

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is power…freedom…transformation…unity…glory. The wisdom of the world can't hold a candle to the mind of the Spirit. And we, people of the Spirit, sharing in one Spirit, walking by one Spirit, empowered by one Spirit, shine like lights in the world, radiating with power and glory that comes from the crucified Lord.The sermon today is titled "One Spirit: Power & Wisdom." It is the fourth installment in our series "City Lights: Bearing Witness To A Culture In Crisis." The Scripture reading is from 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on September 8, 2024. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under LEARN: Christian Scripture.Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT)Martin Luther King, "darkness cannot drive out darkness..."William Lane Craig, “The Holy Spirit” (Part 6). Reasonable Faith Defenders Podcast, Series 3.I'd love to connect with you!Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

Sandra Peoples interviews Jason Epps and Paul Pettit about their book, One Body, One Spirit: Disability & Community in the Church. Hear about their friendship and how Jason's challenges with church accessibility led to them writing this book together. Find the full Show-Notes at www.keyministry.org/podcast

In this episode of the Trim the Wick podcast, Dan and Becky share their transformative experiences from mission trips, focusing on the vital role of the Holy Spirit. They discuss how stepping out of their comfort zones in places like Kenya has deepened their reliance on God and strengthened their faith. Tune in to hear amazing stories of divine intervention, the power of prayer, and the joy that comes from trusting the Holy Spirit, even in the most challenging circumstances.________Like what you heard? Listen to more episodes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trim-the-wick/id1496074089Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trimthewickglobal/Follow us on Tiktok: tiktok.com/trim.the.wickJoin our community on Locals: https://trimthewick.locals.com/upost/5330018/welcome-to-trim-the-wick-communityWant to learn more about what we do at Trim the Wick? Check us out here: https://www.matthew257.com/Enjoying Trim the Wick? Show your support by leaving a review and rating for the show. Your feedback helps us continue to strengthen relationships and ignite faith!Have a question? Need to talk? Send us a message!

Thank you for joining us today! Please visit us at oasisla.org/connect to become more connected! We love you so much and see you soon!

I grew up in St. Augustine, Florida home of the state's school for Deaf and Blind students. Ray Charles and Marcus Roberts, both amazing jazz musicians, attended that school. Marcus is classified as blind. However, when he plays the piano, his music opens up a world of textured colors and feelings for me. This week we will examine the idea of wholeness in the context of those who are” differently abled.” According to Science of Mind, every person is an individualization of the One Spirit, regardless of physical or mental abilities. Wholeness is not determined by physical conditions but by recognizing the inherent spiritual essence within everyone. Disabilities and differences are understood as unique expressions of the One Spirit, and physical or mental conditions do not limit a person's worth or spiritual potential. Come join this Sunday as we discuss one aspect of the nature of wholeness.

Ephesians 4:1-6 / Frederick Gutierrez

Last time we spoke about the first Guangdong-Guangxi War. The First Anhui-Zhili War not only affected northern China, it also put into motion many events in the south. Viceroy Lu Rongting, working for Duan Qirui and his Anhui Clique was sent south to take over the position as governor of Guangdong. But those already in the Guangdong Clique wanted nothing to do with the north, nor with Lu Rongting and this led to conflict. A bitter struggle emerged between the southern cliques, all seeking to influence the Guangzhou southern government. Forces from Guizhou, Guangxi and Yunnan invaded Guangdong and it looked like they would have their way, until Chen Jiongming entered the scene. Chen Jiongming led the Guangdong Clique beside the common people of the province to rid themselves of the invaders resulting in the first Guangdong-Guangxi war. This resulted in the near annihilation of the Old Guangxi Clique and the return of Dr Sun Yat-Sen to Guangzhou.   #100 The Spirit Soldier Rebellions   Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Hey before we jump into it, just wanted to acknowledge this is episode 100 for the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, sheesh. Thank you all for surviving this far into the wild story of China's Century of Humiliation, you are all awesome. Perhaps if you got a moment, could you do me a huge favor? Unlike Youtube with a built in comment section, its hard to get feedback for audio podcasts. If you get a second could you toss feedback, what you like, what you don't like, suggestions going forward anything. You can toss it to the Pacific War Channel Discord server or literally just comment any video over at the Pacific War Channel. Would mean a lot to me, lets get on with the show! As one can imagine, China's warlord era was not something one would refer to as stable. After the absolute mess Yuan Shikai made before his death he basically provided the perfect environment for any wannabe strongman to compete for their place amongst the warlords. The warlords fleeced their respective regions of control to pay for their private armies. They would overly tax, steal away funds and get involved in just about any means to acquire more money to pay their soldiers. Even after fleecing the population, these warlords would then allow their troops to plunder, rape and enslave. Combine this with the incredible amount of regionals wars, plus natural disasters, famine and an insane rise in banditry, it was not a great time to live in China to say the least. Some regions suffered more than others. The less developed provinces, the more remote areas of China, typically in the center, south and west were hit the worst. Here the common people were poor, more isolated and when major crises occurred, they were far less likely to see any outside assistance. The warlord armies in these regions were less equipped, less fed, less disciplined compared to their Northern or coastal counterparts. The troops of these warlords treated the citizenry especially bad. As a result of the unrelenting hardship, the peasants of these parts of China perceived the warlord soldiers, tax collectors and foreign state agents as literal parasites, hell wouldn't you? In a rather vain attempt to rid themselves of these parasites, the peasants launched a large number of uprisings, riots and protests. Some were tiny villages squabbles, others could bring down warlords. They often came directly after a bad harvest season. Some but not all saw peasants join secret societies, acting as self defense forces….yes it sounds exactly like the Yihetuan all over again. Yet in most cases these peasant groups were not coordinated enough to really make a dent, more often than naught, warlords crushed them. Now after the National Protection War against Yuan Shikai, the provinces of Hubei and Sichuan fell into miserable chaos. As we have talked about in the previous episode where I introduced the Southern Warlords, Sichuan province literally was cut up into pieces and dominated by a large number of what I would call Petty Warlords. Some of these Petty Warlords had little more than a few villages under their thumb, others led armies in the several tens of thousands. The situation in Hubei was not as bad, but comparable, seeing numerous warlords battle each other, resulting in hundreds of thousands of soldiers, militiamen and bandits roaming both provinces. To complicate things, these Petty Warlords in a means to try and bolster themselves often flirted with the Beiyang government. They did so similar to how the last episode saw figures trying to negotiate north-south resolutions, basically they would acknowledge the authority of the Beiyang government. The two provinces were also affected by socio-ethnic divisions. Within the valley and plains of Sichuan and Hubei were mostly Han Chinese, but in the highlands there were many non Han such as Miao and Tujia. For those interested, the Miao people speak Hmongic languages, a subfamily of the Hmong-Mien languages. Something notable about the Miao is how their women historically exercised more independence, especially in terms of socio-political mobility. Unlike the majority of asian cultures at the time, Miao women had the freedom to choose the men they marry. The Tujia people speak Tujia, a Sino-Tibetan language, they were at the zenith of their power under the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu basically adopted a carrot and stick approach to the Tujia, by gifting compliant chieftains and hindered non compliant ones. The Tujia resented any central body trying to exert control over them and during the Taiping Rebellion many flocked to the Taiping. These non han groups felt oppressed and historically had always resisted Han immigration into their lands. The highlanders were much more versed in organized self defense forces and thus prone more so to uprising.  The environments these people lived in were the type to foster ancestor worship and belief in magic, spiritualism, possession and such. Within the context of these people struggling for further autonomy this led to the development of “spirit soldiers”. Similar to the Yihetuan, this was the belief people could summon divine beings that would fight alongside or possess them, granting them power. These beliefs were also part of messianic and apocalyptic movements, think of the White Lotus apocalypse. There were many who believed the spirit soldiers would help establish a new and fair rule on earth. In 1920 there was a large power vacuum that hit western Hubei province. A 30,000 strong army commanded by the Warlords Li Tiancai, Bao Wenwei, Lan Tianwei and Wang Tianzong came into the area. The reason for this was because Wang Zhanyuan the governor of Hubei had evicted them from the Enshi-Hefeng area. Having suffered so greatly, the peasants of Hubei and Sichuan became increasingly discontent and in 1920, major conflicts emerged. A group of Taoist priests began a spiritual movement with a militant wing behind it. They were fighting against over taxation in Lichuan of Hubei province and the abuses upon them by warlord troops. In the beginning they were no more than 100 people chanting the slogan "Kill the Warlords and Out with Rotten Officials and Loafers". Their slogans were very appealing and as more people joined up the priests began to tell them they could bless them to become spirit soldiers through magical rituals. Again similar to the Yihetuan, these rituals consisted of acts like drinking special potions or consuming ashes of various things like burned amulets. Supposedly this would make the spirit soldiers invulnerable to gunfire and raise their bravery, so yeah it really does feel like the Boxer Movement 2.0. Of course these young males were emboldened and felt they could mount a serious rebellion against the warlord troops, who were vastly better armed. The spirit soldiers typically were armed with melee weapons such as spears or a dao. They quickly overran Lichuan county and killed the local magistrate there. Upon that success further uprisings sprang up like wildfire.  After the taking of Lichuan it is estimated the spirit soldiers numbered over 10,000 and they would only continue to grow. Given their numbers, they were gradually beginning to organize themselves seriously, though they would still operate in numerous cells, they never unified. Three main spirit armies emerged alongside countless militias. They rarely coordinated, lacked real military training, had very few firearms, no uniforms, but nonetheless tried to act like real armies. They implemented military ranks and identified as such with yellow bands around their left hands middle finger, the color yellow being their official movement color. Similar to the Taiping Rebellion, which they definitely took inspiration from. Major spirit soldier armies and militias wore distinct colors based on their region. For example in western Hubei, they wore red turbans and sashes, many also carried red flags with their leaders' names inscribed upon them or with slogans. Some of these slogans were about “heavenly kingdoms being established on earth” yes Hong Xiuquan would approve.  These spirit soldier groups did not want to seize power, nor did they have any real revolutionary ideologies. Even from a class point of view, they were not exactly championing the impoverished or anything, when they took over counties they did not change the counties social order. Typically they stormed a county, killed or replaced the magistrate with someone they deemed to be a fair person. Ironically this often led to an even more corrupt person taking the magistrate position, making the lives of people worse. But you know what, when these spirit soldiers showed up to your county, as a regular peasant you were probably pretty happy about it, because anything was better than being ruled by a warlord. The great thing about the Spirit armies was when they came to your town they fought the tax and rent collectors off alongside warlord troops and bandits. It was said, under spirit rule, the people could finally travel unarmed without fear. Now soldiers no matter what god or spirit resides within them need to eat, thus money was required. To make ends meet the Spirit armies fought bandits and warlords and seized control over salt and opium trade routes running from Sichuan and Guizhou through western Hubei. Just like the Yihetuan, the Spirit soldiers also persecuted christians and foreigners. Most of them were under the belief western modernization efforts and christianity were the reason for all of china's troubles.  Once the Spirit soldier rebellion began to see tens of thousands enlist, they gradually advanced west into Sichuan province. There lies a regional trade hub, the city of Wanzhou, lying on the upper reaches of the 3 gorges of the Yangtze River. In the late part of 1920, a spirit army from Lichuan approached Wanzhou, spreading slogans of their movement, such as "Stand Against Rents and Taxes, Kill the Grey Dogs". Gray dogs refers to warlord troops. Now they did not attack Wanzhou, instead they allowed members to infiltrate the city and the local towns to mass recruit. After a few months they managed to nearly gain 5000 new spirit soldiers. They also set up a military HQ at a local temple dedicated to Yama. For those unaware Yama is a deity shared by Hindus and Buddhists. This temple was dedicated to the Buddhist variety of Yama. Yama here is regarded as one of the 20-24 Devas, a group of protective Dharmapalas. If you were a spirit soldier, it would be an ideal location to set up shop, +20 to spirituality and such. They were armed mostly with bamboo spears when they assaulted Wanzhou on March 5th of 1921. The assault was performed in two waves of roughly 2000 spirit soldiers each. Despite being armed with firearms, the local warlord troops were terrified by the tenacity of the spirit soldiers who very much performed like Boxers. They fought bare chested, unafraid of bullets, some performed martial arts and incantations. Just like what happened to Qing militia's and green standard troops in 1900, the warlord troops were terrified the spirit soldiers might actually be wielding magic, and soon routed fleeing Wanzhou's outskirts to hide behind fortified walls in the inner city.  The Spirit troops stormed through Wanzhou quickly seizing most of the city, however unlike a warlord army who would have plundered and left or heavily fortified the city, well the spirit army was simply not that kind of army. As soon as they took footholds within, they began performing public incantations and rituals. Basically they were doing exactly what the Boxers had done, however the Boxers had been facing governmental forces who were not really keen on fighting back. For the spirit soldiers their enemy were warlords who relied on fleecing the population and Wanzhou was a major trade center, prime real estate. The warlord forces fortified parts of the inner city, hiding behind walls where the Spirit troops simply could not breach, nor did they try to do so. After 3 days, the Warlord leaders slapped their troops around, telling them not to be afraid of magic and they launched a counter attack on the 8th. That day saw brutal street to street fighting, which did benefit the melee wielding spirit warriors, but guns certainly would win the day. After an entire day of battle, the spirit forces were pushed out of the city. Nearly 500 were killed during the battle, the majority being spirit soldiers. On the 12th, the Warlord Chou Fu-yu after receiving distressed requests for help arrived in Wanzhou with reinforcements. Once he figured out they were holding up at the Yama temple he organized an offensive against their HQ. Chou Fu-yu's forces stormed the temple massacring over 1000 of them. Chou Fu-yu's men specifically hunted down their leadership, executing them publicly to send a message. After seeing the carnage the spirit army collapsed and fled the Wanzhou area swiftly, most would return to civilian life, though others would fight for another day. Those who chose to keep championing the cause formed small militia groups that honestly were more akin to Honghuzi. Local officials in Hubei and Sichuan would refer to them as such "the whole country districts [were] laid waste, by these rebels who plundered wherever they went". The spirit milita's did not attempt to seize any significant towns or cities, they simply stormed them hunting for christians and foreigners, before moving to the next. They would do this for years in the Hubei-Sichuan region with power bases located along their border. Now despite the major setback at Wanzhou, the spirit armies would continue to expand, but instead of heading westwards into Sichuan, they turned back to Hubei. This had a large effect on Hubei based warlords who sometimes were pushed out of their spheres of influence. Spirit armies seized Yichang, Badong, Xuan'en, Enshi and countless other counties. One Spirit leader, a farmers' work hand named Yuan declared himself the new Jade Emperor and attempted to seize most of western Hubei. From around 1920-1922, acting as an emperor he issued numerous edicts. For the most part he led a campaign against pretty much every class imaginable: students, farmers, business owners, land owners, merchants, the military, workers, missionaries, and more. He called for killing christians, placing blame upon them for all of China's problems, promising his followers once the Christians were all gone, China would be at peace. There were those amongst his flock and others who were Ming loyalists, the age old secret society types trying to restore the Ming Dynasty. Similar to the wannabe Jade Emperors belief that getting rid of Christianity would save China from her plight, the Ming loyalists saw the Ming Dynasty as a golden age that needed to be re-ushered in.  The Spirit armies were largely successful because of the fighting amongst the warlords of Hubei and to a lesser extent Sichuan. Western Hubei in particular was ripe with chaos, for there was not only Spirit armies and warlord armies, there were large groups of Honghuzi roaming the region. Now I could cut this story about the spirit soldiers here, but instead I will try to not allude to things in the future too much. But around 1921, armies of the Zhili Clique began to invade Hubei and Sichuan from their power base in Hunan province. The Zhili armies soon fought battles against both Hubei and Sichuan warlord armies and were gradually forced back north. In the process some Sichuan warlords seized Badong, Zigui and Xingshan, fleecing the populations for all they were worth before departing. The Sichuan warlord, Yang Sen, notably seized Lichuan and Jianshi in October of 1921 and would hold them until February of 1923. Yang Sen was a Taoist master and an avid polygamist. He met the Taoist Master Li Ching-yuen, who claimed he had lived to be 250 years old. He was quite famous, hell Wu Peifu while leading the Zhili clique would take Li Ching-yuen into his home trying to discover his secret method of living for so long. Li Ching-yuen died in 1933, but claimed he produced over 200 descendants and had 24 wives over the course of his very long life. Yang Sen wrote a famous book after his death titled “A Factual Account of the 250 Year-Old Good-Luck Man” Within the book he described Li Ching-yuen "He has good eyesight and a brisk stride; Li stands seven feet tall, has very long fingernails, and a ruddy complexion." Allegedly, Li was born in Qijiang county of Sichuan province back in 1677. At the age of 13 he embarked on a life of gathering herbs in the mountains amongst 3 elders of his village. At 51 years of age he served as a topography advisor in the army of General Yue Zhongqi. At 78 he retired from military service after fighting in a battle at the Golden River, whence he returned to a life of gathering herbs on Snow Mountain of Sichuan province. Due to his military service under Yue Zongqi, the government sent him a document congratulating him on his 100th birthday and this was done on his 150th and 200th. In 1908 Li co-wrote a book a disciple of his, Yang Hexuan called “the secrets of Li Qingyuns immortality”. In 1920 General Xiong Yanghe interviewed Li and published an article about him at the Nanjing university. In 1926 Wu Peifu took him under his home and Li took up a job teaching at Beijing university's Meditation Society branch. In 1927 General Yang Sen invited Li to Wanxian where the first known photograph of the man was taken, if you google him you can see it. After hearing about the famous 200+ year old man, General Chiang Kai-Shek requested he visit him in Nanjing, however when Yang Sen sent envoys to find Li at his hometown of Chenjiachang, his current wife and disciplines broke the news, he had died, the year was 1928. You might be raising an eyebrow, yes, after his supposed death, newspapers began writing pieces claiming he died in 1929, 1930, then the last report was in 1933, no one has ever verified how he died, they all just list natural cases. Now about this fascinating case of his age, Li Ching-yuen claimed he had been born in 1736, it was a professor at Chengdu University, Wu CHung-Chieh who asserted he was born in 1677. According to an article by the New York Times in 1930, Wu discovered imperial records from 1827 congratulating Li on his 150th birthday, then another one for his 200th birthday in 1877. In another New York Times article from 1928, correspondence wrote that many old men of Li's village asserted that their grandfathers all knew him as young boys and that he had been a grown man at the time. Now many researchers have pointed out his claim to be 256 years of age was a multiple of 8, considered a lucky number in Chinese culture. Many researchers also point out the prevalence of such myths as extreme old age to be very common in China and the far east. They believed he was just telling a tall tale like countless others before him. One of Li's disciplines, Master Da Liu said of his master, when Li was 130 years old he encountered an older hermit in the mountains claiming to be 500 years old. This old hermit taught him Baguazhang, that is a style of martial arts and Qigong, these are breathing, meditation and posturing exercises. Alongside dietary habits all combined was what gave the hermit his longevity. Du Liu would say “his master said that his longevity is due to the fact that he performed the exercises every day – regularly, correctly, and with sincerity – for 120 years." Sorry for the extreme side story, but I just found it fascinating haha.  So General Yang Sen had seized Lichuan and Jianshi and would be involved in numerous wars in Sichuan. He often fought the Governor of Sichuan, Xiong Kewu who was gradually defeated by 1923, where upon he took his armies into western Hubei. Yang Sen amongst other warlords exploited the absence of Xiong Kewu and invaded Sichuan. The departure of Xiong Kewu from Sichuan also allowed Petty warlord Kong Gen to seize territory and for a large Honghuzi army led by Lao Yangren to invade Yunxian. Things got so bad for Xiong Kewu, he turned to a very unlikely group to form an alliance, the Spirit Soldiers. Xiong Kewu allied the Spirit armies encamped at Enshi and Hefeng. In 1924 a large part of Xiong Kewu's army were advancing through the Wu Valley, trying to link up with him. The Wu valley was a strategic stronghold for the Spirit armies, thus in order to gain free passage he joined up with them. Chaos would reign supreme in both Hubei and Sichuan for many years, not aided much when General Yang Sen took the governorship over Sichuan. Once governor there he provoked several of his loose allies who all formed a coalition to oust him from his position by early 1925. Like Xiong Kewu, now it was Yang Sen retreating west into Hubei, eventually forming a base at Badong. One of his opponents, the Petty warlord Yuan Zuming, a member of the Guizhou clique invaded the region and seized Lichuan and Shinan, before setting his eyes on Hefeng. Meanwhile the Spirit Armies, bolstered by Xiong Kewu spread again into Sichuan where they offered protection to locals from warlord troops and Honghuzi. They fought a large battle around Wangying that allegedly turned the local river crimson red with blood. By early 1926 the Spirit movement had surged past 100,000 troops and dominated over 40 counties in Hubei. Yet they never fully centralized their organization, rarely coordinated between armies and differing groups and were not heavily armed with firearms. Honestly by becoming a larger force and by becoming more sedentary, it actually spelt their doom. While they were smaller and more mobile, they were harder to catch and less appetizing to warlord armies, now they were fully on the menu. In 1926 three divisions of warlord troops were sent against them. The Spirit armies were absolutely crushed in waves of one sided battles. Their leaders were hunted down and executed, that is if they did not die on the battlefield or simply off themselves prior to being caught. Yet 1926 would bring an entirely new element at play, it was when the Northern Expedition began and such a colossal event would save the Spirit soldiers from complete annihilation.  Don't want to give anything away, but the Northern Expedition would affect both Yang Sen and Xiong Kewu and by proxy the areas they controlled. This would cause further chaos in Hubei and Sichuan which in turn would be exploited by countless figures. For example a large Honghuzi army of Lao Yangren, perhaps 20,000 men strong or more ran rampant in both provinces. Honghuzi loved to follow behind warlord armies, exploiting areas they passed through since the rival warlords would have been kicked out. With the Northern Expedition brushing aside countless warlords in the area, both Honghuzi and Spirit soldiers expanded. Some Spirit Soldiers even decided to join up with a new group hitting the scene, Red Armies. The CCP were falling into a war with the KMT and they began to latch onto anyone who would join forces with them. Two prominent CCP figures, Xu Xiangqian and He Long worked with Spirit Soldiers. He Long came to view them as nothing more than another version of Honghuzi, but acknowledged they wanted to protect the local people which was admirable. Their quasi alliance allowed the Spirit Soldiers to expand into northern and central Sichuan, western Henan and eastern Guizhou well into the 1930s. Despite the incredible amount of wars that would occur over the decades, the last known Spirit Army rebellion would take place in February of 1959.  As you can imagine it was an anti-communist uprising, that occurred in Sizhuang county of Henan province. This was directly a result of Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward enacted the year prior. For those who don't know, the Great Leap Forward encompassed a change of pretty much all aspects of Chinese society and it was disastrous to say the least. Mao sought to reconstruct the entire nation from an agrarian economy into a real industrialized society, but on fast forward mode. He did so via peoples communes, while decreeing every possible effort to increase grain yield must be done so they could bring industry to rural China. This resulted in one of the worst man made famines in history. Alongside this came an economic disaster, unbelievable governmental abuses upon the people. An estimated 15-55 million would die. Many resisted the government's actions, but the government had decreed no one could leave their village or farms, thus it made it extremely difficult to coordinate a resistance movement. Desperate peasants tried to resist, alongside countless secret societies. Numerous rebellions broke out, but they were quite small in scale. Armed resistance broke out in Henan in 1959, where large bandit groups began to steal weapons from armories and attacked major roadways. A secret society known as the “shenbingtuan / regiment of spirit soldiers” gathered 1200 fighters from hubei, Sichuan and Shaanxi and began to attack government officers in Sizhuang county. It took the red army roughly 20 days to quell the uprising. Thus ended the Spirit Soldier movement. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Spirit Soldier Movement was a drop in the bucket for China's Warlord Era. They were a group amongst many others who tried to navigate a very cruel world. As comedic as they may come off, they were brave people who were trying to protect the population from what they deemed to be villains, many became twisted as a result.