Podcasts about our master

Today on the HowToBBQRight Podcast, check out our first annual Taco and Margarita contest RIGHT HERE at The Shop (00:14)! Malcom whipped up a Hot Honey Ham just in time for Easter, and it will definitely be the show stopper at your Easter dinner (02:18)... Looking for a new grill to add to your arsenal? Primo Ceramic Grills has you covered (13:35)! Easter is coming up this weekend, and these are our favorite easter recipes (14:18). Y'all KILLED IT on our Meme contest in the community, but here's our big winner (16:51). If you're thinking of doing a pulled ham for Easter, here's Malcom's top tips for cooking that bad boy up (20:16). Our Master's experience ended up tasting WAY better than we expected (25:02)! Here's your reminder to NOT buy gas station food without inspecting it first (31:49). Building a drum smoker is a difficult process, but here's the paints that you should be using for the BEST experience (34:43). If you've got three 20lb pound pork butts that you've got to cook on a pellet smoker, here's how to get them done (38:42). Mikey's competition wing sauce from a few years ago seems to still be making its rounds through the Let's Get To Cookin' community page (43:54)! Cooking in higher altitudes can be a big adjustment, here's some tips to make the transition easier (46:58). Finally, we don't know TOO much about meat in the UK, but here's Malcom's best bet on how to cook it (50:26).  

Numbers chapter 2 describes the arrangement of the camp of Israel. Everything that their Sovereign gave to His people Israel was orderly and purposeful. Even in what might seem to be simple matters there were divine principles being taught to the Almighty's family. Each tribe had its banner, or flag. Three tribes camped on each side of the central Sanctuary, where the Tabernacle was located. The three tribes grouped on the eastern side of the Tabernacle under the flag of Judah – the lion – were Judah, at the head, and Issachar and Zebulon. On the southern side encamped a further three tribes under the standard of Reuben, the man, these were – Reuben, Simeon and Gad. The order stated for the tribes and for the furniture and tent of the Tabernacle was for camping and setting forth; as verse 34 tells us. What this chapter does not tell us is that the ark of the covenant led the Israelites on their journeying (Numbers 10:33-36). Psalm 145 is a Psalm of David which could be titled as, “I will extol you my God and my King”. Verses 1 to 3 tell of our Sovereign's greatness and of the worthiness of praising His Name. Verses 3 to 7 speak of each subsequent generation of God's people would relate His awesome deeds and extol and praise their LORD. Verses 8 and 9 summarise the character of the Almighty, “Yahweh is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in stedfast love. Yahweh is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made” (ESV). Compare these thoughts with the LORD's revealing, to Moses, His Name and what it meant (Exodus 34 verses 5to 7). The Psalmist proclaims that the remembrance of this would continue to cause the people of God to praise Him and acclaim His greatness. Psalm146 deals with the powerlessness of every human regardless of their supposed status and power . The prophet Isaiah also commented on this, “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2 verse 22, ESV). We must praise God while we have breath. Hezekiah tells us this following his miraculous healing from leprosy. The Almighty extended Hezekiah's life by 15 years. And the king's response was, “For Sheol does not thank You; death does not praise You; those that go down to the pit do not hope for Your faithfulness. The living, the living, he thanks You as I do this day; the father makes known to the children Your faithfulness” Isaiah 38 verses 18 and 19 (ESV). There is no consciousness in death as verses 3-4 state. Thought ceases when we breathe out our last breath. What a contrast to the Omnipotent Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth. When our Sovereign stoops to aid the powerless no power in heaven or earth can resist Him. Verse 8 tells us that He particularly takes up the cause of the widows and the fatherless (Psalm 68 verses 5 and 6; and so must we James 1 verse 27). But the wicked will be dealt with speedily. Praise our God forever you citizens of Zion. Let all generations to come praise Him. Hallelujah. Psalm 147 tells us that our God is the One who heals the broken hearted. Verses 1-3 celebrate the care of our Heavenly Father in gathering the outcasts. The awesome power of the Creator is told in verses 4-5; as He knows each star by name. Verse 6 tells of His gentleness. What a wonderful combination of characteristics are present with our God. Hannah spoke of them in her prayer recorded in 1 Samuel 2 verses 1 to 10. In Psalm 147 verse 7 the faithful are called upon to offer thanksgiving to their Sovereign. Once again verses 8-10 blend His great power and His disdain for human pride. What He asks from His children is reverence and a trust for His stedfast love. Verses 12 to 20 tell of the blessings He bestows upon His children. But note that the emphasis upon the knowing of His Word and the understanding of His ways are stressed above and beyond any of the material blessings. In Luke 12 the Lord counsels regarding the destructive teachings of the Pharisees. Our Lord Jesus says to his followers to have no fear when they are tried and killed by the religious authorities. This is because our Father has power over everything – including life and death. When giving testimony before rulers believers would be aided in their witness. In the parable in this chapter of the rich fool (based on the life of Nabal in 1 Samuel 25) our Lord refuses to arbitrate in a property dispute between two brothers. Instead Jesus turns the opportunity into a discussion about the dangers of covetousness and the need to be rich in loving service to God at all times. Christ urges the disciples to be free from anxiety. Look at nature and the Almighty's abundantly providing out of His richness. Disciples need, as wise and faithful servants, to be in a state of continual readiness for their Lord's coming. A constant challenge for disciples is that often times family opposition will be the result of a person's acceptance of Christ. As disciples we must be alert to the era in which we live. Our Master is standing at the doorpost of our hearts and knocking: Revelation 3:20-21. Finally if believers find themselves in a dispute they need to quickly reach agreement with their adversaries or the results may be much worse.

Bill Kittrell continues our sermon series Colossians: Celebrating the Supremacy of Christ, in Colossians 3:18-4:1 with this week's message titled "Our Master in Heaven".

Bill Kittrell continues our sermon series Colossians: Celebrating the Supremacy of Christ, in Colossians 3:18-4:1 with this week's message titled "Our Master in Heaven".

To be a slave is to be attached to a master. It is a glorious thing, and not pejorative, to be slaves of our Maker. The New Testament epistle writers identified themselves as doulos, slave of Christ. We have been bought with a price, and we belong to Him. Our Master knows our troubles and He cares about us. VF-2139 Jude 1:1 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to leave a message for Pastor Scott. You may make reservations to attend a live service, leave a prayer request or make a commitment. Pastor Scott appreciates messages and reads them often during live broadcasts. Follow @Pastor_Scott on Twitter and visit her official Facebook page @Pastor.M.Scott. Download Pastor Scott's "Understand the Bible" app for iPhone, iPad and iPod at the Apple App Store and for Android devices in the Google Store. Pastor Scott can also be seen 24x7 on Roku and Amazon Fire on the "Understand the Bible?" channel. ©2025 Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved

I should have realized I was never going to make it as a tennis player. Oh, I played the most with my son. And, I think I had a decent serve for a beginner. But I had trouble returning my son's shots. Now, I think you'll agree that is a basic skill for succeeding in tennis. You do have to get it back to the other guy. For example: volleyball - you lose the point when you can't return the shot; ping-pong - oh, you know, there are a lot of places where that's important. In fact, in most arenas returning the shot - well, that's an important skill to be cultivated. In one arena it's a skill to be eliminated. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You've Been Hurt." Well, our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Peter 2. I'll be reading verse 21. "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps." Now let's stop for just a minute here. Peter is saying that this world needs more of Jesus. And there are a lot of people around you who are desperate to have Jesus walk among them, and He can. He can walk into your office. He can walk into your school. He can be in your family through you, because He's in you. Now, the Bible here says that Christ is our example, and the Greek word that's used there talks about a copy head on a school child's slate. And as they were learning their alphabet - alpha, beta, gamma, delta...the Greek alphabet - they would just simply copy the letter at the top and try to make their letter as much like the letter at the top as they could - an exact copy. Now, this says that Christ is our copy head. He's the one we're trying to make an exact replica of. We're trying to be as much like Him in our life as possible so that when people come in contact with us, they come in contact with Him. Now, when is it hardest to follow that example? When is it hardest to be like Jesus? Well, when it's most important to be. Verse 23: "When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate. When He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly." The real proof that shows a person's real character is what he does when he's being shot at. Now, you notice what happened to Jesus here? He was insulted, but there was no retaliation. They hurt Him and yet there were no threats coming back. Our Master was abusively, horribly treated. He was deeply hurt. And boy did He have the power to hurt back like you and I never will, and He chose not to! Now, when are you most likely to sin? Well, probably when someone is really attacking you, criticizing you, coming after you, when they're firing something at you. Maybe you've been betrayed recently, or you've been deeply wounded verbally, or maybe you've even been hurt physically. Everything in you cries out, "I'll fix him!" "I'll fix her!" Your mind starts racing through ways that you can retaliate, ways you can even the score. And now here comes the Jesus test. Does knowing Christ make any difference when it really counts? In Romans 12 the Apostle Paul says, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil; do not take revenge, but leave room for God's wrath." Let God even the score - He's much better at it than you are. Jesus turned to His Father for justice. An eye for an eye is not the way of Jesus. Even from His cross He says of those who have nailed Him to that cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." That's the example for us. When you refuse to return the shot, you refuse to shrink to the level of your attackers, you refuse to let them control you. And more importantly, you rise to the level of your Lord, who gives you the grace not to hurt back. Life isn't tennis. In Christ you win if you don't return the shot. So, hold your fire!

I realize now that I really wasn't ever going to make it as a tennis player. Oh, I played the most with my son. And, I think I had a decent serve for a beginner. But I had trouble returning my son's shots. Now, I think you'll agree that is a basic skill for succeeding in tennis. You do have to get it back to the other guy. Actually, that's important in a lot of sports. For example: volleyball - you lose the point when you can't return the shot - ping-pong - oh, you know, there are a lot of places where that's important. In fact, in most arenas returning the shot - well, that's an important skill to be cultivated. In one arena it's a skill to be eliminated. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hold Your Fire." Well, our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Peter 2. I'll be reading verse 21. "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps." Now let's stop for just a minute here. Peter is saying that this world needs more of Jesus. Now, there are a lot of people around you who are desperate to have Jesus walk among them, and He can. He can walk into your office. He can be in your school. He can be in your family through you, because He's in you. Now, the Bible here says that Christ is our example, and the Greek word that's used there is the word that talked about a copy head on a school child's slate. And as they were learning their alphabet - alpha, beta, gamma, delta...the Greek alphabet - they would just simply copy the letter at the top and try to make their letter as much like the letter at the top as they could - an exact copy. Now, this says that Christ is our copy head. He's the one we're trying to make an exact replica of. We're trying to be as much like Him in our life as possible so that when people come in contact with us, they come in contact with Him. Now, when is it hardest to follow that example? When is it hardest to be like Jesus? Well, when it's most important to be. Verse 23: "When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate. When He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly." The real proof that shows a person's real character is what he does when he's being shot at. Now, you notice what happened to Jesus here? He was insulted, but there was no retaliation. They hurt Him and yet there were no threats coming back. Our Master was abusively, horribly treated - He was deeply hurt. And boy did He have the power to hurt back like you and I never will, and He chose not to! Now, when are you most likely to sin? Well, probably when someone is really attacking you, criticizing you, coming after you, when they're firing something at you. Maybe you've been betrayed recently, or you've been deeply wounded verbally, or maybe you've even been hurt physically. Everything in you cries out, "I'll fix him!" "I'll fix her!" Your mind starts racing through ways that you can retaliate - ways you can even the score. And now here comes the Jesus test. Does knowing Christ make any difference when it really counts? In Romans 12 the Apostle Paul says, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil; do not take revenge, but leave room for God's wrath." Let God even the score - He's much better at it than you are. Jesus turned to His Father for justice. An eye for an eye is not the way of Jesus. Even from His cross He says of those who have nailed Him to that cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." That's the example for us. When you refuse to return the shot, you refuse to shrink to the level of your attackers - you refuse to let them control you. And more importantly, you rise to the level of your Lord, who gives you the grace not to hurt back. Life isn't tennis. In Christ you win if you don't return the shot. So, my brother and my sister, hold your fire!

Our Master has commanded us to “teach and admonish one another” (Col. 3:16) and to “warn those that are unruly” (1 Thess. 5:14) as part of our Christian duty. Yet rather than speaking truth and wisdom to others freely, as they received it from God, some sell their biblical counsel as though it had originated from themselves. By God's grace, this is not the practice of a majority of biblical counselors, but it is unfortunately widespread, even among highly reputable biblical counseling organizations such as the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC), as this episode will demonstrate. One of the hallmarks of the biblical counseling movement is the firm conviction that Scripture is sufficient for all non-medical problems. If this is so, God's Word should also be sufficient for answering the question as to whether counseling should be supported or sold. We believe that the Bible is crystal clear that Christian ministry should never be sold, but rather freely supported by the Body of Christ, and we want to encourage the biblical counseling movement to embrace this scriptural truth. As long as biblical counselors teach and function as though the Bible is insufficient to answer this question, they unintentionally undermine their foundational premise. The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) is an esteemed organization, devoted to counseling according to God's Word. I myself am an ACBC certified counselor, and greatly appreciate and admire the work they have done in equipping both pastors and laymen to rightly handle God's Word in counseling. However, when it comes to Jesus's teaching that the ministry of the gospel should be offered freely (Mat 10:8), this organization has opted to turn a blind eye. Rather than take the position of its founder Jay Adams, who clearly assumed that biblical counseling would be offered for free, ACBC leaves the door open for individual counselors to decide whether or not they will charge, and how much: “The Bible is clear that ministers of the gospel of Jesus are entitled to earn their living from the gospel…. Biblical counselors … must seek to love their counselees in discerning whether to charge fees and how much to charge.” Notice that they wrongly assume that earning a living “from the gospel” means charging people for speaking truth in love, putting a price tag on wisdom, and requiring people “obtain the gift of God with money” (Acts 8:20). Also, they imply that it can be loving to charge people for healing, for pointing them to Jesus, and for other spiritual gifts that are involved in biblical counseling. But it is never loving to disobey God by selling access to the ministry of his Word and Spirit. As we'll see in the data presented below, this confusing stance regarding money and ministry has created a biblical counseling landscape in which everyone simply does what is right in their own eyes. Read the article here. ⁠sellingjesus.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thedoreanprinciple.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠copy.church

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time No matter how many talents we believe the Master has given us, no matter if we have used them wisely up until this point or not, we all still have at least one talent (and an important one) - faith!  And our Master expects us to use whatever we have right now, engage with it, "trade" with it, and intentionally multiply that talent. Our Master hasn't yet come back to settle accounts with us, so we still have time to engage others and the world with that talent and make a good return on what He has given to us!

Series:  Ready for His Return?: Parables of the Olivet Discourse Title:  Delayed Master Text:  Matthew 24:45-51 Today's Truth – The second coming of Christ will be like a master delayed in returning   1. Our Master is away 2. You have been tasked by the Master to be a faithful and wise servant while He is…

The power of God is not just for the preachers but from the front to the back of the church house. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 God isn't talking about the world, He's talking about the church.  One thing it's going to take to fight against the devil is the power of God. Do you want really want it? Now the church is not without power. Often times we say we are powerless against certain things. When we come into unity there is a power. The world's Christianity is a cultural church. The method has power.  Revelation 3:16, a church done wrong makes Him want to spew us from His mouth. As long as the method that God has given to us is followed it'll work. How many times have you been beaten down by the world and come sit down in the church? Come in singing, come in praying, come in praising, and come in preaching. Whether you like the preacher or not, if he's preaching God's Word then you better agree with it. Engage with the preacher. Engage with the preached word. It pleases God to be engaged with Him. If you miss the message from God then it's not the preacher's fault or the service's fault, it's yours. 1 Corinthians 1:18, Romans 1:16, Romans 10:17, Romans 10:14; grown men have been broken to weeping when the Gospel has been shared with them. It has power! 1 John 1:9 The message has power.  The message God sends to us has great power. It's not up to us to convict a person it's the message of the Gospel. We are all guilty of judging others. We all judge others for their sins. It's our job as Christians to get the lost to Jesus, not the Primitive Baptist church, not another doctrine, but to Jesus.  The manuscript has power.  The King James Version is the closest version we have to the original scrolls. The Bible is the Word of God. Do you believe this? 49% of surveyed Christians said they do not believe that the Bible is not the Word of God. The world will teach you that the Bible is not God's Word. The Old Testament is just as relevant as the newspaper is for today. Some people have been taught that it's not important and people believe this. Matthew 4; when Jesus was tempted by Satan, He didn't preach a message but quoted the scripture.  Our Master has ALL power.  All power has been given to Jesus. Some people serve a church or a denomination, and some even serve a cell phone. Jesus stated He has the power to lay His life down and to lift it back up. He has power over death! No one has ever lived like Jesus for 33 and a half years and sinless the entire time. The Jews didn't kill Jesus. The cross, scourging, or even the loss of blood didn't kill Him. Jesus died when HE said He was going to die. No one died like Jesus died. No one was raised from the dead like Jesus was. No one is coming back like Jesus is coming back, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58. Many people believe in false gods dying and waking up in a devil's Hell.  We as a Christian have no right to fear anything!

Our Master's Joy

Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ) Messages  (Meditation, Raja Yoga, Training, Spirituality, PAM - Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Divinity, Divine Service & Research, Babuji Disciple) Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Disciple & Founder of  “Institute of Sri RamChandra Consciousness”  *Messages delivered by Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ), Hyderabad, India.  Dedicated his life for the Spiritual service of Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Research, Meditation Trainings, Audio Messages, Books & SatSangh   For Meditation Info Contact: www.sriramchandra.in  Biography: kcnarayana.org Episode Notes: MOULDING IS THE PRECEPTORS BUSINESS 1.1. The theme of this seminar as we all know is taken from the article Methods of Training of our Great Master Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur. This article was addressed to Preceptors/ prefects of Sri Ramchandra Mission in the year 1970 in a conference of Preceptors/Prefects at Tirupati. This talk forms part of the Audio CD of our Master which has 6 talks and a song sung by him released by ISRC. I may be permitted to use the term trainers, instead of using Preceptors/prefects every time hereafter in this paper. 1.2 All of us are aware of the tendency to think that every thing in this system of sadhana is done by the Master and the trainer as well as the aspirant, has precious little to do. This tendency of thinking was present even by 1969 and many trainers tried to disown their responsibility in the spiritual training that is being imparted in the system. It was the usual practice by then to say that the aspirant has nothing to do except to take the introductory sittings and attend the satsanghs (meditation sittings in groups) and annual/ biannual/quarterly gatherings organized by the institution. The individual sittings were optional. No effort was made to evaluate the progress made by the aspirant and it was being said that everything is left to the Master. And a very specious argument was given that to try to know ones' condition or stage of progress indirectly means that one has no faith in the Master. Thus a situation arose in the implementation of the system which promised through its books “Towards Infinity”, “Reality at Dawn” and “Efficacy of Rajayoga” a practical and verifiable system of sadhana, where no responsibility for guidance and no assistance in evaluation were forthcoming. Master was always proud of his system and was confident that he trained many to become masters. In his catholic approach he used the term master for the preceptors also in many of his writings, but these were conveniently made to be understood as referring the Great Master alone and the trainers slowly abdicated their responsibility for training and accountability to progress of the aspirants. The article, ‘Method of Training' has to be read therefore keeping in view the main theme of the Master namely clarifying the points in training and the role of the aspirant, the trainer and the Master. 1.3  If we ponder over the word ‘training' it becomes clear that there can be no training without moulding. But it is also true that Master used to talk about transformation. While we use the word moulding usually with reference to material objects we use the term transformation in the case of living beings. However moulding or transformation implies first of all change from the existing position or status. Therefore it is incumbent on the part of aspirants that they should be prepared to accept change in their ways of living and behaving as also bring in changes in their attitudes and priorities. It has been our experience that while almost all aspirants want to get ‘Realized' very few of them ever think of being prepared to change. This refusal to change and sticking to their familiar ways of living has been the main cause of lack of desired level of progress achieved by them in spite many sessions of offering of Pranahuti. 1.4  Before we go into the practical aspects of imparting training, there is need for us to be clear about the system itself. Is our system based on a type of evolutionary philosophy or is it a devolutionary. Further it is also necessary to note that our Master asserted that we are returning to our Home Land. In this context it is also necessary that we should be clear about the concepts of Destination and Home Land. Master in his message dated May 1970 stated “... if we pause a little and consider the problem (the Destination) we will surely come to the conclusion that you are sailing towards your own Home, wherefrom you have been snatched away by the irony of Fate.” Home Land and Destination clearly mean that the goal is something that we are aware of already. But our Master has stated that the spiritual journey is towards the Infinity. By definition, Infinity, has no end point and is ever moving forward. Again the concept of Nothingness as the goal, presents us a picture where we find it difficult to integrate the same with the concept of moulding. 1.5  ‘Human transformation is the goal of life' and/or similar expressions have been made by the Master and Dr.K.C.V. That Dr.K.C.V. bears a background of Aurobindonian thinking is unquestioned. Many times he said that what Sri Aurobindo promised namely the descent of Supramental Consciousness into the human life, is what Sri Ramchandraji delivers and the influx effected in fact is from a much higher level. Thinkers who subscribe to the theory of evolution (it may be noted that evolution is not a fact that has been observed but is only a theory advanced by Darwin and others) naturally hold the theory of change or flux. To put it in brief the contention is, life is not about doing, it's not even about being. Life is eternal becoming. It cannot exist without eternal becoming. Fundamentally, the whole story of evolution is a story of experimentation and change 1.6  However the philosophy of Raja Yoga is closely linked to the Sankhyan philosophy. Swami Vivekananda, while answering questions on Darwin's theory of evolution said that the last word on evolution has been stated in the Sankhyan system. He agrees with the Sankhyan system that there is no evolution without an involution. This same theory was held by Sri Krishna in the Pancharatra agama stating that the souls are in Pravrtti or Nivirtti paths. We were once pure and simple consciousness patterns expressing the Divine and we lost our balance and are now trying to restore the same, are the principle that should be fully grasped by us. 1.7 Swami Vivekananda stated “According to the philosophers of our country, every being is a perfect Soul, and the diversity of evolution and manifestation of nature is simply due to the difference in the degree of manifestation of the Soul. The moment the obstacles to the evolution and manifestation of nature are completely removed, the Soul manifests itself perfectly. Whatever may happen in the lower strata of natures' evolution, in the higher strata at any rate, it is not true that it is only by constantly struggling against obstacles that one has to go beyond them. Rather it is observed that there, the obstacles give way and a greater manifestation of the Soul takes place through education and culture, through concentration and meditation, and above all through SACRIFICE......The attempt to remove evil from the world by killing a thousand evil-doers only adds to the evil in the world. But if the people can be made to desist from evil- doing by means of SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION, there is no more evil in the world.” He adds further that “In the animal kingdom we really see such laws as struggle for existence, survival of the fittest etc., evidently at work. Therefore Darwin's theory seems true to a certain extent. But in the human kingdom, where there is the manifestation of rationality, we find just the reverse of those laws.....The highest evolution of man is effected through sacrifice alone. A man is great among his fellows in proportion as he can sacrifice for the sake of others, while in the lower strata of the animal kingdom, that animal is the strongest which can kill the greatest number of animals. Hence the struggle theory is not equally applicable to both the kingdoms.” Man's struggle is in the mental sphere. A man is greater in proportion as he can control his mind. When the mind's activities are perfectly at rest, the Atman manifests itself. The struggle which we observe in the animalkingdom for the preservation of the gross body has its use in the human plane of existence for gaining mastery over the mind or forattaining the state of balance.' 1.8  Swami Vivekananda also stated that Sage Patanjali has not advocated the theory of evolution and held that all were once involved in the Origin and they are all returning the Source. He adds further “Patanjali holds that the transformation of one species into another is effected by the “in-filling of nature.” I would request you all to ponder over this ' in-filling' and the Pranahuti that imperienced by us and also think about the possibility of transformation of ourselves through such in-filling. 1.9  Master stated “Life is the awakening of the state of Being. When we brought in our share of the awakening state, every function of the material existence commenced. In the beginning, it was more in relation with Divinity from which life started. With the progress of life, actions continued having their effect according to their nature.” He says that because Actions are very strong since they are connected with life, their misuse produced wrong effects and the whole frame of the body became a human factory with every faculty forming its own centre and started pouring out what has been collected thus far. When the span of life of a particular being ended a form afresh was assumed with the accumulated grossness and this process continued for several lives. Thus he says we have formed poles according to our Actions and they became very strong. Finally all this led to a condition where we remain embraced by the commands we receive from different centers each for the faculties. 1.10  Somehow due to the company of pious persons or due to good environment we got an opportunity to think of our original condition. Master says if we searched for a proper man to guide us in this pursuit and that thought touched the core of our being, it would produce a kind of trembling, and that would lead us to the proper man who is really spiritual. If there is any short fall in this we unfortunately land ourselves into the hands of gross persons and we do not attain the stage of entering our Home Land. Master says it is the responsibility of that person who promises to guide in the path, to destroy the poles we have formed due to unbalanced thinking. Thus if every thing is regulated the original state of our being comes to view and we begin to realize the awaken ness of Divinity which first fell to our share. (See the origin of rings of splendor in Path of Grace.) 1.11 Thus we see clearly the Master is referring only to the process of return to the Home Land and we are not talking of evolution proper as understood by Scientists, Philosophers and Psychologists. But the process of return to the Home Land is the process of gradually annihilating the Ego and becoming Self less. Such a self less person, who has reached a state of Void/Nothingness, naturally is in tune with the power of manifestation and his participation in that process is natural and Divine. The gradual process of becoming that has led to the theory of evolutionism is sought to be explained in this system as a gradual peeling up of samskaras/ impressions collected by the individual expressions of the Life energy. In tune with the Hindu conception regarding rebirth, Master implicitly holds that the human individual has gone through many lives before he came to be expressed as human in the path of return to the Home Land. But the beauty of the system is that while returning to the Origin/Centre we arrive at a state of pure Divinity and we are exhorted to use this condition to help others finds their return path to Home Land. The Commandment 9, has this implication is a point that we had many occasions to discuss. 2.1  Master in his message in May.1970 stated that “The soul, is longing to feel its characteristic which has gone out of sight, and this insignificant being is seeking fellow pilgrims to march on the path of freedom.” The point of great importance here is, Master is not restricting any one to try this system. According to Hindu tradition human beings can be classified according to the goals they entertain, as Kamarthi (seeker of desires), Artharthi (seeker of wealth), Dharmarthi (seeker of virtuous path) and Moksharthi (seeker after Freedom). That there are several types of people among human beings is unquestionable. Are all of them fit for spiritual training? Further we know that we cannot classify a person as purely Moksharthi or Kamarthi. The same person may at different times have different goals as also the person may have at the same time more than one of these goals. Spiritual training under the system advocated by our Master can be given to all. However Master classifies aspirants into five types, 1) Selfish 2) Fazli 3) Ahli 4)Devotee and 5) Murad. 2.2  The selfish persons among the seekers are interested in material benefits and are those who join the Satsang to achieve their selfish ends. They resort to flattery as the means to satisfy the Guru/God and leave the Master any way, either because their wishes were fulfilled or denied. 2.3  The Fazli disciples are those who come for meditation occasionally and are generally carried away by the pious environment and pleasant atmosphere. They have no goal clarity and are best called time passers. They may be regular to satsanghs or Annual congregations etc., but are those who do not practice the system as advocated by the Master. 2.4  The Ahli type of disciples are those with better samskaras and are willing to practice sincerely the system. 2.5  Master says some of them may graduate to the 4th level of disciples called Devotees. Some of these are such that they start from the beginning with the condition of Devotee and bear love and devotion to the Master. They know love and devotion to another person means obedience to him in every sense of the term. Persons of this type possess all the characteristics that is expected of an aspirant. 2.6  From among the Disciples few graduate to the level of Murad that is one who is the cynosure of the eyes of the Master. The Master never forgets them and he is the beloved of the Master. 3.1 While discussing the issue of ‘moulding' we should be clear as to whom we are referring to. It should naturally refer to the keen seeker rather than casual visitor. The aspirant should be one who would yield naturally to the Trainer leaving aside all his personal notions about the path and the correctness or otherwise of the path he has been treading if any. His aim should be to acquire naturalness and for this the Master asserts surrender and cooperation are the twin sisters who help the aspirant in the path. 3.2 Master stated that the abhyasi proceeds in two ways and both arenecessary,by the effect of transmission and his own efforts. The light which the trainer infuses travels to the different centers and a sort of vibration is felt by the abhyasi even at the higher points. The other thing which the Preceptor does, is to start Yatra to the different regions and centres. 3.3 The main point we have to be clear about in this context is whether all those who ostensibly seek the assistance through transmission can be given the same and also whether moulding of the seeker even with regard to goal clarity, determination to transform is also the task of the trainer. Unquestionably the Original Prana or Pranasya Pranah is that which is transmitted. While the force is the same the level from which the Pranahuti is offered can vary is a point that was clearly elaborated in the first issue of the Journal Imperience. This it is easy to observe depends on the level of approach of the trainer himself. Therefore it becomes necessary that the trainer always abides by the Master, in Him and for Him. This is a responsibility that clearly vests with the individual trainers and they have to put in every effort in this direction. 3.4 Our Master has explicitly stated 1) the various practices to be followed by the aspirant, 2) the role of the trainer and 3) the role of the Master. 3.5 The topic of the seminar is ‘moulding is the preceptors business.' Therefore we shall confine ourselves to the role of the trainer, without forgetting that he is essentially an aspirant. The trainer assists the aspirant in reaching the goal through various methods given by the Master. In order to successfully accomplish the task he uses Pranahuti. Pranahuti is the tool used by the trainer to foment with his own internal divine will power the various conditions in the aspirant and thus give him a satisfaction that he is in the hands of a competent person. The internal spiritual condition of the trainer is such that persons sitting near him automatically feel a certain amount of calmness or peace. This also encourages the aspirant to pursue the path sincerely. The self of the aspirant has to be turned to Divinity. This has to be done so that harmony is developed by him and his Self (Ego) is reduced. The trainer has the knowledge of centers and the energy they contain, and he exercises his will to direct the Divine power coming to him towards the aspirant. Various methods have been given to the Trainers so that they may introduce Divinity into the abhyasis who are dormant. The trainer has also to do Yatra in the case of aspirants who are not able to progress on their own even in initial stages. This is sought to be done through fomentation of the condition into the aspirants system. 4.1  By these efforts what is the moulding that is effected? Master states that ‘So long as there was the Balanced state we had no form of our own. We have simply to unfold ourselves and restore our own Balance which we had lost.' 4.2  We had observed earlier that there are different types of people. We also know that there are five sheaths covering human beings: these sheaths are well classified as the 5 kosas in our tradition. But there was no effort made to evaluate/ classify human beings according to the kosas. The simple point is that all the kosas are there in every human being and therefore no such rigid classification is possible. However we know some are governed more by some kosas more than others. In any society there are bound to be individuals at different levels of growth and maturity, not only intellectually but also morally and spiritually. Master in his own way said that the end of philosophy is religion, and the end of religion is spirituality. We find very interesting researches done by Psychologists of the present day who are trying to restore Soul to the Science of Soul (Psychology- Psyche=Soul, Logy= Science) which it almost lost a Century ago. 4.3  It is agreed in the circles of Transpersonal Psychology as well as Integral Psychology that there are streams of consciousness. They have been classified as mainly consisting of certain basic characteristics identified as typical of each stream. That all existence has been understood as a stream of Consciousness, we all know is the basic tenet of the great Sage Nagarjuna. His philosophy of Alaya Vijnana is something that swept the scholars of his day and most of the present day philosophies of Consciousness use his terms and terminology which went to the West via the Eastern China and Japan. Broadly the streams are classified as 7or 8 categories. But clearly some of them are contrived and are patterns into which an effort is made to somehow accommodate the entire human population. However they have done service in pointing out certain inherent contradictions in the content of consciousness. They are relevant for us in as much as we are trying to balance the contradictory forces in our consciousness pulling us at different directions, through the wholesome influx of Pranahuti. Pranasya Pranah is the basic core of any type of consciousness and has therefore the inherent capacity to bridge the gulf between two or more streams of consciousness that are in collision path in us. 4.4 It is however necessary to note that these streams of consciousness which perhaps can be better compared with strands in a rope never exist totally independent of the other. It should make an interesting study of research to find the origins of these strains or strands in the very make up of the content of consciousness which is itself a conglomerate of the physical, vital, lower mental, superior mental and the planes of equanimity. When we tend to classify human into types we invariably get into the problems particularly when we demand total separation of the types from each other. Even very great reformers and sages have tended to think in terms of pure Sattva ( Suddha) and having failed to find it in the Universe have said that the matter of Sri Vaikuntam is that and the bodies of Eternal Beings is composed of that type of matter. However for the one who knows and feels in the real sense Impurity is as much a myth as Purity. Thus if we keep in view that wholesome attitude it will be possible to find the following strains/strands/streams of consciousness in society in general and the individuals in particular. Their being present in the individual consciousness is the matter of concern for us. Magical: Persons whose thinking pattern accommodates this stream of consciousness think partially in animistic terms, magical spirits, belief in good and bad spirits which either bless or curse and in turn decide the events that occur. There is belief in the spirit of ancestors and an effort to work out lineage with persons who are gone for ever and a strong bond in the clan or tribe. In many persons we find this type of consciousness co-existing with more advanced features of consciousness, many times including rationality. In the case of persons who share this type of consciousness the Self is not fully developed and is dependant on magical and mystical means. If one set of rites and rituals or magical charms fail another is resorted immediately else their self collapses under the weight of lack of confidence in self. These magical are different for different cultures and societies Power Gods: Persons whose thinking pattern accommodates this stream think in terms of settling the accounts and through power (muscle or otherwise) control and dictate others- their main motivating principle is power and glory. Terrorists and war maniacs belong to this category. This is a streak of the animal instinct that somehow persists in the human- perhaps civilizations built and destroyed based on the muscle power and animal characteristics contribute to our thinking in this pattern. The self development in these cases is dependant on perceived capacity to inflict pain on others and ones' own muscle or money etc., power. The Self is bonded by these and any failing to the body or its prowess can inflict a stunning blow to the self. The conformists: Persons who partake in this stream are very decided as to what is right and what is wrong and they know it fully. Violating the code of conduct or rules is abhorred and punished if possible, if not the culprit is severed of his connections with the family/village/or any other group to which he belongs. Any lapse in following the norms leads a sense of guilt and severe punishments are given and accepted. These persons who follow the norms, rules, regulations and restrictions that are imposed by an avowed authority that is usually a religious figure or book or tradition, generally pass off as saintly persons in society which appreciates their holding the rigid hierarchies. The consciousness here can be totally against freedom of spirit of others and conformism is the only principle recognized. This pattern in consciousness is common to find and in fact any society at any given point of time is ruled only by the influence of these persons. The self here is under severe bondage but it enjoys the credits that are showered on it by the society and many times is not even aware of its bondage. This is one of the toughest bonds that required to be broken in the path of freedom of spirit. The explorers: Persons who partake in this stream are not convinced about the existing strict code of morals and rules governing life, they question everything of religion, every rite and routine. They claim to be having a scientific temper and want equality, fraternity and liberty to be the same for all the human population irrespective of the race, religion, gender and such other divisions. They do not accept any hierarchy in the relationship of the ruled and the ruler, between man and woman. Interestingly they raise a question why should God be male? They have no moral compunction to utilize the resources available even if it were to be for exploitation through intelligent maneuvers. They have no difficulty to use the baser instincts in the advertisement and propaganda of their products and give all types of specious logic to defend themselves. These persons have sought to use the available knowledge gained by explorations in the nature of mind for their personal gain, or call it corporate advantage and gain. This is particularly so in the food and cosmetic and fashion industries. They choose all attractive means to debase the human thinking and all the time say they are upholding the freedom of the individual to choose. This type of consciousness is unfortunately seen in almost all the human beings of the present day and this is one of the toughest problems facing one who seeks to transform the content of consciousness of aspirants seeking to realize their true nature. The self in these cases is under delusion and is totally lacking direction in moral and spiritual plane. Imagine the extent to which the program of awareness of AIDs goes and unabashed marketing of condoms and other means to protect oneself and not even a single person is there to call the buff and plead for a sane sex order. Note also the importance given in spiritual discipline for the practice of celibacy in grhastha ashrama. 5. The sensitive seekers:. Persons who partake in this type of consciousness are committed to communication as a means for developing fraternal bonds. They agree that human beings must be freed from greed, avarice, jealousy and believe in developing humane relationships with a symbiotic approach to all problems. While the desire is there to attain harmony and understanding amongst all, they end up with seeking and trying all the time to find means through which they can succeed to communicate to others their point of view. They are heavily dependant on the rationality of human being and think that rationality can itself solve the problem though it is always frustrated in its attempts and the explorers and power gods have their way. The simple fact that the explorers and the power gods constitute the majority of human population is enough to have their way at the least through the brute majority they command. The self in these cases is having a taste of the expansiveness and is ready to come out of the shackles. 6. The holistic super conscious men: These are very few in the human population who through their relentless struggle in their inner selves seek to generate harmony and good will amongst all the human beings and enable them develop true love amongst all sentient beings and devotion to the Supreme Consciousness that rules the Universe. Apart from abiding by Truth and Reality in all its aspects these persons enjoy a tranquility of the most superior type which bridges the gulf and the possible perceived differences and lives and moves in the sphere of harmony, understanding, compassion, co-operation, co-existence of all beings, love and direct non interfered one ness which helps them share and make the words of sacrifice meaningless in as much as it is only a service to ones' own very Being. They experience the inner oneness of all and find there is no disharmony essentially in nature. Disharmony and dichotomy are the products of thinking patterns that do not seek the good of all but only of a few to the detriment of others interests. For these persons there is no individual self and therefore no individual interest. They cross the borders of Egoism and naturally their performance is always marked by a fragrance of natural perfection, unifying all others efforts and exhibits a coordination that is better expressed as cohesion. The self in these cases can be taken as expanded and the bonds of animal and human realms and regions are broken and they are free moving and having their being in the realm of pure consciousness. 5.1 It is therefore obvious for us that we should tend to strengthen this last strand more and more. It is in this context the Prayer at 9 P.M. gains importance. It is now positively proved that the thinking of groups of people located in different parts of the world does influence others and its influence is felt even in inanimate objects of experimentation. This one task of moulding our selves and thereby others appears to be of paramount importance. 5.2 The words of wisdom of our Master has been our guiding points for contemplation and meditation. It is relevant to recall a few of his statements in this context. “Spiritual training starts with inner cleaning or purification of Chakras which is the most essential factor in spiritual training.” “Pranahuti is the only effective process to introduce immediate change to regulate the inner tendencies of our mind so as to effect our gradual transformation.” “What Pranahuti does for the spiritual uplift of an Abhyasi and removal of complexities in a short time, independent efforts cannot achieve even in a full decade.” “The light which the preceptor infuses travels to the different centres and a sort of vibration is felt by the abhyasi even at the higher points.” “In (our) system all the methods of doing are for the preceptors and becoming is the job of the abhyasi.” “It is the power of Pranahuti alone that can curtail this duration of travel from one spiritual stage to another, and enable the course of thousands of years to be covered within the span of one life.” “Only a person capable of transmitting Divine Grace through the Yogic process of Pranahuti is fit to become a Master.” “Transmission gives a new life to the sleeping condition of man and prepares for the highest approach reserved for human beings.” “A man is not fit to impart spiritual training unless and until he has developed the capacity of fomenting his disciples with superior force which is all and all.” 5.3 These are but a few of the pearls that are collected at random. How can the trainers do this duty is what we have endeavored to explain in our trainers manual. But most important is the development of Special Will. Will is a word that has almost become the weakest in our vocabularies and every action of ours is sought to be explained by different models and theories of motivation. Our Master has stressed the importance of the development of Special will in his work “Towards Infinity.” For developing this Will it is obvious that it is to be used for A good cause, with no selfishness/self interest With noble intention, With total faith in the Sovereign Principle of Justice, And for a Balance that follows Justice. Needless to say Faith in the Master is a must; Faith in the nobility of attempt is a must along with Faith in the deservancy of the effort on the part of the aspirant Coupled with Compassion and Love And an unfailing determination to succeed in the attempt 10. With a pious and unblemished character that alone accompanies any Divine effort. 5.4 It is obvious for developing these characteristics it is not enough to wish piously and hope that the Almighty will grant the capacity. It is the most essential tool without which any method in the manual or else where will not work While referring to the development of Sensitivity Master has stressed the importance of purity and in this context of development of Special Will it is all the more important. 5.5 It would be prudent to conclude this paper with the prayer O Master Thou art the Ocean of Bliss We are all seated in it The waves of Thy Ocean are passing through us Removing all the dirt and disease.  

Chosen And Placed Joh. 15:16 #Nightlight #RTTBROS CHOSEN AND PLACED "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit."-- Joh 15:16. WE DID not choose Him--there we have the evil of the human heart, the film of blindness which sin casts on the sight, the deafness with which it dulls the ear. For to have missed Jesus, to pass Him by, is as though the pearl-hunter were unable to recognize the pearl of greatest price; or the mother to recognize her own babe; or the seeker after the holy grail to fail to discover its mystic sheen! "But I chose you." He chose us probably because we were useless and helpless, and He wanted to show what supreme miracles His grace could achieve. The prophet says that the branches of the vine are more useless than any others (Eze 16:1-5). The principle of God's choice is to take what all others reject--the fire-brand plucked from the burning, the feebly-smoking tow, the bruised reed; the younger sons, the halt and lame, the last and least; the things that are foolish, despised, and weak--these are God's choice, that He may bring to nought things that are, that no flesh may glory in His presence. There was no error in the foreknowledge which preceded our election. God knew all that we were, all that we should be. He foresaw our down-sittings, our hours of depression, our obstinacy, our wanderings into the far country, but He swerved not. Having chosen us, He is going to justify His choice, unless we definitely refuse to let Him have his way. "'And appointed you.'" Our Master has placed us just where we are, that He might have a suitable outlet for His abundant life, which He longs to pour forth upon the world. Do not repine or murmur at your lot in life, but remember that He has appointed and placed you there. As the branch is nailed to the wall that it may cover it with foliage and fruit, so Christ has placed you where you are. That inevitable circumstance is the rough piece of cloth, that sorrow is the nail, that pain the restraint such as He suffered on the Cross. "That ye should go." "Whither, Master? .... Into all the world, as My disciples! I have chosen you out of it and now I send you back as My representatives, through whom I may pour out My life and love. Go and bear fruit!" PRAYER O Heavenly Master, enable us by Thy grace to fill the opportunity, and do the work that Thou hast assigned. May we not murmur or complain because our place is obscure and the time long, but bear much fruit for Thy glory. AMEN Our Podcast, Blog and YouTube Links https://linktr.ee/rttbros Be sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out. RSS feed https://anchor.fm/s/127be410/podcast/rss https://linktr.ee/rttbros

Our Master is the Almighty one. The enemy would like for us to believe that he is mightier than God. Never believe it. Please be blessed with this little nugget from Evangelist Pat from Focus Ministry.

Confronting Culture Part 2: No Fear By Louie Marsh, 3-5-2023   Chat GPT:   Fear is a natural and normal human emotion that can serve a protective purpose in certain situations. However, if fear becomes excessive or irrational, it can interfere with our ability to lead a fulfilling life. Here are some strategies that may help reduce fear and anxiety:   1) Identify the source of your fear: Try to identify the specific source of your fear. Is it a concrete object or situation, or is it a more abstract worry? Once you identify the source, you can work to address it more directly.   2) Practice relaxation techniques: Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or yoga can help reduce anxiety and promote feelings of calmness.   3) Challenge your negative thoughts: Often, fear is the result of negative or catastrophic thinking patterns. Try to identify and challenge these thoughts with more realistic and balanced thinking.   4) Seek support: Talking to a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional can provide support and perspective on your fears.   5) Take action: Sometimes taking action to address the source of your fear can help reduce anxiety. This might involve seeking information, practicing skills, or taking steps to avoid or confront the feared situation.   Remember, living without fear completely is not realistic or even desirable, as some level of fear can be healthy and protective. The goal is to manage and reduce excessive or irrational fear to live a more fulfilling life.   1) God loves everyone EQUALLY.   “16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)   ·       He's not PLEASED with everyone.   ·       BIG QUESTION: Who do I love MORE; God or…?   "This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." - Sir Winston Churchill   2) I shouldn't fear people, but GOD instead.   “12“I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,” (Isaiah 51:12, ESV)   “4“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” (Luke 12:4–5, ESV)   3) Fear feeds on LOSS, so I must focus on Christ.   “18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:18–20, ESV)   Kara Lynne was fired by Limited Run Games after trans activist 'Purple Tinker' accused her of following 'transphobic' accounts   “We are at the end of Christendom.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen said during a talk in 1947- 76 years ago!. Making clear he didn't mean Christianity or the Church, he said, “Christendom is economic, political, social life as inspired by Christian principles. That is ending — we've seen it die. Look at the symptoms: the breakup of the family, divorce, abortion, immorality, general dishonesty.”   “The new era into which we are entering is what might be called the religious phase of human history.”   But he quickly said this didn't mean men will “turn to God.” Rather, they'll turn from indifference to having a passion for “an absolute.” The struggle will be “for the souls of men. … The conflict of the future is between the absolute who is the God-man and the absolute which is the man god; the God Who became man and the man who makes himself God; brothers in Christ and comrades in anti-Christ.”   “Evil must come to reject us, to despise us, to hate us, to persecute us, and then shall we define our loyalties, affirm our fidelities and state on whose side we stand.  How shall the strong and weak trees be manifested unless the wind blows?  Our quantity indeed will decrease, but our quality will increase. Then shall be verified the words of Our Master: whoever does not gather with me, scatters.” (Matthew 12:30)   “We tremble not that God may be dethroned, but that barbarism may reign; it is not Transubstantiation that may perish, but the home; not the sacraments that may fade away, but the moral law. The Church can have no different words for the weeping woman than those of Christ on the way to Calvary: Weep not over me; but weep for yourselves and for your children.” (Luke 23:28)   Over the centuries the Church has had its Good Fridays, he reminds us, but there's always Easter Sundays “because Jesus promised the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.' (Matthew 28:20)   As bleak as things may be, never has “there been such a strong argument for the need of Christianity, for men are now discovering that their misery and their woes, their wars and their revolutions increase in direct ratio and proportion to the neglect of Christianity.  Evil is self-defeating; good alone is self-preserving.”   “The forces of evil are united; the forces of good are divided.  We may not be able to meet in the same pew — would to God we did — but we can meet on our knees.”   4) Fear always EXAGGERATES the issue.   “14He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”” (1 Kings 19:14, ESV)   "Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home!" ~ George B. McClellan   ·       It naturally leads to LYING.   “10And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself…12The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”” (Genesis 3:10,12, ESV)   5) Fear allows me to RATIONALIZE anything.   “6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” 7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, 8thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.”” (Genesis 32:6–8, ESV)   6) I OVERCOME fear when I know God is with me.   “31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”…“35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:31-32,35–37, ESV)   4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, ESV)      

Ephesians 6:5-9 — Regardless of whether one is the boss or employee, Christians work for God. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:5–9 titled “Our Master in Heaven,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shares that both the master and the slave are under the authority of God. This has great significance for how both are to conduct themselves in their respective roles. Slaves are to serve their masters honestly and to do so as hard workers. Masters are to treat their slaves kindly, remembering that they are slaves of Christ Jesus. It is the heavenly perspective that the gospel brings that informs how both live. As new creatures in Christ both should remember that this life is passing and transitory, for all believers are pilgrims in this world looking forward to their true home in heaven with Christ their Savior. Both slaves and masters are to see life in this new perspective in which both are subject to Christ as their Lord in heaven and under his authority. This provides a radical new understanding of relationships that is different from anything worldly philosophies have to offer. In Christ Christians are no longer defined by social position and status, but by His blood they are a new people who are to love and serve one another because of who and what Christ has done.

A triple-decker on the comparison between what we see in Revelation Chapt. 13 and 2 Thessalonians 2: The Beast is The Man of Lawlessness as well as Antichrist, AND believe it or not, he/they/them/it is here now, and among us! Pray, live for Christ, and love till it hurts! Our Master is coming soon! Hallelujah! Maranatha! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/trunews365/message

Our Master is highly involved even when we talk:“Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there.”Matthew 18:19 (TPT)Here is my declaration over you:You Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. He means this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, His Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of Him, you can be sure that He will be there.Now you can declare this promise over yourself as often as you like:I take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What I say to another person is eternal. He means this. When two of us get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, our Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of us are together because of Him, I can be sure that He'll be there.Connected Blog Posthttps://kingdomhappyhour.com/turbojoy-eternal-conversations/Sign up for the Daily Emailhttps://kingdomhappyhour.com

Speaker: Justin WheelerSeries: Revelation Contents Spurgeon on Joshua 1.7. From Morning and Evening, May 11................... 2 Spurgeon on Hebrews 12.2. From Morning and Evening, June 28.............. 3 Conformity to the world. From the letters of John Newton........................ 4 The Bruised Reed, chapter 2, by Richard Sibbes (1631)............................ 7 J C Ryle on assurance. From Holiness.................................................... 11 Spurgeon on Joshua 1.7. From Morning and Evening, May 11 "Only be thou strong and very courageous." Joshua 1:7 Our God's tender love for His servants makes Him concerned for the state of their inward feelings. He desires them to be of good courage. Some esteem it a small thing for a believer to be vexed with doubts and fears, but God thinks not so. From this text it is plain that our Master would not have us entangled with fears. He would have us without carefulness, without doubt, without cowardice. Our Master does not think so lightly of our unbelief as we do. When we are desponding we are subject to a grievous malady, not to be trifled with, but to be carried at once to the beloved Physician. Our Lord loveth not to see our countenance sad. It was a law of Ahasuerus that no one should come into the king's court dressed in mourning: this is not the law of the King of kings, for we may come mourning as we are; but still He would have us put off the spirit of heaviness, and put on the garment of praise, for there is much reason to rejoice. The Christian man ought to be of a courageous spirit, in order that he may glorify the Lord by enduring trials in an heroic manner. If he be fearful and fainthearted, it will dishonour his God. Besides, what a bad example it is. This disease of doubtfulness and discouragement is an epidemic which soon spreads amongst the Lord's flock. One downcast believer makes twenty souls sad. Moreover, unless your courage is kept up Satan will be too much for you. Let your spirit be joyful in God your Saviour, the joy of the Lord shall be your strength, and no fiend of hell shall make headway against you: but cowardice throws down the banner. Moreover, labour is light to a man of cheerful spirit; and success waits upon cheerfulness. The man who toils, rejoicing in his God, believing with all his heart, has success guaranteed. He who sows in hope shall reap in joy; therefore, dear reader, "be thou strong, and very courageous." Spurgeon on Hebrews 12.2. From Morning and Evening, June 28 "Looking unto Jesus." Hebrews 12:2 It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee- it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee- it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument- it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking unto Jesus." Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee. "My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesu's blood and righteousness: I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesu's name." Conformity to the world. From the letters of John Newton. Conformity to the world "Be not conformed to this world." Romans 12:2 Dear Sir, You will perhaps be surprised to see my thoughts on your query in print, rather than to receive them by the post, as you expected. But as the subject of it is of general concern, I hope you will not be displeased that I have taken this method. It might be of considerable service in the present day, clearly to explain the force of the Apostle's precept, "Be not conformed to this world;" and to state the just boundary between a sinful compliance with the world, and that scrupulous singularity which springs from a self-righteous principle, and a contracted view of the spirit and liberty of the Gospel. To treat this point accurately, would require a treatise rather than a letter: I only undertake to offer you a few hints; and indeed, when the mind is formed to a spiritual taste, a simple desire to be guided by the Word and Spirit of God, together with a due attention to our own experience, will, in most practical cases, supersede the necessity of long and elaborate disquisitions. By the world, in the passage alluded to, Rom. 12:2, I suppose the Apostle means conformity to the men of the world, in distinction from believers: these, not having the love of God in their hearts, or his fear before their eyes, are of course engaged in such pursuits and practices as are inconsistent with our holy calling, and in which we cannot imitate or comply with them, without hurting our peace and our profession. We are therefore bound to avoid conformity to them in all such instances; but we are not obliged to decline all interaction with the world, or to impose restraints upon ourselves, when the Scripture does not restrain us, in order to make us as unlike the world as possible. To instance in a few particulars. It is not necessary, perhaps it is not lawful, wholly to renounce the society of the world. A mistake of this kind took place in the early ages of Christianity, and men (at first, perhaps, with a sincere desire of serving God without distraction) withdrew into deserts and uninhabited places, and wasted their lives at a distance from their fellow-creatures. But unless we could flee from ourselves likewise, this would afford us no advantage; so long as we carry our own wicked hearts with us, we shall be exposed to temptation, go where we will. Besides, this would be thwarting the end of our vocation. Christians are to be the salt and the lights of the world, conspicuous as cities set upon a hill; they are commanded to "let their light shine before men, that they, beholding their good works, may glorify their Father who is in heaven." This injudicious deviation from the paths of nature and providence, gave occasion at length to the vilest abominations; and men who withdrew from the world, under pretense of retirement, became the more wicked and abandoned as they lived more out of public view and observation. Nor are we at liberty, much less are we enjoined, to renounce the duties of relative life, so as to become careless in the discharge of them. Allowances should, indeed, be made for the distresses of people newly awakened, or under the power of temptation, which may for a time so much engross their thoughts as greatly to indispose them for their bounded duty. But, in general, the proper evidence of true Christians is, not merely that they can talk about Divine things, but that, by the grace of God, they live and act agreeable to the rules of his word, in the state in which his providence has placed them, whether as masters or servants, husbands or wives, parents or children; bearing rule, or yielding obedience, as in his sight. Diligence and fidelity in the management of temporal concernments, though observable in the practice of many worldly men, may be maintained without a sinful conformity to the world. Neither are we required to refuse a moderate use of the comforts and conveniences of life, suitable to the station which God has appointed us in the world. The spirit of self-righteousness and will-worship works much in this way, and supposes that there is something excellent in long fasting, in abstaining from pleasant food, in wearing coarser clothes than is customary with those in the same rank of life, and in many other austerities and singularities not commanded by the word of God. And many people, who are in the main sincere, are grievously burdened with scruples respecting the use of lawful things. It is true, there is need of a constant watch, lest what is lawful in itself becomes hurtful to us by its abuse. But these outward strictnesses may be carried to great lengths, without a spark of true grace, and even without the knowledge of the true God. The mortifications and austerities practiced by the Bramins in India are vastly more severe than the most zealous effects of modern superstition in our country. There is a strictness which arises rather from ignorance than knowledge, is wholly taken up with externals, and gratifies the spirit of self as much in one way, as it seems to retrench it in another. A man may almost starve his body to feed his pride: but to those who fear and serve the Lord, every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. Notwithstanding these limitations, the precept is very extensive and important. "Be not conformed to the world." As believers, we are strangers and pilgrims upon earth. Heaven is our country, and the Lord is our King. We are to be known and noticed as his subjects; and therefore it is his pleasure, that we do not speak the sinful language, or adopt the sinful customs, of the land in which we sojourn. We are not to conform to the world, as we did in the days of our ignorance. And though we have received the principles of grace, and have tasted of the goodness of the Lord, the admonition is still needful; for we are renewed but in part, and are liable to be drawn aside to our hurt by the prevalence of evil examples and customs around us. We must not conform to the spirit of the world. As members of society, we have a part to act in it, in common with others. But if our business is the same, our principles and ends are to be entirely different. Diligence in our respective callings is, as I have already observed, commendable, and our duty; but not with the same views which stimulate the activity of the men of the world. If they rise early, and take rest late, their endeavors spring from and terminate in self, to establish and increase their own importance, to add house to house, and field to field, that, like the builders of Babel, they may get themselves a name, or provide means for the gratification of their sinful passions. If they succeed, they sacrifice to themselves; if they are crossed in their designs, they are filled with anxiety and impatience; they either murmur or despond. But a Christian is to pursue his lawful calling with an eye to the providence of God, and with submission to his wisdom. Thus, so far as he acts in the exercise of faith, he cannot be disappointed. He casts his care upon his Heavenly Father, who has promised to take care of him. What God gives, he receives with thankfulness, and is careful as a faithful steward to improve it for the furtherance of the cause of God, and the good of mankind. And if he meets with losses and crosses, he is not disconcerted, knowing that all his concerns are under a Divine direction; that the Lord whom he serves, chooses for him better than he could choose for himself; and that his best treasure is safe, out of the reach of the various changes to which all things in the present state are liable. We must not conform to the maxims of the world. The world in various instances calls evil good, and good evil. But we are to have recourse to the law and to the testimony, and to judge of things by the unerring word of God, uninfluenced by the determination of the great, or the many. We are to obey God rather than man, though upon this account we may expect to be despised or reviled, to be made a gazingstock or a laughing-stock to those who set his authority at defiance. We must bear our testimony to the truth as it is in Jesus, avow the cause of his despised people, and walk in the practice of universal obedience, patiently endure reproaches, and labor to overcome evil with good. Thus we shall show that we are not ashamed of Him. And there is an hour coming when he will not be ashamed of us, who have followed him, and borne his cross in the midst of a perverse generation, but will own our worthless names before the assembled world. We must not conform to the world in their amusements and diversions. We are to mix with the world so far as our necessary and providential connections engage us, so far as we have a reasonable expectation of doing or getting good, and no farther. "What fellowship has light with darkness, or what concord has Christ with Belial?" What does a believer have to do into those places and companies, where everything tends to promote a spirit of dissipation; where the fear of God has no place; where things are purposely disposed to inflame or indulge corrupt and sinful appetites and passions, and to banish all serious thoughts of God and ourselves? If it is our duty to redeem time, to walk with God, to do all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to follow the example which he set us when he was upon earth, and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; it must of course be our duty to avoid a conformity with the world in those vain and sensual amusements, which stand in as direct contradiction to a spiritual frame of mind, as darkness to light. The leading desires of every person under the influence of Gospel principles, will be, to maintain an habitual communion with God in his own soul, and to manifest the power of his grace in the sight of men. So far as a Christian is infected by a conformity to the spirit, maxims, and sinful customs of the world, these desires will be disappointed. Fire and water are not more opposite, than that peace of God which passes all understanding, and that poor precarious pleasure which is sought in a compliance with the world; a pleasure (if worthy the name) which grieves the Spirit of God, and stultifies the heart. Whoever, after having tasted that the Lord is gracious, has been prevailed on to make the experiment, and to mingle with the world's vanities, has certainly thereby brought a damp upon his experience, and indisposed himself for the exercise of prayer, and the contemplation of Divine truths. And if any are not sensible of a difference in this respect, it is because the poison has taken a still deeper effect, so as to benumb their spiritual senses. Conformity to the world is the bane of many professors in this day. They have found a way, as they think, to serve both God and Mammon. But because they are double-minded, they are unstable; they make no progress; and, notwithstanding their frequent attendance upon ordinances, they are lean from day to day; a form of godliness, a scheme of orthodox notions, they may attain to, but they will remain destitute of the life, power, and comfort of piety, so long as they cleave to those things which are incompatible with it. Conformity to the world is equally an obstruction in the way of those who profess a desire of glorifying God in the sight of men. Such professors do rather dishonor him. By their conduct, as far as in them lies, they declare, that they do not find the religion of the Gospel answer their expectations; that it does not afford them the satisfaction they once hoped for from it; and that therefore they are forced to seek relief from the world. They grieve the people of God by their compliances, and oftentimes they mislead the weak, and by their examples encourage them to venture upon the like liberties, which otherwise they dared not have attempted. They embolden the wicked likewise in their evil ways, while they see a manifest inconsistency between their avowed principles and their practice; and thus they cause the ways of truth to be evil spoken of. The length of this paper constrains me to conclude abruptly. May the Lord enable you and I to lay this subject to heart, and to pray that we may, on the one hand, rightly understand and prize our Christian liberty; and, on the other hand, be preserved from that growing evil—a sinful conformity to the world! The Bruised Reed, chapter 2, by Richard Sibbes (1631) IN PURSUING HIS CALLING, Christ will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, in which more is meant than spoken, for he will not only not break nor quench, but he will cherish those with whom he so deals. CHRIST'S DEALINGS WITH THE BRUISED REED Physicians, though they put their patients to much pain, will not destroy nature, but raise it up by degrees. Surgeons will lance and cut, but not dismember. A mother who has a sick and self willed child will not therefore cast it away. And shall there be more mercy in the stream than in the spring? Shall we think there is more mercy in ourselves than in God, who plants the affection of mercy in us? But for further declaration of Christ's mercy to all bruised reeds, consider the comfortable relationships he has taken upon himself of husband, shepherd and brother, which he will discharge to the utmost. Shall others by his grace fulfill what he calls them unto, and not he who, out of his love, has taken upon him these relationships, so thoroughly founded upon his Father's assignment, and his own voluntary undertaking? Consider the names he has borrowed from the mildest creatures, such as lamb and hen, to show his tender care. Consider his very name Jesus, a Saviour, given him by God himself. Consider his office answerable to his name, which is that he should ‘bind up the broken hearted' (Isa. 61:1). At his baptism the Holy Ghost rested on him in the shape of a dove, to show that he should be a dove like, gentle Mediator. See the gracious way he executes his offices. As a prophet, he came with blessing in his mouth, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit' (Matt. 5:3), and invited those to come to him whose hearts suggested most exceptions against themselves, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden' (Matt. 11:28). How did his heart yearn when he saw the people ‘as sheep having no shepherd' (Matt. 9:36)! He never turned any back again that came to him, though some went away of themselves. He came to die as a priest for his enemies. In the days of his flesh he dictated a form of prayer unto his disciples, and put petitions unto God into their mouths, and his Spirit to intercede in their hearts. He shed tears for those that shed his blood, and now he makes intercession in heaven for weak Christians, standing between them and God's anger. He is a meek king; he will admit mourners into his presence, a king of poor and afflicted persons. As he has beams of majesty, so he has a heart of mercy and compassion. He is the prince of peace (Isa. 9:6). Why was he tempted, but that he might ‘succor them that are tempted' (Heb. 2:18)? What mercy may we not expect from so gracious a Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) who took our nature upon him that he might be gracious? He is a physician good at all diseases, especially at the binding up of a broken heart. He died that he might heal our souls with a plaster of his own blood, and by that death save us, which we were the procurers of ourselves, by our own sins. And has he not the same heart in heaven? ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?' cried the Head in heaven, when the foot on earth was trodden on (Acts 9:4). His advancement has not made him forget his own flesh. Though it has freed him from passion, yet not from compassion towards us. The lion of the tribe of Judah will only tear in pieces those that ‘will not have him rule over them' (Luke 19:14). He will not show his strength against those who prostrate themselves before him. FOR OURSELVES 1. What should we learn from this, but to ‘come boldly to the throne of grace' (Heb. 4:16) in all our grievances? Shall our sins discourage us, when he appears there only for sinners? Are you bruised? Be of good comfort, he calls you. Conceal not your wounds, open all before him and take not Satan's counsel. Go to Christ, although trembling, as the poor woman who said, ‘If I may but touch his garment' (Matt. 9:21). We shall be healed and have a gracious answer. Go boldly to God in our flesh; he is flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone for this reason, that we might go boldly to him. Never fear to go to God, since we have such a Mediator with him, who is not only our friend but our brother and husband. Well might the angel proclaim from heaven, ‘Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy' (Luke 2:10). Well might the apostle stir us up to ‘rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice' (Phil. 4:4). Paul was well advised upon what grounds he did it. Peace and joy are two main fruits of Christ's kingdom. Let the world be as it will, if we cannot rejoice in the world, yet we may rejoice in the Lord. His presence makes any condition comfortable. ‘Be not afraid,' says he to his disciples, when they were afraid, as if they had seen a ghost, ‘It is I' (Matt. 14:27), as if there were no cause of fear where he was present. 2. Let this support us when we feel ourselves bruised. Christ's way is first to wound, then to heal. No sound, whole soul shall ever enter into heaven. Think when in temptation, Christ was tempted for me; according to my trials will be my graces and comforts. If Christ be so merciful as not to break me, I will not break myself by despair, nor yield myself over to the roaring lion, Satan, to break me in pieces. 3. See the contrary disposition of Christ on the one hand and Satan and his instruments on the other. Satan sets upon us when we are weakest, as Simeon and Levi upon the Shechemites, ‘when they were sore' (Gen. 34:25), but Christ will make up in us all the breaches which sin and Satan have made. He ‘binds up the broken hearted' (Isa. 61:1). As a mother is tenderest to the most diseased and weakest child, so does Christ most mercifully incline to the weakest. Likewise he puts an instinct into the weakest things to rely upon something stronger than themselves for support. The vine stays itself upon the elm, and the weakest creatures often have the strongest shelters. The consciousness of the church's weakness makes her willing to lean on her beloved, and to hide herself under his wing. WHO ARE THE BRUISED REEDS? But how shall we know whether we are such as may expect mercy? Answer: (1) By the bruised here is not meant those that are brought low only by crosses, but such as, by them, are brought to see their sin, which bruises most of all. When conscience is under the guilt of sin, then every judgment brings a report of God's anger to the soul, and all lesser troubles run into this great trouble of conscience for sin. As all corrupt humours run to the diseased and bruised part of the body, and as every creditor falls upon the debtor when he is once arrested, so when conscience is once awakened, all former sins and present crosses join together to make the bruise the more painful. Now, he that is thus bruised will be content with nothing but with mercy from him who has bruised him. He has wounded, and he must heal (Hos. 6:1). The Lord who has bruised me deservedly for my sins must bind up my heart again. (2) Again, a man truly bruised judges sin the greatest evil, and the favor of God the greatest good. (3) He would rather hear of mercy than of a kingdom. (4) He has poor opinions of himself, and thinks that he is not worth the earth he treads on. (5) Towards others he is not censorious, as being taken up at home, but is full of sympathy and compassion to those who are under God's hand. (6) He thinks that those who walk in the comforts of God's Spirit are the happiest men in the world. (7) He trembles at the Word of God (Isa. 66:2), and honours the very feet of those blessed instruments that bring peace unto him (Rom. 10:15). (8) He is more taken up with the inward exercises of a broken heart than with formality, and is yet careful to use all sanctified means to convey comfort. But how shall we come to this state of mind? Answer: First, we must conceive of bruising either as a state into which God brings us, or as a duty to be performed by us. Both are here meant. We must join with God in bruising ourselves. When he humbles us, let us humble ourselves, and not stand out against him, for then he will redouble his strokes. Let us justify Christ in all his chastisements, knowing that all his dealing towards us is to cause us to return into our own hearts. His work in bruising tends to our work in bruising ourselves. Let us lament our own perversity, and say: Lord, what a heart have I that needs all this, that none of this could be spared! We must lay siege to the hardness of our own hearts, and aggravate sin all we can. We must look on Christ, who was bruised for us, look on him whom we have pierced with our sins. But all directions will not prevail, unless God by his Spirit convinces us deeply, setting our sins before us, and driving us to a standstill. Then we will cry out for mercy. Conviction will breed contrition, and this leads to humiliation. Therefore desire God that he would bring a clear and a strong light into all the corners of our souls, and accompany it with a spirit of power to lay our hearts low. A set measure of bruising of ourselves cannot be prescribed, but it must be so far as (1) that we may prize Christ above all, and see that a Saviour must be had; and (2) that we reform that which is amiss, though it be to the cutting off of our right hand, or pulling out of our right eye. There is a dangerous slighting of the work of humiliation, some alleging this for a pretence for their casual dealing with their own hearts, that Christ will not break the bruised reed; but such must know that every sudden terror and short grief is not that which makes us bruised reeds; not a little ‘bowing down our heads like a bulrush' (Isa. 58:5), but a working our hearts to such a grief as will make sin more odious unto us than punishment, until we offer a ‘holy violence' against it. Else, favouring ourselves, we make work for God to bruise us, and for sharp repentance afterwards. It is dangerous, I confess, in some cases, with some spirits, to press too much and too long this bruising, because they may die under the wound and burden before they be raised up again. Therefore it is good in mixed assemblies to mingle comfort that every soul may have its due portion. But if we have this for a foundation truth, that there is more mercy in Christ than sin in us, there can be no danger in thorough dealing. It is better to go bruised to heaven than sound to hell. Therefore let us not take off ourselves too soon, nor pull off the plaster before the cure be wrought, but keep ourselves under this work till sin be the sourest, and Christ the sweetest, of all things. And when God's hand is upon us in any way, it is good to divert our sorrow for other things to the root of all, which is sin. Let our grief run most in that channel, that as sin bred grief, so grief may consume sin. But are we not bruised unless we grieve more for sin than we do for punishment? Answer: Sometimes our grief from outward grievances may lie heavier upon the soul than grief for God's displeasure, because, in such cases, the grief works upon the whole man, both outward and inward, and has nothing to support it, but a little spark of faith. This faith, by reason of the violent impression of the grievance, is suspended in the exercises of it. This is most felt in sudden distresses which come upon the soul as a torrent or land flood, and especially in bodily sicknesses which, by reason of the sympathy between the soul and the body, work upon the soul so far as to hinder not only the spiritual, but often the natural acts. Therefore, James wishes us in affliction to pray ourselves, but in case of sickness to ‘send for the elders' (James 5:14). These may, as those in the Gospels, offer up to God in their prayers the sick person who is unable to present his own case. Hereupon God admits of such a plea from the sharpness and bitterness of the grievance, as in David (Psa. 6). The Lord knows our frame; he remembers that we are but dust (Psa. 103:14), that our strength is not the strength of steel. This is a branch of his faithfulness to us as his creatures, whence he is called ‘a faithful Creator' (1 Pet. 4:19). ‘God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able' (1 Cor. 10:13). There were certain commandments which the Jews called the hedges of the law. So as to fence men off from cruelty, God commanded that they should not take the dame with the young, nor ‘seethe a kid in his mother's milk' (Exod. 23:19), nor ‘muzzle the mouth of the ox' (1 Cor. 9:9). Does God take care of beasts, and not of his more noble creature? And therefore we ought to judge charitably of the complaints of God's people which are wrung from them in such cases. Job had the esteem with God of a patient man, notwithstanding those passionate complaints. Faith overborne for the present will gain ground again; and grief for sin, although it come short of grief for misery in terms of violence, yet it goes beyond it in constancy; as a running stream fed with a spring holds out, when a sudden swelling brook fails. For the concluding of this point, and our encouragement to a thorough work of bruising, and patience under God's bruising of us, let all know that none are fitter for comfort than those that think themselves furthest off. Men, for the most part, are not lost enough in their own feeling for a Saviour. A holy despair in ourselves is the ground of true hope. In God the fatherless find mercy (Hos. 14:3); if men were more fatherless, they should feel more God's fatherly affection from heaven, for the God who dwells in the highest heavens dwells likewise in the lowest soul (Isa. 57:15). Christ's sheep are weak sheep, and lacking in something or other; he therefore applies himself to the necessities of every sheep. He seeks that which was lost, and brings again that which was driven out of the way, and binds up that which was broken, and strengthens the weak (Ezek. 34:16). His tenderest care is over the weakest. The lambs he carries in his bosom (Isa. 40:11). He says to Peter, ‘Feed my lambs' (John 21:15). He was most familiar and open to troubled souls. How careful he was that Peter and the rest of the apostles should not be too much dejected after his resurrection! ‘Go your way, tell his disciples and Peter' (Mark 16:7). Christ knew that guilt of their unkindness in leaving of him had dejected their spirits. How gently did he endure the unbelief of Thomas and stooped so far unto his weakness, as to suffer him to thrust his hand into his side. J C Ryle on assurance. From Holiness. 4. Some probable causes why an assured hope is so seldom attained This is a very serious question and ought to raise in all of us great searchings of heart. Few, certainly, of Christ's people seem to reach up to this blessed spirit of assurance. Many comparatively believe, but few are persuaded. Many comparatively have saving faith, but few that glorious confidence which shines forth in the language of St. Paul. That such is the case, I think we must all allow. Now, why is this so? Why is a thing, which two apostles have strongly enjoined us to seek after, a thing of which few believers have any experimental knowledge in these latter days? Why is an assured hope so rare? I desire to offer a few suggestions on this point, with all humility. I know that many have never attained assurance, at whose feet I would gladly sit both in earth and heaven. Perhaps the Lord sees something in the natural temperament of some of His children which makes assurance not good for them. Perhaps, in order to be kept in spiritual health, they need to be kept very low. God only knows. Still, after every allowance, I fear there are many believers without an assured hope, whose case may too often be explained by causes such as these. 1. One most common cause, I suspect, is a defective view of the doctrine of justification. I am inclined to think that justification and sanctification are insensibly confused together in the minds of many believers. They receive the gospel truth, that there must be something done in us as well as something done for us, if we are true members of Christ: and so far they are right. But then, without being aware of it, perhaps, they seem to imbibe the idea that their justification is, in some degree, affected by something within themselves. They do not clearly see that Christ's work, not their own work—either in whole or in part, either directly or indirectly—is the only ground of our acceptance with God: that justification is a thing entirely without us, for which nothing whatever is needful on our part but simple faith and that the weakest believer is as fully and completely justified as the strongest. Many appear to forget that we are saved and justified as sinners, and only sinners, and that we never can attain to anything higher, if we live to the age of Methuselah. Redeemed sinners, justified sinners and renewed sinners doubtless we must be—but sinners, sinners, sinners, we shall be always to the very last. They do not seem to comprehend that there is a wide difference between our justification and our sanctification. Our justification is a perfect finished work and admits of no degrees. Our sanctification is imperfect and incomplete and will be so to the last hour of our life. They appear to expect that a believer may at some period of his life be in a measure free from corruption, and attain to a kind of inward perfection. And not finding this angelic state of things in their own hearts, they at once conclude there must be something very wrong in their state. And so they go mourning all their days, oppressed with fears that they have no part or lot in Christ, and refusing to be comforted. Let us weigh this point well. If any believing soul desires assurance and has not got it, let him ask himself, first of all, if he is quite sure he is sound in the faith, if he knows how to distinguish things that differ and if his eyes are thoroughly clear in the matter of justification. He must know what it is simply to believe and to be justified by faith before he can expect to feel assured. In this matter, as well as in many others, the old Galatian heresy is the most fertile source of error, both in doctrine and in practice. People ought to seek clearer views of Christ and what Christ has done for them. Happy is the man who really understands "justification by faith without the deeds of the law." 2. Another common cause of the absence of assurance is slothfulness about growth in grace. I suspect many true believers hold dangerous and unscriptural views on this point; I do not, of course, mean intentionally, but they do hold them. Many appear to think that, once converted, they have little more to attend to, and that a state of salvation is a kind of easy chair in which they may just sit still, lie back and be happy. They seem to fancy that grace is given them that they may enjoy it; and they forget that it is given, like a talent, to be used, employed and improved. Such persons lose sight of the many direct injunctions to increase, to grow, to abound more and more, to add to our faith, and the like; and in this little–doing condition, this sitting–still state of mind, I never marvel that they miss assurance. I believe it ought to be our continual aim and desire to go forward, and our watchword on every returning birthday and at the beginning of every year should be "more and more" (1 Thess. 4:1): more knowledge, more faith, more obedience, more love. If we have brought forth thirty-fold, we should seek to bring forth sixty; and if we have brought forth sixty, we should strive to bring forth a hundred. The will of the Lord is our sanctification, and it ought to be our will too (Matt. 13:23; 1 Thess. 4:3). One thing, at all events, we may depend upon—there is an inseparable connection between diligence and assurance. "Give diligence," says Peter, "to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). "We desire," says Paul, "that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end" (Heb. 6:11). "The soul of the diligent," says Solomon, "shall be made fat" (Prov. 13:4). There is much truth in the old maxim of the Puritans: "Faith of adherence comes by hearing, but faith of assurance comes not without doing." Is any reader of this message one of those who desire assurance, but have not got it? Mark my words. You will never get it without diligence, however much you may desire it. There are no gains without pains in spiritual things, any more than in temporal. "The soul of the sluggard desires and has nothing" (Prov. 13:4). 3. Another common cause of a want of assurance is an inconsistent walk in life. With grief and sorrow I feel constrained to say that I fear nothing more frequently prevents men attaining an assured hope than this. The stream of professing Christianity in this day is far wider than it formerly was, and I am afraid we must admit at the same time it is much less deep. Inconsistency of life is utterly destructive of peace of conscience. The two things are incompatible. They cannot and they will not go together. If you will have your besetting sins and cannot make up your minds to give them up, if you will shrink from cutting off the right hand and plucking out the right eye when occasion requires it, I will engage you will have no assurance. A vacillating walk, a backwardness to take a bold and decided line, a readiness to conform to the world, a hesitating witness for Christ, a lingering tone of religion, a clinching from a high standard of holiness and spiritual life, all these make up a sure receipt for bringing a blight upon the garden of your soul. It is vain to suppose you will feel assured and persuaded of your own pardon and acceptance with God, unless you count all God's commandments concerning all things to be right, and hate every sin, whether great or small (Ps. 119:128). One Achan allowed in the camp of your heart will weaken your hands and lay your consolations low in the dust. You must be daily sowing to the Spirit, if you are to reap the witness of the Spirit. You will not find and feel that all the Lord's ways are ways of pleasantness unless you labor in all your ways to please the Lord. I bless God that our salvation in no wise depends on our own works. By grace we are saved—not by works of righteousness—through faith, without the deeds of the law. But I never would have any believer for a moment forget that our sense of salvation depends much on the manner of our living. Inconsistency will dim our eyes and bring clouds between us and the sun. The sun is the same behind the clouds, but you will not be able to see its brightness or enjoy its warmth; and your soul will be gloomy and cold. It is in the path of well–doing that the dayspring of assurance will visit you and shine down upon your heart. "The secret of the Lord," says David, "is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant" (Ps. 25:14). "To him that orders his conversation aright, will I show the salvation of God" (Ps. 50:23). "Great peace have they which love Your law, and nothing shall offend them" (Ps. 119:165). "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another" (1 John 1:7). "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth; and hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him" (1 John 3:18, 19). "Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments" (1 John 2:3). Paul was a man who exercised himself to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man (Acts 24:16). He could say with boldness, "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith." I do not therefore wonder that the Lord enabled him to add with confidence, "Henceforth there is a crown laid up for me, and the Lord shall give it me at that day." If any believer in the Lord Jesus desires assurance and has not got it, let him think over this point also. Let him look at his own heart, look at his own conscience, look at his own life, look at his own ways, look at his own home. And perhaps when he has done that, he will be able to say, "There is a cause why I have no assured hope." I leave the three matters I have just mentioned to the private consideration of every reader of this message. I am sure they are worth examining. May we examine them honestly. And may the Lord give us understanding in all things. 1. And now in closing this important inquiry, let me speak first to those readers who have not yet given themselves to the Lord, who have not yet come out from the world, chosen the good part and followed Christ. I ask you then to learn from this subject the privileges and comforts of a true Christian. I would not have you judge of the Lord Jesus Christ by His people. The best of servants can give you but a faint idea of that glorious Master. Neither would I have you judge of the privileges of His kingdom by the measure of comfort to which many of His people attain. Alas, we are most of us poor creatures! We come short, very short, of the blessedness we might enjoy. But, depend upon it, there are glorious things in the city of our God, which they who have an assured hope taste, even in their lifetime. There are lengths and breadths of peace and consolation there, which it has not entered into your heart to conceive. There is bread enough and to spare in our Father's house, though many of us certainly eat but little of it, and continue weak. But the fault must not be laid to our Master's charge: it is all our own. And, after all, the weakest child of God has a mine of comforts within him, of which you know nothing. You see the conflicts and tossings of the surface of his heart, but you see not the pearls of great price which are hidden in the depths below. The feeblest member of Christ would not change conditions with you. The believer who possesses the least assurance is far better off than you are. He has a hope, however faint, but you have none at all. He has a portion that will never be taken from him, a Savior that will never forsake him, a treasure that fades not away, however little he may realize it all at present. But, as for you, if you die as you are, your expectations will all perish. Oh, that you were wise! Oh, that you understood these things! Oh, that you would consider your latter end! I feel deeply for you in these latter days of the world, if I ever did. I feel deeply for those whose treasure is all on earth and whose hopes are all on this side of the grave. Yes! When I see old kingdoms and dynasties shaking to the very foundation; when I see, as we all saw a few years ago, kings and princes and rich men and great men fleeing for their lives and scarce knowing where to hide their heads; when I see property dependent on public confidence melting like snow in spring, and public stocks and funds losing their value—when I see these things, I feel deeply for those who have no better portion than this world can give them and no place in that kingdom which cannot be removed. Take advice of a minister of Christ this very day. Seek durable riches, a treasure that cannot be taken from you, a city which has lasting foundations. Do as the apostle Paul did. Give yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, and seek that incorruptible crown He is ready to bestow. Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him. Come away from a world which will never really satisfy you and from sin which will bite like a serpent, if you cleave to it, at last. Come to the Lord Jesus as lowly sinners; and He will receive you, pardon you, give you His renewing Spirit, fill you with peace. This shall give you more real comfort than the world has ever done. There is a gulf in your heart which nothing but the peace of Christ can fill. Enter in and share our privileges. Come with us, and sit down by our side. 2. Lastly, let me turn to all believers who read these pages and speak to them a few words of brotherly counsel. The main thing that I urge upon you is this: if you have not got an assured hope of your own acceptance in Christ, resolve this day to seek it. Labor for it. Strive after it. Pray for it. Give the Lord no rest until you "know whom you have believed." I feel, indeed, that the small amount of assurance in this day, among those who are reckoned God's children, is a shame and a reproach. "It is a thing to be heavily bewailed," says old Traill, "that many Christians have lived twenty or forty years since Christ called them by His grace, yet doubting in their life." Let us call to mind the earnest "desire" Paul expresses, that "every one" of the Hebrews should seek after full assurance; and let us endeavor, by God's blessing, to roll this reproach away (Heb. 6:11). Believing reader, do you really mean to say that you have no desire to exchange hope for confidence, trust for persuasion, uncertainty for knowledge? Because weak faith will save you, will you therefore rest content with it? Because assurance is not essential to your entrance into heaven, will you therefore be satisfied without it upon earth? Alas, this is not a healthy state of soul to be in; this is not the mind of the apostolic day! Arise at once and go forward. Stick not at the foundations of religion: go on to perfection. Be not content with a day of small things. Never despise it in others, but never be content with it yourself. Believe me, believe me, assurance is worth the seeking. You forsake your own mercies when you rest content without it. The things I speak are for your peace. If it is good to be sure in earthly things, how much better is it to be sure in heavenly things! Your salvation is a fixed and certain thing. God knows it. Why should not you seek to know it too? There is nothing unscriptural in this. Paul never saw the book of life, and yet Paul says, "I know and am persuaded." Make it then your daily prayer that you may have an increase of faith. According to your faith will be your peace. Cultivate that blessed root more, and sooner or later, by God's blessing, you may hope to have the flower. You may not perhaps attain to full assurance all at once. It is good sometimes to be kept waiting: we do not value things which we get without trouble. But though it tarry, wait for it. Seek on, and expect to find. There is one thing, however, of which I would not have you ignorant: you must not be surprised if you have occasional doubts after you have got assurance. You must not forget you are on earth, and not yet in heaven. You are still in the body and have indwelling sin; the flesh will lust against the spirit to the very end. The leprosy will never be out of the walls of the old house until death takes it down. And there is a devil, too, and a strong devil—a devil who tempted the Lord Jesus, and gave Peter a fall, and he will take care you know it. Some doubts there always will be. He who never doubts has nothing to lose. He who never fears possesses nothing truly valuable. He who is never jealous knows little of deep love. But be not discouraged: you shall be more than conqueror through Him that loved you. Finally, do not forget that assurance is a thing which may be lost for a season, even by the brightest Christians, unless they take care. Assurance is a most delicate plant. It needs daily, hourly watching, watering, tending, cherishing. So watch and pray the more when you have got it. As Rutherford says, "Make much of assurance." Be always upon your guard. When Christian slept in the arbor, in Pilgrim's Progress, he lost his certificate. Keep that in mind. David lost assurance for many months by falling into transgression. Peter lost it when he denied his Lord. Each found it again undoubtedly, but not until after bitter tears. Spiritual darkness comes on horseback and goes away on foot. It is upon us before we know that it is coming. It leaves us slowly, gradually, and not until after many days. It is easy to run downhill. It is hard work to climb up. So remember my caution—when you have the joy of the Lord, watch and pray. Above all, grieve not the Spirit. Quench not the Spirit. Vex not the Spirit. Drive Him not to a distance by tampering with small bad habits and little sins. Little jarrings between husbands and wives make unhappy homes; and petty inconsistencies, known and allowed, will bring in a strangeness between you and the Spirit. Hear the conclusion of the whole matter—the man who walks with God in Christ most closely will generally be kept in the greatest peace. The believer who follows the Lord most fully and aims at the highest degree of holiness will ordinarily enjoy the most assured hope and have the clearest persuasion of his own salvation. Permalink

And a very good morning to you! It is Friday morning, Good Friday morning! The 15th of April 2022 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for the day.“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.”John 15:13The greatest act of love ever shown in the history of the world! We need to understand that the Lord Jesus Christ, on this Good Friday, paid the ultimate price for you and me. And we really need to take time out today... Maybe, just to sit and meditate a while on the great and wonderful gift that He gave to us - Jesus took our place. In John 18:8, the Word of God tells us that Jesus said:“I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way”Our Master lived a selfless life. I am a farmer, I know this verse very well:“…unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”John 12:24Jesus died on this day, 2000 years ago so that we could live forever - What a gift! You probably know I am a bee-keeper, I love bees very much. They are wonderful little creatures, they make honey which is pure and clean and medicinal. Do you know that that little honeybee will defend its hive, its home, at all costs, yes! A bee can deliver a sting that is quite painful, for a while, but it won't kill you. But do you know that every time a little honeybee stings someone, it dies? They leave the sting in you and they go and sit somewhere and die. That is what Jesus did for you and I - He died so that we might live. The catacombs of Rome, you probably know about them, are caves underground where the early Christians used to hide when the Roman soldiers were trying to hunt them down to kill them because they would not deny their faith in Jesus Christ. In my prayer-room, I have got a little hand cross. I put this cross in my hand when I am praying and I squeeze it tightly. The corners cut into my fingers and they remind me of the pain that Jesus suffered, on this day, 2000 years ago so that my sins could be forgiven. Jesus loves you, he loves me, so much that he died for us. Today, let's spend time in His presence.God bless you and goodbye.

Our Master wants his followers to know that he is gentle. Believe it. I hope these spiritual nuggets help to bless you today just knowing how gentle our GOD really is.

Bart Byl on Hebrews 10:19-39. Series: The Fruit of the Spirit When we see others abandon Christ, it should fill us with a holy fear. The sin I am indulging could be the beginning of the road to apostasy. Our Master calls us to lifelong personal allegiance. We can't summon up perseverance from within ourselves, though. Our faithfulness must be grounded the One who promises, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." --- Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Our Master and Father GOD want us to totally surrender our all to him. Please do it today. I hope you are blessed with this Spiritual Nugget from FOCUS MINISTRY.

Mike Burnette replanted LifePoint Church when it was 5 years old, had 52 members, and was $2.5MM in debt. The church has grown steadily since then. But growth isn't always what it's cracked-up to be— and it's not something we should pursue for the simple sake of growth.  In this talk, Shawn and Mike discuss the importance of the Kingdom of God— and staying focused on the Kingdom rather than on ourselves, and what we can produce.   Mike talks candidly about being THE fastest growing church in America— according to Outreach Magazine's 2018 poll. The following year,  he fell into the 70s. Then, a year later, he didn't even make the list. He describes what Top 100 did to him, in terms of staking value in the wrong place… External, outside honors are certainly humbling. But they can also shake us when we place the wrong merit on them.  The year after he made the list, he actually wanted to quit ministry. It was tough, and marked by marital strife and other tensions. Mike no longer reviews the attendance records at his church— not even on Easter. He says this stance frees him to pay attention to the people physically before him, in his presence (rather than worrying about who's not there).  And it reminds him of what really matters…   Recently, Mike released the book Parable Church, a work he published in March 2021. He writes about the culture Jesus wanted to create— namely, one that reminds us that it's God's job to grow our ministry-field. It's our job, on the other hand, to grow in faithfulness and fervency. The book makes an observation and then asks a question each pastor needs to assess—  Mike observes, “Christ never actually told us how to do church." He then asks, So why is much of our time and energy as leaders and shepherds consumed with chasing after tips, tricks, and secrets to "grow" churches, hoping that they somehow also reach and maintain spiritual health? The question makes sense. If the metrics mattered as much as we make of them, certainly Jesus would have outlined a strategy of what to count, how to count it…   In the end, we are responsible for ourselves— for our character, for stewarding our calling, and for pursuing the Christ… That is, we need to grow the right things. Our Master rewards faithfulness, not fruitfulness. Sure, He designed us such that we would produce fruit, but the goal… is faithfulness. The fruit? It grows as on overflow of what's happening inside of us and the people we serve.

Does the Bible have contradictions about sin? Join us for today's message from Pastor Garry Sorrell Jr. entitled "Our Master," to find out how sin becomes the exception and not the rule after salvation.

Say: Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is Our Master. It is in Allah that the believers should put their trust. (Quran, 9:51)

In his book from 2021, William Green explores what we can learn from the world's most successful investors. The knowledge is timeless and not only about how to invest but also how to improve our thinking. Green has written for many leading publications in the US and Europe, including The New Yorker, Time, Fortune, Forbes, and The Economist. Leading the conversation is Henrik Andersson, fund manager at Didner & Gerge, and one of the founders of Investing by the Books' website. For more info about the podcast, go to the episode page.—————————————Episode Chapters(00:09) - Intro and recap by Eddie & Niklas(09:08) - Life since The Great Minds of Investing (2015)(13:19) - How to think better and live more wisely(18:52) - Financial freedom and happiness(38:55) - What to learn from Mohnish Pabrai(45:56) - Great investors learning from great investors(51:47) - The fascination and beauty of investing(1:01:44) - Entering the lives of the great investors(1:06:26) - What William is reading and learning—————————————Books MentionedThe Great Minds of Investing - William Green (2015)Richer, Wiser, Happier - William Green (2021)Timeless Thoughts - Arnold van den Berg (year of publication unknown)Beloved of My Soul: Letters of Our Master & Teacher - Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein to His Beloved Student Kabbalist Rav Berg - Michael Berg (2010)Books by Tulku Urgyen RinpocheBooks by Tsoknyi Rinpoche, including Carefree Dignity: Discourses on Training in the Nature of Mind (1998)The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance - Josh Waitzkin (2007)—————————————More on William GreenWilliam's website: https://www.williamgreenwrites.comWilliam's twitter: https://twitter.com/williamgreen72—————————————What is Investing by the Books?Investing by the Books was founded by Henrik Andersson, Bo Börtemark, Mats Larsson and Michael Persson. It has published hundreds of book reviews in the past 10 years and operates on a non-profit basis. Visit the website: http://www.investingbythebooks.com/Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Investbythebook—————————————What is Redeye?Redeye is a research-centered boutique investment bank from Stockholm. Founded in 1999, Redeye cultivates investors through timeless knowledge, a humble attitude, and a strong focus on quality. Visit the website: https://www.redeye.se/Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Redeye_—————————————DisclaimerNotice that the content in this podcast is not, and shall not be construed as investment advice. This information is meant to be informative and for general purposes only. For full disclaimer, visit Redeye.se

Our Master of Wine Bob Campbell is recommending The Ned 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough $18.99.LISTEN ABOVE 

Beginning this weekend, I want to begin another series of homilies, which will run through the end of August. I have taken the readings of the Sunday Masses and looked for a thread that is especially present in them. When the homily deals with the readings of a particular day, sometimes the overall perspective, the structure, the relationship between the messages from one Sunday to the next Sunday is lost. When all the readings are read at the same time, one may lose details, but one captures the ideas that are most reiterated or predominant in them. I have been praying about this topic for several weeks now and I have decided to focus on two aspects: the world's rejection of Christ and his disciples, and the Holy Eucharist. If I had to give a title to this series of homilies, I would use the words that Simeon used to describe to Mary, Jesus' mission on earth: "a sign of contradiction". Let us look, for example, at today's readings. In Ezekiel's prophecy, God accuses his people of having rejected him. The Lord calls Israel a rebellious, hard-hearted people who have rebelled against him. In the second reading, St. Paul said that he is content in the midst of insults, suffering, and persecution. That is to say, he takes it for granted that his message will meet with opposition from many, some who will even do violence to him, and in fact, he himself will end up martyred by the sword in Rome. Finally, today's Gospel is the sad story of Christ who on his return to Nazareth is rejected by his own people, who despise him for being the "carpenter". The sacred text tells us that Jesus was surprised by their lack of faith. In the first reading, the message of Yahweh through the prophet is rejected. In the second reading, the Apostle's message is rejected. In today's Gospel, Christ himself is rejected. Rejection, rejection, rejection. History repeats itself without interruption even to this day. You may recall that last Sunday, the Holy Gospel recounted the miracles of the healing of the hemorrhagic woman and the resurrection of Jairus' daughter. St. Mark told us that such wonders happened when Jesus arrived by boat from the other shore of Lake Galilee. What had happened on the other shore? Jesus had been rejected by the foreigners. "They begged him to go away from there," says the evangelist (Mk 5:17). Jesus returns to Jewish territory because the foreigners had driven him away. This Sunday, however, the message is not the rejection by foreigners, but the rejection by his own people, his neighbors, his own family. We are going to speak about this topic because I think it is very important. As I said, it will be a recurrent theme in the coming weeks. In today's world, we could use this analogy: the "foreigners" are those who do not call themselves Christians and the family of Jesus and his people are the Church. Christ is rejected by both without distinction. It is true that the Lord will find love in some of his disciples, but for the most part, Jesus will be rejected. As St. John writes at the beginning of his Gospel: "He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him." (Jn 1:11) Our Master was and is a "sign of contradiction". Fidelity to the teaching of the Church in today's world is paid for with scorn, humiliation, disparagement, attacks, caricaturing, mockery, and opposition - even on the part of many believers. The sign of our condition as disciples of the Crucified One is love, and the sign of our fidelity to that condition is the rejection of the world. In other words, we, like Jesus, are either peaceful "signs of contradiction" ready for martyrial fidelity, or we are not Christians. Either we embrace and accept our destiny to suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel and the Church, or we become, in the words of St. Paul, "enemies of the cross of Christ". (Phil 3:18) The homilies in this series will end with two prayers, to be said by those who have the heart and courage to pray them with truth. If you do not agree, if they seem to you an exaggeration, or if they frighten you, or if you do not want to live them, it is better not to say them. Simply listen to them. They were written by St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis of Assisi. I have learned them in Spanish and Italian, and for years I have been saying them every day. They express not what we are, but what we want to become. The first, from St. Ignatius, is this: “in order to imitate and be more actually like Christ our Lord, I want and choose poverty with Christ poor rather than riches, opprobrium with Christ replete with it rather than honors; and to desire to be rated as worthless and a fool for Christ, Who first was held as such, rather than wise or prudent in this world.” The words of St. Francis are: “May the fiery and honey-sweet power of your love, O Lord, wean me from all things under heaven, so that I may die for love of your love, who deigned to die for love of my love.” May the Lord grant us the grace of union with Him in the mystery of His rejection by the world so that we may one day be eternally welcomed into the eternal kingdom of Paradise.

Majestic Downfall trade in some epic doom that stretches and luxuriates in melancholic surges of blood and tears. Aorta (Personal Records) is their latest testament to the power of the morose, and it's a feat of stirring arrangements, mournful melodies, and a bass sound that burrows under your skin and lays its eggs deep in the flesh. It touches on the classic 90s era of the scene without mimicking it, and it's one of those albums you'll be feeling in your bones long after the last note is played.Our Master of the Microphone Buke sat down with bassist/vocalist Jacobo Córdova and guitarist Alÿ to discuss the genesis of the band's latest record. Along the way all the usual detours are thoroughly explored, including the how's and why's of doom metal and the challenges of writing a long song and making it work (like the EXCELLENT 20-minute "Roberta" which kicks off the album), the differences between European and American audiences, and the growth found in writing and performing over the course of 15 years. This is one of those interviews that you just want to go on - a great conversation in service of an incredible record. Aorta lays its foundation in the earth of doom, but there are moments of blistering aggression balanced with delicate threads of hope.9C LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Thursday, April 8, 2021 | Headlines, Sports viewing last night, Our Master's Menus by Michigan Sports Network

Thursday, April 8, 2021 | Headlines, Sports viewing last night, Our Master's Menus by Michigan Sports Network

Last week—indicating the connection between pursuing a difficulty-free life and compromise of the gospel · Expect to be humbled—encounter the glory of God… see your sinfulness. And be reminded of the faithfulness of Christ. · Hebrews 4:12 Week before we celebrate the resurrection together, I want to take our attention back to scene just a few days before the crucifixion of Jesus. Take your bibles at turn with me to Matthew 26. There is not greater subject to study for the believer than our Lord. Jesus is God. He reveals God. He is so many things for us. He is our Maker. Our Master. Our Savior. Our Friend. He is our helper. He is our comforter. Our Righteousness. He is our atonement. Our Passover Lamb. He is the prophet who reveals God to us. He is the king who rules and reigns in glory. He is our high priest giving us access to the Father and helping us amid temptations. He is our elder brother. He is our life.

Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ) Messages  (Meditation, Raja Yoga, Training, Spirituality, PAM - Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Divinity, Divine Service & Research, Babuji Disciple) Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Disciple & Founder of  “Institute of Sri RamChandra Consciousness”  *Messages delivered by Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ), Hyderabad, India.  Dedicated his life for the Spiritual service of Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Research, Meditation Trainings, Audio Messages, Books & SatSangh   For Meditation Info Contact: www.sriramchandra.in  Biography: kcnarayana.org Episode Notes: Sri Krishna Janmashtami-2007 My dear fellow travelers in the Path,  It is a great opportunity for us to gather here again on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami. Lord Krishna we all know is the Avatar of the day and shall be so until the next Avatar emerges as ordained by the divine. Master has stated that “... with the advent of Lord Krishna the regime of Lord Rama was over. It is now the regime of Lord Krishna which is to continue till the next avatar comes into the world. This is the phenomenon of Nature which I bring to light for your understanding. (SS-110).Humanity at present is reveling and reeling under the never heard of acts of violence and terrorism in the history of mankind. It is not perhaps wrong to state that sadism and cruelty has become a virtue now days. However it is the fortune of humanity that the divine willed the emergence of a special personality of almost the same status of an Avatar to mend the wayward mental tendencies of mankind which seems to be determined to ruin itself in constant conflicts and wars. This is an unique occurrence in spiritual history and this happened in 1944. He is ever active in his work entrusted by the divine and shall be there till the emergence of a new Avatar when divine wills so. We all know that Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur was born on 30th April 1899 and has left its mortal coil on 19th April 1983. The period of life our beloved Babuji we can see is thus not co-terminus with that of the Special Personality. The physical form of Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj was utilised by the Grand Master Lalaji Saheb to carefully structure and carve out a personality and Nature was waiting to use such a person as the Special one to guide the erring humanity. It is guiding humanity since then and also attending to such works entrusted by Nature. It is the imperience of all the aspirants in the Natural Path that it is functioning more effectively after he shed his mortal coil in 1983 from his true astral plane. However after he left his mortal coil in 1983 many started seeking for a person who is living in the physical plane who can replace beloved Babuji Maharaj. That he was the President of SRCM and there should be succession of President in SRCM is undisputable. However that there can be no succession for the status of Special Personality or the Master as we dearly call him is elementary gnosis. ISRC has answered this point several times in it's about 16 years of functioning and the answers are available for those who really seek in our web sites also. However recently it was brought to my notice that someone from an European country asked us as to who is the Master now and whether women are not eligible for being a Master etc., I shall share today some of our clearly stated point of view. The question of the need for a living master is raised by many almost implying a demand that a master in order to be a master has to be in the physical plane. For persons who understand that masters work even when they are in existence in the physical world from astral plane only, there is no difficulty to accept the living master by virtue of their experiences and imperiences irrespective of their physical existence. If anything the master's grace in the form of Pranahuti has been proved beyond doubt does not suffer the limitations of any physical form barrier to it. Form and Name are basic binding factors in our thinking which prevent our breathing our liberated status. But from childhood we are taught in schools and colleges to identify persons, objects and patterns by their form and name and this pattern of thinking makes many think that consciousness also should have a form and name. In this context it may be useful to remember the statement of Lord Krishna as quoted by our Master in his letter to Dr.K.C.Varadachari (EH- 335): “I am reminded of Lord Krishna's predictions intercommunicated to me some time ago, that the time has not yet come for the people to have a full understanding of your (my: Ed) existence though it shall definitely come but when you (I) have given up the material form.” This makes it amply clear that Sri Ramchandraji whom we all feel every moment of our life through the practice of Constant Remembrance is a living master though he shed his mortal coil and it is a form that is formless universal presence responding to the cries and needs of persons by whatever name it is called and that is felt by us and not the physical one. We need to accept the function of the guru as Master has given it to us, as descending through the disciplic succession from Lord Krishna. It is stated by the Master that his master communicated to him to the effect that “All initiations shall be effected on my hand and their connection shall be (invariably) with Lord Krishna. At the time of initiation a promise will be made to the effect that all that Lord Krishna has enjoined as matters of principle, shall be observed(by the initiated persons).” EH.182. Most of the aspirants should be knowing the difference between introduction to this system of practice and spiritual initiation. Thus not only the Master is on record to say that he is living guru but Lord Krishna is the Jagadguru. Guru is not an ordinary man. That is why we celebrate the appearance day of the spiritual masters. It may be noted that here the words ‘appearance day' are used instead of the usual ‘birth day'. Appearances are the only things that happen in the physical world to the great masters, as otherwise they live, move and have their being in the astral and divine realms. In a sense they were never born nor will they be dead. They are eternally living divine entities discharging the duties and functions as assigned by the divine. Lord Krishna the Jagadguru functions now as he did during his physical life on this planet. He has taken note of the emergence of the Spiritual Personality and is in a sense working proxy through the great master Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur who will be eternally working for the cause of the divine. We are worshiping our Master as he is a pure via-medium to Sri Krishna. Master wrote in his letter to Dr. K.C.Varadachari (EH-428) that “Lord Krishna appeared before you in dream and has given you a very mild transmission also.” He also stated that “Sri Krishna disappeared because He felt that you have got the difference between him and the master.” Thus there is no difference between Lord Krishna and the Master is fully established. Therefore it may not be wrong to say that “He is worshiped as "saksat Krsna" or "directly Krishna". It is morally and spiritually wrong to consider such a guru an ordinary man and it is also totally inappropriate to consider any ordinary man as the guru. Our Master classified the types of gurus and never brought in the concept of a living guru there. There are five types of gurus according to him. We know that our Master and Grand Master belong to the category of Guru Azli Fazli meaning that they are born gurus of the highest type. Every seeker has the opportunity of realizing his/her true nature and by a total dedication to the cause of the divine become a Fazli guru and assist humanity to work in harmony with the divine. Such gurus having gone beyond death during their physical life time itself never die and become dead. They are the ever burning torches showing the brilliance and beauty of the divine. The argument for a living guru is based on the assumption that the original master is a dead guru. It is necessary to prove this statement. One has to show that Sri Ramchandraji is dead in all planes such that he cannot deliver his blessings to us. The clarification given by the Master to Dr. K.C.V and the experiences of many of us, disciples of the Master Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur testifies that the Masters function from higher planes than the physical and they are capable of communicating and transmitting. To receive transmission it is not necessary to have a physically living master around us. Many disciples of the Master try to push the argument in favour of the "living guru" line, implying that our beloved Master is now a "dead guru" and no one can take shelter under him any more and that he is incapable of doing any spiritual service now. It is not true of course and the Master has quoted Lord Krishna's' statement that he will be more effective after his physical veiling. Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur is living still is understood by any one who experiences Pranahuti. A true and sincere aspirant takes refuge only in him and feels that his surrender is accepted, is bare truth of experience of many. It was never before possible for a spiritual master to be so vividly present after his physical departure from our material vision. There are surely many Masters in his lineage and that is the wish of the Great Master too. He categorically stated that he makes Masters. Not all claimants are necessarily of that standard since one has to be qualified. Any true master will not try to say, leave alone attempt to prove that the Great Master is dead as the concept of death itself is alien in the field of spirituality. Where and how one lives in the different planes of existence alone matters. A master in the lineage or order will simply present the message of his spiritual master and his spiritual master will live through him and this fact should be understood by all spiritual aspirants. The Masters are self effulgent and have their authenticity not by virtue of a group of persons governing an institution or any other agency than that of the divine order which follows self illumination. It is completely apparent to any non-envious person to understand that Sri Ramchandraji of Shahjahanpur is empowered by Sri Krishna and Revered Lalaji Maharaj. This message we tried to pass on through our publication “Ganga Jamuni” issued last year on the auspicious day of Janmashtami. Some entertain odd and mystic notions about Pranahuti. ISRC has effectively proved through its research work that it is not so and the real nature of Pranahuti was brought to the public view without any prejudice. Our books and publications on this topic are available in the internet and any one can study them. Certain concepts regarding Guru is sought to be explained in this context. Traditionally the role of the Guru is to give Diksha. Diksha is a unique and rare process of making the life of a disciple more pure, more enlightened and more successful. Generally a human being remains under the sway of bad karmas of past lives which do not allow him to make the desired level of progress in spite of hard work and sincere efforts. In such cases nothing can work better than to receive Diksha to remove the baneful effects of past Karmas and propel the aspirant onwards on the path of success. Just as a cloth has to be washed thoroughly to free it of stubborn stains similarly Diksha is a method adopted by a Guru to free the disciple of his mental, physio-psychological and physical drawbacks so that he could make good progress with a free mind in the spheres of spirituality and materialism. Diksha is the foundation of a disciple, the fuel of spiritual life, completeness of the mind and the path to reach one's destination. The act, by which teachings are given and by which all kinds of animal instincts are sought to be demolished, which is granted by the Guru in charity is known as Diksha. It is not my desire to go into the merits and demerits of various paths shown by different gurus. All I desire to state is that in the system of Rev. Babuji Maharaj which utilises the power of Pranahuti the trainer introduces a new energy by means of transfer thus enlightening him and helping him in sadhana and realisation. At the beginning the transfusion of energy brings in a state of peace, settledness and balance. It is a subtle transfer of the divine energy of a Guru into the heart, soul and body of a disciple. This pure energy initiates a process of change in the person which ultimately leads to destruction of all evil and negative tendencies, and spurt of creative and positive powers which encourage him to strive for the highest and best in life. It is obvious that a man has a twofold duty here on earth one to preserve his life, and two to realise the true nature of his self. To preserve his life, he has to learn to work for his daily bread. To realise his true nature, he has to meditate, love and serve. The Guru who teaches him the knowledge of worldly arts is called the Siksha Guru. The Guru who shows him the path of Realisation is the Diksha Guru. Siksha Gurus can be many, as many as the things one wishes to learn. The Diksha Guru can be only one: the one who leads him to the state of realisation. This is the reason we have been insisting on having one and only one, our beloved Master Sri Babuji as the Guru/Master. Several persons of very high spiritual calibre do help us in the path and we are grateful to all of them but there is only one Guru. The trainer and masters of the order are all relevant but our focus and orientation is the real Guru only. It is obvious that the strength of the chain lies in its weakest link. This demands that the links we have and of which we are also a part have to be strong. That demands sadhana of a high standard and the aspirants and trainers have to work hard at it. We are all fortunate to have obtained diksha or introduction in this system but for making us attain our goal it is necessary to free the body and the mind of all impurities. The sadhana in this regard starts by implementing the First Commandment of the Master. Only when one is physically and mentally pure does the divine light that is within starts emitting its fragrance and we gain a glimpse of our true nature. It is very difficult for an ordinary person in the present age to become free of the evil tendencies on his own. For this he needs the help of an accomplished master who could instill his own spiritual power into the person and destroy his weaknesses. Master says only such a person who can transmit his own internal divine power to the aspirant can be a trainer. This is an act of kindness and love which the master has for us and it cannot be repaid by any other means than becoming truly spiritual and in turn carry the torch of spirituality into other hearts. It is not any ordinary power or energy that is transmitted but the original power at the root of creation which for our understanding may be called supreme consciousness. This is what we call Sri Ramchandra Consciousness, more to satisfy our desire to remember him who is all in our life: but in reality it is something that is beyond our comprehension. It is such a consciousness that is guiding the human destiny now as ever. It is just Love: a love that is not possessive and particular. It is Love Universal Omnipresent and Omnipotent. Sri Ramchandra Consciousness breaths through the firmament and all that it requires to be felt is an earnest longing for Him who loves all. Lord Krishna is called so because he is the Lord and he is the giver of immeasurable bliss. I pray on this auspicious day that we all live and move in that Consciousness of which all manifestation is an expression in the eternal present. Pranam to all the Master intoxicated co-travelers in the path. Pranam.

Hi welcome , our experience hope and strength is from bible verses it develops our program for the better. Some bible, some music and some zoom shares all biblical related. Our God says, no one is saying RESTORE? We in recovery are experts or looking to recover all what the enemy Satan has stolen from us! By declaring JESUS is Lord! Our Master and Savior! We are good to go! Listen in. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/fernando-montes-de-oca/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fernando-montes-de-oca/support

Sunday AM serviceSelected ScripturesI.    Our Message  (II Timothy 3:14-15)II.   Our Master  (Revelation 1:12-18; Colossians 1:18; John 12:32)III.  Our Mission (Matthew 16:18; Matthew 22:37-40; Matthew 28:19-20)Mission:  Love God. Love others. Make Disciples1) CELEBRATE as worshipers2) CONNECT in community3) COMMUNICATE the gospel4) CONTRIBUTE to the kingdomSupport the show (https://app.easytithe.com/app/giving/firstbaptist)

In this episode we dive into total power exchange. What is it? What does it look like? What is it like being a slave in a Total Power Exchange? These are some of the questions that will be discussed in this episode. Come find out what makes it such an appealing dynamic for so many.  Please, follow us through our fetlife, Instagram and Twitter accounts @TheKinkyCompound , @DelSol_Soy , and @_Goddess_Nyx Below are the resources sol gathered for this episode:Want to gain a better understanding of what you want and need in your D/s relationship? Check out this 30 day journaling exercise by our favorite BDSM podcast.  https://lovingbdsm.net/30-days-of-ds/Our Master and Daddy uses training concepts from the B.E.S.T. slave training.  http://bestslavetraining.com/domestic-service-vase/    If you are a newbie looking for Dominant/submissive relationship advice from another 24/7 sub, follow Lina Dune on Instagram @askasubBook recommendation to understand the slave mindset: https://www.amazon.com/Slavecraft-Roadmaps-Erotic-Servitude-Principles/dp/1881943143#ace-g9766277718

Episode Notes As surprising as it may sound: when God struck Egypt, He had mercy. He gave Pharaoh 10 merciful warnings of judgment. He had mercy on the cries of His people. He had mercy on the unbelief of Israel. And after delivering them, He expected them to live out that same mercy to others. But have we forgotten mercy? God delivered us from our slaveries in Egypt, we saw His power and mercy on display. But why do we see such a lack of mercy in the lives of believers today? Can you hear the call! Our Master is coming back! And when He comes back, He will see if we had mercy on those in debt to us, our enemies and brethren alike, as He had mercy on our debts before Him. In this teaching, discover God's mercy in Egypt, the rainbow of Revelation, and Yeshua's life. Then, we will learn how we can carry God's mercy ourselves. Torah Portion: Bo | Come | בוא

Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ) Messages  (Meditation, Raja Yoga, Training, Spirituality, PAM - Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Divinity, Divine Service & Research, Babuji Disciple) Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Disciple & Founder of  “Institute of Sri RamChandra Consciousness”  *Messages delivered by Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ), Hyderabad, India.  Dedicated his life for the Spiritual service of Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Research, Meditation Trainings, Audio Messages, Books & SatSangh   For Meditation Info Contact: www.sriramchandra.in  Biography: kcnarayana.org Episode Notes: Some thoughts on Samadarsi as a practice in yoga on Krishna Ashtami on 27th Aug. 2005.   Dear fellow travelers on the path,  Pranams . We have understood through our sadhana that we have a unique relationship with the great Lord Sri Krishna. The relationship we have with Him as the guide and head of our Institution through our beloved Master I have tried to detail on earlier occasions.   Many aspects of the Gita were discussed earlier; and I think there is no harm done by recalling them in brief during this auspicious occasion. Though it is stressed by the Lord that the lower nature of ours has to be brought under control by the higher nature (in the verse Bandhuratma atmanastasya ye natmana atmana jitah), as to exactly what is the way and what role Pranahuti does in this was explained only by our Master in the book Efficacy of Rajayoga through a diagrammatic presentation of the subject. The traditional approach to consider the two natures of Atman as that of Atman and Brahman though to a certain extent is acceptable, the juxtaposition of the Atman and Brahman as separate is something that is not true for yogi. I have tried many times to explain that Atman which is thinking and moving in nature when transforms itself into the nature of thinking and growing gains the name Brahman. Our grand Masters clarification to this effect makes us understand the scripture. Another aspect which we find our Master accepting totally is the concept of nishkama karma. However by bringing in the concept of trusteeship and blending to apply to all our daily transactions he has made it easier for us follow the path.   A very important concept that highly emotive in nature is the statement of the Lord that there is need to remember the Lord at the time of death and that is stated as a sure means of liberation. This statement of the Lord bothered some of the great saints who prayed that they may remember His adorable form at the time of death as in verse ‘Adharahita charu vamsanalah..' of Gopala Vimsati. There were others who wanted their remembrance of the Lord be counted as remembrance at the time of departing for all that they know they may be not in position to pray at that time due to illness and ailments- as a verse says in Mukundamala. In our beloved Masters method there is no such insistence and a person is brought to the condition of Jeevan mukta provided the person follows the path as commended. In the verse ‘Vidya vinaya sampanne.. .' (Chap V, verse 18) of the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord said that the wise men have "equal vision." This is a very important concept or teaching in the Bhagavad Gita and needs clear understanding. Our Master used to point out Samadarsi (man of equal vision) is different from Samavarthi (man who behaves alike to all). We are asked to see the same self in all; but that should not lead us to the absurd position of trying to feed the goat with meat and the tiger with grass. To remove the possibility of such misconception Lord Krishna used another expression here - Sama buddhi. This same-mindedness is an entirely inner state that is very difficult to bring down to the level of exhibitionism. The yogi is aware of his unruffled state of mind when he meets any of the people listed in the verse above. The yogi knows the difference between a newspaper and a currency note, but the sight of the currency note does not produce in him the excitement that it does in a worldly man. The only sign by which we shall know how he feels is the total absence of greed he exhibits and his unwillingness to hoard wealth. The yogi has trained his buddhi or intelligence to be aware of the indwelling presence in all. But as long as he lives in the physical body, in this material world, he has a double-consciousness: he sees the gold and the clod of earth, but is aware that they both are part of God's nature. His intelligence is aware of God's omnipresence, though the mind and senses still receive the varied impressions in the world. His actions and reactions are strictly in accordance with God's will, unconditioned by personal likes and dislikes, love or hatred. He is naturally not attached to anything. Sufferings are there to stay whatever may be the advances in medicine and science. It is the way we respond to the situations that cause suffering that needs to be understood. There are some ways of looking at things and let us examine them briefly. Bahirdrishti: There is an apparent external way of perceiving suffering which may be called Bahirdrishti. The subject of Suffering is of universal interest. It is so because suffering is universal. Nobody seems to be exempt. The poor suffer from poverty, the rich because of their riches; some nations suffer from dependence, others from independence. There is no adequate food, clothing or shelter; no suitable education, medical attention or employment. Floods and earthquakes, famines and plagues, strikes and lockouts, are not altogether infrequent. Generally speaking, in high circles as well as in low, in big matters and in small, there is hardly any will to agree except perhaps to disagree. It is a topsy-turvy world. Master has stated that he had his own pack of sufferings and miseries and that article of his should be read and reviewed several times. Kartavyadrishti: While the apparent perception gives some grim picture if we look at it from the angle of duty the problem does not seem to be so. Further when one comes to think of it, the picture need not appear so dark. The suffering is obviously a result of our own past thoughts, words and deeds. When we think an evil thought, utter an evil word or do an evil deed, we do not think of the consequences. We easily forget what we have done. But when it comes to facing the music, we squeal. We richly deserve what we get. Suffering arises principally from selfish desire. It will cease when such desire ceases. The Law of Karma, of cause and effect, is a just and merciful law. But for it, man would be more and more of an animal. Because of it, man tends to be more and more divine. It is a law which makes for progress. Antardrishti: There is an internal way of looking at things. Sufferings not denied we make an effort to put pieces of suffering as if they were blocks in a puzzle and try to visualize the whole picture and also see what part we have played in precipitating this suffering. For my part, it is a question of directing the vision. If I always look at beings and things external, I seem to see a lot of suffering. On the other hand, if I turn my vision inwards, towards the Divine or the Master in the heart as a Justice personified, I behold nothing but peace. And when I have made a practice of this, I see happiness everywhere-not within alone but also without. The question of suffering does get suspended and slowly resolved in a natural way. Premadrishti: The same result can also be achieved by constantly remembering the Lord, relying on Him and surrendering oneself to Him. He is ever so sweet and kind. He ever guards His devotee. He never neglects him. Whatever His dispensation, it is undoubtedly for the devotee's good. This form of faith turns poison into nectar, suffering into bliss. The glorious Sita of Ramayana said: "The presence of my Lord is heaven for me, His absence the Hell of my life." Not necessarily physical presence, but even the mental awareness of the Lord's presence in spirit gives the capacity to endure and develop an attitude of santushti or contentment. Then the attitude of taking things willingly and we may as a wit said say "we can complain because roses have thorns, or we can rejoice because thorns have roses."  Samadrishti: The noblest way of looking at suffering is to know that we only reap as we sow. The Lord was explaining the transitoriness of everything except the Divine and explained the problem of suffering from various angles. The law of suffering is a law of justice, of mercy, of progress. In the Natural Path we understand the subject thoroughly when we study the Commentary of the Ten Commandments of our Master. We understand from our study that suffering can be avoided or even turned into bliss, firstly, by cessation of selfish desires; secondly by turning the vision inwards towards the Divine in the heart and trying to see Him everywhere; and thirdly, by constant remembrance of the Lord and complete surrender to the Divine Will. The Prayer given to us by the Master when practiced with sincerity and love and devotion to the Master grants us a vision that holistic, integral and ennobling. While discussing the subject of despondency that many sadhakas might have regarding reaching the goal, Master states that the special personality has a neither a foe nor a friend and that he is balanced in his ways and never loses equilibrium. This indicates the state of perfect samadarsitva that he has. Master in his message to day says that Lord Krishna introduced Bhakti in Raja yoga in a way the yogis know. It is neither flattery nor worship in crude form that can be considered as Bhakti. Bhakti in yoga is not different from Surrender to the Master and the message of the Lord in the verse 66 of Chapter XVIII ‘Sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vrja Aham tvam sarvapapebhyo mokshaishyami ma suchah', sums up the final stage of Bhakti that an aspirant should cultivate. In the interest of spreading the message of the Master in a holistic manner we have been supplying the sacred text Bhagavad Gita to the aspirants on the auspicious Janmashtami. In this context I would like to call your attention to the statement of the Master “I do not want you to dwell in an imagination that if you repeatedly read the scriptures you will become the master of spirituality. By so doing you can become a philosopher or learned man, but you cannot be a yogi without actual practice with love and devotion.”

Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ) Messages  (Meditation, Raja Yoga, Training, Spirituality, PAM - Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Divinity, Divine Service & Research, Babuji Disciple) Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Disciple & Founder of  “Institute of Sri RamChandra Consciousness”  *Messages delivered by Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ), Hyderabad, India.  Dedicated his life for the Spiritual service of Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Research, Meditation Trainings, Audio Messages, Books & SatSangh   For Meditation Info Contact: www.sriramchandra.in  Biography: kcnarayana.org Episode Notes: MEDITATION - METHODS & PRACTICES  The Divine Incarnation Lord Krishna as he was born around the mid night he revealed himself to his parents and then said, that he has kept up the promise that he would be born to them and that he has to start his work. He has asked that he may be shifted to Gokul and leave him in the house of Nanda and bring the child that is there to the prison and the child will tell his uncle about the Divine secret. We see that the Divine incarnate has announced Himself as such at very birth. It's a happy occasion for us. We enjoy feasting but our tradition has asked us to fast. The reason for that is when we think about Lord Krishna, we get into ecstasy ourselves. We forget our sleep, we forget our food. We forget all other engagements and will be only in His thought. That is the greatness of this Personality that we are trying to retain even today. Please think about it. Yes! So long as we are going to think about our body and its needs we will definitely feel hungry, we definitely feel thirsty and also we too sleep now and then during the day. All these things are possible. But if we get into the consciousness of Sri Krishna, the chances are that we will be only thinking about Him and nothing else. We have had occasions of these types of experiences when we celebrate Revered Babuji's Birthday as well as Revered .Lalaji's Birthday. I do not want to cast aspersions on any person. But even on those days people are eager while meditating as to when it will be over so that they can go and have breakfast and when a talk is going on, they will be thinking about lunch. These are the people who do not have the Druda Sankalpa, a firm conviction and a desire.   We say, "Thou art the Real Goal of Human Life". I do not know whether it has enabled you to think about this Real Goal at all. The topic now that I am asked to dwell is on the Methods and practices in the system of Sri Ram Chandraji Maharaj. With your permission I will link it up with Sri Krishna's teachings and Sri Aurobindo's teachings. When we say, "Thou art the Real Goal of Human Life", we are only saying "Om Namo Narayanaya", That is the Mantra. The goal of man -"Naranam ayanam Narayanam" that is the goal of man. Real Goal. But we have got very many petty goals when we think about that Narayana, Sri Krishna or Sri RamChandraJi. The goals relate to the five kosas, the Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya and Anandamaya kosas. All these kosas dictate to us several petty goals. We are lost in them and we somehow or other go on praying for them. We call them goals, petitions, requests etc., We do not seek the Divine. Even when we are seeking the Divine we try to say somehow or other that this mantra can lead, that mantra can lead etc, etc. There is nothing wrong so long as we know the real meaning of the mantra and over a period of sadhana we will definitely come to the path. Every great Acharya and Parama Acharya have used the words "Narayana Smriti", "In the name of Narayana" when ever they signed a document. No other name is used. The reason for that is they were very clear about their goal and whether they achieved it or not is a separate issue on which there can be difference of opinion.   From the point of view of sadhana when we look at this point of Real Goal of Human Life we are not very sure whether we are determined to reach the goal. This is what Sri Krishna said, that it is very difficult to know and we can know/do it only with abhyas and vairagya. Abhyas and Vairagya are the two things that we have got to think about as methods for achieving that Real Goal. This Real Goal clarity emerges after a considerable time of practice. Though we start with that sentence here and every one of us assumed that we have made up our decision about this goal. Assuming we grant ourselves the right that we have already got that clarity of the goal we proceed. That is why we find in the second sentence of prayer given to us by our Master "We are yet but slaves of wishes putting bar to our advancement", reminding us that our goal clarity is not that clear to us. This as we practice we know that we don't have that Real Goal near our sight or in our mind and we know that we are yielding to many other things. We definitely know that is not our goal and only then a person develops viveka, by constantly looking into himself. It is a painful topic to know, how little we are before the Divine asking for something very silly all the time, to be small before him presenting ourselves in the poorest of the fashion. Our thoughts that are submitted to Him during meditation have been of the lowest of the order. We go on trying to improve that when our goal clarity emerges. Again and again we have got to think about the Real Goal. And why is He the Real Goal, what on earth makes the Divine to be the Real Goal. What exactly is the Divine? If we know the answer for it, there is no need for us to practice meditation. There is no need for us to do any sadhana. We are asked to assume it at the beginning. We are told that the Real Goal is God or the Divine and to substantiate it to be the Real Goal, we have the literature that helps us. It makes us understand that all other goals are not the Ultimate. Take for example the case of Viswamitra. He was an emperor. Of the few emperors he was one and when he sees a Bramhajnani like Vasista he finds that there is something more than what he has got. He thought that he could give everything to everyone and he offered that to Vasista also saying that whatever he wants to run a small ashram, and Kamadhenu, serves the purposes of the emperor better than him. And the Bramhajnani's answer was that he might take it if he can and Kamadhenu refused to go and fought a war on behalf of the rishi. That is the story. We are not interested in the details. Those stories are well known to all of us. If some of us don't know they may kindly read the tradition because we must know that ours is a great civilisation and we have a very hoary past. They have got their own meaning. For ordinary people it is a folk story or a myth.   But there is something of a myth in every one of our lives. Every one of us is an archetype, is an expression of the Divine and we have a pattern. There are several people with the same mentality now and were there in the past and there will be many more with the same type of approach to the subject in the future and that is the archetype. It goes on developing. Archetypes are not standard patterns. They are not moulds. That is a way of thinking. There is a general confusion among many people when we discuss the archetypes; they think it is something like a picture, a fixed picture. It is the same wavelength. But it improves, it swells. The archetype swells itself and it is an improvement over the earlier thing. And when we say that Revered Babuji Maharaj is doing the same work of Sri Krishna, we only mean that Sri Krishna has been improved upon now. It is the same archetype. It is the same avatar. The same avatar that came as Sri Rama and the same Avatar that came later as Sri Krishna. I will give one small example, not necessarily some thing that is in some book, but this is due to my understanding of the subject. Many of you know the great Avatar of Vamana, who comes and requests the great emperor Bali to give him only three feet of land. That is all what he asked and Bali said, why don't you ask more than this. But with one foot he covered the entire world and with the second foot he has taken the heavens and the third foot it is said is put on Bali himself. Looking at it from spiritual angle, I have found the methods that are given to us namely the Morning Prayer, the Evening Cleaning and the Night Prayer are the three feet asked of us by Master. We have got to give just three steps that the Divine asked from us. The Divinity is asking us, every one of us a Bali Chakravarthy here, just three paces of feet in our heart. Master says 'Three things please yield and the remaining things I will take over'. Firstly you give your heart to me. Right! What happens? The lower vrittis become influenced by the higher vrittis. Kindly note this point that the higher mind takes over the lower mind first. We yield and then the higher mind also is superseded by Him and then finally He asks Where shall I put the third foot, we say put it on our head. That is total surrender to the Divine. This is what the last sentence of the prayer suggests - "Thou art the only God and Power to bring us upto that stage". That is the state of surrender that we require. Regarding Goal clarity, we see the first sentence, is the first foot that we have to give in our heart without any reservations and He takes over us. Then the lower mind is controlled. And at the higher mind we again yield to Him. That is how I have understood how an Avatar becomes a Tri-Vikrama. In all the three planes of consciousness He takes over and controls us. So the Method is not anything new. The method is old. In the Bhagavad Gita we will find that after many lives a person who becomes wise yields to him and then says that the Vasudeva is everything.   We are the abhyasis of Sri RamChandra's system of yoga. For us who is the Vaasudeva today? In unequivocal terms Revered Babuji Maharaj has said, "I am spread out through the universe and I am every where". What is Vaasudeva? A person who resides everywhere, Vasa is the root word for Vaasudeva. He resides in every atom, every molecule, every single particle of this universe and He said we have to understand him "Vaasudeva sarvam iti sah atma suh durlabhah". To accept the Vaasudeva, as everything is very difficult, even for a person who knows and that is the position for most of us. We know that He is everywhere but we don't yield to Him perhaps even in one plane. That exactly is the message. And today's Vaasudeva we know is only Sri Ramchandra. That is why He said Krishna is merged in me. The consciousness of Sri Krishna merges in Him mainly because of this. If we question the statement that He has spread out everywhere, then the whole system falls because such a man cannot guide. A guide is one who guides us in all planes of consciousness, in all planes of consciousness not to the satisfaction of our desires and wishes but for the transformation in all the three planes of consciousness. That everything belongs to Him. The Isa Upanishad says "Isavasyam Idam Sarvam". Knowing all this, yielding has to happen. Yielding to say that we meditate and at the time that is prescribed, yielding according to the method that is given. Not according to the whims and alterations that we make. There should be willingness to obey the Master in Toto. Our difficulties if any are to be submitted to the Divine and if they are genuine He gives the solutions to us in our heart.   Now there are two things that we have to look into, the upper mind is always dominated by the lower mind in our case. We want to sit in meditation and then something tells we can postpone it for another half an hour. But if basic viveka is aroused we really don't know whether we would be awake next morning at all. So no person must postpone things. Postponement is fundamentally the philosophy of persons who somehow grant for themselves eternity. They know that they will pass out. Every person who knows a bit of life, knows that there will be a day when he will go, and he also knows that day is not something that he knows in advance. It may happen any time. During prayers it can happen. Please note it can happen earlier or it may not happen in the near future. I only wish that we lived long for the only reason that we should spread the message of the Master. I don't have any other purpose here to suggest for you, for your life. We have many other goals.   That takes us to three things. When we become a person who knows the Truth and its path, should you continue to do these practices given to us by the Master? This interesting question was posed to me 15 years back, saying that as a person who knows the truth, and having been with the Master, why do I continue sadhana as prescribed. The great doubt was why do I do meditation. The answer is given right from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. A person who knows shall also do his duty. And what are the duties? They are stated in the same Upanishad namely, Dana, Tapaha and Yajna are the three duties that we shall perform everyday. We have come to know that the procedures of these three duties have not been all that easy for us and over a period of time they got worn out. Bhagavan Sri Krishna came and said the same thing. We cannot get remission from the performance of these duties. In the last chapter of the Bhagvad Gita, we find this categorical assertion. But even then we did not change. We continue in our own way. Whatever may be the reason, I am not going into the traditional aspects of it, or the modern man's views about it. But I have found an answer to it in the case of the system of Revered Babuji Maharaj. In the system all the three duties are provided for every abhyasi to perform without any scope for excuses. Those of us who have excuses kindly should try to mend.   The first thing that one has to do is the tapas. We have got to burn ourselves out. We have collected enormous wax. This can be removed easily. It sticks of-course. But when you think about the divine it burns. "Apavitraha pavithrova sarvavastham gatopiva yesmareth pundarikaksham sabahyantara suchihi". It is a very sensible statement. But how many thought about what is Pundarikaksha. The lotus opens itself. When? When the sun's rays fall on it. Till that time it does not open. Pundarikaksha really means the centre of pundari, lotus, it opens up throwing away all the petals out, when the early morning sunlight strikes it. Because of the heat it becomes purified, "Sabahyantara suchih" external and internal purities are assured, if you think about the Divine. That is the reason why we say that the Master is the goal. We think about it. We don't know it. "Yas smareth" you think about it. O! Master thou art the real goal of human life. The meaning of that is so much, that one has to again and again contemplate over it. But the majority of us, who know alphabets, think we know English. And I think most of us belong to the same category. The difference is we know how to make words. Nobody knows how to make meaning. We learn to make meaning out of these sentences and words only when we contemplate and meditate over that. Lot of time has to be spent. Then we understand what exactly it meant. Why do we remember the goal? The goal has to be remembered so that we get rid of the influences of our wishes. "I am yet but a slave of wishes". I of course do not think of Pundarikaksha as Master, Ramchandraji or Babuji. I don't want to go into the names, because Divinity is something that has neither a name nor a form. I have been stressing this point in sadhanafor all of you. It is our sentiment that we attach ourselves to this Ramchandraji of Shahjahanpur. But do you have his consciousness, that consciousness which is one with that of Sri Krishna. Is one of that of Divine Avatars. Revered Babuji clarified that He is not an avatar, but only a person who has come here to mend a small thing, some corrections that He was asked to make. He is a person who is constructive. He is not a destructive person. He makes a statement that avatars come for destruction and He has not come for destruction. He would say, "As a matter of fact I am a person like you. Born as a man. And I have been perfected by my Master, to such an extent that the great rishis of the past including the great avatars are using me." That is the courage with which he would make the statement. When the goal is clear and he knew that he is abiding by that goal, he was capable of making such statements. The same right he has granted to us. Whether we will be chosen by Nature for that work or not it is Nature's prerogative. When he said that we would become like him, He never thought that we would immediately construe that we will become another Special Personality. He only said we can become like him as a real man and said the decision of the Nature or God to use him is the decision of Nature or God. It has nothing to do with his sadhana. We see the humility of the person here. Because of this distorted view or a perception of that part of the prayer 'Thou art the only God and power to bring me up to that stage', we have others claiming that status. And the likes of Poundraka Vasudeva is nothing new. Delusions and Illusions are always there. Such people are yet but slaves of wishes. And for them our prayers will be there.   Now we come to the second aspect of our duty. We are asked to offer 'Dana'. What is the "Dana" that we have got to do? Vidya dana is one thing that everybody knows is the best dana that we can ever think of and all that Revered Babuji is asking all of us is to spread the message of the system. That is the greatest Vidya Dana that we can ever give, and here comes a doubt. Because we are not very sure whether we have got the Vidya or not to give. A person teaches physics to the seventh class or eighth class. He teaches physics but he is not an expert in physics. A person who teaches intermediate physics may be he is an M.Sc, but he is not perfect. A person who teaches a M.Sc student may be he is a superior to him but he is not perfect in science because science is ever expanding. Our doubts therefore to teach the system or to tell about the system to others is unfounded. The doubts are basically due to lethargy. And in fact may be considered as ingratitude to the Master. We owe it to the society to inform what we know, what is good, what we practice, even as we owe it to the Master. Our becoming a realized man is of no use to anybody. We get realized so that we try to make others realized. That is the Dana that we have to do, and that is what Revered Babuji says.   What is Yajna? This is one duty where we all default, for no fault of God. We all are defaulters here, for what ever reason it is. Yajna in the traditional sense is out of question for us to follow. We know it is not possible for us to practice, and unfortunately nobody does a Yajna, unless there is a Brihaspathy or a Brahma, who is there prepared to recite the mantras. In our system we are asked to do prayer at 9''o clock in the night. A prayer, with an explicit will that all people in the world are our brethren and that they are developing true love and devotion to God. If we put this question honestly to ourselves whether this is being done, perhaps we will be very disappointed with the answer. Because I know what is happening. We are at least not aware of what was not happening, namely we are not discharging our duty. Many of us will be more surprised with the answer they would get if they introspect. So if we see the methods they are the same as the old.   Now let us reflect on duty. Duty is a subject Revered Babuji Maharaj discussed in an article. He says our primary duty is to realize God. What is realization? That we are an insignificant expression of that most significant Being. And what is our task? To live here a life of happiness, not forgetting our duties to God as well as duties to the world. The world is nothing but an expression of the Divine. The Divine in its content and expression are entirely different, from an academic angle. From the angle of a realized person they are the same.   We come now to the next point of discussion. How do we go from the lower state of mind to the upper state of mind and stabilize there? That is the most important question to the present day situation. Lord Krishna says "Bandhuratma atmanastasya yenatmana atmanajitha". Ones' self becomes bandhu (relative or friend) for a person who has controlled his atma by the atma. Revered Babuji repeats the same thing when he says the thought power that is in us has to be utilized for reaching the Ultimate, leaving aside our perverse tendencies of thinking. Our Master in his book "Efficacy of Rajayoga in the light of Sahaj Marg" gave a diagrammatic picturisation. The heart is the place where samskaras remain for fruition. Historically, immediately after Lord Krishna we have got a person of enormous spiritual greatness, Vardhaman Mahaveera. He came and said this heart is tainted with different types of colours, and he called that matter Pudgala - the matter that gets formed over our heart, our soul and according to the colour of this we can definitely say the type of man with whom we are moving or conversing etc. We have detailed description of this subject in original works of Jainism. Modern interpretation about this is unclear. I have had the privilege of having a look into the original scripts of Jainism thanks to a person from Varanasi who studied about Jainism, who showed me the original works. Jainism uses two words to explain how the matter gets collected over our souls. The process is explained with the help of two concepts: 'samvara' and 'nirjara'. Samvara is accumulation, Nirjara is getting rid of and this is the same matter. (Rev.Babuji says that we form samskaras by the force of our thoughts and it casts a shade or colour over our mind. Sri Krishna uses the word Atma, for both, for the lower as well as the upper states of mind.) Mahaveer said it is getting formed and we should get rid of it by the method given Japa, austerity, penance, etc.   We thus see that Revered Babuji has given us the methods. He has not changed the tradition, but he says he has refined and modified the same process to be attended to by us. Lord Krishna has said the Atma has to be controlled by the Atma. Various commentators have tried to explain this assertion of the Lord but were constrained to strangulate the same to suit the purposes of their version of Vedanta Sutras.   The lower heart or the lower state of mind has to be conquered by the upper state of mind and this is the struggle we are met with during meditation. We know that there is something that is pulling us up. We are also aware that something is pulling us down. Simultaneously both these things are going on in our mind and our struggle seems to be a Deva- Danava war that is going on. The internal war is going on. The lower mind does not so easily yield because this is the plane of our entire energy, the principles of life and this is the place where the Kama, Krodha reside and all the distortions of these basic tendencies at higher plane owes their existence to this source of energy only. Moha, Lobha and krodha are the same energy that gets distorted in upper plane also. It plays a joke all the time, goes to the extreme extent of calling ' Sri Krishna' as a Mohana Vamsi. We can see what extraordinary forms of contortion take place in the field of aesthetics, all distortions of the lower Kama and Krodha. This is the reason why we find in the paintings, sculptures, stotras and in poetry there are expressions of the lower nature of mind in refined or crude ways according to the artist or poet. Everywhere in the world basic content is only this energy, but it is expressed through various types of distortion or inversion. The higher mind has to invert itself, thus keep company with the lower mind, it is made to yield, and stoop- the Divine stoops! But unless there is a firm help from the Master, this inversion from the higher mind to the lower sticks to it forever because the lower self is much more powerful. We stick to it forever and don't want to come out of it.   Our method of meditation is on the Divine Light without luminosity in the heart. The Divine light that is there in the heart and at present clouded has to come to its perfection. Our hearts are definitely suffering from Moha, which is itself a distortion of Kama and this grants us what I may call a duality, a difference. We maintain a difference between us and the duality and we love that Divine Light. The beloved Master is still another entity. The duality exists between the disciple and the Master, between the Devotee and the God, between the lover and the beloved. This duality persists. So long as duality is there we are not anywhere near Reality. The very purpose of this particular method of meditation that has been given to us acts at its base as a source of duality, when we accept this method. Therefore I say that it is not in tune with Sri RamChandra's consciousness, which is one indivisible existence and bliss. Please note the Institute is going with a particular approach to the whole subject.   If you ask me today what is your condition I will say I love my Master. I am devoted to Him. Love without much of a moha. But still that attachment is there. I retain it, is my right to hold him. I know it is a samskara that I am having. That is my wisdom about it and I am prepared to throw it out as and when it is necessary. I am prepared to throw it. What is the history of this method? The history talks about one great saint Andal who started this method of worship. Much later when Vaishnavism spread to North India it became Radha-Krishna cult of Sri Krishna Chaitanya and what has Krishna Chaitanya cult done to this sublime concept is a matter of history.   The prayer we are asked to do is very clear in our system. We are asking him saying, we are yet but slaves of wishes and we don't ask him for remission or some condonation or anything like that in our prayer because the goal is clear and we will not ask for it. What is that goal, That God! Thou art the goal. God is called samavarthi. And what is the principle of samavarthi. It is law of equality; we can put it as the law of causation or karma. For every karma (act) we have got an effect. This law cannot be changed. If we question that, then we are questioning the rationale of existence, the reason behind this universe itself is questioned. That is what other types of prayers have done. With infinite wisdom our people have given prayers to us but with infinite wisdom our people have also ruined them to the lowest level of questioning this very basis Reality- namely the law of cause and effect. This particular defect crept into our land due to the influx of Islam and Christianity where pardon for omissions and commissions are sought and the suffering God bears this irrational request. The Real goal we are seeking is one where we are seeking the samavarthi, we are not asking for the remission from omissions and commissions of acts done by us. We are asking Him to pull us out from the lowest vrittis or nature of mind to the upper vrittis or nature of mind while accepting the results of our past actions whatever they are and in whatever manner the Divine disposes the results there of. All that we are asking is this much. We want to be "atmanah atmanajitah" and for that we pray to Master that we know we have to conquer the lower mind but are unable to do and His help is sought to accomplish this.   The upper portion of the heart has to control the lower portion of the heart. How is this to be done? We are incapable of doing it, we are yet but slaves of wishes putting bar to our advancement. We will be capable of doing this only when we yield to Upper mind, which is Divine in its nature. Once this knowledge dawns, our head is ready for third step of God, of Vamana. Somehow or the other we have to yield to it. Here comes the intellectual problem. Everyone of us think that we can solve our problems, we would like God to restrict himself to the domain of spirituality and let him not enter into day to day business, family matters, other matters, refusing to understand that every gift we have got or a capacity we have got is what He has given and He knows best as to what to do with that. If only we yield to the Divine, It knows as to how to use us, but we don't accept it. We say that it is a matter that we will sort out. We say we don't want to go to Guru or God for such a small matter like this. In our system through the prayer we are lifted out of that plane and Master simply says, please seek the goal, the Ultimate goal and concede the point that you cannot solve the problem of lifting ourselves from the plane of the lower mind, which is our duty. What is our duty? It is to live up to the Divine level. Our duty is to live like that; if we are not able to do it then we are asked to arrive at the state of mind by crying before Him that we are not able to discharge duty towards the Divine. This is the duty with which we are all born.   To live at the level of Overmind, ie. this upper portion of the heart as given in the Diagram used by the Master to explain this concept is our minimum duty to the Divine. We are not Aurobindonians. But this concept was given much attention by Sri Aurobindo who calls it Overmind and he says first your lower mind has to be controlled by Overmind and that is our sadhana. But he also talks about the Supermind and its descent to the lower mind is a must for having a Divine integral Life, or the Life Divine. The Supermind has to enter into our hearts, and then only one will be in a position to live up to the Life Divine. Life Divine is one of the monumental thesis in the modern philosophical history, the cry of the soul trying to know something more than man. Sri Aurobindo knew that it has to come, he prayed. He has prayed continuously and felt that it will be in a position to come, but he died before his dreams were fulfilled and it was left to the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram.   But as early as 1945, Revered Babuji said this Supermind will not work as the problem of human unrest and peacelessness is much deeper requiring the intervention of the Centre itself. But the ascent to the Overmind and later to the Supermind is a must. In the system of Sri Aurobindo this is something we must achieve solely by our effort and wait for the descent of the Divine. But in our system, Revered Babuji says, we must yield to the Master and by his grace we would reach the higher states of consciousness of Divine nature provided we are truthful to our nature and discipline in sadhana. That is my advice to all my brothers, please yield. Then we will not be in a position to imagine that we can transform any person.   Of course we can always imagine that we are with the Ultimate. Some of us are outside and some of us are inside. That's about it. If anybody thinks that he can change somebody else's mind without being at that higher level, it is only an expression of ego. Without being at the higher level we don't have instruments for it or capacity for it. But we can fool ourselves and fool others. So long as we fool ourselves, it is Atmadroham. So long as we fool others, it is Paradroham, which is much worse. So the mental patient in a hospital is much better because he doesn't cheat others. But if the trainers or the preceptors of this system do not live up to that and try to harm others, it is definitely Paradroham which is a sin.   Let us know and understand the seriousness of the system itself. We cannot grow on our own. We have to yield to Him in totality in every sense of the term. Then we will be in a position to get into a laya avastha and that laya avastha is capable of working on others. Not our mind as such but the one that is surrendered to the Master can help someone if His grace is there. But that should not be confused as something that is very hard. The servants of Divinity have to at least lend their head for the betterment of others and that is a part of the Vidya-dana, at a different level. It is a Dana that we have to do. We cannot give something, which we don't have. Stabilisation at the Overmind level is must to come up to this stage.   How Overmind can be reached is the first fundamental difference between the systems of Sri Aurobindo and Revered Babuji Maharaj. By bringing in the Supermind to work on the mind says Sri Aurobindo. Revered Babuji Maharaj calls consciousness at the U portion in the heart as super consciousness of lower type. He calls the super consciousness at the Ajna level as D1 consciousness. This consciousness also cannot change human nature as believed by Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo said that Overmind ('U' consciousness) is only an intermediary to get us the influx of the Divine and the Supermind is capable of obtaining the Influx of the Divine. He claimed that to be a fact. Revered Babuji says as we are seeking a life Divine or the transformation of the humanity to the higher plane of living in tune with Divinity, Supermind will not work and the task requires that the Central force or/and Centre itself has to descend. So the point he makes is that the Supermind cannot do what the Center can do. These are claims of Revered Babuji Maharaj.   I was practicing the system for a quite some time before I got clarity because the inner conflict between the 'L' and the 'U' continued fairly long. The lower seems to be enormously capable of pulling us down every alternative second. If we can maintain our thought at a higher plane, for example in the morning meditation, had we been able to maintain our thought on Lord Krishna whose Birthday we have come together to celebrate and understood the identity between Him and our Master and also identified Him with the several avatars that have come earlier, we should not entertain any other thought than that of Him. But the lower had its own play however small it might be.   Most of us have a different understanding of our Master and think he is different from other expressions of the Divine. Avatars have been also understood differently. Some persons have expressed it from the point of evolution, which is a very gross way of understanding. But there is enormous spirituality behind the advents and avatars. Each one of them teaches a lesson in spirituality. If we are real sadhakas we would have known quite lot of things revealed to us.   The Center has to intervene and the Master says that Pranahuti that is offered in our system for the systematic progress of the individual is nothing but the Pranasya Pranah (ie., breath of the Center), coming either directly through the Master or through many other persons who work for him having submitted themselves to his will. The characteristic of a person who trains is that of having submitted to the will of the Divine totally having no will of his own. When one's will is totally that of Divine he will naturally work for others without any concern for his self without any discrimination of race or nationality or sex while discharging his duty. But we continue to suffer from those lapses is a fact that we have to accept in our sadhana. Then only we will overcome that lapse. Unless we know the problem we will not rectify it. Revered Babuji always puts that due interest in work and due discharge of duties do not form samskaras. Duties we shall do, but with due attachment, not with undue attachment. Undue attachment comes to us because of various social patterns, apart from our own personal problems. That is the significance of the second line of the prayer 'I am yet but a slave of wishes', He has not used the word 'my wishes'. It is customary to say that samskaras get formed by the individual's own wish. It is not true. Our samskaras are getting formed mainly because of other person's wishes which we take on us as our duty to discharge. Spouses, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and other relatives want something and they become our wishes. All those wishes are taken into our heart and they form the samskaras. Please kindly note the significance of the omission of the word 'my' in the prayer. "We are yet but slaves of wishes ", not 'our wishes'. All wishes in the world are ours. So everyone of them is a casting an impression upon us. I don't say we should not be interested in worldly matters. We find something wrong, and we pray and that is corrected which is due interest. Talking about the correctness or incorrectness of the decision of some people is only wasting our time and it only adds to avoidable formation of samskaras. We can only pray to God that wisdom may dawn on all. What is that wisdom. Please note that what we think as wisdom is zero, it is something that we do not know. Wisdom is something that is Divine. It will give its own solutions. It will come at appropriate time. Everything has got its own time and that is what Revered Babuji meant in the message in the diary book, two days back, when he said 'Time has got all the power, but you cannot use it.' Only God can use the kaala chakra. It is that power that the supreme personality is using when he said 'udarshana chakra is what Lord Krishna used and I am using the kaala chakra for the transformation of man.' We would like to know these powers. That is what I call as an itch - itch of viveka if we may say so. One sees in Sri Aurobindo the cry for human unity for the first time in the world. Sri Aurobindo was a person who was blessed by Lord Krishna, that he was asked by Sri Krishna to get out of the freedom movement, kindly note that he had the blessing of the Great Master. It was in the jail he had received the blessing of Lord Krishna who asks him to kindly leave the place and go somewhere else to do yoga assuring another person will come and lead the country into independence. Sri Aurobindo was also granted a boon that India will get independence on his birthday, the 15th of August, which we all cherish and are still striving to hold up.   Now let us revert to the promise of Sri Aurobindo namely the Divine life, for him the Life Divine is possible through the influx of the Supermind. Rev. Babuji radically modifies the method to achieve the same objective. We note that it is Pranahuti that we have to bring to the heart of the aspirant from the Center and assist the aspirant in his process of yielding to the Divine. This enables the Master to lead the aspirant from the Lower state of Mind or consciousness to the Upper level and gradually through various knots reach the D2 consciousness (located around the centre called Sahasrara). The power at that centre is also utilized for the purpose but beyond that is not our domain. But abhyasis clamour about D3 consciousness or D4 consciousness and I don't find anything wrong about that. That is the greed in spirituality in expression. Greed is something that is a common disease in all planes of consciousness. The entire humanity suffers from that but we unfortunately restrict our understanding to issues confined to monetary grounds. It is there in spirituality also. Without first of all entering into the Over mind we tend to think in terms of super consciousness of the super mind and without owning the supra mental consciousness think of the Divine mind and without entering into the Divine mind and yielding to it totally and learning not to lift our head we are talking about the realms of Splendour of the Center or Base. As a person who has gone through all this I can say that every one of these levels of consciousness is a problem for us. If you ask me how much of the Over mind you have got, I would perhaps rate myself at the lowest because the more greater we advance, the dirt that we see in us even though nominal gets magnified as if it is a great blemish. That is why many feel that I over react to certain things and situations. The reason for that is magnification of a small defect. It may be a small defect, but I magnify it. I cannot help magnifying. That is the purity of the level of consciousness that Master has blessed me with that condemns me to such behavioural patterns. I call it a condemnation. The spiritual truth in the matter can be better understood if we study the book 'Truth Eternal'. Lalaji Maharaj says as a man advances, if he sees the smallest defect anywhere in this world he would consider that as a greatest obstacle to spirituality. Other people may kindly ignore such lapses or blemishes that appear trivial. But one on the Path would not ignore, because the perfection that we are asking, purity we are seeking does not permit it.   So if we talk about the methods these are the methods. If we talk about the methods from the ritualistic point of view of morning meditation, evening cleaning, night prayer and then say this is all about the methods, I would say it is very, very superficial. That may be the way of explaining the system in the beginning. But as we advance we should understand what are the methods and what are the attitudes required to perform sadhana meaningfully. I know many abhyasis who come exactly for prayer on dot at 8'o clock, some come at 7.50, some of course may say that their watches go slow. Some come at 8.15, some chose to come at 8.55 also though such an occurance is rare now a days. They do not understand that by coming late they are disturbing others. They have got from their point of view, the peculiar right to Divinity, superseding the interests of others for a similar claim. I have been exhorting people who want to meditate to get prepared and be in the state of mind to receive the blessing of the Master early, come to the place of prayer well in advance and sit quietly in meditative mood. We should yield to the Master, and allow the meaning of the prayer to sink into our heart. We are to meditate when we are asked to meditate. But some are eager to enter the portals of the Divine and would meditate in advance. We are to be in a meditative mood and not meditate in Satsang before the guide asks us to meditate. That is an expression of greed if we closely examine. We will not follow any of these. There are many excuses. A person who is not disciplined is least fit to be called a disciple. Methods are rigid. When we say rise before sunrise it has to be before sunrise. If we understand it as a commandment we will follow it. If we understand from other clarifications given by the Master on other occasions and try to justify such flouting of norms on that account even as we have done in following the earlier Masters like the Buddha, Mahaveer Jaina, Lord Krishna, I can only say we do not have the determination to reach the goal. Please note how our mind is dictating terms. Our goal is not clear. Further our yielding to the Master which is the third step in prayer, is the most important thing. We don't know how to obey. If we don't surrender to him we will not be in a position to transform and assist others. That is the principle of pranahuti- taking the assistance of another person in our spiritual pursuit. Revered Babuji says almost the same sentence as Lord Krishna: "Matchitta Matgata Praanaha, Bodhayanthi Parasparam". The question is have we put our mind on his consciousness. 'Matchitta', note the specific mention of the word 'chitta', consciousness not other qualities of Omniscience, Omnipotence and Omnipresence nor other auspicious qualities of God/Master. It is Revered Babuji's consciousness or his chitta in which we have to dwell. The sentence belongs to Lord Krishna who says in another context that a person who can say 'Vasudevan sarvam Itihi' is rare. That is the beginning. We know that Revered Babuji is spread everywhere. But have we got into his consciousness? He uses the word Pranaaha. Please note that 'Pranaaha' is the only plane where we can join, where we can have coherence. We cannot have it otherwise. At the other levels we will be not in a position. This is the only way we can have unity with the Divine manifestation and unity will be Divine based. It is only Prana that can do this. That's what Prana is. Prana, that is thought power, can extend during the day whatever we may be doing. It is necessary that we clarify for ourselves and do our sadhana in the way in which it has been prescribed and as already noted tapah is a must and it is mandatory.   Cleaning process is also tapah and even more important than the meditation we do in the morning. The Pudgala that has been accumulated as matter over the soul/mind can be burnt by austerity or penance. But our Master says no austerity is required more than the cleaning process advised and we know as sadhakas this is the toughest of austerities that is asked of us. It is easy for us to handle something else rather than our heart which has unfortunately got tainted, by omission or commission of duties to be discharged by us. These lapses may be out of our own choice or some body else is pestering us. Because of this samskaras are getting formed and it is an absolute must that we should move with only people who are attached to the Divine. We must know the company of people we keep and we must also know whether it is necessary to have extended hours of work for the sake of few rupees or dollars.   We should maintain the satsangh and satsangh is best defined by Revered Lalaji Maharaj by saying, it is to be in the company of God. It is not a matter of number of persons that gather on an occasion. The point to note is that our Master wants lions in his satsang. A Pride of Lions is always few in numbers. We have heard a herd of sheep, we can think of a swarm of locusts, but we cannot think of a swarm of lions and a herd of lions is unheard of. But Divinity is asking for that. Revered Babuji is asking for herds and swarms of lions. But we know that the demand is some thing very great for us even to think of or conceptualise. The infight of gurus can be sought to be understood by this, saying a Guru does not want somebody to interfere in the work etc., But please also note that it is not exactly the quality of lion, not to allow others in its domain, it is also a quality of dog also, the grama simha. Not the simha, which can be transformed and that is what the Divine is asking. The lowest of minds think on the lines of shouting out at others that enter its territory. Lions need not roar at each other. They can accommodate. Only in a heart where 'U' is predominant and the 'L' is less predominant is this possible. Comparison leads to conflict, when we compare ourselves that we feel that we are better than someone else, conflict starts. Comparison is the basis of conflict. There is a Sufi story. Some gentleman, some sort of a king, went to a Sufi's house. He said wherever he went he found that he was superior to others but the moment he entered the Sufis' he felt as though he was the most inferior person. He wanted to understand the reason from the Sufi. The respected one said "wait till the evening". When all the people have gone he said 'now I will tell you. Let us go out of the house'. They went out and then the Sufi said, "you see this big tree, it is a big tree next to the small tree. They are able to live together because they do not compare. You would also be at ease with me when you don't compare. Conflict arises out of comparison.'   Know that there are Masters who can teach us, those Masters do not come to us just because they are interested in us. Please note that that they come to us because of the blessings of our Master. Without our guru krupa we will not have knowledge about other gurus and that is one thing we must understand from the biography of the Revered Babuji. He says, all the great Saints and Prophets have come and blessed him. Because of his Master he had the blessings of all other Masters. To say our Master is right and some other Master is wrong is not correct. We get into a conflict by such utterances. Master is only one and that is God. No other person has got that right and this is what in Bhagvad Gita we hear Lord telling, "please note that there is one person inside your heart". Know that He knows everything, know that he is your best friend, know that he is your guide, all that you have to do is fall at his feet". Arjuna was not convinced, he had his own doubts. Immediately Lord Krishna says, "I am here fall at my feet." Such an opportunity we also have got. Here is another Great personality who has come. It does not mean that those who have not seen will not understand because just as Bhagavad Gita was valid at that time and it is valid today. It is the same statement, because both of them are one and Sri Krishna says I am using you (our Master) and our people say that he is merged in him. No it is other way around because he grants this Avatar superiority over that of a special personality. Carefully note this, special personality brought by Nature is to mend. He has been utilised, Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur is utilised by Nature, which has already entrusted this work to an Avatar, to intervene and improve urgently certain things as desired by Nature and not to interfere with the work of the Avatar. Note the positions very clearly. Don't unnecessarily insult any personality of the stature of an Avatar because it can harm us. A negative thought towards such a personality as Lord Krishna can harm but, we know people talk like that and we are helpless. I have been telling all the aspirants of Reality not to differentiate our Master with any of the Prophets or Avatars keeping in view the assurances of the Master and our own spiritual growth. We keep sticking to the body-form which we think some how we know. The Special Personality whom we know is Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj. We think we know him well but he said "I am not the body, I am not the person, most of you who come to see me go back without seeing me". He made the statement and inspite of it we think that we know Him. Because we have seen his physical body we think we know the personality and can understand his consciousness. We have got already five kosas and we try to add one more of the one whom we think we worship and adore. I see in this the play of Maha Maya. The Special personality and His greatness should not be restricted to the clothes he wore or the appearance he had or the body which he was adorned with by God even. Here we should know we are talking about a personality who is not to be confused with his body nor with the mind that we know, a little portion of his Infinite mind is what we know from His letters and His books. Only one portion of it and He Himself said "what I do in other planes of consciousness is not supposed to be revealed and will not be revealed". We should try and get out of all attachments to the Master- of course this is at the last stages of spiritual progress. And the best way to kill an attachment is to yield to the attachment, by sublimation. There is no alternative. We satisfy the desire and then get out of the attachment. If we don't satisfy the desire, the wish continues to be in our head and haunts us every day. We have sentiments and we have attachments. But the attachment that we are asked to have is with His consciousness, to be with Him. This leads to one more question.   One and oneness are they the same? The goal of life as stated in the Commandments of the Master has unfortunately been misread as to mean to be one with God. We can have oneness with Him. This can be explained by the concepts of 'equal to' and 'identically equal to' in mathematics. To be identically equal to the Master is impossible, to be equal to is possible. Three aspects are out of our purview when we talk of oneness with God. Creation, Sustenance and Destruction are not our works under any circumstances. Under no circumstance any soul has got a claim over these functions and any person who claims that he creates something and thereby shows that he is capable of miracles is a dupe. Any person who knows these fundamentals of spirituality cannot fall but we do fall. We fall because we seek personal relief. Human Mind has come to that low level. Only when we confine our existence to the physical level and get chained by that thought, refusing to understand that there are planes of existence like the vital, mental, aspirational does the question of a physical or a living Master arise. Living unfortunately is confined to the existence of the body but even in body we know that the vital is something that goes beyond the mental level and crosses into the aspirational level with all its load. The Master has to be at the Bliss level if he has to be the Master. To say that at physical level to the exclusion of other levels of being, we are going to find the Master in a state of Bliss or have found Him is unfortunately condemning him to the level of Kama or the sensory level. We are condemning our guru to a level by saying that he should be having a living body. But a Master is one who is the Master at all levels during existence here. He would be at this plane and during this plane itself he will clear the three levels of Vital, Mental and Aspirational & then enter into a Level of Bliss. The Master would continue his work of Nature with the powers and authority entrusted to him after his physical veiling also. It is that consciousness of Sri Ramchandra that we should think of. Anything less cannot be that of the consciousness of the Master. So the living Master is an unfortunate fixation to the body in our mind. A body by definition is something that will fall, "Seeryathe iti Sareeram". Many are not able to go beyond the concept of body as self and then people cling to it and this shows their level of Viveka. It shows their level of approach. In order to make the physical permanent we create idols. Idols have come from the need for permanence of certain rituals for the physical body. These needs for performance, we cannot satisfy at the levels above the physical and therefore we convert some form of matter into an idol. An idol cannot be true to the original. When someone says that his Master has an idol, we immediately come to the conclusion that it is something to be got rid of. We do not understand that Revered Lalaji Maharaj is the person who has called even "OM" an idol while stating that it is the primary sound. It is true nada is a form of sound and is therefore not pure consciousness. To say the sound 'OM' is an idol is accepted but for that very reason we cannot throw it off because that is the path to the source. Revered Lalaji Maharaj goes to the extent of saying that nadopasana is linked to this Idol. The arousal of the condition of Ajapa and Anahad are linked to the primal sound "OM". Everybody thinks he knows and understands nadopasana. We are very clear about the path we are treading. But simply because something is called an idol it is not proper to throw it off. They have their own value. We think somebody else is less evolved because we think that we have been granted with the wisdom, of knowing the real path. We think that the people around us do not know the real path. Please do understand that God is a "samavarthi" and therefore does not discriminate. We should pray that, the persons around us should also come to the path. That is the yajna that we have to do, instead of finding fault with them. If we see blemish in others, we should try to remove it. I know it is impossible because we have our own prejudices about whom we make judgement. Let us not make judgements about others. It is the worst sin from my point of view, because the other person about whom we are passing judgement is equally an expression of the divine and has got a purpose to serve, a purpose which we may not understand. We may not understand the purpose but, what is necessary is that we should understand he has a purpose. We go to the other extreme of trying to worship Ramana maharshi or Socrates simply because they said 'know thyself'. We do that because we know that two persons have said the same thought, one in the East and one in the West. So what? It doesn't look worshippable. At best they are only trying to tell us a part of sadhana. Know about ourselves before we talk about something else. But without doing so, we think that we can talk about the system. All that we have been asked to do is only trying to tell the system. In the process we seem to be condemning others who are the very people whom we have got to teach. We refuse the opportunity to serve given by the Divine by condemning others. We are no more wise than others whom we condemn.   We now come to the concept of Bliss? This problem comes mainly because in the cleaning method we say, Oh! Master thou art the ocean of Bliss. What is Bliss? Bliss is at several levels. In the 'Taitreeya Upanishad' we are taught about bliss in all the five kosas. In the 'Truth Eternal' Rev. Lalaji Saheb explains the same thoughts while dealing with the concept of satchidananda or ananda. But what is this concept of Bliss, we have during our cleaning?   This point is relevant to us, because aspirants say that they have attended to their cleaning, but nothing has happened. Bliss is something that we have got to understand very clearly. It is not anything that we know of. When we practice the cleaning process we say, that it is ananda. We get into a state of meditation. Obviously, because if we are having the thought of ananda at the level of our Jihva or, taste we are at the level of 'Annamaya Kosa'. In the evening meditation when we think that he is the ocean of bliss, naturally we will get drowned and there is no question of further cleaning. But if we negatively describe it as something we do not know just as the real goal of human life humility would be there and cleaning process would take effect. The thought of Master as the real goal of human life has been changed to the thought of Master as an ocean of bliss during the evening cleaning process. Because we have to pass through all the shades of ananda in the five kosas this is a better idea when dealing with the dirt and disease in us that we have got at all the sheaths (kosas) to be got rid off. If we are not able to get rid off the dirt it would only mean that the concept is not clear. I do hope I have provided with the required clarifications about the methods to be followed in our system of sadhana.

A new MP3 sermon from Hopewell Associate Reformed Presbyterian is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Loving, Diligent, Glad Slaves of Jesus, Our Master Subtitle: Ephesians Speaker: James Hakim Broadcaster: Hopewell Associate Reformed Presbyterian Event: Sunday - PM Date: 12/6/2020 Bible: Ephesians 6:5-9 Length: 22 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Hopewell Associate Reformed Presbyterian is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Loving, Diligent, Glad Slaves of Jesus, Our Master Subtitle: Ephesians Speaker: James Hakim Broadcaster: Hopewell Associate Reformed Presbyterian Event: Sunday - PM Date: 12/6/2020 Bible: Ephesians 6:5-9 Length: 22 min.

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (11/25/20), Hank dives deep again into St. John Chrysostom's sermons on the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, collected in the book On Wealth and Poverty. https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-cri2011wa/Unlike so many sermons today, St. John's are not feel-good sermons for a feel-good generation. Rather, they are sermons laden with truths that transform—his words thunder from the past with prophetic urgency. Chrysostom writes, “For the righteous, both the life hereafter and this life provide great pleasure. But the wicked and greedy are punished both here and hereafter. They are punished even here by the expectation of the retribution hereafter, and by the evil suspicion of everyone, and by the very fact of sinning and corrupting their own souls.” After his fourth sermon in the series, an earthquake struck the city of Antioch. As such, his next sermon is rife with references to the earthquake's catastrophic effects. The earthquake, says St. John, manifested the power of God; its cessation showed His mercy. Nonetheless, it should make us mindful of God's judgment, which the Antiochians had escaped for the time being. But judgment is coming, and that for all of us. Perhaps we should not fear the earthquake—or the current pandemic—but the cause of each. Fear the anger of God on account of our sins. When we rightly fear the Maker of heaven and earth, we are led from the wide road and seek the entrance of the narrow gate. Our Master is loving and filled with compassion. He knows the weakness of our nature. He seeks only one thing—that we might leave the way of transgression and “enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction and those that enter by it are many.”

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/207/29 On todays Bible Answer Man broadcast, Hank dives deep again into St. John Chrysostoms sermons on the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, collected in the book On Wealth and Poverty. Unlike so many sermons today, St. Johns are not feel-good sermons for a feel-good generation. Rather, they are sermons laden with truths that transformhis words thunder from the past with prophetic urgency. Chrysostom writes, For the righteous, both the life hereafter and this life provide great pleasure. But the wicked and greedy are punished both here and hereafter. They are punished even here by the expectation of the retribution hereafter, and by the evil suspicion of everyone, and by the very fact of sinning and corrupting their own souls. After his fourth sermon in the series, an earthquake struck the city of Antioch. As such, his next sermon is rife with references to the earthquakes catastrophic effects. The earthquake, says St. John, manifested the power of God; its cessation showed His mercy. Nonetheless, it should make us mindful of Gods judgment, which the Antiochians had escaped for the time being. But judgment is coming, and that for all of us. Perhaps we should not fear the earthquakeor the current pandemicbut the cause of each. Fear the anger of God on account of our sins. When we rightly fear the Maker of heaven and earth, we are led from the wide road and seek the entrance of the narrow gate. Our Master is loving and filled with compassion. He knows the weakness of our nature. He seeks only one thingthat we might leave the way of transgression and enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction and those that enter by it are many.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Matthew 25, in which Jesus tells a parable about servants who are entrusted with their master's money. Our Master's character is always to forgive, even when we bury our talent in the ground.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Matthew 25, in which Jesus tells a parable about servants who are entrusted with their master's money. Our Master's character is always to forgive, even when we bury our talent in the ground.

Will the Cowboys draft a quarterback? Our Master picks, Westbrook and Harden on the move? and listen as we reveal The SportsSidebar podcast NBA Mock draft lottery picks.

*36.4 Makkos Daf 24 A (19 lines Dn)*Dovid summed up the Torah in eleven principles.(8) He honors those who fear Hashem, (9) he keeps his word to harm himself (such as when he accepts a fast), (10) he doesn’t give his money at interest, nor does he (11) accept bribery, one who does this will never slip.” *Summary* 8. *Yehoshafat Melech Yehuda* is an example of one who upheld this principle. When he would see a talmid chochom, he would rise from his throne to hug him and kiss him; he would call him Rebbi, Rebbi, Mori, Mori. _(A king can’t honor anyone in public, but in private he would do so)._9. An example would be *Rabbi Yochanan* who declared “I am fasting until I arrive home” [he didn’t wish to benefit from others or to get invited by the _nesi’im_ ].10. This means one who *wouldn’t even loan money to gentiles at interest* _(at that time when Jews lived among themselves it was discouraged, lest one develop a taste for lending at interest. Later it was encouraged because it was necessary for livelihood)._11. *Rabbi Yishmael b’Rabbi Yosi* is an example of one who doesn’t accept bribes [when his sharecropper brought him his crop, he refused to judge his case].It is written “one who does this will never slip”. Whenever *Rabban Gamliel* came to this possuk, he would break down and weep. He said “Only one who does all of these will never slip, but if he does some of these, it seems he will still slip away from Olam Habo. *Chachomim* to Rabban Gamliel: It is written “one who does this”, *not “one who does all this”.* Regarding tumah the _possuk_ says: “Do not defile yourselves with all these [forms of _tumah_ ]”, does that mean that one tumah alone does not cause one to be defiled? Here too, one of these good things alone is enough to cause one not to slip. _(However Rabban Gamliel persisted in weeping each time he read the possuk, he disagreed with them).__The peirush of Rashi ends on daf 19b. A talmid wrote “Our Master, of pure body, his soul left him in purity [while he was writing about purity]”. Here too, we have no further recordings of Rav Miller Z”L. His peirush ends with “Do not defile yourself with tumah, and how to reach Olam Habo” - what he taught us all his life. Until the end of the Masichta we have the shiur of Rav Eliyahu Brog Shlita, his grandson and his successor as Rav of Beis Yisroel._ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

*36.4 Makkos Daf 24 A (19 lines Dn)*Dovid summed up the Torah in eleven principles.(8) He honors those who fear Hashem, (9) he keeps his word to harm himself (such as when he accepts a fast), (10) he doesn’t give his money at interest, nor does he (11) accept bribery, one who does this will never slip.”*Summary*8. *Yehoshafat Melech Yehuda* is an example of one who upheld this principle. When he would see a talmid chochom, he would rise from his throne to hug him and kiss him; he would call him Rebbi, Rebbi, Mori, Mori. _(A king can’t honor anyone in public, but in private he would do so)._9. An example would be *Rabbi Yochanan* who declared “I am fasting until I arrive home” [he didn’t wish to benefit from others or to get invited by the _nesi’im_ ].10. This means one who *wouldn’t even loan money to gentiles at interest* _(at that time when Jews lived among themselves it was discouraged, lest one develop a taste for lending at interest. Later it was encouraged because it was necessary for livelihood)._11. *Rabbi Yishmael b’Rabbi Yosi* is an example of one who doesn’t accept bribes [when his sharecropper brought him his crop, he refused to judge his case].It is written “one who does this will never slip”. Whenever *Rabban Gamliel* came to this possuk, he would break down and weep. He said “Only one who does all of these will never slip, but if he does some of these, it seems he will still slip away from Olam Habo.*Chachomim* to Rabban Gamliel: It is written “one who does this”, *not “one who does all this”.* Regarding tumah the _possuk_ says: “Do not defile yourselves with all these [forms of _tumah_ ]”, does that mean that one tumah alone does not cause one to be defiled? Here too, one of these good things alone is enough to cause one not to slip. _(However Rabban Gamliel persisted in weeping each time he read the possuk, he disagreed with them).__The peirush of Rashi ends on daf 19b. A talmid wrote “Our Master, of pure body, his soul left him in purity [while he was writing about purity]”. Here too, we have no further recordings of Rav Miller Z”L. His peirush ends with “Do not defile yourself with tumah, and how to reach Olam Habo” - what he taught us all his life. Until the end of the Masichta we have the shiur of Rav Eliyahu Brog Shlita, his grandson and his successor as Rav of Beis Yisroel._ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this discourse, Our Master expounds Narada Bhakti Sutra Chapter 01 - Bhakti - Love Divine - Section 1 from Sutra 01 to 04.

In this discourse, Our Master expounds Narada Bhakti Sutra Chapter 01 – Bhakti – Love Divine – Section 1 from Sutra 01 to 04. For more: https://krsnaknows.com ►Subscribe us on Youtube: https://bit.ly/krsnaknows Our Playlists: ►Spiritual Quest: http://bit.ly/spiritualquest ►Bhagavad Gita Exposition: http://bit.ly/bgsatsang ►Uddhava Gita Exposition: http://bit.ly/uddhavgita ►Srimad Bhagavatam Exposition: https://goo.gl/GRrE7j ►Guru Charitra Exposition: https://goo.gl/Z2UKKs ►Shri Sai Satcharita Exposition: https://goo.gl/ZwTcdT ►Spiritual Teachings In Short: https://goo.gl/6Rf4rq Books by Master: Flute of Truth: https://amzn.to/2YvuJI8 Ask Away, My Dear!: https://amzn.to/2YsccwI --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/narada-bhakti-sutra/message

We enter Zen practice the way we enter our lives, trying to do it well, figure it out, please our friends and teachers. We judge and push ourselves endlessly, determined to Master the Way. But this is the opposite of true training. The Way Masters us, whether we like it or not. The Way is Our Master and as we train, we simply let go of our mad need change the world, dominate others, and refuse to enjoy the great banquet set out before us..

Why Do We Worship GOD? Importance of Worship and Praise GOD? | Benefits of Worshipping Allah ┇Why do we WORSHIP ALLAH? The primary reason as to why Muslims worship God is—to put it simply--because of who God is. Beyond the fact that God created us and bequeathed us with all we have, God is worthy of veneration and worship solely by virtue of who He is as a being. Even if God had given us far less, He still would deserve worship and veneration exclusively. To Him belongs the Perfect Names and Attributes. God is the Almighty, the Majestic, the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing, All-Hearing, He is the only Being that is All-Perfect. We worship Allah, the Glorious, because He is Our Lord, Our Master, Our Creator. And we are His slaves, His servants. God is the One that ultimately sustains, cares for, maintains, and nourishes His Creation through the grace of His bounty. God deserves endless praise by virtue of his Perfect Names and Attributes. We praise athletes and celebrities who have limited and flawed attributes, so we should heap endless praise upon God, the One that has no deficiency nor flaw. Our existence is solely dependent on God as we are not self-sufficient, contrary to the belief of some people. God makes it very clear in His Holy Book, the Quran, that the sole purpose of our lives is to worship Him. God sent Messengers and Prophets to relay His Message to mankind. "And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me" (Quran 51:56) Islamic worship is not limited to religious rituals such as praying and fasting. Instead, the faith clarifies that everyday human acts such as eating, drinking, greeting others, sitting, learning, dressing, sleeping, giving charity, etc., are all acts of worship if done for God alone, and in accordance with His Divine Laws and guidelines. Of course, we have another, secondary reason as to why we worship God. We thank Him for creating us and for what He has given us--despite the fact that we did not earn nor deserve any of it. God has given us so much, his favors are innumerable. God gives, without measure, to His servants. He gave the gift of life and the ability to hear, feel, taste, and see. God gifted humans their hearts, minds, souls, strengths, skills, and countless other things. "And He gave you of all what you asked of Him. And if you count the Favor of Allah, you will you be able to count them. Indeed, mankind is surely unjust and ungrateful" (Quran 14:34) We worship God because He is The-Loving, and His love exists in the purest form. We worship God to gain Taqwa; God-fearing piety, righteousness, mindfulness, and consciousness of God. Life becomes meaningful as we fulfill our life’s purpose, resulting in a better and peaceful life here in this world and the hereafter. As another secondary motivation, we worship God so that we can earn the reward of Paradise and avoid certain condemnation to the flames of hellfire.

Tune in with Michael Molthan - Host Of M2 The Rock - and Terry Bentley Hill as they discuss National Suicide Awareness Month. We can all help prevent suicide. Every year, the Lifeline and other mental health organizations and individuals across the U.S. and around the world raise awareness of suicide prevention during September, National Suicide Prevention Month.We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.1-800-273-8255If you are in crisis or have suicidal thoughts, please call our suicide crisis hotline at 214-828-1000. You can also text "CONNECT" to 741741 anytime to reach trained, caring volunteers at the National Crisis Text Line.Please join the Greater Dallas Suicide Prevention Coalition* on Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 11:00 AM at the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture located at 100 S Houston St, Dallas, TX 75202 for an important day to raise awareness of the number of lives lost to suicide in North Texas every year. Please help us gather shoes to represent the more than 600 lives lost to suicide in the Greater Dallas area this past year. From now until Noon on Tuesday, September 24, 2019, shoes may be brought to the Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas' administrative offices: 2808 Swiss Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75204. All shoes will be donated to the Well Community following the event. Our Master of Ceremonies will be Hondo Robertson from Cumulus Radio Group and Host of "Impact Texas." Dallas County Commissioner Theresa Daniel will also join us. This important, annual event, serves to educate and remind us all of the critical importance of suicide prevention efforts in North Texas. For more information, please contact Margie Wright, Executive Director of the Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas at (214) 824-7020.* Coalition partners include: Baylor Scott & White; the Dallas Police; the Dallas VA; NAMI North Texas; Garland Police Dept.; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; the Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas; The Senior Source and the Dallas County Commissioner's Court.

Hebrews 13:4-6 “Commitment, Contentment and Confidence” Introduction: I. Commitment to Our Marriage (4) II. Contentment with Our Money (5) III. Confidence in Our Master (6)

We've gotten some great experience with failure lately. You may have noticed our “weekly” podcast has turned into more of a monthly whim. Regardless we do have a part 2 of this conversation on redefining failure and we're excited to share it with you all today.  Our Master of The Woo, The Apothecary of Light, shares probably the best nugget of wisdom yet in this episode when debunking the myth of “A Jack of all trades is a Master of None”.  She reminds us of our innate feminine strength and how this may be true for Jacks, but…what about Jills? HAVE YOU MET WOMEN?Learn how to shift your definition of success which you may still be carrying from your old days in the corporate world, (when you were working for someone else), and transition into OWN-ing your personalized metrics of success! Our Woo Girl, The Funny Yogi, challenges her old definitions of success, even within her own business. She discusses how to create metrics based off things we are responsible for, such as our mental state, how many shots we take, and not how many points were scored. Finally the pair end on everyone's favorite feel good topic: how social media makes you feel like a piece of shit.  Especially as a Solopreneur. Do you ever find yourself comparing your behind the scenes to everyone else'e highlight reel? We'll join the club, and listen in to find out how to combat that natural instinct especially amongst other females. 

As featured on Aetherius Radio Live. Today we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Master of Yoga Dr George King! In this month's show, hosts Richard Lawrence and… Our Master and The Next Master Copyrighted content - originally published by The Aetherius Society

"Every generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt, is considered guilty of its destruction." Our Master knew that baseless hatred was the sin which was going to cause his generation to forfeit the redemption and go into exile. Therefore he called upon his generation to repent, and by repent, he meant, "Love God," and "Love one another." Love is at the center of his Gospel message. Why was the second Temple destroyed at a time when people occupied themselves with the study of Torah, the observance of the commandments, and the practice of charity? Because baseless hatred prevailed within them. (b.Yoma 9b)      

Opening: On the Road Again (Willie Nelson) Attention to detail is a good thing, but not at the expense of the big things Our Master cancels the Lodge meeting . . . the hour before the meeting A little chat about social media "Bruce is a Postal god" Harlan's daughter starts her first soccer game Our Lodge faces embarrassment at the district meeting Tony things that the problem is too many young men getting involved in Lodge We book an escape room for the big fair . . . but, why? Why do the "old guard" come (or not come) to Lodge? Usury vs. interest - is owning a payday lending joint un-masonic? Yes. Yes it is. Harlan is caught on film riding a pink bicycle circumambulating the Lodge What do you do if your members ignore a summons? Tony doesn't have a MAGA hat?! Should a Grand Jurisdiction adopt landmarks as part of its written code? Closing: Freak Like Me (Halestorm) Email us at afterlodge@gmail.com Hang out with us on /r/AfterLodge Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter @AfterLodge Leave us a voicemail at 215-792-3538 Join us on IRC: irc.snoonet.org #freemasonry

Opening: Tell Me Baby (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Worshipful Bro. Squared returns with nothing better to do We were out last week crashing Three Distinct Knocks (perhaps literally?) The adventures of our social club's annual shareholder's meeting Bro. Nipples decides to run for City Council Another late, late night at After Lodge Our Master schedules "the [whole] day of Freemasonry" Chili Cook-off smack talk has already started . . . gotta love Facebook Tony manages to break the mathematics of instant runoff voting Why do politicians look like lizards and/or monkeys?! The Odd Fellows wore aprons? Who knew The "Keto" diet, it's a cult Devising the best system for looking after our widows & orphans Remember what you learned in D.A.R.E., "just say no" . . . and the show goes down the toilet Closing: Bottom of The Bottle (Smile Empty Soul) Email us at afterlodge@gmail.com Hang out with us on /r/AfterLodge Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter @AfterLodge Join us on IRC: irc.snoonet.org #freemasonry

Our Master and Lord, Creator and Savior, have our life in the hands of the Potter, making us by His will in only the best way possible. Are we satisfied? Can we be content with His will for us? Acceptance has eternal possibilities for us.

Giovanni Marsico is a connector of superheroes. He is is the founder of the wildly successful Archangel Academy which is an organization bringing together mission-driven entrepreneurs who are making the world a better place. Archangel proceeds go to The Archangel Fund, which is used to provide micro-loans and donations to entrepreneurs and charities making the world a better place. On September 7th, he will again host the Archangel Summit in Toronto, which will unite two thousand passionate attendees who will grow and prosper as a result of their Archangel experience. Included in the impressive list of featured speakers are Lewis Howes, The Shark Tank’s Daymond John, MeToWe’s Marc Kielburger, and Danielle LaPorte. Giovanni is directed, centered and focused as he prepares for these large scale events which seamlessly interweave music, high calibre speakers, and video, to create a masterpiece presentation. Contact Info Company: Archangel Website: www.ArchangelSummit.com Coming in Fall 2017: ArchangelAcademy.com Most Influential Person Dr. Stephanie Estima / Phillip McKernan / Jesse Elder Effect on Emotions I feel that I'm constantly growing and being more and more awake and aware to the idea that I am the perceiver of the emotion, the feeler of the emotion, but I can also be the narrator, the actor, the audience. I can be different roles and I can step back and watch this happening and not think that it is me. I am the one perceiving. For me this is really important because I'm not attached to what is happening. The emotions become a guidepost for my intuition giving me messages about what's happening in the moment. Thoughts on Breathing It's such a simple thing that we all don't understand. I used to suffer from really bad panic attacks and anxiety. Scientifically I learned that when you start feeling adrenaline or cortisol, you actually hold your breath, or you breathe shorter breaths. Then your body kicks in more adrenaline and says, hey, you're not breathing. Start breathing. But then you feel more of a panic and it leads into a panic attack. I remember learning square breathing from a nurse. One of my panic attacks was so bad, I thought it was a heart attack. I called the ambulance. It was just a very deep panic attack. This one awesome nurse taught me square breathing and how important breath is when you're feeling anxiety. It is the easiest way to get centered, ever. Last week at the Archangel Show, Elizabeth DiAlto said, "It's very complicated, just breathe." Suggested Resources Book: Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team by Simon Sinek Book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill App: N/A Bullying Story It's part of my origin story. I'm a comic book geek and that's part of the story. When I was in fifth grade, my school did IQ testing which I think a lot of schools do and I was labeled as gifted. I didn't know what that meant, so I asked my parents. They said, you're really, really smart, you have a high IQ. Cool. No judgement. But that year I started getting bullied in class for being smart which is something I can never understand. I remember one day, a bunch of kids ganged up on me and said, 'stop doing so well on your test, you make us all look bad.' I thought, what? I went home crying and now had this negative charge to the idea of being gifted. It was strange for me. Shortly after, I started getting into comic books and I discovered the X-Men. The very first page I opened, there was an image that said, Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters. And there was that word again. But now it actually meant something different. It meant you had a super power. So now it kind of shifted everything. I fell in love with the X-Men. When people ask me, who's your favourite comic book character? I say, Professor X. I think I'm the only person who says that. Usually people say Iron Man or Batman, or Superman. Mine is Professor X. Since then, I've actually modelled the Archangel business plan after the X-Men. Our Master's group is like the X-Men, a team of super heros that are creating change. The superheros are also teachers for the gifted school, which is Archangel Academy (this program coming out in the fall), and the Summit. I owe everything to being bullied, which led me to the X-Men. If you connect all these dots, I'm here because of all that.

Conspiring for better guests in the future What's happened since the last show? Diagramming the Deity Did we really refer to Muslims as "Mohammadians" back in the day? The Chaplain discovers the difference between Hindus and Pakistanis Snack time - Culver's Ice Cream, Oreos, and plundered Halloween candy Local ghosts leave Bruce a present to let him know that he's "t"errific Our Master moved a degree without telling Bruce, at least a dozen times in two weeks When deer fight back . . . Masonic celebrity treats Harlan like he treats everyone else. The American Flag apron. If we catch you wearing one (or owning, or purchasing one), physical comedy will ensue Starting in 2019, hybrid cars will have to make artificial noise at low speeds How do you explain the Tilers job to outsiders? Why don't more Brothers come to Lodge, really? The Chaplain takes a geography class Don't wear a safety pin, just be what we profess to be. Email us at afterlodge@gmail.com Hang out with us on /r/AfterLodge Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter @AfterLodge Leave us a voicemail at 215-792-3538 Join us on IRC: irc.snoonet.org #freemasonry

Right on the Money - “The Purpose of Money” (Week 2) October 30, 2016The Big Idea: Understanding the purpose of money brings clarity on how to use it well.Three Money Myths: 1. Pastors TALK TOO MUCH about it 2. 10% belongs to God 3. Financial blessing is a sign of God's LOVE Money is a TOOLWhen God gives you more of it, He is not saying He loves you more. He is saying He wants to USE YOU more.Luke 12:41-48Generosity is a TRIGGER Proverbs 11:25; Luke 16:1-13The Purpose of Money: WORSHIP: God is HONORED PROVISION: I am BLESSED MISSION: People are TRANSFORMEDWhen Money Is Used Well: 1. The Master is PLEASED 2. The worker becomes a TRUSTED PARTNER 3. We behave wisely because we know we will GIVE AN ACCOUNT 4. The worker will be given his own REWARD 5. We not only get to HEAVEN, but our TREASURE awaits us there Matthew 6:19-20 6. Our Master will not only call us home, He will call us IN. Matthew 25:21Community Group Discussion Questions • Jim made a statement when referencing Psalm 24:1 that you can give 10% and still be disobedient. What do you think he meant by that?The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psalm 24:1• What is the hardest part for you when it comes to trusting God with your money? ABC's of Money• What do you personally need to ADMIT to God about money?• What do you personally need to BELIEVE about God and money?• What do you personally need to CHOOSE today when it comes to God and money?

1. Our Master's rule2. Our Master's return3. Our Master's rewardTime:AfternoonMinister:Rev. J. VanSpronsenTexts:Heidelberg Catechism: Lord's Day 19

Ranking Systems.  In kettlebell sport we have a ranking system.  Not quite like the military - and you won’t see a Rank 3 fetching coffee for a Master of Sport.  No, it’s more like martial arts.  Our ‘Master of Sport’ rank is a lot like a black belt, but without ability to single-handedly subdue a room full of would-be assassins.Of course, much like blackbelts, there are many Masters of Sport.  In fact, I’ve read some estimates as high as 350,000 black belts working in the U.S.  Then again, the World Registry of Black Belts, who attempt to tease out the pay-for Black Belts, lists just over 400 names across North and South America’s.There are many with the rank, but fighters are also ranked against each other. Most MMA sites host or produce their own pound-for-pound best fighter lists, many of which listing who they believe to be the top 10 fighters in the world.  But like McLeod would say, there can be only one.In kettlebell sport we all have equal opportunity to achieve rank without resistance.  But to be a champion you have to dig a bit deeper, and go head to head with your peers (or perhaps, your former idols).  It’s true - achieving rank can be a very intrinsic process, a way of measuring personal progress, but at every rung of the ladder you also have the opportunity to make your mark - to stand out amongst the other rank and filers.  Sure you can hold the rank, but can you beat everyone else in the division?  You may look at that proposition as being motivated more by status than personal progress - but could chasing rank ultimately be holding you back?  It might be. The original Ice Chamber Article: Ranks, Belts, & Kettlebell Sport Find the entire catalogue of BSN Radio at the Ballistic Strength homepage Purchase shirts from Ballistic Strength here!

-Originally aired on 12/19/2015- Episode 44 of "In The Oil Patch" This week on "In The Oil Patch": host Kym Bolado and her co-host Alvin Bailey come straight to you live from the inaugural State of Energy event in San Antonio, Texas! The event was hosted by the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and presented by SHALE Oil & Gas Business Magazine. Kym and Alvin offer some business insight and review most of the panelists' opening remarks during the panel discussion throughout the podcast. Our Master of Ceremonies, KSAT12's Steve Spriester takes command of the room and helps the five panelists acquaint themselves with the audience. Halliburton's Vice President, Paul Sheppard explains the importance of his company's substantial investment in South San Antonio, giving reassurance to a weathered oil & gas industry. John Fremont, Chief Revenue Officer of Chaotic Moon gives us a rundown of the revolutionary ideas his company implements to the oil & gas industry through a combination of software and hardware solutions. Brandon Seale, the President of Howard Energy's Mexico Division explains how you have to take things down to the molecular level in order to understand and change certain aspects of the industry in major ways. Tim Baer, Senior Manager, Eagle Ford Development for Encana brings his expertise to the discussion and explains how a Canadian-based company has migrated south in order to diversify their portfolio and help the Texas natural gas industry thrive. Last but definitely not least, Texas Senator Carlos I. Uresti talks about the communities he serves and how "oil is not a Democrat or Republican issue", and he wants to make sure he demonstrates leadership and discretion for the benefit of the communities, the industry and for Texas. You really can't get a bigger cast for an oil & gas talk show than this week's episode, so stream the episode in its entirety and enjoy! Sponsors and contributors for the event included: San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce www.sahcc.org SHALE Oil & Gas Business Magazine www.shalemag.com KSAT12 www.ksat.com Halliburton www.halliburton.com Chaotic Moon www.chaoticmoon.com Howard Energy www.howardenergypartners.com Encana www.encana.com Uresti Law Firm www.urestilaw.com STEER http://steer.com Kahlig Auto Group www.kahligauto.com Marathon Oil www.marathonoil.com Port San Antonio www.portsanantonio.us Repsol www.repsol.com/es_es/ S&B Infrastructure www.sbinfra.com Texans for LNG www.texansforlng.com Talisman Energy www.talisman-energy.com KGB Texas www.kgbtexas.com Eagle Ford Consortium www.eaglefordconsortium.org Northpark Lincoln www.nplincoln.com Pinnacle PEO www.pinnaclepeo.com Desk & Derrick http://saddc.org Women's Energy Network - South Texas Chapter https://www.womensenergynetwork.org/southtexas/ Share, follow and like us on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn! "In The Oil Patch" is brought to you by SHALE Oil & Gas Business Magazine and proudly sponsored by the South Texas Energy & Economic Roundtable (STEER) and the Kahlig Auto Group. Stay tuned for more great episodes every weekend! For our full schedule, please visit our Radio Show Schedule page and if you have any questions for our experts, please email them to radio@shalemag.com.

-Originally aired on 12/05/2015- Episode 42 of "In The Oil Patch" This week on "In The Oil Patch": host Kym Bolado and her co-hosts Alvin Bailey and Roy Holley have Dannetta English Bland in the studio! Dannetta talks to us about the organization which she holds dearly to her heart, the Women's Energy Network, along with a few inspiring stories about successful women in the oil & gas industry. Kym, Alvin and Roy also talk about the upcoming State of Energy event which is taking place at the Pearl Stable in San Antonio Texas on December 9th, 2015. The event is focused on spreading awareness and education about the current state of the energy, oil & gas industries. Our Master of Ceremonies is none other than Steve Spriester of KSAT 12 News. We also have the Chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, David Porter as our Keynote Speaker for the event. Our panelists will consist of: Paul Sheppard Vice President Halliburton John Fremont Chief Revenue Officer Chaotic Moon Studios Brandon Seale President Howard Energy Mexico Tim Baer Senior Manager Eagle Ford Development Encana Senator Carlos I. Uresti Attorney Uresti Law Firm, P.C. Top elected officials and executives will be in the audience and it is expected to be a sold out event. Stream this episode to get all the insight from our experts this week! From the Women's Energy Network website: "Women’s Energy Network (WEN)’s vision is to be the premier organization that educates, attracts, retains, and develops professional women working across the value chain. WEN’s mission is to develop programs to provide networking opportunities and foster career and leadership development of women who work in the energy industries. "WEN currently has 4,000 members in chapters in Appalachia, Greater Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, North Texas, Greater Oklahoma, Permian Basin, South Louisiana, South Texas and Washington DC areas to satisfy your networking and career development needs." Learn more about the Women's Energy Network: https://www.womensenergynetwork.org Share, follow and like us on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn! "In The Oil Patch" is brought to you by SHALE Oil & Gas Business Magazine and proudly sponsored by the South Texas Energy & Economic Roundtable (STEER) and the Kahlig Auto Group. Stay tuned for more great episodes every weekend! For our full schedule, please visit our Radio Show Schedule page and if you have any questions for our experts, please email them to radio@shalemag.com. Photo Credit: www.womensenergynetwork.org

Welcome to the Anniversary Edition of the After Lodge Podcast! Jason has a break down . . . right off the bat The full crew in the studio! Rev. Chaplain shows up to deal with R.W. Grand Censor Bob, but gets distracted by Candy Crush The Chaplain lodges a formal complaint with the Crew about the quality of the show Harlan cracks jokes about robbing a bank . . . while the guys are in a bank Even our Lodge is not immune to rogue officers and less than brotherly brethren Our Master was packing heat! The Chaplain and Jason's Mom Shout outs to our friends, name and unnamed Why is everyone on their phones?! Masonic Prayer Harlan takes an important phone call during the show "Jack, go warm up the Kia!" Harlan's slip up, the Grand Lodge probably thinks he's a racist now Are the apron positions a Masonic secret? The U.S.P.S. band of brothers, also known as the "Thick Blue Line" Should a Master-Elect skip his Installation in order to attend his in-law's annual Christmas party? We receive a mandate from Bro. George W. Washington himself, with a personal mandate for the crew. Email us at afterlodge@gmail.com Hang out with us on Reddit Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter @AfterLodge Join us on IRC: irc.snoonet.org #freemasonry Special Guests: Ass. Producer Marshall, Jack, Landscaper Josh, and R.W. Grand Censor Bob.

Remember a few years ago when Amazon introduced that mysterious device called a Kindle? People worried that electronic readers would replace traditional books. Turns out the death of the hardcover was greatly exaggerated. Also, the expression "bump and grind" doesn't always mean what you think. Plus, the origin of jet black, the roots of fugacious, a game called Goin' to Texas, and how to punctuate the term y'all. And is there anything express about espresso? FULL DETAILSRemember the olden days of 2007, when Amazon first introduced the Kindle? Oprah named it her Favorite New Gadget. Some people thought e-readers signaled the death of hardback books, but as Nicholas Carr notes in the Wall Street Journal, only 16% of Americans have purchased an e-book, while 60% say they have no interest in them at all. What is clear is that no matter the medium, people are reading more in general."I don't see nothing wrong with a little bump n' grind," sings the R&B star R. Kelly, referring to the hip-thrusting dance that's all the rage with kids these days. While some people use the phrase the old bump and grind to refer to the daily grind of workaday life, it's probably better not to use it unless your job involves, well, bumping and grinding.Alan from Austin, Texas, asks: How do y'all punctuate the contraction of you all? Is it y'all or ya'll? You'd think it'd follow the pattern of she'll and we'll, but y'all is an exception to the rule.A while ago we talked about the drink called a suicide, also known as a Matt Dillon. That's when the bartender pours whatever's dripped on the bar mat into a shot glass and some lucky fellow downs it. We've heard lots of variations from listeners, including the Jersey Turnpike, the Gorilla Fart, the Buffalo Tongue and the Alligator Shot. Strangely enough, it's yet to be called the Tasty.Our Master of Quiz John Chaneski has a game from his home borough of Brooklyn. For this quiz, he gives us the definition of a word, plus its Brooklynese definition. For example, "a couple with no children" and "a synonym of ponder" are both known as what?Why do we say something is jet black? It doesn't have anything to do with aircraft. The jet in jet black is the name of a black semi-precious stone, which in turn takes its name from the part of Syria where it was found in abundance in antiquity. Dan Henderson of Sunnyvale, California, sent us a great cartoon of two guys at a bar. One says to the other, "Explain to me how comparing apples and oranges is fruitless?"Is master a gender-neutral title? James from Seattle, Washington, hosts a local pub quiz night, where he's known as the Quizmaster. But, he wonders, would it be appropriate to call a woman a Quizmaster? Of course! Many titles, like Postmaster or even actor, have come to be gender-neutral. We wouldn't say Quizmistress because mistress has taken on a specific connotation--namely, the female lover of a married man. For more on gender and language, Grant recommends University of Michigan professor Ann Kurzan's book Gender Shifts in the History of English.Hey kid, hey kid, give 'em the saliva toss, the perspiration pellet, the damp fling, deluded dip, the good ol' fashioned spitball! An essay on baseball slang from 1907 sent Martha off on a search for more of these wet ones.In Chicano English, the word barely, which traditionally means "just happened," can also mean "almost didn't happen," as in I just barely got here. This locution apparently reflects the fact that in Spanish, the word apenas can mean either one of these. The Chicano use of the barely in this sense is a calque, or loan translation, which occurs when a pattern from one language gets transferred to another.Our earlier conversation about sign language reminded Martha of this quote from Helen Keller: "Once I knew only darkness and stillness…my life was without past or future…but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living."One of our listeners was visiting the Orchid House at the San Diego Zoo and happened across the word fugacious, meaning "blooming only briefly." The word can also apply to one's mood, and shares a Latin root with "fleeting" words like refuge, fugitive and subterfuge.Is there an express in espresso? Nope. Cafe espresso is literally "pressed-out coffee." So the name espresso has nothing to do with the speed with which espresso is made. The term express, on the other hand, as in express train, derives from the idea of "directly," or "specific to a particular destination." It's the same express as in expressly forbidden, meaning "specifically forbidden."Mary, from Royal Oaks, Michigan, says she once confused a friend by offering to relieve her of snow shoveling duties with the question, Can I spell you? This usage of spell, which refers to substituting for a period of time, has been deemed archaic by Merriam Webster, although we believe it's alive and well.Bill Watkins from Tallahassee, Florida, is having a tough time knowing which setting to use on his microwave. He figures this moment of indecision while standing there with your finger poised over the buttons deserves a name. His suggestion: microwavering. What do you call that children's game where you hold hands and spin around until you're too dizzy to stand? Sally Jarvis, who grew up in Eastern Arkansas, says she and her childhood playmates called it Going To Texas.Latin phrases are commonly misused, but there's perhaps no better example than Vampire Butters' butchering of per se, which simply means "in itself," in this episode of South Park.This episode was hosted by Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette.....Support for A Way with Words comes from The Ken Blanchard Companies, celebrating 35 years of making a leadership difference with Situational Leadership II, the leadership model designed to boost effectiveness, impact, and employee engagement. More about how Blanchard can help your executives and organizational leaders at kenblanchard.com/leadership.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2014, Wayword LLC.

Our Master

Remember a few years ago when Amazon introduced that mysterious device called a Kindle? People worried that electronic readers would replace traditional books. Turns out the death of the hardcover was greatly exaggerated. Also, the expression "bump and grind" doesn't always mean what you think. Plus, the origin of jet black, the roots of fugacious, a game called Goin' to Texas, and how to punctuate the term y'all. And is there anything express about espresso? FULL DETAILSRemember the olden days of 2007, when Amazon first introduced the Kindle? Oprah named it her Favorite New Gadget. Some people thought e-readers signaled the death of hardback books, but as Nicholas Carr notes in the Wall Street Journal, only 16% of Americans have purchased an e-book, while 60% say they have no interest in them at all. What is clear is that no matter the medium, people are reading more in general."I don't see nothing wrong with a little bump n' grind," sings the R&B star R. Kelly, referring to the hip-thrusting dance that's all the rage with kids these days. While some people use the phrase the old bump and grind to refer to the daily grind of workaday life, it's probably better not to use it unless your job involves, well, bumping and grinding.Alan from Austin, Texas, asks: How do y'all punctuate the contraction of you all? Is it y'all or ya'll? You'd think it'd follow the pattern of she'll and we'll, but y'all is an exception to the rule.A while ago we talked about the drink called a suicide, also known as a Matt Dillon. That's when the bartender pours whatever's dripped on the bar mat into a shot glass and some lucky fellow downs it. We've heard lots of variations from listeners, including the Jersey Turnpike, the Gorilla Fart, the Buffalo Tongue and the Alligator Shot. Strangely enough, it's yet to be called the Tasty.Our Master of Quiz John Chaneski has a game from his home borough of Brooklyn. For this quiz, he gives us the definition of a word, plus its Brooklynese definition. For example, "a couple with no children" and "a synonym of ponder" are both known as what?Why do we say something is jet black? It doesn't have anything to do with aircraft. The jet in jet black is the name of a black semi-precious stone, which in turn takes its name from the part of Syria where it was found in abundance in antiquity. Dan Henderson of Sunnyvale, California, sent us a great cartoon of two guys at a bar. One says to the other, "Explain to me how comparing apples and oranges is fruitless?"Is master a gender-neutral title? James from Seattle, Washington, hosts a local pub quiz night, where he's known as the Quizmaster. But, he wonders, would it be appropriate to call a woman a Quizmaster? Of course! Many titles, like Postmaster or even actor, have come to be gender-neutral. We wouldn't say Quizmistress because mistress has taken on a specific connotation--namely, the female lover of a married man. For more on gender and language, Grant recommends University of Michigan professor Ann Kurzan's book Gender Shifts in the History of English.Hey kid, hey kid, give 'em the saliva toss, the perspiration pellet, the damp fling, deluded dip, the good ol' fashioned spitball! An essay on baseball slang from 1907 sent Martha off on a search for more of these wet ones.In Chicano English, the word barely, which traditionally means "just happened," can also mean "almost didn't happen," as in I just barely got here. This locution apparently reflects the fact that in Spanish, the word apenas can mean either one of these. The Chicano use of the barely in this sense is a calque, or loan translation, which occurs when a pattern from one language gets transferred to another.Our earlier conversation about sign language reminded Martha of this quote from Helen Keller: "Once I knew only darkness and stillness…my life was without past or future…but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living."One of our listeners was visiting the Orchid House at the San Diego Zoo and happened across the word fugacious, meaning "blooming only briefly." The word can also apply to one's mood, and shares a Latin root with "fleeting" words like refuge, fugitive and subterfuge.Is there an express in espresso? Nope. Cafe espresso is literally "pressed-out coffee." So the name espresso has nothing to do with the speed with which espresso is made. The term express, on the other hand, as in express train, derives from the idea of "directly," or "specific to a particular destination." It's the same express as in expressly forbidden, meaning "specifically forbidden."Mary, from Royal Oaks, Michigan, says she once confused a friend by offering to relieve her of snow shoveling duties with the question, Can I spell you? This usage of spell, which refers to substituting for a period of time, has been deemed archaic by Merriam Webster, although we believe it's alive and well.Bill Watkins from Tallahassee, Florida, is having a tough time knowing which setting to use on his microwave. He figures this moment of indecision while standing there with your finger poised over the buttons deserves a name. His suggestion: microwavering. What do you call that children's game where you hold hands and spin around until you're too dizzy to stand? Sally Jarvis, who grew up in Eastern Arkansas, says she and her childhood playmates called it Going To Texas.Latin phrases are commonly misused, but there's perhaps no better example than Vampire Butters' butchering of per se, which simply means "in itself," in this episode of South Park.This episode was hosted by Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette.....Support for A Way with Words also comes from National University, which invites you to change your future today. More at http://www.nu.edu/.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2013, Wayword LLC.

Remember a few years ago when Amazon introduced that mysterious device called a Kindle? People worried that electronic readers would replace traditional books. Turns out the death of the hardcover was greatly exaggerated. Also, the expression "bump and grind" doesn't always mean what you think. Plus, the origin of jet black, the roots of fugacious, a game called Goin' to Texas, and how to punctuate the term y'all. And is there anything express about espresso? FULL DETAILSRemember the olden days of 2007, when Amazon first introduced the Kindle? Oprah named it her Favorite New Gadget. Some people thought e-readers signaled the death of hardback books, but as Nicholas Carr notes in the Wall Street Journal, only 16% of Americans have purchased an e-book, while 60% say they have no interest in them at all. What is clear is that no matter the medium, people are reading more in general."I don't see nothing wrong with a little bump n' grind," sings the R&B star R. Kelly, referring to the hip-thrusting dance that's all the rage with kids these days. While some people use the phrase the old bump and grind to refer to the daily grind of workaday life, it's probably better not to use it unless your job involves, well, bumping and grinding.Alan from Austin, Texas, asks: How do y'all punctuate the contraction of you all? Is it y'all or ya'll? You'd think it'd follow the pattern of she'll and we'll, but y'all is an exception to the rule.A while ago we talked about the drink called a suicide, also known as a Matt Dillon. That's when the bartender pours whatever's dripped on the bar mat into a shot glass and some lucky fellow downs it. We've heard lots of variations from listeners, including the Jersey Turnpike, the Gorilla Fart, the Buffalo Tongue and the Alligator Shot. Strangely enough, it's yet to be called the Tasty.Our Master of Quiz John Chaneski has a game from his home borough of Brooklyn. For this quiz, he gives us the definition of a word, plus its Brooklynese definition. For example, "a couple with no children" and "a synonym of ponder" are both known as what?Why do we say something is jet black? It doesn't have anything to do with aircraft. The jet in jet black is the name of a black semi-precious stone, which in turn takes its name from the part of Syria where it was found in abundance in antiquity. Dan Henderson of Sunnyvale, California, sent us a great cartoon of two guys at a bar. One says to the other, "Explain to me how comparing apples and oranges is fruitless?"Is master a gender-neutral title? James from Seattle, Washington, hosts a local pub quiz night, where he's known as the Quizmaster. But, he wonders, would it be appropriate to call a woman a Quizmaster? Of course! Many titles, like Postmaster or even actor, have come to be gender-neutral. We wouldn't say Quizmistress because mistress has taken on a specific connotation--namely, the female lover of a married man. For more on gender and language, Grant recommends University of Michigan professor Ann Kurzan's book Gender Shifts in the History of English.Hey kid, hey kid, give 'em the saliva toss, the perspiration pellet, the damp fling, deluded dip, the good ol' fashioned spitball! An essay on baseball slang from 1907 sent Martha off on a search for more of these wet ones.In Chicano English, the word barely, which traditionally means "just happened," can also mean "almost didn't happen," as in I just barely got here. This locution apparently reflects the fact that in Spanish, the word apenas can mean either one of these. The Chicano use of the barely in this sense is a calque, or loan translation, which occurs when a pattern from one language gets transferred to another.Our earlier conversation about sign language reminded Martha of this quote from Helen Keller: "Once I knew only darkness and stillness…my life was without past or future…but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living."One of our listeners was visiting the Orchid House at the San Diego Zoo and happened across the word fugacious, meaning "blooming only briefly." The word can also apply to one's mood, and shares a Latin root with "fleeting" words like refuge, fugitive and subterfuge.Is there an express in espresso? Nope. Cafe espresso is literally "pressed-out coffee." So the name espresso has nothing to do with the speed with which espresso is made. The term express, on the other hand, as in express train, derives from the idea of "directly," or "specific to a particular destination." It's the same express as in expressly forbidden, meaning "specifically forbidden."Mary, from Royal Oaks, Michigan, says she once confused a friend by offering to relieve her of snow shoveling duties with the question, Can I spell you? This usage of spell, which refers to substituting for a period of time, has been deemed archaic by Merriam Webster, although we believe it's alive and well.Bill Watkins from Tallahassee, Florida, is having a tough time knowing which setting to use on his microwave. He figures this moment of indecision while standing there with your finger poised over the buttons deserves a name. His suggestion: microwavering. What do you call that children's game where you hold hands and spin around until you're too dizzy to stand? Sally Jarvis, who grew up in Eastern Arkansas, says she and her childhood playmates called it Going To Texas.Latin phrases are commonly misused, but there's perhaps no better example than Vampire Butters' butchering of per se, which simply means "in itself," in this episode of South Park.This episode was hosted by Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette.....Support for A Way with Words also comes from National University, which invites you to change your future today. More at http://www.nu.edu/.And from The Ken Blanchard Companies, whose purpose is to make a leadership difference among executives, managers, and individuals in organizations everywhere. More about Ken Blanchard's leadership training programs at kenblanchard.com/leadership.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2012, Wayword LLC.

The empty cross stands as a symbol of our new identity and calling as followers of Jesus. Our Master has given us a larger than life purpose.

The empty cross stands as a symbol of our new identity and calling as followers of Jesus. Our Master has given us a larger than life purpose.

Introduction So I consider myself a very blessed man. I have five children, and every week as I've mentioned before, I have the privilege of getting Daphne dressed for church. She's three years old and with us today. This morning, knowing I was gonna preach on this text I said to her, “Do you know that Jesus loves you?” She said, “Yes, Jesus loves me. He died on the cross with blood on his face.” And I said, “Yes, and he was raised from the dead on the third day.” And she said, “Raised from the dead on the third day?” I could tell the phrase was new to her and hasn't really thought it through. And so it's a joy and a privilege to watch the words of the gospel rise up in her little heart over the years. I've seen it happen with our four older children. So they learned the language of salvation. And more than that, they learn a living Savior behind each of those words. Amen. What a great privilege. But it's also struck me recently, what a sobering thing it is as well, because these little ones that are entrusted to us are eternal beings. And they are infinitely more God's than they'll ever be ours. It was he that crafted them together in their mother's wombs; it was he that holds them together every moment of their lives, and they will stand before God on Judgment Day alone in that sense, to give an account. And they will spend eternity in Heaven, or Hell. They are eternal beings. And what an incredible privilege it is for us to encounter them at that early age to begin sharing with them the good news of faith in Jesus Christ. John McArthur tells a tragic but powerful story of a family in his church, Grace Community Church there in California. He said, some years ago, a family in our church experienced a great tragedy, the mother and two daughters were planning to fly the next day to New Zealand to join the husband and father who was on a preaching mission there and as the wife was learning some new crochet stitches to use on the long flight, the girls went outside to play. A few moments later, the mother heard the screeching of automobile tires, but since there was no crash, she thought little of it, that is until the older daughter came running into the house screaming and crying that the little sister Tanya had been hit by a car. The girl was unconscious but showed no signs of serious injury. Well, the mother bent over her, Tanya breathed a heavy sigh and turned her head to the side. At the hospital, the neurosurgeon told the mother that the girl had suffered massive brain damage and had little chance of surviving. Relatives and friends prayed fervently and the mother kept a vigil with her precious little daughter throughout the night, praying with great intensity that God would spare and restore her daughter. But she also prayed that above all God's will be done, even if it meant taking Tanya to be with himself. A relative who was a doctor, explained that Tanya’s breathing and heartbeat were functioning at the hospital solely by artificial means. He said her body is being kept working but Tanya isn't there anymore. She is with the Lord. With a radiant face, her mother said to the Lord, "Have Thy will, not mine." To her friends and loved ones she explained, "I shall not forsake my Lord. Because if I did, I would be saying Tanya is gone, forever. I will do as David did in the Old Testament, when his child was taken, he washed his face, changed his clothes and went about his business satisfied that God knew best." At that moment, she was determined there would be no more begging God to bring her little girl back. Tanya was in the Lord's care and her mother believed she had entered into his presence, when lying unconscious on the street, she sighed and turned her head. The mother testifies that she was filled with an inner strength that was foreign to her, supernatural in origin. She recalled that for several months previously, Tanya had prayed, "Lord, I want to go and be with you while I'm young." When her mother asked why she made that request, Tanya smiled and replied, "Because I want to sit on Jesus' lap when I get there and I don't wanna be too big." On remembering those words, the mother said, "New assurance and peace surged through my sorrowful soul." We serve a Lord who's incredibly tender and gentle to the little ones, isn't he? And that's the picture we have in today's text. And it's incredible, an amazingly high percentage of his chosen ones come to a saving knowledge of him early in life and what a great privilege it is for us who interact with those children, parents, brothers and sisters, church workers who interact with those children at an early age. Now, in today's passage, we're gonna catch a glimpse of Christ's heart for little, little children. We're going to catch some of that heart, I hope, for ourselves. We're going to understand the preciousness of those first few years of a child's life, to learn how significant it is to bring those little ones to Jesus' day after day, for him spiritually to place his hands on them and pray for them and bless them. We're also going to try to understand the powerful attitude that had taken root in the hearts of his disciples that Jesus had to rebuke and correct. The attitude goes as follows, adults do important things, and there's no time for little children and all of that. We need to come to Jesus again and learn the value of little children, and see the preciousness of the brief time we have, with them like that and to make the most of it. And finally, this sermon is to encourage parents of little children in they're awesomely important responsibility to evangelize and disciple their children from the first moment of their relationship with them. First Baptist Church has been blessed, lavishly by the Lord over the last number of years. Is that an understatement? Lavishly? I was thinking of what would be the best way to say it. Dozens and dozens and dozens of little babies, that's about right. And maybe more than that, we're not up to hundreds and hundreds yet, but the Lord is blessing abundantly... And it is a blessing, isn't it? And so I'm speaking to parents, lots of parents of little children who have the privilege of intersecting with eternal beings, these little children created in the image of God during this key time in their lives. Understanding This Encounter: Parents, Children, Disciples and Jesus And I wanna begin just by understanding this encounter from every angle. From the angle of the parents, the angle of the children, of the disciples and of Jesus. Look at Verse 13, "Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them." Understanding the Parents So let's try to understand these parents, these were Jewish parents seeking to raise their children in the Laws of Moses. They cherished their babies like any parents do and they desired that their babies be blessed. Now in the Greek, both Mark and Luke give us a strong sense in the imperfect tense, that this was a continual process. Parents kept bringing their children over and over for Jesus to place the hands on them and pray for them. And by this time, I think Jesus' reputation as a teacher who delighted in little children was well-known. These Jewish parents having heard about Christ's ministry, they were still very much short of understanding who he was, I believe. But according to the Talmud, the Jewish instruction based on the law of Moses, Jewish parents were to bring their children to respected Rabbis for prayer and blessing. Now usually, that would happen in the synagogue, so they'd go to the Rabbi at the synagogue and they would... The Rabbi would pray for their children and bless them. But there was a sense of greater blessing from a more prominent and God-blessed Rabbi and who could be greater than Jesus at that time? Jesus' reputation as a prophet from Nazareth and Galilee had spread far and wide. And Jesus was doing miracles and even more than this somehow had a tender heart for children, all of this well-established. So the parents came from all around, continually bringing their little children for Jesus to place his hands on them and on pray for them. Now, these little children that are brought, new in life. Parents know that the bitterness of life as they grow older and they know the purity of the hearts of their little children, they know how much God will have to protect them and bless them, for them to be fruitful and prosperous in this sin-cursed world. And they want all the help they can get. Parents, you know what I'm talking about. So they said, "Let's bring them to Jesus, and Jesus can pray and bless them and God will protect them." Understanding the Children So there's so much for the parents. Let's understand the children; who are these children? The Greek word is “paidia” and it is the youngest stage of life. The word is used for newborn infants all the way up to the toddler years. So we're talking about little, little babies now, we're not so much... This sermon isn't so much about parenting all the way through, but it's about these little infants, these little babies and toddlers. Luke goes even further in making this clear in Luke 18:15, and says, “People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them.” So there are these babies, these infants and toddlers as well. So even the most tiny human being, maybe just a few days old, barely able to open its eyes and focus, is of infinite worth and value to Jesus. Now, Jesus does not have a sentimental view of children, he knows that they are descended from Adam. He knows it better than anyone that they have a sinful nature; children do not have to be instructed in how to disobey their parents. It's part of the original equipment, I'm finding. No offense intended any attending here. But it just comes. It's natural because of the sin of Adam. They naturally have a tremendous bent towards self-focus, and selfish interests. They have a powerful sin nature and Jesus knew this better than anyone, but he also understands that children have at that early stage, a tremendous drive, it seems a natural bent toward God. Towards spiritual things, towards supernatural things. Toward invisible things. A natural yieldedness to him. A desire to learn about him. Though they cannot see him. Little children then have a deep attraction to the invisible God, so much for the little children. Understanding the Disciples Let's try to understand the disciples. “Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.” What were the disciples thinking? In some sense, you kind of feel sorry for them, especially Peter, as their weaknesses, and sins, and mistakes keep getting displayed generation after generation, we get to talk about them. So why were the disciples rebuking the parents? I wonder what words they used to do the rebuking perhaps they were frustrated. Their time alone with Jesus was being spoiled by all these crying infants, one after the other, coming, making noises and doing annoying things. Messing up their schedule and their plans. In any case, it seems the issue of this: The teacher's time is too important for little babies, was preeminent in their minds. Now, often times you see this kind of thing in the inner circle of some great figure, a political leader, military conqueror, or some great general, an important statesman, a CEO of an important company, a well-known singer or entertainer or famous athlete. There's a coterie of kind of bodyguards and hangers-on around that individual all the time. And you can't get near them. I've often thought, “Oh, I'd love to go back in time and be with Jesus.” You wouldn't get within the same county. Just tons and tons of people around him all the time. And Jesus has his inner circle as well. Now this entourage will put their hands up as you try to get near. Put a stop sign up. Now, especially these important people, these great men have no time for anyone who cannot further their great agenda. They're great men meeting with other great men. Doing great things and have no time for little people and for distractions. And so little children, they think especially are a waste of time. Sadly, they might not even have time for their own children. Even to have children, or if they have them to spend any time with them at all. I was reading recently about the family lives of royal families in Europe over the last 150 years and it's pretty tragic in this very area. This one area, for example, in the English royal household, a hundred years ago, King George and Queen Mary spent less than 30 minutes a day with their own children. 30 minutes a day. The children were raised entirely by nannies, they would frequently cry or shrink back from their biological parents, they'd barely recognized them. They felt much more comfortable with their nannies. I read a recent story translated out of a Dutch newspaper telling a similar tale of woe about the royal family of the Netherlands. The central figure of that story was a nanny who cared for the little princess Louisa Marisa, and she said that 10 days after this little baby girl was born, the royal family left her to go on an official trip to the US. And that more or less from that moment on the baby was the nanny's to raise almost entirely. And so, also, for the other children born to the family and these little children would cry when being held by the mother, and reach for the nanny and wanna be taken back by the nanny. Now as they grew, they started to understand who their mother was and she would promise a goodnight kiss but would be distracted by important business, so that it would sometimes take up to an hour for her to go upstairs and kiss them at night. And here are these little children fighting to stay awake so they can have this one little kiss with their mother. The only encounter they'd have with her all day long. Anyway, so many people look on children as an unwelcome intrusion from the vastly important business of their lives. And perhaps the disciples felt this same way when they rebuked the parents for bringing the little ones. “Our Master is too busy saving the world to hug your children.” And almost certainly, this response flowed from their own pride, in their own importance as well. And therefore, this is a very serious issue that must be rooted out of the hearts of the disciples. It's not a minor thing. If Jesus doesn't check this response in his disciples at this point, they will develop into the kinds of leaders who walk around in the marketplace with flowing robes and long to be greeted by others at the marketplace and to be called Rabbi and don't have any time for little people. It will shape and pollute their entire ministry, if this root of bitterness isn't weeded out. They cannot be bothered, not just by little children but by any small person, any insignificant person. It will shape their entire ministry. And it wasn't what Jesus was about. So much for the disciples. Understanding Jesus Let's try to understand Jesus. Jesus' reactions really are quite remarkable. I often think about that, Jesus is probably the most unpredictable person in history. I'm not saying you shouldn't ask the question, “What would Jesus do?” It's an important question, but sometimes I have no idea what Jesus would do. Because he does surprising things. And it says in Mark 10:14, “When he saw this, he became indignant.” He was indignant. The word means to be aroused to a certain level in anger, to be vexed, to be annoyed, to be irritated. That's part of the larger display we have of Jesus' emotional life; our Lord is an emotional being. Perfect emotions, yes. But he had emotions. B.B. Warfield wrote a great article about the emotional life of our Lord and talking about this encounter, he likened Jesus' response to that of anybody having a physical irritation, like a teething baby or a man walking down the road with a rock in his shoe. Jesus is annoyed with his disciples, he's mildly angry at them and their blatant misunderstanding of his heart and his mission. Now, for me, as a pastor, as a man, one of the most remarkable and amazing things about Jesus is how incredibly interruptible he was. I mean, here he is, he is in fact saving the world, he doesn't have much time to do it. It's only gonna be a short ministry, some calculate it to be as short as three years. And you hardly ever, if ever see an encounter where somebody comes to Jesus, and doesn't get what they came for. Or an encounter with Jesus, it's remarkable, he's incredibly interruptible. He never rushed. Every encounter was precious, and he made the most of every single one of them. Even with these little babies. So he cherished these little children, he was absolutely not annoyed with the interruption, was delighted with it, I'm sure. “Let the Little Children Come” So look what he says in verse 14, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” So let's pick it apart, phrase by phrase. First, “Let the little children come.” Now, this implies that the natural bent of these little children is Godward. That if you'll just let them, they'll come. And I think it's true, more than at any other time in their lives. One commentator put it with great tenderness in this way, this is what he said, “As the flower in the garden stretches toward the light of the sun. So there is in the child a mysterious inclination toward the eternal light. Have you ever noticed this mysterious thing, that when you tell the smallest child about God, the child never asks with strangeness and wonder, ‘Who is God? I've never seen him.’ But listens with a shining face to the words as though they were soft, loving sounds from the land of home. Or when you teach a child to fold its little hands in prayer, it does this as though it were just a matter of course. As though there were an opening for that child, of that world of which the child has been dreaming and longing with anticipation. Or tell them, these little ones, the stories of the Savior, and show them the pictures with scenes and personages, of the Bible [and] see how their pure eyes shine and how their little hearts beat.” And there's just this drive, this interest that little children have for spiritual things, and Jesus wants to make the most of that. Let them come. Let them come to me. Again, proximity to Christ is everything. Jesus frequently says, “Come unto me.” “Come to me,” he says. He says it to the fisherman by the Sea of Galilee. “Follow me,” He says, “And I'll make you fishers of men.” In Matthew 11:28 he says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Jesus is gonna say in the next passage, we'll look at in Matthew 19, to the rich young ruler, “If you want to be perfect, sell all your possessions, give to the poor. And you'll have treasure in heaven, then come follow me.” In John 6:37 Jesus says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and those who come to me, I'll never drive away.” To his enemies, He says, “You refuse to come to me that you may have life.” John 7:37, “On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and called out in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.’” And in John 12:32, he says, “But I, when I'm lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” And so he says “Let these little children come,” encourage their God-given desire to be near me, feed their spiritual appetites, let them do what their heart wants to do before the world, the flesh, and the devil come and harden it, and corrupt it and make it so difficult and put so many obstacles in their ways, and twist their desires. Let them come near to Christ for eternal life, let them come to know Him and cherish Him, and love Him. Feed their spiritual appetites and yours. Isn't that something you can feed on that? They're excited about Jesus. You should be too. They wanna know more about Jesus. You should, too. So you kinda piggyback on your little kids, and they'll rekindle your love for Christ. Feed it, feed that appetite. You can't feed it too much. Parents are always worried about too much with their kids, always too much sleep, worried about that. Too much food, too much crying, too much play, too much fluoride. Too much salt or sugar in their diets, too much thumb-sucking, too much TV, too much music, too much of anything can be harmful. Let me tell you something, there's no such thing as too much Jesus. Cannot be. Oh, there's definitely too little Jesus. There's no such thing, as too much Jesus. Jonathan Edwards commenting on Song of Songs 5:1 says, Song of Songs says this: “Eat friends, drink, and be drunk with love.” Commenting on that in terms of our relationship with Christ, he said this, “Persons need not and ought not set any boundaries to their spiritual and gracious appetites. Rather they ought to be endeavoring by all possible ways to inflame their desires and obtain more spiritual pleasures. Our hungerings and thirstings after God and Jesus Christ and after holiness can't be too great for the value of these things. Therefore, endeavor to promote spiritual appetites by laying yourself in the way of enticement. There is no such thing as excess in our taking of this spiritual food.” So, as parents of little children, we ought to be first of all, ravenously pursuing Christ, ourselves putting our love for Jesus on full display in front of those little children and secondly, we ought to be fanning their own love for Christ into a flame more and more, there is no danger here. Friends, feed their appetites to know Jesus. “Let the little children come.” “Do Not Forbid Them” Secondly, he says, “Do not forbid them.” Do not forbid them. This is prohibition clearly, in context, Jesus is just telling his misguided disciples to stop doing what they're doing, and allow the parents to bring as many children as God will, but in a deeper sense, he doesn't want his disciples playing the role of the Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23, in verse 13, he says, “Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You shut the Kingdom of Heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” Don't play that role with the little children, let them come. Don't hinder them, don't make it hard for them. Now, the word can mean forbid, Don't forbid them, but it could also mean hinder. Don't make it hard for them, don't slow them down. How We Prohibit Children from Coming to Jesus So how do we hinder children, little children, from coming to Jesus? Well, first and foremost, above all, we hinder little children from coming to Jesus by not telling them about Jesus, we can know nothing about Jesus apart from the written word of God. They don't have Jesus naturally in their hearts, and so in order to let the little children come to Jesus, they need to hear stories about Jesus, they need to be taught who Jesus was. Says in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” And so, from the moment they come home from the hospital, tell them about Jesus, read them Bible stories about Jesus, they must know about Jesus, His miracles, His teachings, all of the stories. Tell them again and again about Jesus, don't hinder them by starving them this Gospel of Jesus. They will sit for hours and hours. I've tested this. You will get tired of it before they do. I have proven that, alright? They will keep asking and keep wanting to hear more and more, so feed them. Feed 'em stories about Jesus. We hinder them also by stifling their enthusiasm for Christ. If you put their childish excitement down you're hindering them. You should fan those affections into a flame, you should make much of the little pictures they draw and the little things that they do to express their love for Jesus, put them up on the refrigerator, put them on your door, and have them there years later. Like when they get married, you still have them, those little pictures. Now, if you found a picture and didn't know who drew it, was just on the ground, it wouldn't mean anything to you. It's not art of the highest order, but for you it means everything, because they're expressing their heart and their love for God. By the way, that's a picture of our worship for God, too, it's not worship of the highest order that's up in heaven, but he takes it from us 'cause he loves us so. And he welcomes our worship, imperfect as it is. So get those pictures and put them up. We hinder them by quenching the spirit, spirit is fanning their love for Jesus into a flame. We act like a wet blanket slowing it down, by refusing to take their spiritual hunger seriously by blowing off their questions that they may ask. Make the most of that time. We can hinder them by exasperating them with harsh or unjust discipline. I know that the Bible speaks of corporal punishment. It's an important part of training. The Bible also says in Ephesians 6:4, Fathers do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and the nurture of the Lord. We can hinder them by curtly cutting off their childish questions, like during family devotion for people to say, “Oh. Just childishness, irrelevant. It doesn't ever seem to connect to what we're saying. Don't let him speak, he's too young, don't let her participate, too little.” Don't do that, let them come, let them express an interest let them participate. “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven” And then finally it says “Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Now, the Kingdom of Heaven is the theme of the Gospel of Matthew. It's mentioned throughout the Gospel. 32 times in the Gospel of Matthew, that exact expression, is used, “the Kingdom of Heaven.” Four times we get the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom itself, by itself, as mentioned four more times. Once Jesus mentions Your Kingdom in prayers such as Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He uses expressions like the Kingdom of my Father. He frequently introduces parables with the phrase, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like.” Now, what is this Kingdom of Heaven? Well, the central concept is, that God the Creator of the ends of the earth rules actively over all that He's created. He is a king, he sits on His throne, He's a good king, a loving King, he gives laws by which we are to be governed, He will hold us accountable to those laws. He is also our Judge, and he is our Savior having sent Jesus into the world, and he is saving us from outside of the Kingdom in, from rebellion against the laws of God, to glad submission to the throne that is at the center of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now people must enter the Kingdom. This is the language used again and again. Matthew 4:17, Jesus began to preach “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near,” so you need repent and come in, enter the Kingdom. Matthew 5:20 says, "I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who's in Heaven,” and of the tax collectors and the prostitutes Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees “they are entering the Kingdom of God ahead of you.” So we must enter the kingdom of God Now, poignantly here, Jesus says “of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” That means the Kingdom of Heaven is made up of people like this, of newborn infants, somewhat, as it were. So let's talk about the infants themselves, the actual babies. John McArthur put it this way, “It's not that small children are regenerate and then lose their salvation later, if they do not receive Christ as Lord and Savior. It's rather that His atoning death is applied on their behalf if they should die before they are able to choose on their own. It may be that infant mortality rate is so high in many countries where the Gospel has not yet penetrated because the Lord is taking those little ones to Himself before they can grow up in a culture where it is so difficult to encounter the gospel and believe.” And if that's true, and I think it is, isn't it marvelous that there's already people from every tribe and language and people and nation, around the throne? Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying we don't go and preach the Gospel, we must, we're commanded to, but I think many of them are already there and that's a delightful thing. But I don't think, as John McArthur said, that they lose their salvation later, but they have it at the infant stage. But secondly, the Kingdom of Heaven is made up of people who are like little infants, themselves John Calvin said, “This passage broadens to give kingdom citizenship to both children and those who are like them,” a child-like faith, a willingness to come and be saved, to act like a lisping infant as though you were born yesterday and know nothing. Because that's kind of the truth isn't it? When compared to the Ancient of Days you just humble yourself like a little child. We already bumped into this concept earlier in Matthew 18:3, he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” So I want to address any that are here today that have never trusted in Jesus. You've heard the testimony of these three young men, they testified to saving faith in Jesus. What about you? Have you ever changed and become like a little child? And entered the Kingdom of Heaven through simple faith? Have you trusted in the blood shed by Jesus on the cross as a forgiveness for your sins, for your violating of the laws of that king? King of the Kingdom of Heaven? Have you trusted in Him? Are you ready to go and be with Jesus if he should call you today? Like he called that little girl? Suddenly, by a car accident. Are you ready? Have you trusted in Jesus? Now, the danger for the disciples is that they're gonna be hardened through pride; in hindering the little children is showing they really don't understand the Kingdom of Heaven. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. And so he says, “Let the little children come.” Let's evangelize these little children, let's talk to them about the Kingdom, before their hearts get hard. Reese Kaufman, who's the CEO of Child Evangelism Fellowship, he's the President, and he said “We spend so much time in adult evangelism trying to get them to be in that little childlike state. Little children are already there.” Let's take advantage of it and speak sweetly to them of the Gospel. Jesus Touches Them and Prays for Them And so in verse 15, Jesus finishes by placing his hands on them and he goes on for this, the power of the incarnation. Jesus frequently touched people, sick people, lepers, a mother-in-law who had fever, he touches her. And here he touches these little children and he blesses them. In Mark 10:16, he takes the children in his arms, and he puts his hands on them and blesses them. In the Jewish culture patriarchal blessings meant so much. Remember how Jacob swindled Esau out of Isaac's blessing, the placing of the hands and the speaking of words of blessing became almost prophetic at that stage of what was gonna happen with Jacob in the future. So also, Jacob on his deathbed, he rouses himself up out of his deathbed, to place his hands on Manasseh and Ephraim who are Joseph's sons, his grandsons, and speaks a patriarchal blessing on them. Jesus does the same thing and he touches them. Little children need touch. I really do, I think we all do. Isn't it a delight to pick up a little child and hold him or her in your arms? You hear these tragic stories of these orphanages in third world countries and other nations where, totally neglected, they're being biologically fed, but nobody's holding them, nobody picks them up, and cares for them and they have lasting problems as a result. Jesus holds them and touches them. These little children. He yearned to touch them and minister to them. Now, these little infants, were pre-lingual, you can't speak to them, But it says in Psalm 22:9, David speaking he said “Yet you brought me out of the womb, you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast.” So, at a very early stage, they're learning how to trust. At that point they're learning how to trust mommy, though they don't know the words of trust or mommy or any of those things, they're learning how to trust. Later on that trust will be transferred through the words of the Gospel to Jesus Christ. But even in an early stage a nursing mother is doing pre-evangelism, for that growing baby, and so Jesus touches them. Applications So what applications can we take from this? Well, first and foremost, just from that tragic story as we began, I want to urge you to consider your little children as the eternal beings they really are. They're going to spend eternity in Heaven or hell, they have been given to you for a short time, If the Lord should take one of them in infancy, or in childhood, don't murmur against God. Remember what I said at the beginning of my sermon? They're infinitely more his than they are yours, they are. We don't have a claim against God, in reference to any child; they're His. Now, he gives them to us for a period of time, and we can love them and nurture them. Let's be focused, intensely focused from an early age on their salvation. Now you could say “They don't even understand. I'm gonna wait until they're…” Well, until they're what? Two? Three? At what point will you start telling them about Jesus? I would urge that you do it while they're still in the womb. Train yourself. Get yourself ready to be an evangelist and then as soon as they come out, you start telling them about Jesus, read them stories and people will think You foolish. A seven-week-old and you're reading them the Bible. But at some point they’re suddenly gonna be three and all of a sudden they can start saying about Jesus with blood on his face, and soon they're seven and they're speaking a little bit more maturely about the gospel and pretty soon they're like, these young men that were baptized, earlier here today. Start early. Parental Responsibilities What responsibilities do you have? Let me just give you these 10 briefly. First of all, receive your children thankfully. They are a gift of God, from him. Receive them thankfully. Thank God for them and don't be arrogant over them. Don't act like a king or queen or emperor or empress with them. Secondly, love your children deeply. Let your heart melt frequently concerning your little children. Thirdly, understand your children positively and negatively. Positively, they are created in the image of God, and have immense potential. Negatively, they are descended from Adam and you'll find out soon, most definitely. Don't idolize your children, understand them. Fourthly, teach your children, constantly. Deuteronomy 6 says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children, talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” I have some booklets that I did on two sermons on Deuteronomy 6 and they are available free of charge out here in the North Tower. Sermons I preached on how to saturate your children's daily lives with the word of God, just pick them up. I think there's about 20 of them out there. Fifthly, be Christ-centered daily. Say things like, “Jesus made that pretty bird. Isn't it wonderful that Jesus gives us days like today? Let's thank Jesus for the food. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” Saturate them with Jesus Christ. Sixthly, discipline your children wisely with tenderness, with compassion, with diligence, with consistence, with love. Seventh, pray for your children consistently. Pray for them consistently. Pray for them every day; bring them to Christ. Charles Spurgeon in his sermon “Children Brought to Christ and not to Baptism,” he said this, we can't physically bring our children to Jesus. The way we do it spiritually now is through prayer, bring them to Jesus, so that he can place his spiritual hands on them and pray for them. Eighthly, Model Christ for your children faithfully. Let them see the love you have for Jesus and the way you seek to live with him day after day. Number nine, involve your children in church early. When they're ready to come, bring 'em to church. I mean here, big church. And I wanna speak to this congregation, there are many parents here that bring their children into the sanctuary. Praise God for them, do not play the role of the disciples in this story. You don't wanna play that role. Don't despise them, don't wish they weren't here, don't wish you didn't have to listen to their sounds. Parents, you know enough to take your children out of the sanctuary if they're making too much noise. Take them out. And when they're quiet, bring them back. I would urge you, the other six days. Work hard on them to get them quiet okay? Six days a week, work, work, work, work, work. Fruits of the labor on the seventh day. You understand that. Okay? But bring them, bring them. And can the rest of us realize that the overwhelming majority of congregations throughout the world, they're all worshiping together? In Kenya, I was there, 1986, there are babies everywhere, there are children everywhere. They don't have separate children's church, they don't have all that. They just all worship together. Bring them early. And tenth, encourage your children tenderly. Be gentle with them, and tender and get them ready for their life. A Word About Child Baptism I wanna speak a brief word about children's baptism. I can't think of another place where I could say it. First of all, I wanna say this: Spurgeon in his sermon “Children Brought to Christ and Not to the Font”, meaning to baptism, he's addressing the topic of infant baptism, there, not children's Baptism. It's a different issue. He does say this, and I'm warned by Spurgeon, concerning this, this passage I'm preaching on today has “not a ghost of a whisper of a shade of anything to do with baptism.” So you may wonder “Why am I bringing baptism up?” Well, just because people ask frequently about child baptism. May I say, to you this child baptism is a uniquely Baptist problem? Presbyterians don't have the problem, they baptize infants. Methodists don't have the problem, they baptize infants, Anglicans and Episcopalians, they baptize infants, Lutherans baptize infants. We don't. What are we looking for? Well, we're looking for a credible profession of faith in Christ. What does credible mean? Now, there's an interesting question. When it comes to little children, it's particularly interesting. It is not hard to get a little child to pray a sinner's prayer. You know what I'm talking about? It's not hard to do. I do not, for one, believe there should be multiple baptisms in someone's life. I think it should happen just once. We do not believe, as Spurgeon was preaching vigorously against, in something called baptismal regeneration. That you have to have the water of baptism or you going to Hell or limbo as the Roman Catholics might teach. I don't believe that. Bible doesn't teach that. Thief on the cross was never water baptized and he was with Jesus in paradise. You don't have to be water baptized. It's important that you not refuse to be baptized, that's very important, but little children growing up in a Christian home aren't refusing to be baptized, they're ready and willing for anything that their parents lead them to do. So therefore at what age should they be baptized? Now there's a question. Would you recommend that the elder sets a threshold age? Okay, you tell me what that age would be and then I'll search in a concordance and try to find a Bible verse to support that number. I don't think we'll find it. There actually won't be any New Testament encouragement for setting the threshold date. And you know what would happen, it would interject an artificial force into the life of this congregation where when that age comes you'll feel a certain pressure to have your children baptized. It happens over and over. What then, what then? We're cast on the Spirit of God or cast on the elders to make wise decisions or cast on on the parents to make wise decisions. Understand your theology. It is not baptism that saves, it's faith that saves. So saturate their lives with the Gospel with the Gospel with the Gospel and let the Gospel grow up in them and at the right time they can be baptized and if you bring them to the elders we'll talk to them, we'll find out what's going on in their lives, we'll seek as best we can to deal with them. But here's this. Don't bring them too early please. Now, if you're pressing me to know what early is, I don't know what too early is. I just say there should be charity in this and there's no harm in waiting, and when the right time comes and you're certain that the word of God has taken root in their hearts and is bearing fruit above, then bring them. A Word to and About Children’s Workers here at FBC And I would appeal for like I said Charity and love on both sides. There's too much harshness that goes on sometimes in controversial issues like that one, all I'm saying is, evangelize them, bring them to Christ and at the right time, you'll be... It'll be obvious to you when it's time for water baptism. Final word, I just wanna say thank you to children's workers here in this church. Praise God for you, I'm thankful for you. Jesus sets an example here of blessing other people's children. We do not minimize the role of parents, we maximize it, but others can make an impact too, can't they? And so it's a sweet thing for families to worship together and stay together. It's also a sweet thing for others to interact with those little children and make some kind of an impact, and we have some godly men and women, they're doing that every week. And I just wanna say thank you on behalf of the congregation to you for your sacrifices. Close with me in prayer.

Romans 6:16-21 Our Master is who we Obey

Romans 6:16-21 Our Master is who we Obey