Podcasts about pentecostal

Should Christians want America to be a Christian nation? For many believers, even asking the question feels uncomfortable.In this episode, we wrestle with why Christians who genuinely believe Christianity is true and good have become hesitant about its influence beyond our churches and personal lives. Have we accepted a privatized version of faith? Have we learned to compartmentalize Christianity? Have we become so accustomed to seeing Christianity through the eyes of its critics that we now apologize for wanting Christian values to influence society?There is a difference between coercing someone to believe and seeking to influence the world with what we believe is true and good. If Christianity really is good for humanity, why wouldn't we want more of its influence in the world?

What does it cost to love a place and a faith that shaped you, even after they've hurt you?This week I sit down with Emilee Hackney, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir All That's Unseen, to talk about growing up in Tazewell, Virginia, and the long, winding path that took her from a Pentecostal church pew to Harvard Yard to a bestseller list.We talk about the church she grew up in from age five, the engagement she entered as a teenager, and the slow, painful process of questioning beliefs she'd never been taught to question until she left home for Harvard. Emilee is remarkably generous about her younger self throughout our conversation, and that same compassion runs through every page of her book. We get into the isolation she felt as an Appalachian student surrounded by people who saw her as, in her words, an exotic creature from a shameful corner of the country, and how spite became an unlikely motivator for her education.Of course... politics come up too. Emilee doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable truths in her research, from Trump's proposed defunding of the Appalachian Regional Commission to his rollback of coal dust health protections, even as she pushed back against easy judgments of the people who voted for him anyway. We talk about fear as a political currency, about algorithms that feed conservatism to anyone who engages with Appalachian content, and about the quiet apathy Emilee believes both parties have shown her home region for generations.We end with hope, opossums, and the strange, permanent tension of loving a place you can never quite be happy in or without. This is a memoir about reckoning with faith, class, and identity, and Emilee brought every bit of that nuance into our conversation.Share this conversation with anyone who grew up somewhere they had complicated feelings about leaving."A personal essay, as it turned out, was about more than the people and places I knew. It was about how those people and places affected me: how I saw them, how I interpreted them, how I understood them in my greater understanding of the world." - Emilee Hackney's memoir ALL THAT'S UNSEENConnect with Emilee Hackney:@emileehackneyBooks Referenced:ALL THAT'S UNSEEN by Emilee HackneySTOLEN PRIDE by Arlie Russell HochschildSupport the show:Buy us a bookBuy cute merchon PatreonSubscribe on AppleSubscribe on SubstackThis episode is produced, recorded, and its content edited by me. Xx, AlexConnect with us and suggest a great memoir!Follow us on instagram! @babesinbooklandpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Success has a scoreboard, but who decided what points count? We start with raw worship and real revival reports, including churches uniting and hundreds receiving the Holy Ghost, and then we turn toward the question that quietly shapes every ministry decision: what do we mean when we say “successful”? Dr. Jackson joins us with stories that feel almost too familiar if you've spent time in Pentecostal leadership, like the moment a simple ride in a rental car turns into someone shouting and speaking in tongues. From there we talk about the fivefold ministry, the freedom of God to work outside our plans, and the hard prayer of surrender: cancel my thoughts and let your purpose lead. Along the way we pause to pray, because Apostolic mentoring is not theory to us, it's lived obedience. Then we challenge the metrics most of us inherit without noticing: attendance, buildings, and cash. We don't deny those numbers exist, but we refuse to let them define spiritual success or church health. Instead, we name deeper measures that actually build a Spirit-filled church that lasts: discipleship, evangelism, and fellowship. The conversation lands on faithfulness, not hype, and on benediction over reputation, with a reminder that you don't control outcomes, you control obedience. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a leader who feels pressure to “produce,” and leave a review so more people can find Apostolic Mentoring.We love to hear from our listeners! Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639030158?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_VZBSV9T4GT4AMRWEWXJE&skipTwisterOG=1 Support the showhttps://www.youtube.com/@charlesgrobinettehttps://www.instagram.com/charles.g.robinette/https://author.amazon.com/bookshttps://charlesgrobinette.com/

Liv Hill discusses the importance of understanding hunger, falling forward in health journeys, and realistic planning for sustainable weight management. She emphasizes that hunger is not the enemy and shares practical strategies to improve your relationship with food and your body.

The church didn't begin with human strength—it began with the power of God. Today, we continue our year-long Bible study in the book of Acts. In this episode, Paul walks through the launch of the church at Pentecost, reminding us that when Jesus calls us to His work, He doesn't leave us to do it alone but gives us the presence and power we need to accomplish what He has called us to do.To hear more studies from the book of Acts, visit PaulTripp.com/Acts.

The church didn't begin with human strength—it began with the power of God. Today, we continue our year-long Bible study in the book of Acts. In this episode, Paul walks through the launch of the church at Pentecost, reminding us that when Jesus calls us to His work, He doesn't leave us to do it alone but gives us the presence and power we need to accomplish what He has called us to do.To hear more studies from the book of Acts, visit PaulTripp.com/Acts.

It's possible to follow all the rules and still have a heart far from God. In Mark 7, Jesus confronts a religious system that had become more committed to its traditions than to the heart of God. But then He takes it even deeper: our biggest problem isn't the evil around us—it's the sin already […]

Send us Fan MailIf you've ever heard “baptism saves” and felt your stomach drop, we get it and we slow the whole conversation down to the text. We start with a commitment we wish every Bible teacher would make: don't say anything from God's Word you can't defend, and still leave room to admit you might be wrong. That's the tone we're aiming for, even when the topic is a flashpoint for churches and families.We work through key passages that shape the debate around water baptism and salvation by grace through faith: Acts 16 and the jailer's question, Acts 2:38 and “the gift of the Holy Spirit,” Acts 8 and apostolic laying on of hands, and 1 Corinthians 12:13 on being baptized into one body. Along the way we address the modern baggage people bring to “baptism of the Holy Spirit,” including Pentecostal and charismatic claims about tongues, being “slain in the Spirit,” and treating a dramatic experience as proof that someone is truly saved.Then we camp out in 1 Peter 3:18–21 and Noah's flood, where the Bible itself forces us to ask what kind of “saving” is in view, and why Peter immediately redirects us from outward washing to the inward reality of a clean conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There's even a tense moment that gets resolved with a direct apology, because how we speak to each other is part of our witness too.If you care about baptism, the Holy Spirit, and reading the book of Acts responsibly without turning disagreement into division, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves Scripture, and leave a review with the verse that most shapes your view.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

 In a world filled with competing voices, everyone is asking for our agreement. But what does it really mean to say “Amen”?In this episode, we look at Deuteronomy 27 and discover that “Amen” is more than a church word or a response to something we like. It represents alignment, agreement, and a willingness to live according to what has been spoken. From the voices shaping our culture to the desires and perspectives shaping our own lives, the real question is: Who gets our agreement?Discipleship means settling that question. Jesus doesn't simply ask us to believe in him. He calls us to align our lives with his way, his truth, and his Word. In every part and every place, our response must be: Amen.

It's Thursday, August 27th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark and Adam McManus Haitian gang members killed 50 people in church Gang members attacked a church in Haiti on Sunday, killing nearly 50 people. Displaced people were sheltering in the building of Church of the Ark of the New Covenant. The evangelical church is located near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. Up to 90 percent of the area is controlled by gangs. The gang members killed 47 people and injured another 22 people.  Please pray for Christians in Haiti who face much of the widespread gang violence in the country.  In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Germany first country to display Muslim prayer times on official signs Evangelical Focus reports a German town became the first in the country to display Muslim prayer times on its official signs. The municipality of Penzberg previously listed Sunday service times for the Catholic and Lutheran parishes in town. Signage now includes prayer times for the local mosque established in 1990. Muslims with a migrant background make up about eight percent of Germany's population, up from five percent in 2016. New U.S. economic sanctions against Iran The Trump administration announced aggressive economic sanctions against Iran on Monday.  Operation Economic Outcast aims to cut Iran's financial connections with the rest of the world. The sanctions will also affect any country doing business with the regime.  Listen to comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. BESSENT: “We want to make clear here today that no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions. That if they facilitate transactions and are part of the ecosystem that turns Iranian oil into money, into repression, they will be targeted.” Facebook/Instagram pay $18 billion over addictive algorithms for kids Meta Platforms agreed to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade in a settlement announced yesterday. Nearly every U.S. state accused the social media company of designing its platforms to be addictive to children. The tech giant is being held accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children's mental health. These platforms include Facebook and Instagram.  California will get the largest sum of $1.5 billion, but several other states will still collect hundreds of millions of dollars each over the decade. The money will be used to pay for legal fees, mental health care for children, after-school programs, and education about the risks of social media use. According to the Associated Press, Meta will eliminate push notifications during weekday school hours and bring in “robust” age-assurance measures and “age-appropriate” content controls to prevent bullying and harmful material about eating disorders and self-harm. The case also argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents' consent. As part of the settlement, Meta agreed to limit teenagers' use of Instagram and Facebook to a couple of hours a day. 1,235 assisted suicide deaths in California last year The state of California reported 1,235 assisted suicide deaths last year. The death toll is up nearly 150 percent over the past five years.  The California End of Life Option Act allows adults, expected to live six months or less, to obtain life-ending drugs. The state has authorized the deaths of at least 6,758 people since the law went into effect in 2016. 3 California homeschoolers sue over prohibition from participation Three homeschool families petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court last week after California excluded them from a state program. Some of California's tuition-free charter schools allow homeschool academy programs. However, families cannot use state funds from these charter schools for religious curriculum.  In one case, the state rejected a grammar exercise simply because it used the sentence: “God sends the rain to help plants grow.”  Acts 14:17 says God “did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from Heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Protestant churches are multigenerational Most Protestant churches report being multigenerational.  A survey from Lifeway Research found 91 percent of churchgoers agree their church has a good number of active members from all generations. Seventy-eight percent of pastors also agree.  Being multigenerational was more frequently reported by pastors of larger churches, younger pastors, and evangelical pastors.  Dolly Parton, who died at 80, championed a false gospel And finally, PARTON:  “Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin' Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin'” Dolly Parton, the country singer, actress, and businesswoman, died peacefully at her home in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday. She was 80 years old. Known as the Queen of Country, the singer-songwriter is among one of the best-selling music artists of all time.  She wrote and sang this song in 1974 which Whitney Houston would later famously cover.  PARTON: “And I will always love you I will always love you.” Parton grew up in a Pentecostal church and described herself as a person of faith.  PARTON: “My grandpa was a preacher. So, my grandpa pastored this little church called the House of Prayer. He was a very positive, uplifting person. And I learned to love Jesus, and learned that Jesus loved me when I was a little bitty kid. “And all those things that Mama used to say, you know, that through God all things are possible. I kept all those things kind of tucked away into my subconscious mind and in my heart. And those are the things that have helped me through the years. I never do anything that I don't pray about it, and I always ask God to lead me and to show me and direct me into what I'm doing.” She was married to her husband Carl Thomas Dean for nearly 60 years until his death in 2025. As a philanthropist, Parton supported children's literacy and medical research. Sadly, she was also known as an advocate for unbiblical causes like homosexual behavior and faux homosexual marriage.  Appearing with Larry King, she defended homosexuality. KING: “Didn't you recently, though, throw support to the [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] community?” PARTON: “Oh, I've always encouraged, not encouraged. They've made me the poster child I think only because I'm so outspoken as far as just being accepting of people in general.  “I do not believe that we should criticize and judge other people. I think we should be accepting and loving. We are all God's children. We are who we are, and we should allow, be allowed to be who we are.” Kate Newman, a Christian YouTuber, objected to Parton's bad theology, referencing John 1:12. NEWMAN: “We are not all children of God, contrary to popular belief. We receive the Spirit of adoption from God when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we are led by His Holy Spirit. But until then, we're actually all children of the devil.” Larry King asked Dolly Parton this follow-up question. KING: “Did any of the faith-based communities that deeply believe the other way take umbrage with you?” PARTON: “Oh, absolutely. KING: “They did?” PARTON: “Oh, yes. I get it all the time. I keep saying, ‘Well, if you're the fine Christian that you think you are, why are you judging people? That's God's job. We're not God. We're not judges.' You know, we're supposed to love one another. We're supposed to not judge.  “If you're gay, you're gay. If you're straight, you're straight. And you should be allowed to be, you know, how how you are and who you are.” In 2024, Ericka Andersen wrote a column for The Federalist entitled “There's nothing loving about Dolly Parton's false gospel.” She argued that, “Parton's version of love, which includes condoning immoral sexual behavior  is unaligned with God's vision for humanity. Like so many secularized spiritual leaders, Parton equates love with agreement, but the two are not reciprocal. Love doesn't mean we must accept sinfulness as good to avoid hurting someone's feelings. “To be sure, the culture is on a constant witch hunt for those who would call homosexuality sinful. I understand wanting to avoid the avalanche of criticism, but calling sin out by name isn't judgment. It's adhering to Scripture. “She's right that all should be treated with love and kindness, but when we refuse to label sin a sin, we're doing more harm than good.  The gospel of Dolly Parton is popular with the masses, but don't bank your eternity on it.” Leviticus 18:22 says, “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, August 27th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

A lot of people talk about “legacy,” but Sister Betty Parkey lives the kind that can't be manufactured. Her family story spans decades of ministry, but what grabbed me most was how ordinary her principles sound and how uncommon they are in practice: be the same at home that you are at church, pray consistently, love steadily, and build a home that feels safe.We dig into what it takes to raise kids who stay anchored in truth and still grow into their own calling. Sister Parkey explains why intercessory prayer matters more than panic, how wise restraint can protect a child's future, and why consistency in church faithfulness, giving, and daily life forms spiritual muscle over time. She also shares marriage counsel shaped by nearly 50 years alongside her late husband, including the memorable list that keeps things real: Christ, commitment, charity, communication, and cash.Her testimonies are just as practical as her advice. She recounts a moment of financial impossibility around open-heart surgery with no insurance, and the way God provided in a way only God can. We also talk about her “desk ministry” of sending cards and notes to missionaries across the world, a simple habit that strengthens the global missions family more than most people realize. The conversation ends with a clear challenge for this generation: live by the Bible, hold the line on truth, and still pursue unity without compromise so the gospel can reach everyone.If you want apostolic mentoring that strengthens your marriage, your parenting, and your faith for the end-time harvest, hit play, subscribe, and share this with someone building a home that honors God. After you listen, will you leave a review and tell us what one habit you want to start this week?We love to hear from our listeners! Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639030158?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_VZBSV9T4GT4AMRWEWXJE&skipTwisterOG=1 Support the showhttps://www.youtube.com/@charlesgrobinettehttps://www.instagram.com/charles.g.robinette/https://author.amazon.com/bookshttps://charlesgrobinette.com/

In this episode, Liv Hill interviews Mark Condon about his transformative health journey. Mark shares his struggles with high blood sugar and the pivotal moment that led him to take control of his health. He discusses the importance of discipline, implementing systems, and the power of consistency in achieving health goals. The conversation also touches on the connection between physical health and spiritual well-being, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to wellness. In this conversation, Liv Hill and Mark Condon explore the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit, emphasizing the importance of discipline in achieving success. They discuss how taking action can lead to motivation and results, and how faith can amplify personal growth during health journeys. Mark shares his experiences with accountability, the lessons learned from his past, and the goals he has set for continued growth, including mental health and neuroplasticity. The discussion highlights the correlation between personal discipline and spiritual growth, encouraging listeners to take actionable steps towards their goals.

Show Notes: The Pastorate's City MeetupsJon Guerra's MusicTyler Staton on Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastThe Pastorate ConferenceThe Pastorate Pastors RetreatExperience ChurchARC CanadaEpisode Notes In this conversation, Jason sits down with Jonathan Lambert, lead pastor of Experience Church in Calgary and Executive Director of ARC Canada, to talk about church planting, pioneering a church planting network in Canada and what it looks like to keep a scrappy founder's spirit through organizational growth and change. Jonathan traces his path from leading worship as a teenager in a Pentecostal church, into a worship role at Christian Life Assembly in Langley, and eventually to a defining season in Fort McMurray. There, newly stepped away from vocational ministry and unsure what was next, he had what he describes as a wake-up call in a grocery store: a profound conviction that calling belongs to every believer, not just to a platform or a job title. That shift led him and his wife Natasha into youth ministry in a local church, and then led them to plant Experience Church in Calgary in 2012.Jason and Jonathan also dig into how Experience Church came to pioneer ARC (Association of Related Churches) in Canada, now responsible for planting 25 churches nationally. Jonathan talks candidly about the tension of staying scrappy as an organization grows, the K-12 hybrid school Experience Church started to make Christian education more accessible, and the free summer camp they run for pastors' families on Vancouver Island.Jonathan makes the case for consistency over leaps of faith, and for what he calls "the spiritual six pack," daily habits of word, prayer, and worship, paired with a regular rhythm of tithing, fasting, and serving, as the real engine behind a transformational life and a healthy church.In this episode you'll hear:How growing up in a Pentecostal church shaped Jonathan's love for spiritual encounter,The grocery store moment in Fort McMurray that reframed calling as something every believer carries, Why Jonathan and Natasha turned down joining a friend's church plant in San Diego to stay in Canada and plant in Calgary instead,What it took to pioneer ARC in Canada, and the encouragement they received from the team at ARC USA, Why Experience Church started a K-12 hybrid school to make Christian education accessible for families who can't afford traditional private school,The story behind ARC Canada's free summer camp for pastors' families, and why proximity between pastoral families is its own form of pastoral care,Why leaps of faith are a subtle danger, and what Jonathan calls "the spiritual six pack," the daily and regular habits that build a steady life.PartnersWe couldn't do the work we do at The Pastorate without your generous support. We invite you to pray, share, and give towards seeding a hope-filled future for the Canadian church.

Another storm. Another boat. Another chance for Jesus to show His disciples who He really is. In Mark 6, the disciples are exhausted, fighting the wind and getting nowhere—while doing exactly what Jesus told them to do. Then Jesus shows up, walking on the very thing they're struggling against. And Peter decides if Jesus is […]

We're continuing our special series curated by our friend, Rev DeAnna Daniels, PhD. The series is intent on elevating horror-themed cinematic works that directly feature voices and experiences that grow our spirits, our minds, and our capacity to love all of God's FoGgers better. This week's film, directed by Lee Daniels, is THE DELIVERANCE, which centers around a struggling single mother who has battled both addiction and personal demons. When she moves her three children and her mother into a new house in Indiana, she soon finds herself battling what might very well be a real demonic presence.Tilting away from stereotypical Catholic approaches to exorcism tales, The Deliverance is rooted directly in the Pentecostal tradition of deliverance ministry. It makes some dubious creative choices -- including a wide-swing choice of characterization from Glenn Close -- and it's not clear if the end result is as effective as it would like to be. But there is something undeniably compelling in the substance of the film that is difficult to dismiss.Joining us and DeAnna is returning friend of the show Dr. Nicole Symmonds and newcomer to the FoG, Dr. James Howard Hill. Together we dive deep into both the missteps and the potential of the film's thematic interests, including the ways faith-centric thrillers have often missed the greater opportunities to speak to a truly liberating theological framework.It's a hefty and thoughtful conversation that we really hope you enjoy!5:10 - Two Questions with Dr. James Howard HillPatron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' to?19:56 - THE DELIVERANCESee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when you finally stop believing something just because you were told to, and start asking if it's actually true?TikTok creator, singer, and now memoirist Ariel Fitz-Patrick joins me on Babes in Bookland to talk about her new memoir I See for Myself, which takes her viral catchphrase and turns it into a full reckoning with faith, family, and growing up in a strict Pentecostal household. Ariel opens up about being raised by Caribbean immigrant parents in Quebec, the birthday party she wasn't allowed to fully attend, being thrown into a French-language school with zero support at fourteen, and the moment at twelve years old when she realized she didn't actually know God, she just knew of him. This conversation moves through doubt, poverty, spiritual warfare, and what it actually means to build a faith that's yours instead of one you inherited.Please rate and review the show and share this conversation with someone who grew up in the church and is still working out which parts of their faith are actually theirs."I'm telling you to be intentional about how you trust to help you walk through this difficult, confusing, frustrating, maddening thing we call life." - Ariel Fitz-PatrickConnect with Ariel Fitz-Patrick:@arielfitz.patrick@Ariel.fitz (tik tok)Books Referenced:Imma See for Myself by Ariel Fitz-PatrickSupport the show:Buy us a bookBuy cute merchon PatreonSubscribe on AppleSubscribe on SubstackThis episode is produced, recorded, and its content edited by me. Xx, AlexConnect with us and suggest a great memoir!Follow us on instagram! @babesinbooklandpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you stop praying like you're hoping and start praying like you believe God already spoke? We begin with worship and a real longing for the coming of the Lord, then we celebrate fresh reports of Holy Ghost outpourings and baptisms in Jesus' name from across the globe. That joy turns into a challenge: revival is not locked to one culture, one language, or one nation, and your city can see the same power of God.From there, we walk straight into prophetic prayer, the kind of prayer that doesn't guess or hesitate. Using scriptures like Job 22:28 and Isaiah 55, we talk about declaring and decreeing God's Word as spiritual legislation. We unpack why prophetic prayer is not about volume, sweat, or emotion, and why alignment with the promises of God is what creates authority. When we release God's Word into the atmosphere, we're not performing, we're partnering with heaven.We also give practical tools you can use today: how to gather “last days” Bible promises, how to speak them daily over your home and city, and how to move from repeating verses to carrying revelation. We share a simple way to visualize the fulfillment so faith becomes specific, then we lay out three keys to prophetic prayer, ending with a focused 21-day call to prophesy over Los Angeles and believe for a true Pentecost outpouring marked by harvest, miracles, and lasting transformation.If this stirred your faith, subscribe, share this with a friend who's hungry for revival, and leave a review so more people can find it. What are you decreeing over your city for the next 21 days?We love to hear from our listeners! Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639030158?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_VZBSV9T4GT4AMRWEWXJE&skipTwisterOG=1 Support the showhttps://www.youtube.com/@charlesgrobinettehttps://www.instagram.com/charles.g.robinette/https://author.amazon.com/bookshttps://charlesgrobinette.com/

What do you do when what you have isn't enough? In Mark 6, Jesus looks at an impossible need and tells His disciples, “You feed them.” They see what they're missing. Jesus asks what they already have—and what happens next shows us what Jesus can do when we trust Him with our “not enough.” In […]

In this week's episode of Catholic ReCon, testimonies from reverts and converts, guest Alexis Ewart shares her story involving Covenant, Pentecostal, Non-Denominational, and Presbyterian Churches, as well as God's mercy and grace through many mistakes along the way. #Catholic #Protestant #Testimony #Bible #Truth #Snowboarding #Drink #Faith #Love #Hope #Saints #StAnne #Rosary▶To support this channel, visit donorbox.org/catholic_recon▶This is the home of powerful, real-life faith transformations

Liv Hill explores the concept of stewardship of the body through a biblical lens, emphasizing patience, consistency, and faithfulness in health and physical capacity. She shares a powerful story about a client's transformation that highlights the importance of caring for our bodies as acts of faithfulness, not vanity.

Pastors Josh, Carlos, and Paul unpack Paul's words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 and trace his transformation from a fearful young leader into a faithful, courageous pastor. They also compare the major Christian views of baptism in the Holy Spirit, explain what changed between the old and new covenants, and discuss why every believer should continually seek the Spirit's filling. In this episode, you'll learn: How Christians should respond to wars, disasters, and uncertainty Why fear should never become the controlling force in your decisions How Scripture—not feelings—helps you discern God's direction The differences between cessationist, Pentecostal, and charismatic views What the Bible teaches about receiving and being filled with the Holy Spirit How the Spirit empowers believers for holiness, courage, and ministry Stand firm. Think biblically. Live free. Don't miss our most recent bonus episode, An ISLAMIC Takeover is Coming…Here's what Christians Should Do. Watch now: https://youtu.be/RWY9GPDqor8

Speaking in tongues somehow still had unanswered questions. Four episodes later, Nate found more. This time, the conversation gets into what speaking in tongues looks like outside the usual theological debate. Should Christians speak in tongues in front of kids? If the Bible gives instructions for speaking in tongues in church, why does it seem like nobody actually does it that way? And then Nate gets to a question we somehow missed the first time around: Can someone who is mute speak in tongues? Because apparently there was still one more corner of this topic left unexplored. Nate and Dr. Joseph Tillman dig into the Bible, theology, spiritual gifts, Pentecostal and charismatic church culture, and their own experiences with speaking in tongues. Joseph brings the theological context. Nate brings the questions that tend to make the theological context significantly less tidy. Whether you grew up around speaking in tongues, still practice it, have never understood it, or are just watching this entire conversation from the skeptical side of the room, this episode gets into the questions people tend to ask after the official answer is over. Follow or subscribe to the podcast

Catholics and Protestants agree on a good bit, but the areas where we disagree really matter. Why did the church split? What about Mary, the Pope, purgatory, saints, and confession? In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie continues the Elephants in the Room series with a message on Catholics and Protestants. Our goal is to understand what the Catholic Church actually teaches, compare it to Scripture, and talk honestly about where we agree and disagree.  If someone repents and genuinely trusts in Jesus for salvation, they can be saved whether the sign outside their church says Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, or Victory Fellowship Church. John 3:16 NLT " ...whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."Jesus saves people. Churches don't. You can also recognize what's right in someone's theology without accepting everything in their theology.   ... Ultimately, this is what connects all the issues: Is Jesus enough? You don't need Mary or a saint to help Jesus hear your prayers. You don't need purgatory to finish what Jesus started. You don't need a priest to give you access to God's forgiveness. You don't need a Pope to give you an infallible interpretation of God's Word. And baptism matters, but it doesn't save. Jesus is your Savior, your mediator, your High Priest, and the One who will complete the work He began in you. The issue isn't whether Catholics love Jesus, many absolutely do. The issue is whether our theology adds something to our faith that God never asked us to add. I believe Catholic doctrine does just that. I will gladly call a Catholic who has genuinely trusted in Jesus my brother or sister in Christ. We can disagree about Mary, saints, purgatory, baptism, communion and church government, and still love one another. Christian unity does not require doctrinal uniformity. The goal today wasn't to leave here thinking less of Catholics. It's to leave here thinking more of Jesus. Let's hold tightly to Jesus, hold tightly to Scripture, and hold graciously to one another. Are you trusting in Jesus alone, and letting Scripture have the final word?

Sawyer Hill joins Scott Lipps for a new episode of Lipps Service to talk about his unconventional upbringing in Arkansas, growing up in a deeply religious Pentecostal environment, discovering rock music, and the unlikely path that led him to becoming one of rock's rising young artists. Sawyer opens up about speaking in tongues, his grandfather the preacher, what music he was allowed to listen to growing up, and the story of how Pokémon somehow resulted in a whipping. He also talks about considering a future working in a morgue and pathology, finding bandmates through Craigslist, finding his own singing voice, and what happened when his music suddenly went viral. Sawyer gets into the current state of music marketing, Yungblud, the conversation around “industry plants,” and the process behind his new album, **Everybody's Home, Nobody's Happy**. Plus, Sawyer discusses “Tying the Noose,” “Going to Hell,” his weirdest-ever gig, what makes a perfect song, the one song he wishes he wrote, his favorite debut album, Folsom Prison, and his Top 5 newer artists. Another great conversation on Lipps Service with Scott Lipps. # CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 02:00 The Current State of Music Marketing 04:35 Sawyer Hill's Upbringing 05:07 Growing Up With His Mom 06:30 Growing Up Pentecostal 07:25 Speaking in Tongues 10:52 The Morgue & Pathology 11:14 Getting a Job at the Morgue 15:25 What Music He Was Allowed to Hear 16:45 Learning the Ukulele 19:22 Growing Up in Arkansas 21:27 Finding Drummers on Craigslist 23:27 Pokémon, Religious School & Getting Whipped 25:07 His Grandfather the Preacher 27:37 Looking Back on His Childhood 29:53 Going Viral 31:08 Yungblud & “Industry Plants” 34:58 The New Record & “Tying the Noose” 36:50 His Weirdest Gig: Playing a Funeral 43:30 Making the New Record 46:13 Finding His Voice 49:22 The Meaning Behind the Album Title 50:44 “Going to Hell” 52:18 What Makes a Perfect Song? 54:02 Top 5 Newer Artists 55:57 The Song He Wishes He Wrote 56:31 Best Debut Album 58:09 Folsom Prison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we discuss a recent news story surrounding abortion legislation in Massachusetts and use it as a starting point for a larger conversation: How should disciples of Jesus approach the issues shaping our culture?In a world where headlines quickly become political and emotional, followers of Jesus must learn to think and respond differently. Our convictions and responses should be shaped first by Scripture and our commitment to follow Jesus.We talk about what it means to view the topics of the day through the lens of discipleship, engage difficult cultural conversations with both truth and wisdom, and allow the way of Jesus to shape not only what we believe, but how we respond.

Host Jeff Shepherd presents a solo, theoretical analysis of current and future spiritual and cultural trends, grounded in documented sources, historical records, and scripture. This episode examines the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), Jewish mysticism and Kabbalistic influence within parts of the church, and the potential role of the Noahide laws as a legal framework for disciplining or removing dissenting believers. Topics covered include: the historical theosophical writings of Alice Bailey and the Lucis Trust and their blueprint for a global religion; the rise of the NAR and its restoration of modern apostles and prophets, Dominion theology, and the Seven Mountain Mandate; post–World War II revival streams such as the Manifest Sons of God and Joel's army teachings; and the interface of the NAR with Messianic Judaism, Hebrew-root practices, and symbolic Kabbalistic concepts. Key points and claims discussed are the alleged strategy to soften the church through syncretism and extra-biblical revelation, parallels between hierarchical Kabbalistic structures and NAR spiritual mapping, documented leaders and movements that promoted an “invincible army,” and a theoretical convergence in which a global Noahide legal framework could be used to label faithful Christians as violators—thereby justifying persecution. The episode cites Alice Bailey's language on externalizing a spiritual hierarchy, critiques from Pentecostal denominations, and scriptural warnings about false apostles and deception. Shepard's aim is discernment: he urges listeners to test every spirit, reject extra-biblical revelation that contradicts Scripture, and hold fast to the finished work of Christ. The episode concludes with practical exhortations to build scripture-centered community, remain vigilant should legal or ecclesiastical shifts criminalize Christian confession, and stay connected as the mini-series continues. Want to Understand and Explain Everything Biblically? Click Here: Decoding the Power of Three: Understand and Explain Everything or go to www.rightonu.com and click learn more. Use coupon code Summer50 for $50. value savings until August 31st.. Thank you for Listening to Right on Radio. Prayerfully consider supporting Right on Radio. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more...https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes We are Your News Now. Keep the Faith

Today on Notable Leaders Radio, I sit down with Damaris Melo-Gyasi, architect, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and author of Making My Way: A Story of Grit and Grace. Her story isn't simply about building a successful business. It's about learning to create a life that reflected who she truly was, rather than the limitations others expected her to accept. Growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, in a working-class Pentecostal family, Damaris was surrounded by love, discipline, and faith—but also by unspoken expectations about what was possible. At just seven years old, seeing a female architect for the first time expanded her understanding of what her future could hold. That single moment of possibility became the beginning of a journey that would take her across countries, cultures, and careers. Through scholarship opportunities, entrepreneurship, and countless moments of uncertainty, Damaris learned that making your own way isn't about having all the answers. It's about having the courage to keep moving forward, trusting your values, embracing your strengths, and creating opportunities not only for yourself, but for others. Together, we explore how leadership is less about achieving perfection and more about becoming the person capable of creating meaningful influence and lasting impact. Together, We Explore The Power of Seeing New Possibilities Sometimes transformation begins with a single moment that changes what we believe is possible. For Damaris, seeing a woman working as an architect at seven years old quietly challenged every expectation she had inherited about her future. That experience reminds us that expanding our vision often begins long before we possess the confidence to pursue it. When Excellence Replaces Perfection Perfection promises safety but often keeps us from fully stepping into our potential. Damaris shares how releasing the need to have every answer allowed her to lead with greater confidence, authenticity, and resilience. Excellence isn't about flawless performance; it's about consistently bringing your best while continuing to learn and grow. You Don't Have to Be Everything Many leaders believe success means mastering every skill themselves. Damaris discovered that sustainable leadership comes from recognizing where others are stronger, trusting their expertise, and building teams whose collective strengths far exceed any one individual's abilities. Leadership grows when we stop proving ourselves and begin empowering others. Redefining Success Through Influence Titles, promotions, and financial success can open doors—but they don't always create meaningful impact. Building her own architecture firm allowed Damaris to redefine success, shifting her focus from external achievement to creating spaces, opportunities, and communities that improve people's lives. Influence became more meaningful than recognition. Leading with Courage and Conviction Our values matter most when they're tested. Whether advocating for her employees or navigating difficult conversations with clients, Damaris demonstrates that leadership requires the courage to protect people, uphold boundaries, and remain aligned with what matters most, even when those conversations feel uncomfortable. Respect is often earned through conviction delivered with grace. A Moment That Changed Everything Sometimes the moments that shape our future seem almost insignificant at the time. For Damaris, it wasn't receiving a degree, launching a business, or publishing a book. It was seeing someone who reflected a future she had never imagined for herself. One small moment expanded her vision of what was possible. Years later, she would become that example for countless others. Leadership often begins when someone helps us believe that our future can be larger than our circumstances A Final Reflection Every leader has a story they didn't choose. Our upbringing, our circumstances, and the expectations placed upon us all leave their mark. But those experiences do not have to become the boundaries of our future. Damaris reminds us that making your own way isn't about rejecting where you came from. It's about honoring what shaped you while choosing, with courage and intention, the path you're meant to create. The most influential leaders aren't those who follow someone else's blueprint. They're the ones willing to write their own. Carry This Forward Notice Where in your life or leadership are you still waiting for permission that no one else can give you? Reflect What story about yourself has quietly outlived its usefulness? Act Choose one courageous conversation or meaningful action you've been postponing. Take the first step this week, trusting that clarity often comes through movement, not certainty. Resources Guest Links Website: https://www.damarismelo.com/ Book: Making My Way: A Story of Grit and Grace LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damarismelogyasi/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/damaris.hollingsworth   Guest Bio Damaris Melo-Gyasi is an architect, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, storyteller, and author of Making My Way. Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, she immigrated to the United States and built a career by challenging expectations, embracing possibility, and leading with purpose. Today, she is the founder of a mission-driven architecture and design firm in the Midwest, where she works at the intersection of community development, equity, and the built environment. Through her writing, speaking, and leadership, Damaris inspires others to move beyond perceived limitations, embrace their unique journey, and create meaningful impact through lives and careers built with intention.  

In this episode of The Big Picture, Patrick speaks with leading religious and political journalist Catherine Pepinster to examine the soft power, geopolitics, and spiritual influence of Pope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost).Episode HighlightsThe Rise of Pope Leo XIV: How the Augustinian friar and former missionary in Peru became leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, positioning him as a unique "American outsider" on the global stage.Clashes with the White House: An analysis of the high-profile disputes between Pope Leo, Donald Trump, and Vice-President J.D. Vance regarding foreign intervention, rhetoric on Iran, and controversial religious imagery.Reinterpreting "Just War" & AI: Discussion of the Pope's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which tackles the ethics of artificial intelligence (developed with input from tech figures like Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah) and argues that traditional just war theory is outdated.The Global Shift in Faith: Examining religious trends across the globe, from youth curiosity in the UK to rapid church growth across the Global South and Pentecostal shifts in South America.UK Politics & Vatican Diplomacy: How new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Catholic upbringing influences his social values, and an insider look at Vatican diplomacy—including Archbishop Sir Paul Gallagher's mission to Moscow.Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.comFollow us on:X - @PodBattlegroundInstagram - podbattlegroundProducer: James HodgsonA Goalhanger Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In July of 1972, in the river town of Louisiana, Missouri, two little boys were playing in their backyard at the foot of Marzolf Hill when their older sister heard them start screaming. Fifteen-year-old Doris Harrison went to the bathroom window and saw something standing by a tree, six or seven feet tall, covered in black hair, with no face she could make out and something dead tucked under its arm. The town laughed at those kids for about a day and a half.Then a Pentecostal congregation of roughly fifty people heard something come down off that hill, and nobody in Pike County thought it was funny for the rest of the month.This is stop number twenty-five on the Backwoods Cryptid Road Trip, the halfway point, and it's the story of Momo, the Missouri Monster.We walk through the whole flap as it actually happened, from the picnic encounter on Highway 79 in 1971 to the Harrison sighting on July 11, 1972, to Edgar Harrison hanging bait on a tree behind his own house and sitting out in the dark waiting for whatever took his children's afternoon away from them. We cover the sick dog, the smell that runs through every account like a thread, the church meeting on the night of July 14, and Police Chief Shelby Ward putting two dozen armed men across Marzolf Hill three times and finding nothing at all.We get into the plaster casts, the three-toed track that a zoo director in Oklahoma City looked at and called a hoax, and the out-of-state investigators who camped in a family's backyard and left with a theory about flying objects that did more damage to this case than any skeptic ever managed. And we talk about what happens to a town when the newspapers show up, name your monster for you, and turn one bad July into a festival.The second half of the episode leaves Momo behind and gets into Missouri Sasquatch country, because strip the nickname and the novelty record off the Harrison case and what's left is an ordinary Sasquatch report. Missouri has produced roughly 147 catalogued encounters and has never stopped generating them.We cover a farmer near Bowling Green who came around a creek bend on a four-wheeler and found something squatting in the water thirty feet in front of him, the ongoing reports out of Cuivre River State Park and Bowling Green Lake, the night four young men sat in a Jeep near Smithville Lake and listened to the woods go quieter than any of them had ever heard, and the men out of southeast Missouri who put their names to what they saw in the Mark Twain National Forest country.Then we turn it over to the mail. Jenny was seven years old and bringing laundry off the line when the sheet in front of her moved the wrong way. Ray watched something cross a river road in front of his headlights and drove eleven miles out of his way for a year afterward without telling his wife why. Marla found tracks along a fence line and watched her husband go get a shovel and bury them.Dean sat in a deer stand and listened to the silence travel toward him. Colleen's three children came across the yard at a dead run, and the middle one said the thing at the tree line had no face, which is exactly what a fifteen-year-old girl told a newspaper thirty years before.And Wes put a light on something standing chest deep in the Mississippi at forty feet, and it didn't run.The kids saw it first. Nobody ever believes the kids.Email BrianJoin Our FREE NewsletterGet Brian's Books Leave Us A VoicemailVisit Our WebsiteHave you experienced a Bigfoot sighting, Sasquatch encounter, Dogman experience, UFO sighting, or any unexplained cryptid or paranormal event deep in the woods? We want to hear your story.Email your encounter to brian@paranormalworldproductions.com for a chance to be featured on a future episode of Backwoods Bigfoot Stories.Backwoods Bigfoot Stories is a paranormal storytelling podcast featuring real Bigfoot encounters, Sasquatch sightings, Dogman reports, cryptid experiences, and true scary stories from the backwoods.Follow the show and turn on automatic downloads so you never miss a chilling encounter from the forest. Listen with the lights off… if you dare.

Apostolic Mentoring Podcast with Charles G. RobinetteWhat is the greatest threat to end-time revival?It may not be persecution.It may not be compromise.It may not even be false doctrine.It may be the subtle elevation of our own kingdom above the Kingdom of God.In this challenging and prophetic episode of the Apostolic Mentoring Podcast, International Evangelist Charles G. Robinette exposes one of the greatest obstacles to apostolic revival and global harvest: self-centered ministry, organizational pride, territorial thinking, and personal agendas that compete with God's eternal purpose.Throughout Scripture, God has always called His people to seek His Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). Yet too often believers become consumed with building personal platforms instead of advancing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.This message will challenge pastors, leaders, ministers, and believers to embrace humility, unity, biblical partnership, and Kingdom-minded living in preparation for the greatest harvest the world has ever seen.Discover why:• God's Kingdom is bigger than our organization.• Revival accelerates when the Body of Christ works together.• Competition hinders harvest but cooperation multiplies souls.• Spectators never change the world, participants do.• Partnership of Faith is essential for end-time revival.• The greatest victories come when we lay down our agenda for God's agenda.If you have ever wrestled with church politics, division, comparison, competition, or the tension between personal vision and God's global mission, this episode will encourage, convict, and inspire you to pursue what matters most.The world does not need larger personal kingdoms.The world needs the Kingdom of God.This is a prophetic call to unity, humility, sacrifice, and complete surrender to God's eternal purpose.If this episode blesses you, please subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with pastors, leaders, ministry teams, and friends around the world as together we work toward the greatest end-time harvest in history.Equipping Millions 2 Reach Billions.We love to hear from our listeners! Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639030158?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_VZBSV9T4GT4AMRWEWXJE&skipTwisterOG=1 Support the showhttps://www.youtube.com/@charlesgrobinettehttps://www.instagram.com/charles.g.robinette/https://author.amazon.com/bookshttps://charlesgrobinette.com/

In this conversation, Liv Hill discusses the misconceptions surrounding hormones and weight loss, particularly in the context of perimenopause and menopause. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of hormones, the impact of muscle loss on metabolism, and the necessity of strength training and lifestyle adjustments to navigate these changes effectively. Liv encourages women to take control of their health by focusing on protein intake, stress management, and consistent strength training, regardless of their stage in life.

Introduction: How to Have a Church Service, God's Way (1 Corinthians 14:26-40) BUILD UP believers. (1 Cor 14:26b) ELIMINATE the chaos. (1 Cor 14:27-33a) WOMEN don't preach. (1 Cor 14:33b-35) 1 Timothy 2:12-14 - I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. None of this is up for DEBATE . (1 Cor 14:36-40) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: What Should a Worship Service Look Like? Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:36You know, just a few days ago, in this very room, it was complete chaos. It was so good. I mean, VBS, it was complete chaos, right? You're going to hear more about it later. We're going to show you a video. But just kids on top of kids, people screaming and throwing. There was slime dripping from the ceiling. Wasn't supposed to, but there was.01:06And it was just, it was chaos and it was beautiful. Which is fine for vacation Bible school, but chaos is not something that should describe Sunday morning. And that takes us to the passage we're looking at today. So I'm going to ask you to please pray for me.01:36Faithfully represent God's Word. That's all we try to do here at Harvest Bible Chapel. We're not preaching our opinion or scratching itchy ears. We just want to represent the Word of God. And I'm asking you to please pray for me to do that faithfully, and I will pray for you to receive what it is that the Lord has said in His Word. All right? Let's just take a moment and pray.02:09Father, when we open the Bible, the question is, is this from God?02:21Father, we have solidly come to that conclusion.02:25We believe that this is your word.02:28When it says things that we like, and when it says things that we maybe struggle to believe, It's your word. And I pray today, Father, for all of us. You eliminate any distractions or preconceived notions and allow us to receive what it is that your word actually says. We pray in Jesus' name. And all of God's people said, Amen. 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Chapters 11 through 14.03:04in 1 Corinthians is all about corporate worship. Right? And we've been talking through this series. We had a little break from Pastor Taylor's excellent message taking us back to the Old Testament. But in this section in particular where we find ourselves, we're talking about speaking in tongues. And you can go back and review those. But tongues, there was a legit miracle gift. And if you study your Bibles, Speaking in tongues was speaking a known language. All right. It was an existing language, but the speaker, they didn't know that language. They didn't study, but they would. It'd be like if I got up and started speaking Mandarin. I don't know Mandarin, but I started speaking Mandarin because there were Mandarin speaking people in the congregation. That's what the gift of tongues was about. We saw. Previously, the tongues was a sign of judgment.04:04Israel had rejected the Messiah. And tongues was God's way of saying, okay, you're going to hear a language you don't understand because you've rejected me. I'm moving on to other people. And it was for the season of transition from the old covenant to the new covenant. We saw in chapter 13, verse eight, he said, tongues will cease. It's going to come to an end. It was only for a season.04:34The Pagan Practice of Tongues. In many pagan religions, there would be this ecstatic screaming of sounds. They weren't real languages. It's just screaming this gibberish. And the Corinthians brought that into church. It's chaos. There's chaos. Look at verse 26, where we left off last time. Verse 26. Paul says, What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Stop right there. That's not a command, by the way. He's describing the chaos. He's like, here's what your church service is. Everybody shows up, and everybody is like, ooh, ooh, me, I want to teach. I want to speak in tongues. I'm going to sing. And everybody was doing it.05:33And it was just this circus. He says your worship services are just chaos. You have the gibberish. You have misusing the real gift of speaking in tongues. You have the debacle that you've made the Lord's Supper. You have women preaching. You have people showing off. Your services are a complete mess. And it'd be real easy for us to look.06:03and say, wow, yeah, glad we've matured from that. But sadly, many things that are called church services are still a real mess. What have we turned worshiping our Savior God, what have we turned that into? For some churches, it's putting on a concert and giving a pep talk.06:33heresy, screaming gibberish, holy laughter, holy barking, craziness, chaos. So much being done in the name of worshiping the Lord that is anything but actually worshiping the Lord. And you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a second, hang on.07:01Who says what should happen in a church service anyways? Well, I would suggest to you God. The God that we worship has told us how we should worship. So very simply, in this passage we're looking at today, Paul is outlining here's what a worship service should be. That's what this passage is. What should happen in a church service? Paul's like, this is what should happen right here.07:31So, on your outline, how to have a church service God's way. Number one, first thing has to happen, absolutely has to happen. He says it first because this has to be the primary drive. Number one is build up believers. Build up believers. Look at the end of verse 26. He says, let all things be done.08:01For building up.08:07Here's a philosophical slash theological question for you.08:11Who is church service for?08:13Is it for believers or for unbelievers?08:19Biblically, church service is for believers.08:23Now listen, if you're here today and you're not a believer and somebody invited you, we're so glad that you're here.08:29But we're going to tell you to receive Christ. We're going to tell you to believe what the believers here believe. That we are, by nature and by birth, we are alienated sinners from God. And God reconciled us to himself through the death of his son, Jesus Christ. And he commands us. He commands us to turn from our sin and to believe in Jesus Christ. And when you do, you are saved. You are a child of God. That's the gospel.08:59The goal biblically in our worship service should be building up believers. Like, what parts of the service? Well, your Bible says the same thing that mine does. Let all things, all things be done for building up. It's teaching God's truth and teaching believers how to apply God's truth. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this because we have talked so much about this through 1 Corinthians chapter 14.09:29Church is where you go to give, not go to get. Over and over and over and over and over. Paul says edify, build up, edify, build up. It's just been the theme of this whole chapter. Paul says when you go to church, you should go to church ready to serve other people. That should be your mindset. I'm not here to get, I'm here to give. You're like, well, what about evangelism?10:01I'll study the book of Acts. When believers are built up, they are prepared to reach the lost in their lives. There's lost people in your life, in your sphere of friends, influence. You need to be built up here so you can go to them and share the gospel of Christ. The church is not what's in it for me, but.10:29Everything we do here has to have the mindset of what can we do to build up believers. That's what he says. So number one, how to have a church service God's way, build up believers. Number two, he says, eliminate the chaos. You've got to eliminate the chaos. Here he talks about two gifts. Just for that day that were not used appropriately in Corinth. Tongues, even the legit, They weren't doing that right. And prophesying. And understand again, the New Testament was being written during this day. So prophets were getting new revelation from God. We don't get that now that the Bible is complete. Right? Those blank pages in the back of your Bible aren't for you adding to Scripture. That's not what that's for.11:32But there were two gifts in that day that were being wildly misused, and it was contributing to the chaos. Tongues and prophecy. First, he addresses tongues. Okay? Legit gift of speaking in tongues. How do we do it? How do we do it? Look at verse 27. He says, and let someone interpret.12:02But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.12:10First of all, speaking in tongues.12:12They're assuming here, Paul's assuming, that someone is present in church who speaks a foreign language.12:19And you see his guidelines.12:20He goes, okay, two or three of you, not everyone, and take turns and you have to have an interpreter for the sake of the people there that don't speak that language. Right? If somebody's here that speaks Mandarin and I got up and spoke Mandarin, like the rest of you are like, what's going on? You need an interpreter to say, here is what is being said. That's how the gift works. Again, we studied all that several weeks ago. But then he says, if you don't have an interpreter, just sit there and pray silently.12:59So let me ask you.13:01If you've been to or seen a Pentecostal or Charismatic church service, is that how it's done?13:07Is that typically how speaking in tongues happens?13:12You're afraid to say, aren't you?13:15All right.13:16No, that's not how people do it.13:20It's chaos.13:22And that's what Paul's saying.13:23Are you going to knock that chaos off?13:25Right? Then he talks about prophesying. Look at verses 29 through 31. Prophesying. He goes, let two or three prophets speak. Let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one so that all may learn and all be encouraged.13:55Stop there. Again, prophesying. Prophesying. He's like, just again, two or three. Right? And let the others discern if what is being said is actually from God. Weigh it. Right? And again, some people were preaching already revealed information. Maybe preaching something from the Old Testament. And in this day, as the New Testament was being written and God was giving revelation, There'd be somebody sitting there in church that God would give a revelation to. And Paul says, if that guy has a revelation, the guy that's speaking the old information, have him sit down. Let new revelation guys speak. Right? Then look at verse 32. He says, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.14:55What in the world does that mean? It means this. The church was chaos, right? So you pull a guy aside that is a... He just can't help it. He comes to church and he's belting it out. I'm going to prophesy. And he's contributing to the chaos. And it's like, you're not supposed to do that. Remember, two or three...15:25What's he gonna say? Here's what he's gonna say. He's gonna say, I can't help it. I can't help it. Oh, and the spirit comes on me. I just can't help it. I just it just comes out. I can't control myself. And and that's why, you know, you want me to be quiet, but I can't be quiet. Because when the spirit's on me, I just can't be quiet. And verse 32, Paul's like wrong. The spirit of prophets are subject to the prophets, meaning this.15:55He's saying, every spiritual gift is used under the complete control of the one who has the gift.16:03The Holy Spirit does not come upon a person and make that person lose control of themselves.16:10That does not happen.16:12Okay?16:13That does not happen.16:15Paul says, your gifts are under your control.16:20Right?16:21So the exact ways these two gifts were used were Corinth specific, but there's a principle that certainly holds for us today. And it's look at verse 33. The first part, he says, for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. Paul says a service to worship God should represent God's care.16:52God is a God of peace. He's not a God of confusion. He said, listen, church cannot be a free for all. So you have to eliminate any chaos. Worship has to be orderly because otherwise people will not get built up. And that is why we're here is to build each other up. So that's what he's saying here. Eliminate the chaos. You've got to eliminate the chaos.17:20So how to have a church service God's way, build up believers, eliminate the chaos. Number three, he says, women don't preach. Women don't preach. Look at what he says. Now, the second half of verse 33, it actually goes with this section, not the previous section, right? In my Bible, it's actually indented as a new paragraph, and that's appropriate.17:51He says, As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the law also says.18:08All the churches.18:10All the churches.18:11Do you notice that?18:13All the churches.18:14Was it just a problem in Corinth?18:17Apparently not.18:19All the churches.18:21Was it just a problem in the first century?18:25All the churches.18:26Today.18:27Today.18:29Look, I never.18:31I can't remember a period of my life.18:39Where we as a culture have been so messed up about gender issues.18:43I just don't understand that.18:46One of the first things little kids learn.18:50We're so confused about gender stuff, right? Look at our culture. Gender is fluid. I was born one way, but now I can be another way, right? We have people in prominent positions that can't define what a woman is. And some of the same people saying that men can get pregnant. We have trans men or trans women. I can't ever remember.19:18The man who's dressed like a woman playing woman's sports, whatever that is. We're just so mixed up over gender things. And we in the church are like, well, we're not mixed up over gender issues. We have a big one. Let's talk about it. You know, the big gender issue in the church, can women be pastors?19:49It's a hot button issue. But I want you to hear me. The Bible is clear and it has not changed. Women are not to preach in church. And listen, I want you to hear me out, okay? You put your church clothes on and you showed up. So can you just stay and hear me out? I am not anti-woman. I'm married to one.20:19Without a doubt, my absolute most favorite human on the planet is a woman. And there's not even a close second. Okay, I'm not anti-woman. I'm not anti-woman. My mother, rest her soul, my mother was a woman. My sister, also a woman. We have so many faithful servants of Christ here in this church.20:48at this church.20:49I am not anti-woman.20:51I am not anti-woman.20:55But I'm also very much pro-Bible.21:00And the Bible straightforwardly says that the role of pastor, elder, preacher, shepherd, all the same thing.21:10The Bible clearly says that role is for men.21:17It's not my opinion.21:19That wasn't the consensus of the elder think tank. That's what the Bible says. Now you said you'd hear me out. There are so many arguments for pro-women pastors. So many arguments. I'm just going to share a few of them. Some people argue pro-woman pastor. Some people say, hey, hey, hey, look, Women are equal.21:49All right.21:50That's awfully sexist of you.21:52Women are equal.21:53Yes.21:54Yes.21:56Women aren't equal, but equal does not mean the same.22:02Equal does not mean we all have the same roles.22:04Where you work, I'm sure that you're equal with your boss.22:09But you have different roles.22:11Okay.22:13So yes, equal.22:15Not same.22:18Here's another pro-woman-pastor argument I've heard several times. Like, I know this woman pastor and she's fantastic. I went to this church and they had this woman pastor. She's fantastic. It just doesn't matter how good of a speaker you thought she was. A woman pastor is not a thing. Study your Bibles. There is no teaching in the Old Testament.22:45for installing a woman as a priest. And there's no teaching in the New Testament on how to install a woman as a pastor. In fact, all of the instructions for priests in the Old Testament, for pastors, shepherds, elders in the New Testament, it's directed towards men. Titus 1.6 says that elders, pastors should be the husband of one wife. Assuming, Paul was assuming that this was a, role for men.23:18But as soon as you say that, as soon as you say, well, there's no example of women pastors in the Bible.23:25As soon as you say that, some of you might already be thinking it.23:31Somebody thinks they got the trump card on that.23:33They're like, ah, what about Deborah?23:39You heard that one?23:39What about Deborah?23:43Deborah?23:43If you're unfamiliar with the story, I'll paraphrase it for you. Judges chapters 4 and 5. God called a man named Barak to serve him in leading Israel, and he wussed out. And Deborah had to step up and lead, because the man that God called was a chicken.24:16Oh, by the way, this is in the book of Judges. Deborah wasn't a pastor. All right. She wasn't even a priest. She was a military leader. That's what a judge was. Oh, and by the way, if you're looking in your Bible for examples on how to faithfully love and serve and obey and follow the Lord, I would not suggest going to the book of Judges for examples of that. Have you read the book of Judges? It is the craziest book of the Bible. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. The stuff that happens is just crazy. But somebody comes along and says, well, Deborah. Deborah wasn't a pastor. Deborah wasn't a pastor. But then our more New Testament minded people, say, oh, I know who, you say no woman pastors, but what about, what about, what about Tequila and Priscilla? And I'm like, well, it's Akila and Priscilla, but I know who you're talking about. Acts chapter 18. These two together taught Apollos the way of the Lord more excellently, but it doesn't say anything in that passage about Priscilla being a pastor. It just doesn't say that. It'd be like if a newer believer came to church today, all fired up, all fired up, and their theology is a little off. And I'm like, hey, why don't you go to lunch with the calls? And Matt and Lexi take this person to lunch and teach them the Word of God. That doesn't make Lexi a pastor, all right?26:13A disciple maker, yes, but not a pastor. Neither was Priscilla. But here by far is the biggest objection that you hear. You know it's coming. When you say, well, you shouldn't have women pastors. The Bible says you shouldn't have women pastors. You know what the number one objection is to that. Well, that was just cultural. You hear that one? That was just cultural.26:43back then. What you have to understand in the first century Corinth culture, the first century Ephesian culture, what you've got to understand about the first century culture is they really hated women back then. Look at what Paul told Timothy, 1 Timothy 2. We're not going to unpack all this, but I just want you to see one thing here. Paul says, I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man. Rather, she is to remain quiet. Exactly what he says here. 1 Corinthians 14. Look, for Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Now, we're not going to unpack all that, but just one thing I want you to note. Paul's reasoning. Paul's reasoning that the woman is not to teach, or preach in church? His reasoning, is it cultural or is it theological? What's his reason? It's theological. And I've had people come at me hard wanting to argue this, and I show them this passage, and their answer is, well, it looks theological, but, but, no, no, no, Corinthian culture. Like, no, no, no, but, look, his reasoning is theological. You can study that yourself. Look at verse 34 again.28:11Back in 1 Corinthians 14. Look at the last phrase here. He says, they are not permitted to speak, but look at this, but should be in submission as the law also says. As the law also says. Again, is his reasoning culture or theological? Like, well, what law? Authority was established at creation. Genesis 3, verse 16.28:43Women are not to be in authority over men, but in submission. And as soon as you say submission, people ready to throw down. Cash me outside, right? You're ready to fight. Because people think that when we say submission, what we mean is weakness. And we've preached this, we've taught this so many times, submission is not weakness.29:11Jesus Christ was in perfect submission to his father for every single thing that he did. You would not dare call him weak. Submission is strength. It takes strength to trust God by submitting to God's established authority. That takes strength. So we talk about women pastors, women not being pastors. We're not talking about issues of equality or talent or ability. We're just we're talking about roles. It's just roles.29:41God says, here's things that I want men to do, and here's things I want women to do. It's just that. And I got to tell you, church, I agree with the late, great John MacArthur, who many times I've heard him teach. The most obvious evidence that a church has abandoned the Word of God is when they have a woman pastor. He goes on. Look at verse 35.30:13He says, if there's anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home.30:19For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.30:26It's shameful for a woman to speak in church.30:28The word shameful means it's a blemish on the church.30:32Not what it says.30:33Speak in church.30:34Speak.30:36Look at the context of the passage.30:37That's why we study the Bible in its context.30:40When it says speak, It's not like a woman walks in the door here. Hi, hi, where's your bathroom? It's like, keep your mouth shut, woman! Take your pagan ways out of here! You are not to speak. Look at the context. What's he talking about? He's talking about teaching and preaching in the church service, right? That's the obvious context. Yes, women can teach women. The Bible says, Titus chapter 2. Children.31:11He's talking here that a woman should not be up here preaching to the whole congregation. You have questions? He says, don't just shout them out in church. Men, don't do that either, all right? If you have questions, ask them in small group, ask them in Bible study, ask them in precepts, ask them whatever. Just not during church service, right? He says, ask your husbands. So husbands, You may be ready to answer some questions, especially after this sermon. If you don't have a husband, if you don't have a husband, a brother, a parent, a small group leader, an elder, yeah, if you're not married, I'm sure any of our elders would be glad to take a phone call from you and answer a question. See, God has a plan for order.32:10roles in the church. Faith means I trust God by doing things His way. And I know, look, I know. I know I'm going to get some texts and I'm going to get some emails because people are going to want to argue this. Right? And in Paul's day, as he wrote this letter and sent it off, He knew that people were going to want to argue this. Which is why I can honestly say I'm so thankful for this last section. Number four, Paul says none of this is up for debate. He knows as soon as you say, look, women should not be pastors. Women should not be preaching in church. People want to fight. And Paul says it's not up for debate.33:09liberal, church-minded, charismatic, feminist objections. And he goes pretty hard in the paint in the end of this. All right? So brace yourself. Look at verse 36. He says, or was it from you that the Word of God came? Or are you the only ones that has reached? See, Paul knew there were people going to read this, and they're like, I really think we should all speak in tongues. And I really think women should be pastors. And Paul's like, oh, oh, are you the authority? Oh, I'm sorry. Did somebody die and make you the expert? That's what Paul's saying. No. Look at verse 37. He says, if anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a commandment.34:09of the Lord. Listen, if you're spiritual, if you're really mature in your faith, you're going to acknowledge that this is from God. It's not cultural. It's not man's opinion. It's not something to be argued. Paul says God is commanding all of this. Verse 38. Pretty straightforward verse. Look at verse 38. He says, if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.34:41Paul says, if you refuse to accept this, we refuse to accept you.34:50That's pretty straightforward.34:53Paul's saying, listen, a woman pastor is not a pastor.34:58And you're like, well, I think she is.34:59Paul's like, well, we don't recognize you.35:05Paul says, a church without order is not a church.35:08You can call yourself what you want.35:10But if you're calling yourself a church, but you're not having a worship service that follows an order and follows these biblical guidelines for teaching and for roles, because you're just not a church.35:27If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.35:30So, verse 39, so my brothers, Earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues. That's the call back to everything that we've talked about in this section. Prophecy, tongues, they were legit gifts in those days. The way that God used them. And that's what Paul's saying here. He goes, yeah, there's legit gifts here. Do them appropriately. Do it right. Do it right. And verse 40.36:04All of this was the introduction. Here's the sermon. Verse 40 is really the thesis of the whole passage. Paul says, but all things should be done decently and in order. Decently. The word decently means beautifully. It means in order. You're like, well, how are, What does that mean? You know, it would be like a man looking at his wife. Say, you know, you're put together perfectly. Everything is just in the right place. And you, everything is just, you're beautiful because there's just such an order and structure to you. Man, don't say that.37:05Everything just fits together on you. Maybe not, but you see the point. Everything fits together. Like, it's all working. It's all in harmony. It's so beautiful. That's what he's saying your worship service needs to be. Everything should fit together. Everything should be harmonious, beautiful. Your Bible might translate it decent.37:34It says, in order, in order, sequence, not chaos. Sequence, not chaos. God is beautiful. God has perfect harmony. And God rules the universe with clear order. So a worship service absolutely must reflect the God that we worship.38:04So our worship team makes their way up. I'd like you to bow your heads with me please. Father in heaven, sometimes your ways are hard to explain. But you haven't commanded us to explain you. You've commanded us to obey you. And your word is very clear.38:35that when we come together to worship, there are things that must happen, there are some things that must not happen.38:46And I'm sure as we go through this, I'm sure some point of this message, for every single one of us, probably each of us have experienced some point of tension.39:01Father help us to be like the Bereans look closely at your word are these things true and resolve that we're all called to submission ultimately Father we're called to submission to you and your word so I pray Father for Harvest Bible Chapel that as we gather for worship I pray Father that there is building up I pray that people are encouraged and edified.39:35And I pray, Father, that you look at all of this and you would regard it as beautiful.39:45You deserve everything we can give you.39:50You deserve so much more than that.39:53But let our hearts, Father, worship you in spirit and in truth.39:59We pray in Jesus' name.40:01Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 14:26-40What was your big take-away from this passage / message?All things must “be done for building up” (1 Cor 14:26). List some ways “building up” happens in church.What arguments have you heard for having a woman pastor? What does 1 Cor 14:33-35 say about women preaching in church?BreakoutPray for one another.

We continue our Sunday series, offering some inspiration, perspective and guidance from spiritual and religious leaders around the world. Today, we have a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with the Reverend Dr. David Breeden, the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis and a longtime humanist minister, author and professor. Dr. Breeden explains what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist and a humanist, and how people can find morality, purpose, hope and community without believing in God or an afterlife. He also opens up about his journey from being raised Pentecostal to becoming a humanist, why he believes humans can solve the problems humans have created, and what he thinks happens to us after we die.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue our Sunday series, offering some inspiration, perspective and guidance from spiritual and religious leaders around the world. Today, we have a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with the Reverend Dr. David Breeden, the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis and a longtime humanist minister, author and professor. Dr. Breeden explains what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist and a humanist, and how people can find morality, purpose, hope and community without believing in God or an afterlife. He also opens up about his journey from being raised Pentecostal to becoming a humanist, why he believes humans can solve the problems humans have created, and what he thinks happens to us after we die.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue our Sunday series, offering some inspiration, perspective and guidance from spiritual and religious leaders around the world. Today, we have a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with the Reverend Dr. David Breeden, the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis and a longtime humanist minister, author and professor. Dr. Breeden explains what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist and a humanist, and how people can find morality, purpose, hope and community without believing in God or an afterlife. He also opens up about his journey from being raised Pentecostal to becoming a humanist, why he believes humans can solve the problems humans have created, and what he thinks happens to us after we die.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue our Sunday series, offering some inspiration, perspective and guidance from spiritual and religious leaders around the world. Today, we have a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with the Reverend Dr. David Breeden, the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis and a longtime humanist minister, author and professor. Dr. Breeden explains what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist and a humanist, and how people can find morality, purpose, hope and community without believing in God or an afterlife. He also opens up about his journey from being raised Pentecostal to becoming a humanist, why he believes humans can solve the problems humans have created, and what he thinks happens to us after we die.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if rejecting Jesus doesn’t always look like outright rebellion? In Mark 6, we see three different responses to the Kingdom of God: some people remain unconvinced, some become unwilling to listen, and others find themselves against God’s work without ever intending to be. The surprising truth is that rejecting the King rarely happens all […]

The Temple Comes to Samaria Acts 8:4-25 by William Klock Remember back in Chapter 5, when Peter and John were arrested and brought before the priests and elders, and Gamaliel, one of the leading Pharisees, told his fellow council members: “Leave them alone.  If what they're doing is of human origin, it will come to ruin.  But if it's from God, you won't be able to stop them.  You might even be found to be fighting against God.”  They let Peter and John go that day, but since then they haven't been heeding Gamaliel's advice.  They stoned Stephen.  And at the end of last week's text Luke told us that Saul of Tarsus was going house to house, dragging men and women to prison and that, while the apostles remained in Jerusalem, everyone else was scattered through Jerusalem and Samaria.  And it turns out Gamaliel was right.  Neither Saul nor anyone else could stop what God was doing.  This new temple, not made with hands, not made of bricks and mortar, but instead of people, purified by the blood of Jesus and indwelt themselves by God's Spirit, this temple was going to fill the earth.  Persecution won't stop it.  Just the opposite, in fact.  Luke writes in Acts 8:4 [Page 1089 in the pew Bibles]: “Those who were scattered went all over the place announcing the word.”  These were people who knew, first hand, the transforming power of the gospel.  Many of them had been eyewitnesses to the risen Jesus.  They had seen signs and wonders, done by Jesus and then done by the apostles.  They knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that God was at work and Israel's hopes were being fulfilled.  There was no stopping them.  If they had to flee Jerusalem, so much the better.  Now the good news about Jesus would be proclaimed all over the place.  Think back to Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin and how he'd highlighted how God works through rejection and persecution.  Joseph's brothers had sold him as a slave, but through their evil God delivered his people.  Ditto with Moses.  Pharaoh wanted all the baby boys of the Hebrews drowned, so Moses' mother put him in a basket and Providence floated him down the river right to Pharaoh's daughter.  And Jesus, the supreme example: The forces of evil and death rose up to do their worst in killing Jesus, but in doing so they played right into God's hands.  They concentrated themselves all in one place, in one great act, allowing Jesus to rise from death to conquer them.  So Saul of Tarsus, threatening the church?  God's going to use that to—to get the gospel out of Jerusalem, to all of Judaea—and even to Samaria. So Philip.  You remember Philip?  He was one of the seven in Chapter 6, whom the church chose and laid hands on to do the work that was taking the apostles away from their prayer and preaching.  Stephen was another of them.  When the church calls people and lays hands on them and commissions them to be servants of the gospel, there's no telling where that may lead.  So “Philip,” says Luke in verse 5, “went off to a town in Samaria and announced the Messiah to them.” I suspect no one would have thought—or wanted—to take the gospel to Samaria—at least not for a long time—even though Jesus had said that his church would take the gospel there.  But in the context of Acts, I think Luke wants to stress that even more than taking the gospel to Samaria, what Philip is doing is taking the temple there.  And that's pretty significant.  Samaria was the piece of land between the two Jewish territories, between Judaea in the south and Galilee in the north.  The Samaritans were the people who had lived there while the Jews were off in exile in Babylon.  We don't really know for certain the origins of the Samaritans.  They claimed—and they still claim, as they're still there to this day—that they're the descendants of what was left of the northern Israelite tribes after the nation was destroyed by the Assyrians.  The Jews claimed that the Samaritans were the people resettled in the land by the Babylonians after they'd sent the Jewish people into exile.  There's probably some truth to both.  Whatever the case, the Samaritans followed their own form of Judaism.  They had their own version of the torah, of the first five books of the Old Testament.  They rejected the Prophets and other books.  They looked forward to their own version of the Messiah.  They called him the Ta'eb or “The Returner”—the prophet Moses promised would come.  But maybe what's most important in the context of Acts, was that the Samaritans had their own temple on Mt. Gerizim.  The Jews would never let them anywhere near the temple in Jerusalem—they weren't real Jews and they had corrupted Israelite religion—but even if the Jews allowed them into the temple, the Samaritans would never go there.  As far as they were concerned, theirs was the real temple.  The Samaritans were a people utterly without God's presence. And now Philip finds his way there and carries the for real real temple to a people who didn't even know the old one.  And when God's temple arrives in Samaria, the people can't help but notice.  Verse 6: “The crowds, acting as one, clung to what Philip was saying, as they heard him and saw the signs he performed.  For unclean spirits came out of many of them, and several who were paralyzed or lame were cured.  So there was great joy in that town.” “But there was a man named Simon, who had lived in the town for some while and who practiced magic. He used to astonish the Samaritan people, giving out that he was some great personage.  Everyone, small and great alike, paid attention to him, and said, “This man is the one called ‘God's Great Power'!”  [Luke might be hinting that the people thought of Simon as maybe being the Ta'eb, the Samaritan “Messiah”.] They had been under his spell for some time, since they were amazed at the magic he could perform.  But when they believed Philip as he was announcing to them the message about God's kingdom and the name of Jesus the Messiah, they were baptized, men and women alike.  Simon too believed and was baptized, paying close attention to Philip.  When he saw signs, and great and powerful deeds, it was his turn to be astonished.” The devil was doing one thing in Judaea in a futile attempt to quash the gospel.  He was doing something else to the same end in Samaria.  He'd been doing it for a long time, leading the Samaritans away from God's torah and God's temple.  Now there's this man, Simon, who has enchanted these Samaritans with his magic.  Maybe it was just sleight of hand magic, but the way Luke, throughout Acts, contrasts magic with the power of the Holy Spirit, it seems like Simon actually did have some kind of power and if that power wasn't from God, it was coming from demonic forces of some kind.  That's just the sort of thing the devil would do to lead people astray.  But Philip, empowered by God's Spirit, it's obvious to everyone—even to Simon—his power was different and it was far superior.  Seeing it, these people believed the good news about Jesus that Philip was proclaiming.  And they did what believers do: they were baptised.  Like Israel following God through the Red Sea and into the promised land, in faith these Samaritan followed Jesus through the waters of baptism and into God's new creation. Samaritans embracing and giving their allegiance to Jesus may not seem like a big deal to us, but it was a really big deal to everyone involved.  Again, Samaritans and Jews didn't mix.  Even though Jesus had said that his disciples would take the good news to Samaria, they had no plan to go there—and probably little or no desire to.  But God had a plan to get them there, and when Philip does end up in Samaria, he doesn't let that hold him back.  It's pretty clear that these early believers thought of the gospel as something for Jews, but—hey—if gentiles came to them and wanted in, if Samaritans heard and believed, that was great.  They saw God at work in these people, even if these people weren't their evangelistic priority. And yet, something odd happens.  These Samaritans hear the gospel, see God at work, they believe, they're baptised, but there's something missing.  I suspect Philip noticed it immediately and sent word back to Jerusalem—excited on one hand, but concerned on the other.  Verse 14: “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received God's word, they sent Peter and John to them.  When they arrived, they prayed for them, asking that they would receive the Holy Spirit, since up to that point the Spirit had come upon none of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.  Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” Like I said, something was missing.  The Spirit was clearly at work.  Faith in Jesus is a gift of the Spirit and no one comes to Jesus without the Spirit first moving in the heart.  But so far in Acts, when people believed and were baptised, they all had some kind of experience of being transformed by the Spirit  They were obviously different.  The Spirit did a work of new creation in them.  And they typically—and immediately—displayed supernatural gifts.  Some prophesied, some healed, some spoke in other languages, and so on.  Whenever we see God doing something new in the story of redemption, it's usually got miracles clustered all around it and we see this no less in the early days of the church.  Bringing Samaritans to Jesus was very much something new.  But this time the miracles didn't happen.  I expect Philip was surprised.  What was wrong?  So he sent word to Jerusalem and Peter and John decided to go see for themselves.  And, sure enough, something was missing.  These people had believed, but the Spirit—God—hadn't yet come to live in them  They were not yet part of the new temple. I don't know if Peter and John understood everything at this point.  I suspect that they just recognised that these new believers were lacking the indwelling Spirit.  It was weird and inexplicable at the time.  And so Peter and John just did the only thing that made sense: they laid their hands on these people and prayed that God would give them his Spirit.  And God did.  Luke doesn't say how it was obvious, but it was apparently obvious that the Spirit had filled the Samaritans.  And I think as time passed, Peter and John and the others started to figure out what God was doing in withholding the very thing—I should say, the very person—who fulfils God's promises to dwell with his people.  By the time Luke wrote, it all made perfect sense. You see, there was always a danger that the Samaritans would hear the gospel and believe, but that because of the divide between them and the Jews, the Samaritans would end up with a separate church of their own.  A lot of them would have been perfectly happy to have it that way and plenty of Jewish believers would no doubt be happy to have it that way.  But that would undermine the very gospel itself.  God doesn't have multiple people.  He has one.  With all our divisions in the church today, it's easy to forget this, but Jesus was clear: God has one people and one of the essentials of the gospel is that it heals the breaches, heals the divisions, heals the animosity between the people of the world.  We saw the first dramatic sign of this healing at Pentecost as the men there heard the gospel proclaimed in their own languages.  It was a dramatic reversal of the Tower of Babel episode.  And now it happens with the Samaritans.  God withholds his Spirit from them in order to get Peter and John to pray and lay hands on them and in that God makes it clear to everyone that they are all united in Jesus and the Spirit.  The apostles and the Jewish believers can't dismiss the Samaritan believers and neither can the Samaritans—with their long history of doing their own thing and having their own temple—neither can they act as if they have no need of or can be separate from the Jewish believers. We need to be careful we don't mistake Luke's point here.  We often read this passage at confirmations when the bishop lays hands on us and prays for us to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit.  But Luke wasn't thinking about confirmation.  Confirmation is a rite that developed centuries later.  Pentecostals and Charismatics use this passage to explain their experience, arguing that this passage proves that receiving the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace apart from baptism and conversion.  But that's not Luke's point either.  In fact, his point is that what happened with the Samaritans, with God withholding the Spirit, was unique—a one-off thing—that was necessary to ensure everyone knew that there is one church, one body and that our unity in diversity is one of the gospel's most powerful witnesses to God setting the human race to rights.  The whole thing that made this episode stand out was the delay in the Samaritans receiving the Holy Spirit, because the indwelling of the Spirit it not a second blessing or a second work of grace.  It's what happens when we believe and are baptised.  It's what makes us God's temple.  Jesus purifies us so that the Spirit can fill us. And then Simon the Magician. The gospel goes to a new place, but the same old problem comes up again.  In Jerusalem it was Ananias and Sapphira.  The devil crept in.  They let their love of money compromise the purity so essential to being God's temple.  They serve as a warning: Jesus purifies us so that we can be God's temple, but to remain God's temple requires continued purity.  And now the Samaritan believers their own warning about this.  Verse 18: “When Simon saw that the spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money.  “Give me this power too,” he said, “so that anyone I lay my hands on will receive the holy spirit.”  “May your silver die with you!” retorted Peter. “Did you really think that God's gift could be bought with money?  You have no part or share in this word!  Your heart is not straight before God.  So repent from this wickedness, and pray to the Lord.  Perhaps he will forgive the scheme you had in your heart.  I can see that you are still stuck in the bitter poison and chains of unrighteousness.”  “Pray to the Lord for me,” said Simon in reply, “that none of what you've said will happen to me.”  After Peter and John had finished bearing witness and speaking the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, announcing the good news to many Samaritan villages.” Simon liked the status his magic gave him.  And now he sees something really amazing, something that clearly and dramatically upstaged whatever it was that he was doing.  And Simon wanted it.  But it wasn't so much the Holy Spirit that Simon wanted.  Tricks were nice.  He'd been doing them for a long time.  But what Simon wanted was the ability to control people.  He didn't want the Holy Spirit.  He wanted what he thought Peter and John had: he wanted the ability to lay hands on people and to give them the Spirit. And in that, Simon was exposed.  It wasn't about Jesus for Simon.  It wasn't about being God's temple.  It wasn't about being purified by the cross.  It wasn't about being part of God's new creation.  Simon was still firmly part of the old.  He wanted to use and control people for his own personal gain and prestige.  His old magic had been upstaged.  No one would be impressed by it anymore.   But if he could be like Peter and John, if he could lay hands on people himself and impart the Spirit to them, well, then he's be back on top of things.  For those who read The Magician's Nephew this month, he's like Uncle Andrew, seeing a new world being miraculously born around him and new life sprouting from the ground, and all he can think of is bring bits of iron to plant so they can grow into factories and battleships to make him rich. He was blind.  He heard the gospel.  He heard the good news about Jesus.  He saw the life the Spirit in these people and he saw new creation being born.  But he wasn't interested any of it.  He just wanted to be in control.  He saw it as a way to get rich.  So he offers to buy this gift from Peter and John—as if it was theirs to sell.  As if it was their power to impart the Spirit. But Peter and John had no such power.  They didn't go around laying hands on people and giving them the Spirit any more than a modern-day Anglican bishop or Pentecostal evangelist does so.  This was a unique situation.  God gives the Spirit, not men, not preachers, not bishops, not even apostles.  This was simply a case in which it was necessary for both the Jews and the Samaritans to understand that they were one people in Jesus and the Spirit. The crazy thing is that we still see this sort of thing despite all the warnings in scripture.  There are far too many people out there, preachers—people calling themselves “apostles”—offering the Spirit or his gifts for money, as if those gifts are the work of human beings and not God.  I expect that when Simon asked Peter and John to sell him this gift—one they didn't even actually have—Peter immediately remembered Ananias and then Sapphira falling dead at his feet.  Because he knew, this false idea needed to die.  If allowed to fester, it would corrupt the church. And so he rebuked Simon—who, by God's mercy isn't struck dead on the spot.  “You're no believer, Simon.  You're still stuck in the bitter poison and chains of unrighteousness.” Luke tells us that Simon asked them to pray for him so that he wouldn't fall under God's judgement.  I have to wonder if they told him about Ananias and Sapphira and left him quaking in his boots.  Luke doesn't tell us what happened to him, whether he eventually understood and actually believed the gospel or not.  What Luke wants to stress here, what we shouldn't lose of, is that the Spirit is not under human control.  The Holy Spirit isn't magic.  Magic is the human attempt to manipulate God.  Humans have been trying to figure out ways to do that ever since our fall.  Magic treats God like a vending machine.  Push B5 to get this or push D2 to get that.  Say this spell, offer this sacrifice—follow the right formula and you can control the divine.  The so-called “Prosperity Gospel” is a modern version of this.  But you don't have to be into the Prosperity Gospel or the Word-Faith movement to be guilty of thinking you can control God.  When we bargain with God, we're doing the same thing.  We think that if we offer God this or that, we obligate him to give us something in return.  Brothers and Sisters, God's been teaching his people from the beginning that he doesn't work this way.  He's sovereign.  He sends his Spirit as a mighty rushing wind and, as Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Those who are born of that Spirit are blown along with it.”  Those who surrender themselves to Jesus and the Spirit are blown into purity, blown into holiness, blown into godliness, blown into ministry and blown into mission.  That's what Luke shows us in Acts.  Jesus purifies us, the Spirit fills, and in those acts God make us his living temple.  A temple through which he will make himself known and through which he will eventually fill the earth with his presence. In this morning's Collect we asked the Lord to teach to us to ask for the things that please him.  Brothers and Sisters, if we understand ourselves to be his temple, his working model of new creation in the midst of the old, I can hardly think of a better prayer.  It's a prayer very much like “on earth as in heaven”.  A prayer that sets aside our own agendas and ask for God to bring us into his.  I'd like to close praying that Collect again. Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and, that we may obtain what we ask of you, teach us to ask for those things that please you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Text us your questions!Prayer can fall apart slowly. One day you are sure your words move heaven, and eventually you can't tell if you're talking to anyone at all. We return to the topic of prayer to discuss what happens when it stops feeling natural, when the old charismatic certainty no longer fits, and when trying to pray the way you used to would feel performative instead of real.We dig into how Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity formed us with beautiful gifts as well as disappointed expectations, especially the pressure to pray with confidence, eloquence, and nonstop positivity. From public prayer “for the room” to private prayer that feels like a foreign language, we name the awkwardness, the grief, and the fear that prayer struggles can signal a bigger faith crisis. We share stories of spiritual experience, including moments that feel like the Holy Spirit's presence and the unsettling moments that feel like absence.Then we turn toward rebuilding. We talk about liturgical prayer and communal rhythms, written prayers that give us words when we do not have them, and how practices like contemplative prayer, attention in creation, gratitude, and the Eucharist can become genuine ways of connecting with God without pretending we have it all figured out. We also wrestle with a hard question for progressive Christianity and post-evangelical life: if you change enough ingredients, is it still prayer, or did it become something else?If you feel stuck, cynical, hopeful, or all of the above about prayer, you are not alone. We'd love to hear from you.Catch our first conversation about prayer here.=====Want to support us?The best way is to subscribe to our Patreon. Annual memberships are available for a 10% discount.If you'd rather make a one-time donation, you can contribute through our PayPal.Other important info:Rate & review us on Apple & SpotifyFollow us on social media at @PPWBPodcastWatch & comment on YouTubeEmail us at pastorandphilosopher@gmail.comCheers!

Pentecostal to Catholic (With Hannah Crews!)FOLLOW US:Our Main YouTubeOur Family YouTubeBlog ArticlesFacebook Page hereInstagramTikTokXPinterestSUPPORT OUR WORK (Please)1. Credit Card or PayPal2. Patreon (only monthly)3. GoFundMe (BIG Highway Billboards) NEED A CATHOLIC SPEAKER? Parish Mission? Confirmation Retreat? Keynote Speaker? Other?QUESTIONS? https://www.subscribepage.com/e3e8c7WEBSITE (Retreats, Keynotes, Parish Missions, Articles, and more)CHECK OUT OUR T-SHIRTS & MERCH https://catholictruth.org/shop/Like our Tees? Designed by Glorybound Apparel: https://gloryboundco.com/BOOK: Counterfeit Spirituality (Centering Prayer, Yoga, Reiki, Astrology, etc). What is good? What is not? How can we know the difference?)

Welcome to the Influence Podcast! I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Lee Grady writes the following in his book, Lead Like Paul: Saul of Tarsus — who eventually became known by his Greek name, Paul — is our mentor and spiritual father. Apart from Jesus Himself, he is our best example. Of course, we have Peter, James, John, Mary Magdalene, and so many other first-century disciples who walked closely with Jesus. But Paul was unique. He didn't travel with Jesus or witness His miracles, yet he fully surrendered to the resurrected Christ, he understood the truth of Jesus better than almost any human being on earth, he spread the gospel throughout the Roman Empire, and he was used by the Holy Spirit to lay the foundation for a Christian movement that has spread globally. For all these reasons and more, Grady argues, Paul is a mentor we should imitate in our own ministries. In this episode, I talk to Grady about how we can begin to do so. Lee Grady is an ordained minister in the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, award-winning journalist, and author, most recently, of Lead Like Paul: 21 Ways to Reignite Your Spiritual Fire and Expand Your Spirit-Led Influence, published by Chosen Books. Sponsor Ad This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by Gospel Publishing House, distributors of The Assemblies of God: Our Story by Daniel D. Isgrigg. Explore the inspiring history of the Assemblies of God from a handful of ministers to a worldwide fellowship of more than 85 million believers. Discover the legacy, mission, and Spirit-filled story that continues to impact the world today. For more information about The Assemblies of God: Our Story visit GospelPublishingHouse.com. Show Notes 00:00 — Introduction and Sponsor Ad 03:00 — Why Lead Like Paul, rather than Lead Like Jesus or Lead Like Peter or Lead Like James? 05:08 — Why start with humility, and how does Paul model humility for Christian leaders? 7:37 — Chapters 4 and 5 discuss loving people and being present. What was the impetus for writing these two chapters? And how can pastors develop both better people skills and greater presence? 11:21 — Chapter 6 is titled, "You Need Power, Not Just Head Knowledge." Why is this the case? What function do the words "not just" play in this title? And how do we develop what the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary calls "knowledge on fire"? 20:06 — Why are the temptations of sexual immorality and financial exploitation such a problem for ministers, and how we do we overcome them? 23:57 — Why is forgiveness so important, and how we do we forgive congregants who have harmed us? 26:56 — What trends in the Pentecostal and charismatic movements worry you today? What trends bring you hope? 32:11 — What are you reading right now that is interesting, helpful, and/or personally challenging? 34:21 — Conclusion

What do you do when life tells you, “There’s no use”? In this message from Mark 5, we watch Jesus meet two people whose situations couldn’t have been more different—one woman had suffered for 12 long years, while a father’s world fell apart in a single moment. To both, Jesus reveals the same truth: our […]

Gateway Cities: The Key to Reaching BILLIONS!Charles G. Robinette | Apostolic Mentoring PodcastWhat if the greatest revival in human history will begin the same way the Church began?In this powerful and prophetic teaching, International Evangelist Charles G. Robinette explores the biblical pattern of Gateway City Outpourings and reveals why God has repeatedly chosen strategic cities to ignite worldwide revival.From Jerusalem to Antioch, from Ephesus to Rome, from Azusa Street 1906 to the prophetic possibilities of our generation, discover how one outpouring in a strategic city can impact entire nations and accelerate the fulfillment of Joel 2:28, Matthew 24:14, and Revelation 7:9.Could God once again be preparing to pour out His Spirit in major gateway cities around the world?Could millions be born again in those cities while billions are impacted globally?This message is more than history. It is a call to repentance, apostolic unity, prophetic prayer, bold faith, and Kingdom collaboration in preparation for the greatest end-time harvest the world has ever seen.Charles also delivers a sobering prophetic challenge to the modern Church, warning against the destructive influence of fear, jealousy, and control, and calling believers to embrace faith, humility, and complete dependence upon the Holy Ghost.If you have been praying for global revival, world evangelism, end-time harvest, or a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, this message will challenge your thinking and inspire your faith.Topics Include:• Gateway Cities in the Book of Acts• Why Pentecost began in Jerusalem• Antioch and the multiplication of revival• Azusa Street and modern Pentecostal history• Why strategic cities matter in global evangelism• Twelve potential gateway cities for end-time outpouring• Apostolic unity and Partnership of Faith• The prophetic significance of Revelation 7:9• The call to reach every tribe, tongue, people, and nation• How the Church can prepare for the greatest harvest in historyThe harvest is ready.The nations are gathering.The Spirit is still being poured out.Will the Church prepare for BILLIONS?Subscribe to the Apostolic Mentoring Podcast and join us as we equip millions to reach billions through apostolic doctrine, Spirit-led ministry, prophetic prayer, and global harvest.#GatewayCities #GlobalHarvest #EndTimeRevival #Pentecost #HolyGhost #Acts238 #Revival #WorldEvangelism #Apostolic #Outpouring #JesusName #RevivalFire #KingdomOfGod #Revelation79 #Joel228 #CharlesGRobinetteWe love to hear from our listeners! Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639030158?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_VZBSV9T4GT4AMRWEWXJE&skipTwisterOG=1 Support the showhttps://www.youtube.com/@charlesgrobinettehttps://www.instagram.com/charles.g.robinette/https://author.amazon.com/bookshttps://charlesgrobinette.com/

Guided Question When it comes to spiritual experiences and gifts, are you allowing Scripture—not personal experience, emotion, or cultural expectations—to determine what you believe and how you practice your faith? Summary This episode concludes a series on the ministry of the Holy Spirit by focusing on the controversial gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. Dr. Robert Lewis begins by acknowledging the strong emotions and differing experiences surrounding tongues, but emphasizes that experience can never be the final authority for the church; Scripture must be the final court of appeal. He reviews several biblical observations about tongues: the gift is presented as a supernatural ability to speak unknown human languages, it primarily functions publicly as a sign to unbelievers, it is directed toward God, and it is not a gift given to every believer. Lewis then explains why tongues may have held such prominence among the Corinthians. Their culture had a long history of mystery religions and ecstatic speech, creating a natural association between ecstatic experiences and spiritual depth. Paul therefore had to help the Corinthians separate their cultural understanding of spirituality from the proper biblical use of the gift. Turning to 1 Corinthians 14, Lewis highlights Paul's emphasis on edification, clarity, interpretation, and order. Prophecy is presented as the greater gift because it communicates clearly to the church and builds up believers. Tongues, when used publicly, require interpretation so that the entire church can understand and be edified. Without interpretation, the speaker should remain silent in the gathered church. The episode then follows the historical record of tongues from the New Testament through church history and into the Pentecostal and charismatic movements of the twentieth century. Lewis observes that tongues became far less prominent after the apostolic period, while also cautioning that history alone cannot establish theological conclusions. Scripture, rather than historical patterns, must determine whether God can still give the gift. Finally, Lewis addresses how Fellowship Bible Church should respond to tongues today. He argues that the church should neither automatically reject the gift nor naively accept every claim of tongues as genuine. Because ecstatic speech can be counterfeited or psychologically induced, spiritual experiences must be tested against Scripture. Any public use of tongues should demonstrate the characteristics Scripture requires, including genuine supernatural ability and interpretation. The episode closes with three priorities for church leadership: remain faithful to God's Word, protect the flock, and promote individual spiritual maturity. Outline Why Tongues Are Controversial Conflicting experiences and opinions Scripture as the final authority The Biblical Gift of Tongues Supernatural human languages A sign to unbelievers Directed toward God Not given to every believer The Corinthian Context Influence of pagan mystery religions Ecstatic speech and perceived spirituality Paul's correction of cultural assumptions 1 Corinthians 14: Proper Use Prophecy prioritizes edification Clarity over unintelligible speech Interpretation required Order in corporate worship Tongues Through Church History Early New Testament manifestations Decline after the apostolic period Historical outbreaks Pentecostal and charismatic movements Evaluating Tongues Today Scripture does not explicitly say the gift has permanently ceased Ecstatic speech can be counterfeited Gifts must be tested Fellowship Bible Church's Approach Neither forbid nor blindly accept tongues Require biblical testing and interpretation Protect the church and promote maturity Key Takeaways Scripture is the final authority. Spiritual experiences, emotions, and personal testimony must be evaluated by God's Word rather than treated as proof of truth. Tongues are not a universal gift. Paul explicitly teaches that not every believer speaks in tongues; the Holy Spirit sovereignly distributes gifts according to His purposes. Edification should govern spiritual gifts. In the gathered church, gifts should benefit the body rather than become opportunities for personal spiritual display. Public tongues require interpretation. Without interpretation, the church cannot understand or be edified, so Paul instructs the speaker to remain silent in the gathering. God's gifts must be exercised orderly. Paul's final instruction is to pursue prophecy, not forbid tongues, and ensure that everything is done properly and in an orderly way. History informs but does not determine doctrine. The historical absence or resurgence of tongues cannot by itself establish whether the gift has ceased. Scripture must make that determination. Spiritual experiences must be tested. Not every experience that feels supernatural is necessarily a work of the Holy Spirit. The church is called to test what it encounters and distinguish the genuine from the counterfeit. Church leadership has a responsibility to protect the flock. Testing spiritual gifts helps preserve biblical order while protecting both the congregation and those who believe they possess a particular gift. Scripture References 1 Corinthians 12:30 — Not every believer receives the gift of tongues. 1 Corinthians 14:1–5 — Prophecy is emphasized because it builds up the church. 1 Corinthians 14:6–19 — Spiritual communication should be understandable and edifying. 1 Corinthians 14:20–25 — Gifts should serve God's purposes and lead people toward Him. 1 Corinthians 14:26–28 — Tongues in the church require order and interpretation. 1 Corinthians 14:36–40 — Spiritual gifts must operate according to God's commands and in an orderly manner. Acts 2 — Tongues appear as known languages and serve as a sign that draws attention to the gospel. Acts 10 — Tongues accompany the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Gentile believers. Acts 19 — Tongues are again associated with the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 13:8–10 — The episode considers whether this passage teaches that tongues have ceased. 1 John 4:1 — Spiritual claims should be tested rather than automatically accepted. Recorded 9.26.82

Caller Questions & Discussion: Becky discusses an article circulating online that asks: Are therapists to blame for family estrangement? About one-third of families believe a therapist influenced the decision. However, most therapists do not encourage family estrangement. Our 24-year-old son is home from college and thinks he can do whatever he wants. We're trying to set healthy boundaries, but he's abusing Adderall and dropped out of college even though he only had two classes left to earn his degree. My 36-year-old daughter is taking medication for depression and was advised by her clinic to distance herself from me. Now she won't let me see my grandchildren, and I just want to spend time with them and have coffee together. Her father was an alcoholic. Besides praying, what can I do to rebuild our relationship? How do I handle my 20-year-old daughter making allegations that her stepfather behaved in sexually inappropriate ways toward her when she was younger? I'm in a Christian courtship. I'm non-denominational, and he's a Pentecostal pastor. I thought it would work because we're both Christians, but after two years, I'm struggling with all of the rules and expectations.