Podcasts about Pharisees

This week Pastor Jon taught from John 10:11-21, where Jesus declares "I am the good shepherd" and asked a question that cuts straight to the heart of modern life: who is actually forming you? From global trust collapsing in institutions to Jesus exposing the Pharisees in John 9, the cycle of bad shepherding is always the same, they scatter when the cost gets real. Jesus differentiates Himself from these poor leaders, and proves to be the ultimate Good Shepherd. He is the shepherd who laid His life down by choice His sheep. Pastor Jon encouraged us to choose wisely who shepherds us, and invited us to Christ's abundant path.

Is God bringing revival to Iran? And what does honoring the Sabbath actually look like for Christians today?   In this episode of LIVE FREE, Pastors Josh Howerton, Carlos Erazo, and Paul Cunningham tackle two powerful topics shaping faith and culture right now. First, they unpack Luke 6 and the biblical meaning of the Sabbath—why God built rhythms of work and rest into creation, how the Pharisees turned the Sabbath into legalistic religion, and why Jesus declaring Himself the “Lord of the Sabbath” changes how believers understand rest today. The conversation explores how Sabbath is not just about stopping work, but about restoring the body, renewing the soul, and remembering that our identity is rooted in Christ—not productivity.   Then the episode shifts to an eye-opening conversation with Iranian-born pastor David Nasser about what's really happening in Iran. Nasser shares his incredible story of escaping the Iranian Revolution, how his family encountered the gospel in America, and why many believe the underground church in Iran is one of the fastest-growing movements of Christianity in the world. The team discusses reports of Muslims encountering Jesus in dreams, the spiritual implications of current geopolitical events, and how the gospel continues advancing even in some of the most restricted places on earth.   From honoring the Sabbath to the rise of the Iranian church, this episode explores how God is still moving powerfully across the world—and how believers today can join His mission.   In this episode, you'll learn: • What the Bible actually teaches about the Sabbath • Why Jesus called Himself the “Lord of the Sabbath” • The difference between legalistic religion and true spiritual rest • Why the church often grows fastest under persecution • What's really happening with the underground church in Iran • How Christians can pray and participate in God's global mission  

Notes John 9: 1-41 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Ephesians 5:8-14 Summary This episode explores the profound themes of sight, blindness, and community in John 9, alongside insights from 1 Samuel 16 and Ephesians 5. Join us as we unpack the spiritual and social implications of these passages, emphasizing justice, love, and God's call to see beyond appearances. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Pulpit Fiction Podcast 01:52 Survey Results and Community Engagement 04:28 Exploring John 9: The Healing of the Blind Man 09:05 Understanding the Johannine Community's Struggles 12:00 The Significance of Jesus' Healing 17:47 Reframing Disability and Divine Works 22:03 The Blindness of the Pharisees 25:53 Community and the Fear of Expulsion 29:50 Judgment and Illness in Modern Contexts 32:10 The Blind Beggar: A Community's Responsibility 34:07 God's Mighty Works: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion 37:05 Anointing: Seeing Beyond Appearance 40:45 The Power of Anointing in Worship 42:51 Chosen for Responsibility: The Weight of Anointing 45:47 Grief and Moving Forward: A Call to Action 49:54 Living as Children of Light: Justice and Truth 54:12 The Call to Speak Truth: Justice vs. Judgment Takeaways God's mighty works can be displayed through our differences and disabilities. Community responses to healing reveal deeper issues of justice and acceptance. Seeing with the heart is more important than physical sight in biblical faith. The story of David's anointing teaches us about God's choice beyond appearances. Living as children of light involves actively producing goodness, justice, and truth.  

We explore Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount and its context within Jewish law and culture at the time. Jesus challenged the prevailing interpretations of the Law of Moses by the Pharisees, emphasizing the moral principles behind the laws and elevating them to a higher standard. Jesus' teachings were met with contrasting responses, with those of faith reacting positively and the self-righteous negatively. Jesus also demonstrates adherence to the Law, demonstrating his commitment to fulfill the Law.Bible ReadingsMatthew 5:1-48Matthew 6:1-34Matthew 7:1-29Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://bibli...

In this episode we watch Jesus do what Luther says Christ always does: use the law to uncover real sin, then speak a promise that creates faith, revealing himself as the great “I am” who gives living water as pure grace. As the Samaritan woman leaves her jar behind and confesses him Savior of the world, we see that true worship isn't about the right mountain but about the Spirit delivering Christ through his Word—salvation from the Jews, and for the nations.GOSPEL John 9:1-411 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, 7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." 10 But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" 11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight." 12 They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a prophet."18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner." 25 He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." 26 They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?" 28 Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. Support the showInterested in sponsoring an episode of Scripture First?Email Sarah at sarah@lhos.org or visit our donation page: lutherhouseofstudy.org/donate

Send a textA crowded house. A blocked door. Four determined friends hauling a paralyzed man onto a roof, tearing through clay and tile, and lowering him right in front of Jesus. Moments earlier, a man “full of leprosy” knelt in the dust and whispered the boldest prayer he could muster: “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Two scenes, one thread—Jesus moves toward pain with power and compassion, and he doesn't stop at symptoms. He goes straight for the heart.We walk verse by verse through Luke 5:12–26 to trace how cleansing, forgiveness, and authority collide. The leper doesn't just want relief; he wants to be clean, able to enter God's presence again. Jesus reaches out and touches him—defying expectations that uncleanness spreads—showing that true holiness restores rather than recoils. Then Jesus sends him to the priest, honoring Levitical law while revealing a greater authority. And just when the crowds swell, Jesus withdraws to pray, choosing dependence over platform and reminding us where lasting power is found.Inside the packed house, persistence takes center stage. The friends' faith looks like action, and Jesus responds with a shocking first move: “Your sins are forgiven.” The scribes bristle—only God can forgive sins—and Jesus meets their thoughts with the title Son of Man, echoing Daniel 7. To prove his authority on earth to forgive, he commands the man to rise, and he does, immediately. Awe, fear, and praise flood the room as a community watches forgiveness turn into footsteps.Along the way, we press into three anchors—purpose, persistence, and practice. Purpose asks what Jesus is really after: not just comfort, but communion with God. Persistence asks how far we'll go to bring ourselves and our friends to grace. Practice asks whether we'll obey quickly and return to prayer like Jesus did. We end with three questions to carry into your week: What condition are you hiding that Jesus is willing to touch? Are you the paralytic, the Pharisee, or the roof friend today? If you've been forgiven, why are you still on the mat?If this journey through Luke 5 stirred something in you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Your voice helps others find hope—and may just get someone off the mat.New episodes every Mondaywww.lifehousemot.cominfo@lifehousede.com Join us Sundays at 9 & 11 AM Intro music by Joey Blair

Speaker: Rob BerrethScripture: Matthew 5:17–20Episode Overview:Jesus' words in Matthew 5:17–20 can sound overwhelming at first: a righteousness greater than the scribes and Pharisees is required to enter the kingdom of heaven. Rather than lowering God's standard, Jesus reveals something far better—He fulfills it. Every command, every promise, and every detail of God's Word finds its completion in Him. Where the law exposes our inability, Christ provides perfect obedience and a righteousness that is given by grace through faith.Because Jesus has fulfilled the law down to the smallest detail, believers are not crushed by its demands. Instead, they are freed to follow God's commands with new purpose and new power. The same Savior who secures forgiveness also transforms lives. With the burden of guilt removed and the Spirit at work within, obedience becomes the grateful response of those who already belong to Christ.Key Highlights:• Jesus Fulfills the Law and the ProphetsEvery command and promise of the Old Testament points forward to Christ, who perfectly accomplishes what humanity could never achieve.• The Standard Is Perfect RighteousnessScripture makes clear that failing even one point of the law leaves us guilty—showing our need for a Savior who keeps it completely.• A Righteousness Given, Not EarnedThrough faith, the righteousness of Christ is credited to believers, securing entrance into the kingdom of heaven.• Two Misunderstandings of GraceLegalism tries to add human effort to Christ's finished work, while antinomianism dismisses the transforming power of grace.• Freed to FollowThose who trust in Christ's righteousness are not burdened by the law but liberated to pursue obedience out of love for God.• Help for the JourneyThe finished work of Christ removes the burden of guilt, and the Holy Spirit empowers believers to grow in Christlike obedience.Call to Action:Take time this week to reflect on where you are tempted to rely on your own performance before God. Instead of striving to prove yourself, rest in the righteousness that Christ has already accomplished. From that place of grace, ask the Spirit to shape your heart so that obedience flows not from fear or pressure, but from gratitude and love for the One who fulfilled the law on your behalf.Redeemer Church211 Northshore Dr. Bellingham, WA 98226www.redeemernw.org

After the Sadducees had been silenced, the Pharisees take another stab at trying to trap Jesus with a question concerning the Law.  He reveals once again that they their hearts are far from Him - that in all their attention to the Law, they miss Jesus - they miss the heart of it all. Jesus follows this up with a question of his own - this one concerning the David's Son - not only do they not love God, they don't because they don't know him.  

What would happen if the most important thing to Jesus became the most important thing to us? Listen to this can't-miss teaching from Pastor Tyler on the priority of evangelism. To stay connected to what's happening at Mission Church, follow us on any of the following platforms. Instagram instagram.com/missionchurchca Podcast missionchurchca.com/watch Newsletter missionchurchca.com/updates Website missionchurchca.com

Father Anthony Gramlich, MIC, reminds us that the Parable of the Prodigal Son remains one of the most powerful stories Jesus ever told. He used it to answer the scandal of dining with tax collectors and prostitutes — those whom the Pharisees despised. In the Gospel, the younger son demands his inheritance, abandons his father's house, and squanders his wealth in a foreign land, even tending swine. The vivid image of a pig‑sty, mud‑covered and foul‑smelling, forces us to confront the depths of our own waywardness.When famine drives the prodigal to hunger, he finally sees his reflection in a puddle and asks, “Who have I become?” That moment of self‑recognition is the turning point for every sinner: the realization that the life we have built on empty promises cannot satisfy the soul's deepest hunger. He returns home, not as a son, but as a servant, pleading for a place among the hired workers.The father's response shatters our expectations. He runs to meet his son, embraces him, kisses him, and orders the finest robe, a ring, and new sandals. He does not wait for the son to finish his confession; forgiveness has already been given. The washing, the robe, and the celebratory feast with a fattened calf illustrate the fullness of God's mercy—grace that restores, not merely pardons.The older brother, representing those who cling to legalism, reacts with anger and jealousy. He cannot see that the father's love is not a limited resource; it expands to encompass both sons. The father gently corrects him, declaring that everything he has is also the older son's, but that a lost son has been found. This dialogue invites us to examine our own hearts: Are we the resentful elder, measuring God's love by our own merit, or the wayward child humbled by hunger for divine grace?Lent calls us to the same journey. Like the prodigal, we are invited to return, even with impure motives, because the Father's compassion does not require perfect intention — only a willingness to come home. The sacramental life — Baptism, the Eucharist, Confession — provides the water that washes away the mud of our sins, renewing us as beloved children of God.May the Blessed Virgin intercede that we, whether prodigal or faithful, open our hearts to the Father's boundless mercy, allowing His love to transform our lives and to bear fruit that glorifies Him. ★ Support this podcast ★

This exploration of John 3 by Assistant Pastor Dillon Meadway on Sunday, March 8th 2026, takes us beyond the familiar verse we've all memorized and into the profound depths of what it truly means to be born again. We discover that Nicodemus wasn't just any curious seeker—he was a respected Pharisee, a ruler sitting on the Sanhedrin, a master of Israel's scriptures. Yet despite all his knowledge and status, he came to Jesus under cover of darkness, representing the spiritual blindness we all experience before encountering Christ. The revelation becomes even richer when we understand the timing: this conversation happened during Passover, the festival celebrating Israel's birth as a nation through the blood of the lamb and the waters of the Red Sea. Jesus wasn't introducing a foreign concept but fulfilling the very pattern God established in Exodus. The Greek word for 'again' also means 'from above,' revealing that our new birth isn't just another start—it's a divine origin, a supernatural transformation. Just as Israel was baptized in water through the Red Sea and in the Spirit through the cloud, we too must experience both water baptism and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This isn't about religious ritual or earning our way to heaven; it's about receiving what God prophesied through Ezekiel—clean water to wash us and His Spirit within us to empower obedience. The question confronting us is whether we'll remain in comfortable darkness or step into the light where our works are exposed but our lives are transformed.

New Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville I Am the Door of the Sheep, the Good Shepherd John 10:1-21 Introduction: As we read the text before us our first thought might be, “Never have more beautiful words been uttered than these”—“I am the door of the sheepfold; I am the good shepherd.” Those words by Jesus should give us great comfort. However, a more careful examination reveals that in the original context Jesus was offering more than comfort, he was also revealing condemnation. When Jesus says, “I am the door of the sheep…I am the good shepherd,” we must remember that John proclaimed Jesus as the “Word.” With every “I AM” statement, Jesus is revealing the beauty of God, and also the very nature of God. Both statements should alert us to three truths that must be clearly accepted and acted upon by us: We are sheep. It is foolish to think of ourselves any other way. Sheep are extremely vulnerable. They are among the weakest of all farm animals and are completely unable to protect themselves apart from a shepherd. We, however, in contrast do not think of ourselves that way. As Jesus said in the conclusion of chapter 9, we think we see, when we are actually blind.  Without a shepherd, we are without wisdom or direction. Sheep have no idea how to seek good food and water for themselves. On their own, they will starve, become diseased, and die. There is no such thing as “wild sheep” who roam in the open country. We must choose a shepherd to lead us. There are other choices for “shepherds.” Many claim to be shepherds, but there is only Good Shepherd. All us are “hirelings.” Seeing the Movement through the Text As usual, seeing a new chapter division causes us to conclude that we are starting a new event in Jesus' life. But careful reading shows that this is not so. Note the lead up to chapter 10: In chapter 5, Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath who had been in physical bondage to his illness for 38 years. In chapter 6, Jesus took on the escalated role of a new Moses leading a new exodus. He portrays this by not only feeding the people, but also crossing the sea by walking on it, and then proclaiming himself to be the bread of life.  In chapter 7, during the Feast of Tabernacles, and at the time of seventh day when the priests poured out water at the altar and calling to God to give them the abundance of water, Jesus cried out, “If any man thirsts let him come to me and drink…out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”  In chapter 8, Jesus at the same time, proclaimed himself as “the light of the world,” and then followed up in chapter 9 with giving sight to a man born blind,  As we come to the end of chapter 9, we see that Jesus has not only healed the physical sight of the man, but has also brought to spiritual sight. The man was cast out of the synagogue by the Pharisees, and therefore banned him from the flock of Israel. In 9:39, after the confession of belief by the man born blind, Jesus makes a startling statement that his entrance into the world was “for judgment.” That is not that he came “to judge,” but that his entrance created a judgment between those who knew they were blind and needed sight, and those who believed they could see and therefore did not know they were  blind. As you read those final verses of chapter 9, and then into chapter 10, you will recognize immediately that there is no break. Immediately, Jesus answers the Pharisees who had just challenged his statement that they did not recognize their own blindness. The metaphor of “entering the sheepfold by the door,” and “I am the door to sheep.”  With this metaphor, Jesus speaks of a communal sheepfold that was common in the city. A large enclosed area was provided in which many different flocks of sheep were housed. There was one entrance guarded by a doorkeeper who knew the different shepherds and would only allow a true shepherd to enter. Once inside a shepherd would call his sheep, and only his sheep would respond by gathering to him. He would then lead them out and they would follow because they knew his voice. In this picture, Jesus is speaking of how one would enter this sheepfold. The only legitimate way to enter was by the door. Anyone attempting to enter another way was a thief and a robber In the second picture Jesus speaks of a temporary sheepfold that would commonly be set up for the night out in the open field. This sheepfold consisted of four walls but no door. Once the sheep were inside the enclosure and night had fallen the shepherd would lay down at the entrance of the enclosure. He literally became the door of the sheepfold. No sheep could enter or leave except through him. And no wolf or robber could enter except over his body. A true shepherd would never leave that post and leave the sheep unattended. [remember David killing the lion and bear?] But a hireling, one who was in it just for pay and did not love the sheep, would flee and save his own life at the first sign of danger. A true shepherd would literally die protecting the sheep. If the sheep were stolen or destroyed it would only be after he had given his life. In both illustrations Jesus has placed Himself squarely in contrast to the Jewish leaders as to who was the true shepherd of the flock. They were not true shepherds and did not care for the sheep. Their only interest was self-interest. They neither entered by the door of the sheepfold (were not true to God’s teachings), nor did they care for the sheep like a true shepherd. Those who followed them were not of the Lord’s flock, while those who would not hear their voice [blind man] but instead heard the voice of the Lord were of the true flock. It was no surprise that they cast out the healed blind man or that this man followed Jesus. They were not the good shepherds and he refused to hear their voice. The Primary Message in the Context Making the connection between chapters 9 and 10 allows us to see the message Jesus is giving the Pharisees. Jesus is exposing the serious condition of the Pharisees and everyone else who remains blind while they think the see.  As with the Pharisees, when a person thinks he sees, he is like a lamb who decides he can explore any part of the countryside he desires. Some sheep, and most people, think they will be fine exploring whatever they desire. Their thoughts and their ways become their shepherd. Cf. Isaiah 55:8-9. Therefore, Jesus is proclaiming that you cast this blind man out of your sheepfold because you are a thief and a robber. He has now not only entered another sheepfold, but he actually entered by the door of the sheepfold. We must hear the message today. There is only one sheepfold and there is only one door to that sheepfold, and that is Jesus. There is no other!  We often see Christians “slipping, falling away, turning in other directions, and generally no longer fully trusting in the Shepherd. The simple question is, where do you think you are going? You leave the shepherd and the sheepfold and you will lose life. You will die.  Verse 11 “I am the good shepherd.” Contrast verse 10, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy.” Jesus is the good shepherd, not a good shepherd. Jesus is clearly calling on us to choose! There is a choice. Which will you choose? Ask yourself, what happened to those leaders? What happened to the Pharisees? What happened to the Jewish nation? They followed other shepherds and they were destroyed…brutally!  The Message for Us: The Sheep Hear His Voice  That is what is unique about sheep: they follow the voice of their shepherd, and they not only will listen to his voice, they will flee from a stranger—any other potential shepherd. What is a stranger? What is another shepherd? Paul said in well in Ephesians 2:2, we followed “the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air.” Most people, and even some who call themselves Christians, do not know who they are following. If it is not the good shepherd, it is the devil. When I read this the first thing I think of is, as dumb as sheep are, in this regard, they are smarter than us. Listen to the good shepherd.  How do you know if you are in the good shepherd's flock? You hear his voice! Please remember, Jesus is talking to the most religious people of his day. We often meet people who are very sincere in their beliefs. But sincerity is not the test. Do they hear his voice, or are they ignoring his voice and following their own voices? This is simple identity question. Follow his voice and you are his sheep. Don't follow it, and you are not his sheep. Verse 3 “…he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” This is not, “Hey, you all can come out now!” He calls each by name. A shepherd would have a certain “voice” he would use for each animal. Jesus knows us individually. He is calling you, specifically you. Will you follow? Verse 14, “I know my own and my own know me.”  Principle: Shepherds lead, they do not drive the flock!  Shepherds must be decisive concerning the direction and needs of the flock.  It is the reason they are “elders.” They are expected to have greater wisdom and greater experience than the flock. The flock is able to lie down when the elders lead and take the flock where they ought to go. When the children of Israel wanted to go back to Egypt, Moses didn't take a vote. The question is not what would the congregation like to do. The question is, what is the best for the spiritual welfare of the church! Many elders of churches have told me that after COVID, the church got accustomed to not meeting Sunday evening, so we went along. Really? You didn't answer the question of where you are leading this church and how will meeting less enhance our spiritual growth. The sinfulness of shepherds who think they are cowboys. Your flock are sheep, not cows. Matthew 20:25. The Value of Following: “I Am the Door…the Good Shepherd” Those who enter will “go in and out.” — They are always safe; the wolf cannot touch them. The good shepherd is always there. 10: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus is the only path to life, that is, true abundant living. He is not just talking about eternity, that abundant life is even being tasted now. 13-14: Jesus is the only one who cares for the flock. Only Jesus can be trusted with our lives. “He knows his own.”  15: Jesus lays down his life for the sheep. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) 17: Jesus lays down his life so that he could give and attain an even greater life. Conclusion: It is almost humorous to read in verse 20 that some heard this and said, “He has a demon, and is insane.” No, insanity is living without the Good Shepherd.  Berry Kercheville The post John 10:1-21 I Am the Door of the Sheep, the Good Shepherd appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Click here to WATCH LIVE STREAM Worship Service on our Youtube Channel. That You May Believe, Part 6 John 3:1-21 John 3:1-21 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” God graciously reveals our need. John 3:1-2 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”   John 3:4-6 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Luke 18:26-27 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”   Matthew 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.   John 3:7-8 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”   Ezekiel 36:25-28 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.   1 Peter 1:23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God Titus 3:4-5 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit   God graciously enables our belief. John 3:9-13 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. John 3:14-15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Numbers 21:6-9 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.   Isaiah 45:22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.   1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. God graciously transforms our lives. John 3:17-18 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:19-21 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Respond | Connect | Next Steps The post John: That You May Believe appeared first on Charleston Baptist Church.

In Mark 3:1–12, Jesus confronts the religious leaders over what truly honors God. When a man with a shriveled hand enters the synagogue, the Pharisees watch closely to see if Jesus will heal on the Sabbath—not because they care about the man, but because they want a reason to accuse Him. Jesus exposes their hardened hearts and shows that God's commands were never meant to restrict life but to restore it.This passage reveals a sobering truth: religious systems can sometimes care more about protecting rules than loving people. But Jesus refuses to let compassion be silenced. With a word, He restores the man's hand and reveals the heart of God—one that values mercy over legalism and life over control.At the same time, Mark shows us two very different responses to Jesus. While the religious leaders begin plotting His destruction, crowds from every direction gather to experience His healing power.In this message, we explore what happens when the kingdom of God confronts hardened hearts, why Jesus challenges the misuse of religious rules, and how His authority reveals the true purpose of God's law: restoring people to life.// SCRIPTURE REFERENCES //Mark 3:1-12More info at the Bible Project: https://bibleproject.com/videos/mark/ // TAKE A NEXT STEP //Want to visit or discover more about Columbia View? Made a decision to follow Jesus or get baptized? Looking to get involved in growing and serving? VISIT HERE: https://columbiaview.org/ // FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA //Youtube Instagram Facebook

Cleansing and Rebuilding the Temple (1) (audio) David Eells, 3/8/26   Jerusalem & Temple Destroyed & Born Again B. A. - 06/04/2014 (David's notes in red) (Eze.13:14) So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. (15) Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar; and I will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; 16 to wit, the prophets of Israel that prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and that see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord Jehovah.  Just as people must die to self and be born again from above, so must Jerusalem and its temple. Why was rebellious Jerusalem, the capital of the Jews, torn down with its temple and its people crucified and killed in heaps? Their temple represented them and Jerusalem those who were to be the Bride. Josephus, the historian who wrote their history, said it was because of the way they treated Jesus and His disciples. It appears that Josephus believed that Jesus was the Messiah. This is a type that is coming to pass in our day in the so-called Church. For Paul said to the mostly Gentile Church that what happened to the Jews was a type for what will happen to the mostly Gentile Church at the ends of the ages. (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example (Greek: “shadow” or “type”); and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. So what happened historically is a type for this day. Today, in the end of this age, the rebellious leadership of God's people, the false Man-child and Bride, represented by unregenerate Jerusalem, have crucified Jesus as He said, (Mat.25:40) And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, [even] these least, ye did it unto me. As the Dragon, Satan's body, including this false leadership, seeks to devour the Man-child and destroy the Bride for its own egotistical reasons. God has set them as a mark for the Beast to conquer. The Beast, which in Revelation 17 is inhabited by a body of spirits from the abyss, represents a body of people outside of Christ that will be used as a vessel of dishonor to destroy spiritually and, in some cases, physically these rebellious religious leaders and their people from the different sects of apostate Christianity. Some would say, “David, doesn't Jerusalem get destroyed after seven years, as a type of the 70 years?” Yes, but in a spiritual way, it is happening now as the leadership of apostate Christianity becomes more and more devoured by the mind and spirits of the Beast. As Jesus said of these evil leaders, (Mat.23:27) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. (28) Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (29) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, (30) and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. (31) Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets.  (32) Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. (33) Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell? (34) Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: (35) that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth (this was also said of the Harlot in Revelation 17:24), from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar. Clearly, the Harlot has been around since Cain killed Abel. (36) Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. As Jesus said of these hypocrites and their city and temple, (37) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (38) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. (39) For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (24:1) And Jesus went out from the temple and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. (2) But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. (Gal.4:22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise. (24) Which things contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. (25) Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. (26) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother. (Rev.3:12) He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh (present tense) down out of heaven from my God, and mine own new name. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. (Jer.3:12) Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith Jehovah; I will not look in anger upon you; for I am merciful, saith Jehovah, I will not keep [anger] for ever. (13) Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against Jehovah thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith Jehovah. (14) Return, O backsliding children, saith Jehovah; for I am a husband unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: (15) and I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. (16) And it shall come to pass, when ye are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith Jehovah, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of Jehovah; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more. (17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah; and all the nations (Gentiles) shall be gathered unto it, to the name of Jehovah, to Jerusalem (notice that this heavenly Jerusalem will be synonymous with the name, meaning “nature, character and authority” of the Lord): neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. (18) In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the North (Beast captivity) to the land that I gave for an inheritance unto your fathers. (19) But I said, How I will put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! and I said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me. (20) Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah. (21) A voice is heard upon the bare heights, the weeping [and] the supplications of the children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten Jehovah their God. (22) Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we are come unto thee; for thou art Jehovah our God.  B.A.'s dream: I dreamed that I was in Jerusalem (Zion) and I was watching as Titus and his army (of the Roman Beast of that day) were tearing down the temple with battering rams and large ropes. I listened as Titus gave orders to his army: “Tear these walls down! I don't want one stone left standing upon another!” (Luk.19:41) And when he (Jesus) drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, (42) saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. (43) For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, (44) and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.  Titus said, “This temple is a mockery and must be destroyed!” (Jer.6:15) Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith Jehovah. (16) Thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls: but they said, We will not walk therein. (Jer.14:15) Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land: By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. (Mic.1:6) Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, and as places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof.  My thoughts: (Act.17:24) The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. (Jer.7:3) Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. (4) Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah (which had become corrupt), the temple of Jehovah, are these. (5) For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor; (6) if ye oppress not the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt: (7) then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, from of old even for evermore. (8) Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. (9) Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods that ye have not known, (10) and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered; that ye may do all these abominations? (The Temple of the Lord had become corrupt.)  (11) Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, saith Jehovah. (12) But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. (13) And now, because ye have done all these works, saith Jehovah, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not: (14) therefore will I do unto the house which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. (15) And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. (16) Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear thee. (17) Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? B.A.: Titus had such a stern (determined) look on his face, like he was being driven to destroy this useless temple (made by man's hands, the hands or works of the flesh) and I found myself agreeing with him. I began shouting, “Yes, tear these walls down! This isn't the house of God! Jesus isn't in this place! This place is just a den of thieves! (Mat.21:12) And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of he money-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves; (13) and he saith unto them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer: but ye make it a den of robbers. (Is it not so today? Look how the leaders live after the lusts of their flesh. This did not Jesus and His disciples do.) Soon it was over and all those useless stones (apostates and their leaders who had been robbing God's people) were torn down, and they littered the ground. This reminded me of the “Third Vision” in The Shepherd of Hermas: “Concerning the Building of the Triumphant Church, and the Various Classes of Reprobate Men”:  And then she again took hold of me by the hand, and raised me, and made me sit on the seat to the left; and lifting up a splendid rod, she said to me, “Do you see something great?” And I say, “Lady, I see nothing”. She said to me, “Lo! do you not see opposite to you a great tower, built upon the waters, of splendid square stones?” For the tower was built square by those six young men who had come with her. But myriads of men were carrying stones to it (We are the living stones of the true house of God.), some dragging them from the depths, others removing them from the land, and they handed them to these six young men. They were taking them and building; and those of the stones that were dragged out of the depths, they placed in the building just as they were: for they were polished and fitted exactly into the other stones, and became so united one with the another that the lines of juncture could not be perceived. And in this way, the building of the tower looked as if it were made out of one stone. (Representing those who have been baptized in the water of the Word unto death to self.) Those stones, however, which were taken from the earth suffered a different fate; for the young men rejected some of them, some they fitted into the building, and some they cut down, and cast far away from the tower. (reprobated) Many other stones, however, lay around the tower, and the young men did not use them in building; for some of them were rough, others had cracks in them, others had been made too short, and others were white and round (too much flesh or wealth), but did not fit into the building of the tower. Moreover, I saw other stones thrown far away from the tower, and falling into the public road; yet they did not remain on the road, but were rolled into a pathless place. And I saw others falling into the fire and burning, others falling close to the water, and yet not capable of being rolled into the water, though they wished to be rolled down and to enter the water. (Those needing God's will in them to love the Word) The old unregenerate temple must die and be born again. (Zec.6:12) and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build the temple of Jehovah (Jesus in the Man-child ministry of Revelation 12 as spiritual sons of David); (13) even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (14) And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of Jehovah. (15) And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of Jehovah; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto you. (Jesus is coming as the epiphany (or shining forth from) in His new leadership.) And [this] shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of Jehovah your God. Our spiritual forefathers came to heavenly Jerusalem when they walked in the steps of Jesus in truth and righteousness, but the fleshly church was driven from the land by the beastly flesh shortly thereafter. The restoration is beginning again. (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto [a mount] that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, (19) and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which [voice] they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them; (20) for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; (21) and so fearful was the appearance, [that] Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels. B.A.: I was so happy, as I knew that this temple (apostate leadership) would no longer be able to inflict anymore pain on God's people. (Eze.14:4) Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I Jehovah will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols; (5) that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. (6) Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. (7) For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Jehovah will answer him by myself:  (8) and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. (9) And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, Jehovah, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. (10) And they shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him that seeketh unto him; (11) that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord Jehovah. For the past several days, I've been hearing in the Spirit, “Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord”. (Jas.4:10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.    Temple of Crucified Saints  B. A. - 03/21/2014 (David's notes in red) I had a little dream this morning. I had a similar dream several years ago, but I was not with any group of people. When I first had this dream, I was confused because I did not have the understanding that I do now. It wasn't until a few years later that the Lord revealed the meaning to me, and now I had the dream again.  This time, I dreamed I was standing in the midst of a special group of people (Man-child/Bride corporate body) and we were all dressed like they were back in the days of our Lord, Jesus. (Job.29:14) I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem. (Rom.13:14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Gal.5:16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Col.3:12) Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; (13) forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: (14) and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. I watched as people came up to our little group, one at a time. As each individual approached our group, they went up to the elder (Jesus) who was standing at the front of the group, and they showed the elder their hands and their feet. I watched as the elder took hold of their hands and looked for the “nail holes” in their hands, and then he looked down at their feet to see if they also had nail holes in their feet as well; there had to be a “total crucifixion” (of self), or they could not join our group. (Rom.5:6) For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. (Rom.14:7) For none of us liveth to himself, and none dieth to himself. (1Co.6:17) But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (2Co.5:14) For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; (Gal.1:4) who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father: (5) to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. I watched as one person was turned away, and I prayed for him, as he was very sad because he had not been accepted. Suddenly, I heard the elder (Jesus) shout, “Saints, we are now ready (or qualified)! Let's go restore the temple of God! (Those crucified with Christ are ready to be the stones of the foundation of the temple of God. Cyrus, whom the Lord called His anointed shepherd or Messiah shepherd, as a type of Jesus in Isaiah 44:26 - 45:1, is prophesied to build Jerusalem, the Bride, and lay the foundation of the temple. Cyrus/Jesus set the first-fruits of Judah/Benjamin free from Babylonian captivity, as a type of crucifixion, to go and do this.)  B.A,:(Ezr.1:1) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, (2) Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (3) Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem (the Bride). (4) And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill-offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. (5) Then rose up the heads of fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem. (6) And all they that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered. (7) Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of Jehovah (The holy people of God), which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods; (8) even those did Cyrus king of Persia (A type of Trump) bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. (These are the days of Cyrus(9) And this is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, a thousand platters of silver, nine and twenty knives, (10) thirty bowls of gold, silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. (11) All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar (The Man-child) bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. (Ezra means “help or court”, and I thought it was interesting that Ezra chapter 1 ends with verse 11, (1:11) or “111” and many of us are seeing 111 almost daily.) (111 is the Gematria for the birth of Jesus in the New Testament and type of the end-time Man-child body. For years, I would ask for a word for myself through random faith and often was given the same verse many times until I quit counting: (Ezr.6:5) And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to its place; and thou shalt put them in the house of God. At other times, I received: (5:15) and he said unto him, Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in its place. These gold and silver vessels are the first-fruits people of God who build and are the foundation of the temple.) Another text we have received concerning this is in Haggai. In chapter 1, the people were exhorted to stop building their own houses and build God's house, and they obeyed, for which God rebuked the devourer and blessed them mightily in chapter 2. Also in chapter 2, He compared their coming out of captivity to build God's house, like when their fathers came out of Egypt to build the tabernacle in the wilderness. Of these two times, He spoke of a great shaking of Heaven and Earth, which is a type for us today who are about to build Father's temple made without hands. A great shaking is now coming.  (Hag.2:3) Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes as nothing? (4) Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel (meaning “born from Babylon”; a type of the Man-child), saith Jehovah; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest (a type of Jesus with the Man-child); and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith Jehovah, and work: for I am with you, saith Jehovah of hosts, (5) [according to] the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and my Spirit abode among you: fear ye not. (6) For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;  (7) and I will shake all nations; and the precious things (Hebrew: “desire”; i.e., Jesus in the Man-child) of all nations (of God's people) shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith Jehovah of hosts. We can see that the great shaking will begin with the laying of the foundation of God's temple with those who are crucified with Christ. (8) The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith Jehovah of hosts. The silver and gold of God's people have become His at this time. Also, gold and silver were given to Israel as they were leaving Egypt, as it will be today, to build the temple of God, His people. (9) The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith Jehovah of hosts. The first house was letter and physical; the last house is spirit, made without man's works. B.A.: Then, at the end of this dream, I saw the “Spirit” of Jesus. Three years ago, I had this very same vision. But I was a young believer at the time and I didn't have the revelation of what the vision was about until much later, as I grew in the Lord. Vision: I saw the Spirit of Jesus. He was very tall and light was illuminating out of His Spirit all around Him. I watched as little particles (which later were revealed to me to be DNA cells) were coming from every direction and attaching themselves to His Spirit. I got the revelation that as each one of us is crucified with Jesus Christ and dies to self, we are part of His body, and we go back to Him because we came from Him (Because our born-again man is created by His Word, which is His DNA.). Come, Lord Jesus, come! I asked the Father for a verse for the dream, and He gave me (Act.3:21) whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old. (When we are restored, it is Jesus manifested in us in spirit and soul. He said, He was coming as the Latter Rain outpouring after two days or two thousand years on the morning of the third day. Hos 6:1  Come, and let us return unto Jehovah; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2  After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. 3  And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. Jesus the Man-child type was the first to receive the Former Rain and Jesus coming in the Man-child body is coming as the Latter Rain.)   Man-child Will Purify God's House C. P. 02/25/21 (David's notes in red) In this dream, I was in our house with my husband and David Eells (Representing the first fruits David Man-Child reformers) was there too. He had white hair down to his shoulders and looked more like Moses than himself. He was wearing an ancient sort of clothing. (David's hair represents the increasing glory – 30, 60 and 100 fold; (Mar.4:20) And those are they that were sown upon the good ground; such as hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.) He covered his white hair with a little black/dark hat.) (Moses' face shown with the glory of God so bright that he had to veil that glory when He went before the people. But he took the veil off when he went before God in order to receive more of His glory.  The reason the David Man-child reformers look like Moses is this: (Act.3:22-23) Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me; to him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. (23) And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. You would probably say, but Jesus fulfilled that and I would say you're correct. But Jesus said He was coming a second time as a Man-child born to a woman and this is in Revelation 12. We read in (Joh.16:21-22) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. Jesus first came in a body of the Son of David, and so He will be now in a corporate body of spiritual Davids, the man-child, by His Word and Spirit. History always repeats with larger groups of people. In a vision I have shared parts of, I saw the Man-child body of 144,000 at the throne of God to be anointed.) C.P.: David was walking through our house, making sure everything was white – furniture, walls, etc. He had a paintbrush in his hand. (This is pointing to another dual fulfilled prophecy with Jesus starring in this, too. (Mal.3:1-3) Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts. (2) But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: (3) and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness. Representing the white House of God with Jesus as the head.) C.P.: Some other people – perhaps younger women- were walking behind him, asking him, “Why are you doing this?” (The more immature women in Song of Solomon did not understand the Brides radical running after the Groom.) He replied, “It's got to get done”. I said to him, “David, everything is already white. We've already painted it. The exterior of the house is old, but it, too, is white”. David replied, “Yes, but we must get rid of the cracks”. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. When the Man-child is anointed, Jesus will complete the work in us. Also, when David became king, he destroyed the Edomites who factioned or separated people against their own brethren. The factious represent the cracks that separate God's people.)  C.P.: David then went into the dining room and gave our already white dining table another coat of paint. He repainted our already white chairs white again and even painted the chrome-colored chair legs white. (The dining room is where the unleavened bread, the spiritual food of the Word, is served. (1Co.13:9-12) For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; (10) but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. (11) When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. (12) For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.) C.P.: Then David looked at the only wooden unpainted piece of furniture – a side buffet table, and with his paintbrush, he painted it white. Someone asked him, “Why does this also need to be painted? It's never used”. He replied, “I can't wait for someone else to do it. I must do it now”. (Everything that displays the unleavened bread of the Word must be purified. The Man-child will be first in our day with the pure Word by Father's grace. Jesus said in (Joh.9:4-5) We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. (5) When I am in the world, I am the light of the world.) C.P.: (Psa.51:7-13) Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (8) Make me to hear joy and gladness, That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. (9) Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities. (10) Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. (11) Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy Holy Spirit from me. (12) Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with a willing spirit. (13) Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee. David was working the whole time feverishly, his body so energetic, his steps were energetic and fast paced, his hands were nimble and quick. But he was calm and spoke quietly. He was smiling and was at ease doing this job. (It is Jesus in the Man-child Who will do the Work. (Mat.12:18-21) Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles. (19) He shall not strive, nor cry aloud; Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets. (20) A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax shall he not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory. (21) And in his name shall the Gentiles hope. (Mat.10:19-20) ...be not anxious how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak. (20) For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.) C.P.: Then he said, “Come, we need to sit under the table and pray for protection”. So my husband, David, and I, and these other young women whom I did not know, sat under the table, as if we were preparing for an earthquake. (Great earthquakes, spiritual and physical, are coming and many will die. The Man-child Jesus was resurrected with a great earthquake. Being under the authority of the food of God's Word on the table will bring growth and protection. (Psa.27:5) For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion: In the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me; He will lift me up upon a rock. (Psa.91:1) He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (2) I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust. (3) For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the deadly pestilence. … (7) A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee. … (10) There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. … (14) Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. (15) He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, And show him my salvation.) C.P.: My husband took his phone out and showed me how the screen was now completely white. (We are not to look upon evil, deception, or impurity for the eye is a gateway to the soul.) There was a simple definition in black newspaper font typed on the screen: Christian (n): They will be destroyed because they worshipped another Messiah (a False Jesus and Word). (The flesh wants only a flesh-pleasing Jesus, and religion is the same, but we are not to look on such deception, but only God's pure Word. There will be no protection for those who depart from the pure Word and its promises. (Isa.8:20) To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. (Rev.22:18-20) I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: (19) and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. (20) He who testifieth these things saith, Yea: I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord Jesus.) C.P.: I woke up and received the following by faith at random, and my finger landed on “watch out” and “Life does not consist” in Luke 12:15 (NIV). Here is the ASV version: (Luk.12:15) And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. (This is a very important warning for the true people of God at this point in time for great prosperity will come to test you. Please read this carefully: (1Ti.6:5-10) wranglings of men corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, supposing that godliness is a way of gain. (6) But godliness with contentment is great gain: (7) for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; (8) but having food and covering we shall be therewith content. (9) But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. (10) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.)  Filling in the cracks in this dream to perfect the house and purify it reminds us of this revelation of Hermas.    The Shepherd of Hermas: Vision of the Tower Chapters 5-7 “The building of the tower will be finished, and all will rejoice together around the tower, and they will glorify God, because the tower is finished.” I asked her, saying, “Lady, I should like to know what became of the stones, and what was meant by the various kinds of stones?” In reply she said to me, “Not because you are more deserving than all others that this revelation should be made to you … Tell them that all these things are true, and that none of them is beyond the truth. All of them are firm and sure, and established on a strong foundation.” “Hear now, with regard to the stones which are in the building. Those square white stones which fitted exactly into each other, are apostles, bishops, teachers, and deacons, who have lived in godly purity, and have acted as bishops and teachers and deacons chastely and reverently to the elect of God. Some of them have fallen asleep, and some still remain alive. And they have always agreed with each other, and been at peace among themselves, and listened to each other. On account of this, they join exactly into the building of the tower.” “But who are the stones that were dragged from the depths, and which were laid into the building and fitted in with the rest of the stones previously placed in the tower?” “They are those who suffered for the Lord's sake.” “But I wish to know, O Lady, who are the other stones which were carried from the land.” “Those,” she said, “which go into the building without being polished, are those whom God has approved of, for they walked in the straight ways of the Lord and practiced His commandments.” “But who are those who are in the act of being brought and placed in the building?” “They are those who are young in faith and are faithful. But they are admonished by the angels to do good, for no iniquity has been found in them.” “Who then are those whom they rejected and cast away?” “These are they who have sinned, and wish to repent. On this account they have not been thrown far from the tower, because they will yet be useful in the building, if they repent. Those then who are to repent, if they do repent, will be strong in faith, if they now repent while the tower is building. For if the building be finished, there will not be more room for anyone, but he will be rejected. This privilege, however, will belong only to him who has now been placed near the tower.” “As to those who were cut down and thrown far away from the tower, do you wish to know who they are? They are the sons of iniquity, and they believed in hypocrisy, and wickedness did not depart from them. For this reason they are not saved, since they cannot be used in the building on account of their iniquities. Wherefore they have been cut off and cast far away on account of the anger of the Lord, for they have roused Him to anger. But I shall explain to you the other stones which you saw lying in great numbers, and not going into the building. Those which are rough are those who have known the truth and not remained in it, nor have they been joined to the saints. On this account are they unfit for use.” “Who are those that have rents?” “These are they who are at discord in their hearts one with another, and are not at peace amongst themselves: they indeed keep peace before each other, but when they separate one from the other, their wicked thoughts remain in their hearts. These, then, are the rents which are in the stones. But those which are shortened are those who have indeed believed and have the larger share of righteousness; yet they have also a considerable share of iniquity, and therefore they are shortened and not whole.” “But who are these, Lady, that are white and round, and yet do not fit into the building of the tower?” She answered and said, “How long will you be foolish and stupid, and continue to put every kind of question and understand nothing? These are those who have faith indeed, but they have also the riches of this world. When, therefore, tribulation comes on account of their riches and business, they deny the Lord.” I answered and said to her, “When then, will they be useful for the building, Lady?” “When the riches that now seduce them have been circumscribed, then will they be of use to God. For as a round stone cannot become square unless portions be cut off and cast away, so also those who are rich in this world cannot be useful to the Lord unless their riches be cut down. Learn this first from your own case. When you were rich, you were useless; but now you are useful and fit for life. Be ye useful to God; for you also will be used as one of these stones.” “Now the other stones which you saw cast far away from the tower, and falling upon the public road and rolling from it into pathless places, are those who have indeed believed, but through doubt have abandoned the true road. Thinking, then, that they could find a better, they wander and become wretched, and enter upon pathless places. But those which fell into the fire and were burned are those who have departed for ever from the living God; nor does the thought of repentance ever come into their hearts, on account of their devotion to their lusts and to the crimes which they committed. Do you wish to know who are the others which fell near the waters, but could not be rolled into them? These are they who have heard the word and wish to be baptized in the name of the Lord; but when the chastity demanded by the truth comes into their recollection, they draw back and again walk after their own wicked desires.” She finished her exposition of the tower. But I, shameless as I yet was, asked her, “Is repentance possible for all those stones which have been cast away and did not fit into the building of the tower, and will they yet have a place in this tower?” “Repentance,” said she, “is yet possible, but in this tower they cannot find a suitable place.” (In other words, they will not be among the first-fruits but will have to be crucified of their sinful nature.) “But in another and much inferior place they will be laid, and that, too, only when they have been tortured and completed the days of their sins. And on this account will they be transferred, because they have partaken of the righteous Word. And then only will they be removed from their punishments when the thought of repenting of the evil deeds which they have done has come into their hearts. But if it does not come into their hearts, they will not be saved, on account of the hardness of their heart.”    House of Idle = Idols Sandy Shaw - 08/29/2011 (David's notes in red) Sandy Shaw called me on 3/14/21 and said the Lord told her that this dream is to be shared for the time we are in now. On 3/13/21, Sandy said, “I woke up at 3:33 am and was having trouble going back to sleep, so I started praying and was able to go back to sleep. I then dreamed I was sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree on a really sunny day.  I was looking across a field when, all of a sudden, I felt the presence of God behind and around me. I was terrified to turn around and look. He placed His hand on my right shoulder and said, “Sandra, remember your Idle/Idol dream? That's for now! Share it.” When I woke up, the clock said 5:55 am. (God will give grace to overcome) So here is the dream below that the Lord was saying is for NOW:  In a dream, I was standing in front of a house with Spanish-style stucco. (This represents the house of apostate Christianity. Jesus warned us that the house that was built on sand would not survive the storm of life, and the three little pigs warned us that houses of inferior material wouldn't stand up to the big bad wolf. He warned that the house built on obedience to the Word will stand. The stucco in this house is like untempered mortar. (Eze.13:8-11) Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord Jehovah. (9) And my hand shall be against the prophets that see false visions, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the council of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah. (10) Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there is no peace; and when one buildeth up a wall, behold, they daub it with untempered mortar: (11) say unto them that daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. … (14) So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. (Eze.22:28) And her prophets have daubed for them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, when Jehovah hath not spoken.) There was a patio to get to the front door of this house. I saw people on the patio talking on cell phones and playing games on the Internet. Girls were talking to their boyfriends, making idle chit-chat, etc. I noticed a man standing next to me and I didn't know who he was until he spoke and asked, “How does this edify Me?” Realizing that it was Jesus talking, I said, “Lord, forgive us; we don't realize”. (The house or tabernacle being covered with Spanish-style stucco represents our old nature that is foreign to the Lord and the self-delusion that is contrary to righteousness in serving a false Jesus of our own making. (Eze.22:24-30) Son of man, say unto her, Thou art a land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. (25) There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey: they have devoured souls; they take treasure and precious things; they have made her widows many in the midst thereof. (26) Her priests have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths (ceasing from our own works), and I am profaned among them. (27) Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain. (28) And her prophets have daubed for them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, when Jehovah hath not spoken. (29) The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yea, they have vexed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the sojourner wrongfully. (30) And I sought for a man among them, that should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.) We walked across the patio and through the front door into the house. To the left was an area full of people watching TVs. All different types of TVs: old consoles, new flat screens, etc. -- all sizes. I saw old TV programs: Father Knows Best, The Patty Duke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and an old game show. (Oh, how things have changed!)  I heard “Queen for a Day”. There were soap operas on. The Lord asked, “How does this edify Me?” I said, “I'm sorry, Lord”. (Rev.18:2-8) ...Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird. (3) For by the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations are fallen; and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness. (4) And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: (5) for her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. (6) Render unto her even as she rendered, and double unto her the double according to her works: in the cup which she mingled, mingle unto her double. (7) How much soever she glorified herself, and waxed wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall in no wise see mourning. (8) Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her.) To the right side of the room was an area full of computers: new, old, big, small, fancy, iPads, etc. Children were doing homework on Facebook and MySpace — social chat sites. People were playing games and doing work. I got closer to their faces and saw their eyes were big and round like silver dollars, staring at the screen. A big clock is seen with its hands spinning quickly, as if to say, 24-7, this is going on. The Lord asked, “How does this edify Me?” I said, “Lord, forgive me, for I myself am guilty of this”. (These things happening on the right represent God's people justifying themselves and compromising. Saying, “It's okay to spend extra time on these devices because they aren't TVs and we must do our work on them as well. So the line in our conscience gets blurred. This can also represent justification by our own works and essentially is like worshipping a false Jesus that allows compromise contrary to His Word. (2Co.1:2-4) For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. (3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. (4) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him.) Standing in the middle of that room, I looked up and saw there were different levels to the house where the activity got worse, physically and spiritually. I saw and heard people speaking filthily. I didn't see it, but knew that it was pornography, and scary movie sounds were also in the background. People were cursing and saying all kinds of bad things. People were laughing at it when it was not funny. The Lord asked, “How does that edify Me?” (The different levels of the tabernacle represent people's spirit, soul and body. If these activities are occurring in the spirit and soul, they bring a curse on the bodies of these people and death. Spiritual death is reprobation, and it becomes impossible for them to be renewed again unto repentance. Their consciences are seared. They have become reprobated.  (Heb.6:4-8) For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, (5) and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, (6) and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (7) For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God: (8) but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned.)  We went into another room on the left, and I heard different conversations. One person was trying to tell another something, and he said, “I know”, not letting the other finish because he already knew. (Pro.18:13) He that giveth answer before he heareth, It is folly and shame unto him.) In the same crowd, educated people were having conversations with others, but the educated person never heard anything anyone else said because they were puffed up and boasting that they had a degree in this or a doctorate in that. They knew it all and yet knew nothing. The Lord asked, “How does this edify Me?” (1Ti.6:3-5) If any man teacheth a different doctrine, and consenteth not to sound words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; (4) he is puffed up, knowing nothing, but doting about questionings and disputes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, (5) wranglings of men corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth… (2Ti.3:1-9) But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, (4) traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; (5) holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. From these also turn away. (6) For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, (7) ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (8) And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth. Men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith. (9) But they shall proceed no further. For their folly shall be evident unto all men…)  To the right in that room were people bickering over trivial matters. One conversation that stands out is, “Who took my Kool-Aid?” I looked around and realized that all these people were carrying Bibles, and I realized they were all 'Christians'. The whole house was full of people professing to be Christians. The Lord asked, “How does this edify Me?” I said, “Lord, forgive us”. (Many worldly people associate 'religious fanatics' and cult members with Jim Jones. And they say things to Christians like, “Don't drink the Kool-Aid!” In other words, don't fall for the deceptions and traps of religion. James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, preacher, and self-professed faith healer. He launched The Peoples Temple in Indiana during the 1950s. Jones and his inner circle orchestrated a mass murder-suicide of himself and his followers in his jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Jones ordered and likely coerced the mass suicide and mass murder of 918 commune members, 304 of them children, almost all by cyanide-poisoned Flavor Aid (or Kool-Aid). (1Pe.5:8) Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;) We went into another room and stood in the doorway. Small children were running around the room, jumping on chairs, sofas, pulling down curtains, and being very mischievous. Their parents were in the middle of the room, oblivious to what the children were doing -- “running wild”. They were so self-absorbed in what they were doing and their own desires that they were blind to what their children were doing. The Lord asked, “How does this edify Me?” I said, “Lord, I'm sorry”. (Many of God's people are not self-disciplined to stay in God's Word; therefore, the fruit that they bring forth is disorderly confusion and does not effectively edify the Body of Christ. (Isa.26:3) Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee…) We went into another room and saw people holding their Bibles. They tried to step forward, saying, “Yes, the Lord has told me to do this”. But before they stepped forward, they stepped right back and said, “No, no, He didn't tell me”. I saw people holding their Bibles open, saying, “The Lord has shown me this”, and then saying, “No, no, He didn't show me anything”. Then I saw people holding phones, saying, “The Lord told me to say this”, and then, “No, no, never mind; He didn't say anything”. They were never sure of anything they did and were procrastinating in the name of the Lord. The Lord asked, “How does this edify Me?” (Jas.1:5-8) But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6) But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; (8) a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.) We then went through sliding glass doors and saw a man sitting in a chair covering his face with his hands. He was being attacked by Christians who were standing around him and yelling, “How do you know that you know the Lord?” “Why did He tell you that and not me?” “Why do you think you are so privileged that you know and hear the Lord?” “Do you think you are somebody?” “You don't know your Word”. “You don't know God”. “Who do you think you are?” “How do you know you are not hearing demons?” The Lord asked, “How does this edify Me?”  (Gal.5:13-21) For ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another. (14) For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (15) But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. (16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. (18) But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, (21) envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.) I felt such conviction during this dream for not praying, fasting or reading my Word. (These are actions which would warn us away from dangers to come.) I have been guilty of letting my time be idle = idol. A few days later, on 9/04/11, (911) I received Ephesians 5 as a reminder. Briefly this chapter is about:   (Eph.5:1-2) Exhortation to brotherly love. (Eph.5:3-14) Cautions against several sins. (Eph.5:15-21) Directions to a contrary behavior, and to relative duties. (Eph.5:22-33) The duties of wives and husbands are enforced by the spiritual relation between Christ and the church.

You Must Be Born Again (Sermon Series on John) - Sunday, 8th March 2026[Episode 12 - John Chapter 3 KJV]1. We are introduced to Nicodemus and his perception of Jesus.John 3:1-2 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.2. You must be born again.John 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.3. What do you mean?John 3:4  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?4. It's not a reformation it's a total transformation.John 3:5-8  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.5. My poor mind is blown.John 3:9  Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?6 It's all by faith Nicodemus.John 3:10-15  Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

2026-03-08 Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath by Pastor Chris BergScripture: Mark 2:23 - 3:623 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.Mandeville Bible Church   "Where God's Word is Our Foundation"https://www.mandevillebiblechurch.org/Come and see that God's Word is alive and at work right here in Mandeville.. and throughout the world!All are welcome. 217 Carroll Street, Mandeville, LA 70448Office Phone: (985) 626-3114Sunday Service: 9:30AMAdult Sunday School: 10:45-11:30AMNursery and Children's church available.

It's easy to look the part. A crisp white shirt. The right words in church. The right image for others to see. But what if the outside looks clean while the inside tells a different story? In this episode, we begin with a simple story about a boy named Ethan, a muddy white shirt, and a lesson from his grandfather about what it really means to be clean. From there, we dive into one of the strongest warnings Jesus gives in Gospel of Matthew 23:23–28, where He confronts the hypocrisy of the Pharisees—religious leaders who focused on outward appearance while neglecting the deeper matters of the heart. Through vivid examples—from roadside assumptions to sparkling cups that are filthy inside—we explore a challenging question: Are we more concerned with looking righteous than actually being transformed? Jesus warns about “whitewashed tombs”—beautiful on the outside but full of decay within. His message isn't just for ancient religious leaders; it's for us today. In a world obsessed with image, reputation, and outward behavior, Jesus calls us to something deeper: true heart transformation. In this message, we explore: Why outward religion without inner transformation is dangerous The difference between behavior modification and heart change How hypocrisy can harm both believers and those seeking faith Why justice, mercy, and faithfulness matter more than religious performance The hope found in repentance and allowing Christ to cleanse us from the inside out This episode closes with three powerful questions that challenge each of us to examine our hearts honestly. Because in the end, God isn't looking for polished appearances—He's looking for transformed lives.

Jesus spoke about 3 different influences on the mind (the leaven of Herod, the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of the kingdom). One is an atheistic influence, one is a religious influence and the other one is a kingdom influence. Just as leaven permeates the whole loaf, so these influences permeate our thinking. This is a message on understanding these influences so that one can cultivate a kingdom mentality.  

March 8, 2026 John 4:1-26; 39-42 (ESV) 1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

In Luke 19:28–40, Jesus demonstrates through His triumphal entry that His rightful kingship calls His followers to recognize Him, proclaim His glory, and respond with faithful obedience. I. The King Orchestrates His Own Entrance (vv.28–35) A. Jesus draws near to Jerusalem. (vv. 28–29) B. Jesus instructs his disciples. (vv. 30–31) C. Jesus's disciples obey. (vv. 32–35) II. The King Receives Messianic Praise (vv.36–38) A. The road is prepared before Him. (v. 36) B. The multitude rejoices loudly. (v. 37) C. The King is publicly proclaimed. (v. 38) III. The King Confronts Religious Resistance (vv.39–40) A. The Pharisees demand silence. (v. 39) B. The King declares His praise inevitable. (v. 40)

Are you good enough? Do you follow all the rules you feel will make you spiritual enough, holy enough, and Christian enough? To start the new Easter series, Pastor Angela looks at Jesus's teaching in Mark 2 and unpacks how the Pharisees of Jesus's time believed that they were holy because they followed the rules - and the rules about the rules - better than anyone else. But Jesus taught that we are incapable of meeting God's standards on our own, and that it is only by receiving Jesus's loving sacrifice that we can be righteous. We must stop performing, stop judging ourselves according to human standards, and instead draw closer to our saviour to be able to co-labour with him in this kingdom-building exercise.   Speaker: Angela Mason Publication: March 8, 2026

Gospel Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So to them Jesus addressed this parable. "A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."' So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his father ordered his servants, 'Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, 'Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.' He said to him, 'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'" Reflection I like focusing on the unhappy brother. Because he's so like the righteousness of so many of the people that Jesus was trying to reach. If you do what you're told, that's all that's required. But Jesus is coming into the world not for those people, but more for the sinner, for the younger son, for the one who sought life and wanted it more than anything else but made all the mistakes. And that's what we need to take to heart about this passage. God favors those who long to live and find life, and you can't do that without making mistakes. Let us never fear that our sins are the obstacle. We need to have passion, enthusiasm for life. We need to seek it and we make mistakes, and when we make mistakes, then we simply recognize that we are always forgiven.] Closing Prayer Father, your love is consistent. You are our father. You're the father of those of us who sin. You're the father of those of us who follow the rules rigorously. Let us be the same. Let us embrace all those who seek to please you and not judge them. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send a textHeart Posture Mini Series, Ep 2You can do all the right things… and still have a heart that is far from God.In Episode 2 of The Heart Posture Series, Chelsey walks through powerful biblical examples that reveal why behavior alone doesn't impress God—and why heart posture matters far more than outward actions.From the poor widow's offering to the rich young ruler, Ananias and Sapphira, and Jesus' warnings to the Pharisees, this episode exposes the difference between religious performance and true surrender.If you've ever wondered why doing “all the right things” still isn't producing peace or transformation in your marriage, this conversation will challenge you to look deeper.God is not looking for perfect behavior.He is looking for a surrendered heart.In this episode you'll learn:Why God rejects outward obedience when the heart is wrongThe difference between sacrifice and surrenderHow religious performance sneaks into marriageWhy behavior modification cannot produce true transformationThe heart posture that invites God to work in your life and marriage Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I help Christian wives surrender fully, live Spirit-led, and be set apart according to God's design in marriage, motherhood, and life."Ready for a next step? If this episode stirred something deeper and you're ready to move from insight into surrender, I created a short guided experience called From Awareness to Surrender. This mini course includes three short teachings, a guided exercise, and a prayer recorded over you to help you stop cycling and start responding differently—rooted in surrender, not striving.

Read Online“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. Luke 15:11–13Why did the father in this parable give his wayward son his inheritance? Very few parents would do such a thing. Essentially, the son treated his father as if he were dead. He showed no interest in remaining part of the family, nor did he care about his father's potential need for him in old age. The son's only desire was to take the money, leave for a distant land, and live a sinful life, severing his relationship with his father. So why did the father agree to the son's premature demand for his inheritance?The father's extreme generosity represents God's deep respect for our free will. This parable was addressed to the scribes and Pharisees, who constantly sought to manipulate and intimidate God's people into submission. But God doesn't work that way. He allows us the freedom to sin because, without that freedom, we would be unable to love Him authentically.The symbolism in this parable is clear: the son represents all who reject God, treat Him as though He were dead, abuse the natural and worldly gifts they've been given, and stray deeply into sin—symbolized by the “distant country.” When God's children reject Him and use their free will to sin, He permits them to experience the consequences of their choices. They soon discover that a life of sin away from Him quickly turns chaotic. While sin might provide temporary satisfaction, it inevitably leads to spiritual hunger and destitution.It was the responsibility of the religious leaders to treat God's people with the same respect that the father in this story showed his son. This remains the responsibility of every parent, Church leader, and person in authority today. First and foremost, we must respect the free will of others. Authentic conversion and worship cannot come from intimidation or manipulation. Yet, the scribes and Pharisees, through their self-righteousness and condescension, interfered with this essential quality of faith and worship.Even worse was their attitude toward those who had gone astray. They were indignant that Jesus welcomed tax collectors and sinners. But that was precisely why He came—to invite sinners to repentance. And repent they did. The scribes and Pharisees, however, were too self-absorbed to even consider extending forgiveness to those they deemed unworthy.When someone you love sins against you, how do you respond? Do you allow the one you love the freedom to make choices, continuing to love that person even in his or her rejection of you? The scribes and Pharisees couldn't stomach such mercy. But to God, it is a profound act of respect for human freedom, allowing each person to experience the consequences of his or her decisions. And when a sinner begins to suffer those consequences, do you think to yourself, “I told you so”? Or does your heart fill with compassion, making it easy for the sinner to return to God and to you?Reflect today on your attitude toward sinners. We are all sinners, and none of us has the right to judge, intimidate, or condemn others. Mercy—abundant mercy—is essential if we are to become like the father of the prodigal son. Only mercy that fully respects others, longs for their conversion, and forgives even before being asked can effectively change hearts. Contemplate the heart of our loving Father in Heaven and strive to imitate His holy virtues. Most merciful God, You have given me the freedom to love You or reject You, to obey Your perfect Law or follow my own will. When I sin, help me endure the consequences, so that in my humiliation, I may recall Your abundant mercy and turn back to You with all my heart. Grant me, too, a heart like Yours for every sinner, that I may be a beacon of Your care for them. Jesus, I trust in You.Image via Adobe StockSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Today’s Topics: Joshua Charles joins Terry for Friday with the Fathers 1) Gospel – Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 – Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that He was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded Him as a prophet. 2, 3, 4) Terry and Joshua discuss today’s Gospel and a sermon of Saint Leo the Great    

Gospel Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times." Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet. Reflection I wonder what the Pharisees felt when they'd hear words of Jesus condemning their life. Many of them must have felt somehow that they were guilty of what Jesus was saying. But when they're all together, when they're trying to protect what has been their way of life for so long, they are so resistant to hearing the truth. He reminds us that we have to be radically open to transformation and change if we're serious about following the Christ. We're to leave so many ways in which we've seen life to enter into the true work that God has called us to. Let us not be like the Pharisees. Let us be open to hearing exactly what Jesus is saying and knowing what needs to be changed in our life and not feeling responsible to be the one who changes it, but to allow him to do his work, to transform us into his son. Closing Prayer Father, when we see or feel that the words you speak are directly to us and we can know that we are not yet where we should be, help us always to be excited about the possibility of change and not wallow in shame or guilt that will get us nowhere. To admit, to see our darkness is essential. And until we do, we'll never be able to feel the healing power of your presence. And we ask this In Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we near the end of week 2 of Spring Training: Behold & Be Changed, Ben, Nate, and Andrew discuss John 9 together. They talk about what it means for Jesus to be the Light of the World, as well as the lessons we can learn from the Pharisees' pride. This episode will help equip you to answer the reflection questions and challenge from Week 2 of the Behold & Be Changed book.    You can download a digital copy of the Spring Training: Behold & Be Changed book by visiting firstdallas.org/springtraining.    We would love for you to partner with us to support the mission of First Baptist Dallas, which includes creating biblical resources like Spring Training: Behold & Be Changed, by giving online here: firstdallas.org/fbdgive.   Dr. Ben Lovvorn serves as the Senior Executive Pastor of First Baptist Dallas. Nate Curtis is our Associate Executive Pastor. Andrew Bobo is our Associate Executive Pastor, Practical Theology. 

Send a textHeart Posture Mini Series, Ep. 1You can do all the right things… and still have the wrong heart posture.In this first episode of The Heart Posture Series, Chelsey breaks down what heart posture actually means, why God cares about it so deeply, and how it affects everything from your obedience to your marriage.Through powerful biblical examples—including the Pharisee and the tax collector, King Saul's disobedience, and God's warning that He looks at the heart—you'll discover why behavior alone isn't enough.God is not impressed by outward performance.He is looking for a heart fully surrendered to Him.In this episode you'll learn:What “heart posture” actually meansWhy behavior without the right heart posture still leads to tensionHow pride, fear, and resentment quietly shape your obedienceThe difference between compliance and surrenderWhy heart posture is the starting point for transformation in marriageIf you want to experience real change in your marriage and your walk with God, it starts here. Support the showChelsey Holm | the Wife Coach "I help Christian wives surrender fully, live Spirit-led, and be set apart according to God's design in marriage, motherhood, and life."Ready for a next step? If this episode stirred something deeper and you're ready to move from insight into surrender, I created a short guided experience called From Awareness to Surrender. This mini course includes three short teachings, a guided exercise, and a prayer recorded over you to help you stop cycling and start responding differently—rooted in surrender, not striving.

Today’s Topics: 1) Gospel – Luke 16:19-31 – Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'” Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2, 3, 4) In Part 2, Al Smith joins Terry to continue discussing Bishop Sheen’s Reflections on the Passion of Christ

Gospel Luke 6:19-31 Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.' He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'" Reflection In the world of the Pharisees, they taught what is called the prosperity gospel. But back then it was just simply an understanding that the more that you follow the rules and regulations, the more perfectly you follow the law, the more you would be blessed by God. And the blessing of God was not to make you into a servant as Jesus explains it, but to make you prosperous, important. And all the things you longed for and needed physically, emotionally would be there for you. It was a misunderstanding completely of what it is that God is asking from us. He's not asking us to do what we're told and then be blessed. He's calling us to something so much more complex and beautiful. To be human beings who live in a world listening to our own needs and the needs of others, and longing for nothing more than to relieve the pain and suffering that they see there. The rich man had no interest in anyone who was suffering because they were considered unworthy. What a radical change. That Jesus had brought to the temple and what an important change that would actually save the world. Closing Prayer Father, one might say that you treated the Pharisees harshly and seem to condemn them, but we know basically inside of you there was a longing and a desire that every single one of them would be touched and transformed and move away from their shallow understanding of what God is really about to something richer and fuller. But as you condemn them, it's so clearly that what you were condemning were their ideas, their ways, not them individually. So bless us with understanding and patience with people who are not seeing the role that God has promised to inspire them and nurture them in. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC March 1, 2026. “Ignite the Light” series.  Text: John 3:1-17   Some seasons feel like one long night. Not the gentle kind with a crescent moon and a few bright stars. But the kind where you can't quite see what's coming next. Where the news feels relentless. Where the future feels uncertain. Where the questions get louder than the answers. Questions like: What kind of God creates a world with cancer and deadly storms? Why is there so much cruelty and violence? Why am I so lonely? How can I stop being so afraid? Where is God in all of this? Night has a way of stripping us of pretense. It quiets the noise. It makes us honest—honest about our questions, and honest about our need for Light. And it is there, in that kind of night, that we meet Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a learned man, a scholar of the Jewish faith, a respected religious leader, a man who knew his scripture and his tradition. And still, he comes to Jesus confused and curious, full of questions. That alone should ignite some light for us. Because somewhere along the way many people were taught that questions don't belong in church. That faith means certainty. That belief means signing on the dotted line of a doctrinal checklist. And yet here, in one of the most famous chapters in the Bible, we find a scholar and seeker stumbling through the dark saying: How can this be? Questions are not the opposite of faith. They are often the spark where faith begins. Nicodemus is not given answers. He is given invitation. Invitation to trust. Invitation to step toward Light. “The wind blows where it chooses…” You can feel it, even when you cannot control it. And that is what Jesus is offering Nicodemus—not certainty, but relationship. “For God so loved the world…” This verse from Gospel of John 3:16 has too often been reduced to a slogan—or worse, weaponized as a boundary marker of who is in and who is out. But listen carefully. It does not say: “God so loved the worthy.” It does not say: “God so loved the certain.” It does not say: “God so loved those who figured it all out.” It says: God so loved the world. The whole world. And the word translated “believe,” pisteuo, is not primarily about intellectual agreement. It is about trust. Relational trust. Entrusting yourself to another. There is a world of difference between believing a statement and believing in a person. To say “I believe in you” is not to claim you understand everything about a person. It is to say: I trust you. I will step toward you. Even, perhaps, I will follow your lead. That is the spark. Faith is not having all the answers. Faith is daring to trust the Light of God while still standing in the dark. You only need enough light to take the next step. Not a floodlight. Just a spark. Friends, we are not only people who talk about light. We are people who have seen it. We saw it when neighborhoods in Minneapolis organized to care for one another in the aftermath of unrest and uncertainty. When stores were vulnerable and systems strained, neighbors brought whatever gifts they had—organizing skills, grills, baked goods, bottled water, medical supplies. Some patrolled streets to protect small businesses and vulnerable neighbors—immigrant families, people of color, anyone who felt unsafe. Some accompanied elders to the grocery store and children to school. Some simply showed up and stood watch so others could worship or sleep in peace. No one person solved the darkness. But together, they became light. We have seen it in the quiet, steady witness of Buddhist monks walking for peace—a simple, embodied prayer moving through public streets. Their steps did not shout. They did not argue. They simply walked, reminding everyone watching that love does not have to be loud to be powerful. We have seen it in the long, luminous ministry of Jesse Jackson, who reminded a weary nation again and again: it gets dark sometimes, but morning always comes. He showed up in hospital rooms, on picket lines, in forgotten neighborhoods, listening to people's questions, dignifying their pain, calling them to embodied love. Hope, in his hands, was not naïve optimism. It was disciplined, stubborn carrying of the Light into the dark. These are not abstract ideas. They are sparks in real darkness. And here is the good news: the same Spirit that moved in Nicodemus' night, the same love that sent Jesus into the world, is moving still. Ignite the Light does not mean we deny the darkness. It means we refuse to surrender to it. Nicodemus does not leave Jesus with all his questions answered. But get this beautiful twist: his story doesn't end in chapter three. Near the end of John's Gospel, after Jesus has been crucified, Nicodemus appears again—this time in daylight—bringing spices to help prepare Jesus' body for burial. He moves from academic speculation to embodied love. From confusion to courageous tenderness. From questions to action. Not because all his questions were resolved. But because somewhere along the way, trust took root. The spark caught. That is what trust looks like. Not certainty—but movement. The spark becomes action. God does not wait for us to stop asking questions before God loves us. God meets us in the questions. God meets us in the dark. God meets us and keeps the spark of hope and faith and life burning in us. That is the gospel. And that is why we come to this Table. We do not come to Communion because we have resolved every theological tension. We come because we are hungry for light. We come because we need trust rekindled. We come because love has already moved toward us. “For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world…” No condemnation here. Only invitation. At this table, Christ does not hand us a doctrinal list with boxes to check. He hands us bread. And in that simple act, light passes from hand to hand. Maybe you feel strong today. Maybe you feel barely glowing. It doesn't matter. A spark is enough. Enough to check on a neighbor. Enough to show up. Enough to listen. Enough to bake bread or walk for peace or stand beside someone who is afraid. Enough to believe that morning will come as we keep working together for what is good. Nicodemus came at night. But he kept moving… all the way to the tomb. And if he was there at the tomb, then he was already on his way to resurrection morning. And the Spirit who moved him is moving us still. Because the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. So come to the table. Bring your questions. Bring your weariness. Bring your small, flickering hope. Receive the love of God who believes in you. And then go — and be a spark in someone else's dark.

Recorded on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Other scripture cited: Nehemiah 9:13-20; 1 John 1:8-10.Support the show

Send a textWhat if the person you least want to love is the very one you're called to pursue? We open with a raw confession about writing a hard name on a card and the Jonah-like urge to run the other way, then follow Jesus into Luke 15 where lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son reveal the pulse of heaven. The thread is relentless: God moves first, searches thoroughly, and throws a party when one heart turns home. That vision collides with our inner Pharisee and our older-brother logic, the part of us that wants fairness more than family and audits more than celebration.Together, we linger in the prodigal story's details—the pigsty hunger, the rehearsed apology, the father's sprint, the robe, ring, and sandals that signal full restoration. We ask why grace feels so offensive when it lands on someone we resent, and we name the risks of gatekeeping dressed up as discernment. Along the way, you'll hear the humbling moment a co-worker's honesty exposed judgment behind kind words, and how that encounter re-shaped a ministry posture from crowd-chasing to person-seeking. Babies don't walk on day one; spiritual growth is a process, with setbacks, stumbles, and second chances.If you've ever felt torn between conviction and compassion, this conversation offers a clarifying center: search for the one, pray for the one, and celebrate small beginnings. Success isn't a stage or a tally; it's presence, pursuit, and patience. Whether you identify with the runaway or the rule-keeper, there's a seat at the table and music from the house inviting you in. Listen, share with a friend who needs hope, and if this moved you, subscribe and leave a review so others can find their way home too.

Matthew 12:9-14 9 [Jesus] went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Things are getting more difficult for Jesus. Though He continues to heal, cast out demons, and heal those who need Him, His family thinks that He might be out of His mind, and the Pharisees are telling the people that He casts our demons by Beelzebub.

Joe responds to the common claim that the Catholic Church are the modern day Pharisees. Transcript: Joe: Welcome back to Shameless Popery. I’m Joe Heschmeyer, and a common CLIP: Accusation against Catholics is that we’re modern day Pharisees. I think Pharisees and Roman Catholic leaders have a lot in common nowadays. Yeah. The reformers chose to follow the Bible while the Jesuits chose to fight against it on behalf of the traditions and power of the Catholic church. The view of the Jesuits toward the Bible could be likened to that of the ancient Pharisees 2000 years ago who opposed...

Today’s Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) Gospel – Matthew 23:1-12 – Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one Teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one Master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Memorial of Saint Katharine Drexel, Virgin Saint Katharine, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day

Friends of the Rosary,Today, Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent, we see in the Gospel, Christ the Lord condemning the religious externalism, vanity, and hypocrisy of the Pharisees of that time, and currently, all of us.We should look into our Lenten practices of piety and works of charity and see whether they are performed to be seen.Also, today the dioceses of the United States celebrate the Memorial of St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955), virgin, called to teach the Gospel and to bring the Eucharist to the Native American and African American people.Born into a wealthy Philadelphia family, she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and opened mission schools in the West. In 1915, she founded Xavier University in New Orleans.At her death, there were more than 500 sisters teaching in 63 schools.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠March 3, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

One of the elements of modern life that many in our era hold dear is the idea of empathy—the direct caring for others whose current plights are difficult. And of course, believers are commanded to love their neighbors as themselves. But many exploit the idea of empathy to indicate that the need is not for them to love their neighbors, it's that others like the rich who must pay the price for their empathy. But Jesus did the opposite, personally paying the full price of true, long-term empathy for every person! Join Kevin for this penetrating look at true empathy and its false impostors. // Download this episode's Application & Action questions and PDF transcript at whitestone.org.

Read OnlineJesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.” Matthew 23:1–3Why do you do what you do? Even when our actions appear good, reverent, or charitable, they can be motivated by pride. The scribes and Pharisees struggled with this very sin. They often performed their acts of piety and charity not to glorify God but to win the praise of others. They were quick to judge others while failing to practice what they preached. This hypocrisy led many to view them with disdain. Therefore, Jesus' public rebukes of the religious leaders must have consoled those who had been mistreated under their leadership. His words provided both corrections and hope for those seeking authentic faith.Jesus condemns the religious leaders more than a dozen times throughout the Gospels, making them a significant aspect of His mission. Jesus came to bring both healing and truth, and confronting hypocrisy was necessary to restore justice within the community. But why did Jesus take such a firm stance against them? Wouldn't it have been easier to seek peace and unity through kindness, avoiding conflict and division?It's important to understand that true kindness is a fruit of charity. But for kindness to be truly charitable, it must always seek the good of the other. Charity is not merely about making people feel good; it is rooted in divine truth. If Jesus had simply said, “We should be nice to the scribes and Pharisees, no matter what,” this would not have been true charity. Jesus' rebukes sought to awaken the religious leaders from their spiritual blindness and protect the people from their harmful example. True charity often requires correction.In our own lives, we must also examine our motivations. Are our acts of piety and charity truly for the glory of God, or are they done to be seen and praised by others? When we embrace the Gospel, we must accept that we might sometimes hear uncomfortable truths. Genuine love does not shy away from correction but seeks the ultimate good of the other, even when it challenges us to change. Therefore, we must see ourselves as the scribes and Pharisees, needing rebuke and correction.Additionally, there are times when God uses us to correct others out of love. Parents do this for their children, guiding them with patience and tenderness so they may grow in virtue. In the same way, teachers are called to instruct their students, imparting knowledge and forming their character with care and wisdom. Spiritual directors, priests, and confessors gently guide souls on the path to holiness, helping them to discern areas of growth and sin, always in the light of God's mercy and truth.Reflect today on Jesus' charitable words to the scribes and Pharisees. First, hear Jesus' words spoken to you. Humble yourself so you are open to such loving rebukes. Allow yourself to become more aware of your pride and self-righteousness so that you can change. Also, be open to how God might want to use you to confront others charitably. While Jesus alone is the Judge, He sometimes uses us as instruments of His judgment for those open to hearing His voice through us. Humbly consider this role, allowing God to use you as He wills. Always speak with gentleness and love, imparting the hard truth another needs to hear, never with cruelty or harshness.My just Lord, Your just judgments flow from the unfathomable charity within Your Sacred Heart. You desire all men to be saved and to turn to You. Please humble me so that I never reject Your just judgments but receive them with joy so that I may repent and grow closer to You. I also place myself at Your service as an instrument of Your justice for others in accordance with Your will. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Jesus wakes lazarus by Robert Wilhelm Ekman  Source: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

The Pharisees weren't policing hygiene—they were policing holiness by human standards. In Mark 7, Jesus exposes how religion can drift into legalism: obsessing over external performance while the heart grows cold, empty, and hypocritical. This episode calls us back to grace-driven obedience—and a unity rooted in God's Word, not man-made rules.

Something NewMarch 1, 2026 • Devon Accardi • Luke 5:27–39, Luke 6:1–11In Luke 5:27–6:11, Jesus introduces something radically new: God's kingdom breaking in. Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, out of his old life and then sits at a table with the tax collectors and sinners, insisting he came like a doctor for the sick—inviting the needy, not congratulating the self-righteous. When the Pharisees push back with their religious expectations, Jesus answers that his presence is like new wine that requires new wineskins, meaning grace can't be contained inside an old framework of rule-keeping and performance. He then confronts Sabbath legalism by declaring himself Lord of the Sabbath and healing a man in the synagogue, exposing hearts that care more about staying “right” than restoring what is broken. Communion Sunday then served as a tangible reminder that Jesus has brought a new covenant of mercy, forgiveness, and rest for anyone who will come.WEBSITE: https://fellowshipknox.org/INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fellowshipknox/

This week, we'll be studying Mark 8:14-21 under the theme “This World's Wrong Ideas.” Jesus warns the disciples about the “yeast” of the Pharisees and Herod — showing how the world's wrong ideas quietly seep into our hearts and shrink our faith. If we're not paying attention, we'll worry about bread while the Bread of Life is sitting in the boat.Series Summary: Fast-paced, urgent, and relentlessly focused on Jesus, the Gospel of Mark shows us not just what Jesus said, but what he did. Written for a Roman world hungry for power, Mark introduces a surprising King - one who comes to serve, to suffer, and to give his life for many. Over the coming weeks, we'll walk this road with Jesus, from the wilderness to the cross, discovering how the Servant-King's actions reveal the true good news - and what it means to follow him as disciples who take up our own cross and trust him with our lives.Add St. Marcus as your church on the Church Center App!Fill out our online connection cardHow can we pray for you? If you'd like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here.

The Dismantling of the Religious Self Four Lenten Reflections on Delusion, Abandonment, and the Life That Remains in God “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24 Second Reflection The Violence We Call Righteousness On the Ego That Survives Inside Virtue “They being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:3 When the man sees that fulfillment cannot be found in religious life itself, he turns toward righteousness. He disciplines himself. He purifies his conduct. He restrains his passions. He orders his thoughts. He seeks purity. Outwardly, transformation occurs. Inwardly, something remains untouched. The ego survives. It survives inside virtue. St. John Climacus writes that vainglory completes every virtue the man performs. It attaches itself to fasting. It attaches itself to prayer. It attaches itself to obedience.
 It whispers: This is yours. Virtue becomes possession. The man begins to live from righteousness. He experiences himself as stable because he is righteous. He trusts his righteousness. This trust separates him from God. Because union with God requires the loss of trust in oneself as source of life. The Pharisee stands before God and speaks truth. He fasts. He obeys. He lives faithfully. And remains separate. Because he still exists as the center of his own existence. The tax collector possesses nothing. He cannot lift his eyes. He does not trust himself. Christ says he goes home justified. Because justification belongs to the man who has nothing left to preserve. St. Isaac says that until the soul despairs of itself, it cannot rest in God. Not emotional despair. Ontological despair. The knowledge that one does not possess life. Righteousness that preserves the ego prevents union. Because union requires death. Not moral improvement. Death. The man must lose the self that lives apart from God. Virtue cannot substitute for this death. Virtue can conceal it. The ego can survive indefinitely inside righteousness. And remain alone. ⸻ This is the most dangerous stage of the spiritual life. Because sin is obvious. But righteousness can conceal separation. The sinful man knows he is sick. The righteous man believes he is alive. Christ said to the church of Laodicea, “You say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17 This is not addressed to pagans. This is addressed to believers. To those who have acquired religious identity. To those who possess righteousness and draw life from it. They do not feel their need. They do not cry out. They do not seek life because they believe they possess it. This is why Christ says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32 Not because the righteous do not need Him. But because those who believe themselves righteous cannot receive Him. They are full. And God only fills the empty. St. Sophrony writes that the greatest tragedy is when man begins to live from himself rather than from God. Even if this life is clothed in virtue, it remains separation. It remains death. Virtue can purify behavior without destroying autonomy. It can cleanse the exterior while leaving the center untouched. Christ speaks with terrifying clarity about this. “You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self indulgence.” Matthew 23:25 The outside can be purified. The inside can remain intact. The ego does not resist virtue. It feeds on virtue. It incorporates virtue into itself. It expands through virtue. It becomes righteous. And this righteousness becomes its shield against God. Because God does not come to improve the ego. He comes to crucify it. St. Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 This is not metaphor. This is the destruction of the autonomous center of existence. As long as the man lives from himself, even virtuously, he remains separate. Because life belongs only to God. St. Silouan the Athonite saw this with terrible clarity. He had labored greatly. He had prayed. He had struggled. He had purified himself. And yet the Lord allowed him to descend into hell. Not because he was sinful. But because righteousness had not yet been shattered. And Christ said to him, “Keep thy mind in hell, and despair not.” Not because hell was his destination. But because only in the destruction of self trust could union be born. As long as the man stands on his own righteousness, he stands alone. Only when this ground collapses does he begin to stand in God. Archimandrite Zacharias writes that God allows even the virtuous man to see his utter poverty so that he may cease drawing life from himself. This is the blessed despair that gives birth to true life. This despair is not psychological collapse. It is ontological revelation. The revelation that without God, one does not exist. Christ says, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 Not less. Nothing. Not even righteousness. When this is seen, virtue loses its power as identity. It remains. But it no longer belongs to the man. It becomes the life of Christ within him. Before this death, virtue belongs to the ego. After this death, virtue belongs to God. This is why the saints do not trust their righteousness. They fear it. They flee from it. Abba Poemen said, “A man may appear to be silent while his heart condemns others. Such a man is talking constantly.” Outward virtue. Inward autonomy. Separation remains. Another elder said that even if a man raises the dead but trusts himself, he has lost everything. Because union is not achieved by virtue. It is achieved by death. This is why the saints see themselves as sinners even when they are purified. Not because they deny reality. But because they do not live from themselves. They live from God. St. Isaac writes that the man who has truly seen himself is greater than the man who raises the dead. Because he has seen the truth. He has seen that he does not possess life. He has seen that all righteousness belongs to God. This vision destroys the ego at its root. And only when the ego dies can God become life. Until then, righteousness remains violence. Violence against truth. Violence against union. Violence against love. Because it preserves the illusion of existence apart from God. The elder Sophrony says that as long as man attributes righteousness to himself, he remains enclosed within the prison of his own being. He cannot escape. He cannot breathe. He cannot live. Only when righteousness is lost as possession does it become life. Only when the man ceases to exist as source does God become his existence. This is why Christ says, “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25 Not improves it. Finds it. Because it did not belong to him before. This is the second dismantling. Not the destruction of sinful identity. The destruction of righteous identity. Not the loss of vice. The loss of ownership of virtue. The loss of oneself as the one who lives. Until this death occurs, the ego survives. It survives inside prayer. It survives inside obedience. It survives inside humility itself. It survives inside righteousness. And remains forever alone. --- Text of chat during the group: 01:28:35 Danny Moulton (Lakeside, Ohio): I'm wondering how fear and ego interplay in producing unhealthy religiosity. It seems to me ego and fear are two sides of the same coin. Ego is fed when we think we are righteous and doing religion right, but fear calls the shots when we think we are unrighteous and doing religion wrong. It seems both can lead to obsession with something other than Divine love. The Apostle John says that perfect love drives out fear. I believe this is absolutely true, but fear sure can put up a good fight at times. 01:32:27 Fr Martin, Arizona: What do you think of this? Shortly after arriving at my first parish, I told my spiritual father about all the things I would change. He said, “Check with God. He didn't give you the football and tell you to run with it. What if God send you there to fail?” 01:33:46 Jaden Abrams: Father, bless! I was really impacted by these last two talks, thank you very much. What change can I make today to die to myself and stop sitting next to the vine. 01:35:31 Kate: When you speak about the death of the ego, is it more like a process of dying rather than something that is accomplished once and for all?  And I find my self asking how, how does the ego die?  Is it a simultaneous process of the dying of the ego and the soul growing in union with Christ? 01:40:29 Una: I was a complulsive A-getter in college, too. Thank you for sharing. 01:41:05 Angela Bellamy: Reacted to "Father, bless! I was..." with ❤️ 01:42:47 Shannon: It feels must bleed out our ego and diappear into the darkness in order for God to turn light.  Not knowing where the next step, but trusting in God.  We disappear into prayer/ looking through window with lamps lite hearts 01:44:16 Fr Martin, Arizona: Today's retreat convicted me. I'm not sure where to begin poking at my sense of self-identity and autonomy. My anxiety reveals to me that I harbor some delusions about myself. I used to visit a Romanian monk who was imprisoned and tortured by communists. Surprisingly, he never complained about that. Rather he said to me once, “Before I was imprisoned, I knew God in my books. After I was alone in prison, I found God in my heart.” 01:45:02 Jaden Abrams: How do I go about finding a spiritual Father? Am I supposed to choose, discern, let him "come to me", combination of all? I have fallen in love with the east in general and am immersing myself as much as possible please pray for me. 01:47:13 Julie: Reacted to "How do I go about fi…" with

This morning we revisit the famous three parables Jesus told about the lost; a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. Interestingly, these stories weren't told to the lost...they were told to the Pharisees, the religious elite outraged he was spending time such an obviously deplorable crowd. Jesus masterfully uses these stories to communicate God's unrelenting pursuit of the lost, while simultaneously challenging us to examine our own judgement, exclusivity, and self-righteousness as he indicts the Pharisees for their unwillingness to join God in his search and in his rejoicing when the lost are brought home.  This message is from our Sunday morning service on March 1st, 2026.We meet at 957 Main St., Louisville, CO 80027 on Sunday mornings at 10am.Connect with us:kindredchurch.co@kindredchurch.cofacebook.com/kindredchurch.co

What if everything you thought you knew about how Jesus read the Bible was incomplete? In this eye-opening conversation, we sit down with Dr. Bruce Chilton, the Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard College and the first scholar to write a critical commentary on the Aramaic Isaiah Targum. Dr. Chilton reveals a hidden world that most Christians have never encountered—the Aramaic Targums, the interpretive paraphrases of Scripture that Jesus actually heard and used in first-century synagogues. These weren't word-for-word translations; they were dynamic, expansive interpretations that shaped how Jesus understood and taught about God's kingdom, the suffering servant, and the very nature of Scripture itself.This conversation will completely reframe how you read both the Old Testament and the Gospels. Dr. Chilton walks us through specific examples where Jesus quotes Targumic readings, explains why the religious leaders opposed him so fiercely, and shows how understanding this tradition unlocks passages that have puzzled Christians for centuries. From the vineyard parable to Jesus' Nazareth sermon, from his debates with Pharisees to Paul's bilingual mastery, you'll discover that the Bible Jesus knew was far more dynamic and alive than the static text many of us assume. This is scholarly depth made accessible, and it will change the way you engage with Scripture forever.In this episode you will learn:- What Targums are and why they've remained hidden from most Christians for centuries- How first-century synagogues functioned and what Jesus would have actually heard when Scripture was read- Why Jesus' understanding of "the Kingdom of God" came directly from Targumic theology, not from thin air- How to distinguish between original Hebrew text and interpretive Targumic expansions- Specific examples where Jesus quotes Targumic readings that completely change how we understand Gospel passages- Why the Isaiah Targum interprets the "suffering servant" differently than most Christians expect- How Jesus' debates with Pharisees were actually insider arguments over Targumic interpretations- What's really happening in Jesus' Nazareth sermon when he reads from Isaiah and claims fulfillment- Why Jesus spoke in parables and how the Targum reveals his true motivation- How the vineyard parable in Mark 12 directly connects to the Isaiah Targum's teaching about the templeDr. Bruce Chilton's Books:A Galilean Rabbi and His BibleTargums and Rabbinic Literature (Zondervan)Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate BiographyConnect with The Dig In Podcast:Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thejohnnyovaFollow Johnny Ova: https://linktr.ee/johnnyovaGet Johnny's book, The Revelation Reset: https://a.co/d/hiUkW8H

In this message from Matthew 12:15-21 and Mark 3:7-11, we explore the character, purpose, and method of Jesus as the ultimate leader—and contrast it with the toxic leadership patterns plaguing the modern church. As Jesus withdrew from the Pharisees' conspiracy, healed multitudes (including Gentiles from distant lands), and commanded silence about His miracles, He fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy of a gentle, lowly servant who would not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick. Jesus grew His ministry through love, humility, truth, and self-sacrifice—not through self-promotion, manipulation, or exploitation. Yet today, the church has created a system where narcissistic, heavy-handed leaders thrive, building their own fame and fortune while wearing out the flock. This sermon is a sobering call to examine our own hearts: Do we secretly want power without righteousness? Do we overlook sin to stay close to influence? And are we willing to reject the counterfeit and return to the gentle, lowly spirit of Christ? If you've been hurt by abusive leadership, or if you've been complicit in elevating it, this message offers both conviction and hope.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: March 1: Numbers 7-8; Mark 8 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible podcast for March 1st, 2026. On this special episode, Heather guides us through Day 60 of our journey in the scriptures. As we gather from all corners of the world, our focus is not just on the words themselves, but on how they point us to Jesus—the source of our life. Today's readings come from Numbers chapters 28 and 29, along with Mark 8. Heather begins by reminding us that the scriptures bear witness to Christ, and invites the Holy Spirit to illuminate God's Word so our hearts and minds may be transformed. We explore the detailed offerings and festivals described in Numbers, and witness Jesus' compassion and teachings in Mark, including the feeding of the 4,000, lessons on spiritual "yeast," and a powerful call to humility and gratitude. To wrap up, Heather leads us in prayers for guidance, unity, and thankfulness, encouraging us to be instruments of peace and to let the joy of the Lord be our strength as we go forward. If you want to join the newsletter or connect further, visit DailyRadioBible.com—and remember, you are loved! TODAY'S DEVOTION: Beware the yeast. There's something that can damage your hearing and your vision. It can even harden your arteries. Well, that might not be a clinical explanation of yeast in our lives, but it is a spiritual observation—an illustration that Jesus uses with his disciples. Watch out, beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. They haven't a clue what he means. Jesus says, don't you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? You have eyes, can't you see? You have ears, can't you hear? Don't you remember anything at all? It seems that the yeast of the Pharisees could damage their hearing, their vision, their hearts, and even their memory. So Jesus wants them to be vigilant, to keep that yeast out of their houses and out of their lives. In Exodus, the children of Israel were told that before they could celebrate the Passover meal, they had to remove all yeast from their homes. Then they could sit down and enjoy the meal before them. It was a meal prepared from the hand of God, the result of his work and not their own. That's what getting rid of the yeast represented. The yeast represented the Pharisees' teaching of self-righteousness and self-justification. It represented their trying to make themselves right with God by their own piety, their attempted obedience to the law. Attempted obedience has never been our means of justification. No, we must rid ourselves of the yeast of self-righteousness in order to receive the righteous feast and life that is offered to us in Christ. That's why Jesus says, beware of the yeast. He calls us to rid ourselves of it so that we can see and hear clearly, to live well and hear well. He wants it gone so that we can enjoy the new heart he has given us, and enjoy the meal that comes from his hand. It is a meal that is abundant and feeds multitudes, with basketfuls left over. Let's be aware of the yeast of the Pharisees; it so easily spreads into everything we do. Instead, let's look to our Passover Lamb, prepared and offered to us out of the abundant and loving heart of our Father. He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Jesus has taken it away, and he offers us the feast of his life even now, today. It cannot be earned. It simply must be received. Ours is just to say thank you. Let gratitude and thankfulness be the disposition of our heart. Jesus took the bread and the cup, and he looked up to heaven and he gave thanks. So let us look up to heaven today and give thanks for the living bread, for the life that is given to us in Christ. It is a life without deceitfulness, without self-righteousness, and without self-promotion. It is a life of humility, kindness, and grace. Let us receive from him all that he has for us today. Be on guard. Be aware, and be alive in him. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL