Podcasts about Philippi

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Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/your-daily-portion-with-l-david-harris--2912188/support.About Your Daily PortionYour Daily Portion with L. David Harris is a Bible-centered teaching ministry committed to helping people engage Scripture daily with clarity and purpose. This program is a service of Your Daily Portion Ministries, Inc., and is made possible through the faithful support of listeners and viewers.If this teaching blesses you, consider supporting the work so it can continue reaching others around the world through radio, podcasts, and digital platforms.Support the ministry:

Julius Caesar – Act V scene 2-5 On the fields of Philippi the final battle rages, and Caesar is revenged.

Sabbath School panel discussion and insight by 3ABN pastors and teachers. This podcast episode follows 2026 quarter 1, lesson 1 of the adult Bible study guide book. This quarter's book topic is “Uniting Heaven and Earth. Christ in Philippians and Colossians”, and this week's Sabbath School lesson is titled “Persecuted but Not Forsaken”. Join us every week for a fresh and relevant study of the word of God.  Reading: Eph. 3:1; 2 Cor. 4:7–12; Acts 9:16; Philem. 15, 16; Col. 4:9; Phil. 1:1–3; Col. 1:1, 2. Memory Text: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NKJV). (December 27 - January 02)  Sunday – Jill Morikone - Paul, the Prisoner of Jesus ChristMonday – John Dinzey - Paul in ChainsTuesday – Shelley Quinn - Paul in PhilippiWednesday – James Rafferty - Paul and ColossaeThursday – John Lomacang - The Churches of Philippi and Colossae Want the Panelists' notes? You can sign up here: https://3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com/notes/  Questions or Comments? Email us at mail@3abn.org Donate: https://3abn.org/donate-quick.html

„Geh doch mal zur Osteopathin, das hilft bestimmt!“ – ein Satz, den fast alle Eltern irgendwann hören. Aber was steckt eigentlich hinter der Kinderosteopathie? In dieser Folge sprechen wir mit dem Kinder- und Jugendarzt Pierre Teichmann darüber, warum sie so beliebt ist, welche Versprechen sie gibt und was die Wissenschaft wirklich dazu sagt. +++Shownotes:Pierres Artikel "Wie der Ast gebogen wird, so wächst der Baum": https://kinderaerzte-im-aerztehaus.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thema-Kinderosteopathie.pdf, Pierre erwähnte folgende Studien: KiSS/ Asymmetrie: Sacher, R. et al (2024). Multicentric RCT on one-time manual medicine treatment of infantile postural and motor asymmetries (KISS)—Spreewald trial II. Manuelle Medizin, 62(2), 102–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00337-024-01046-0, Philippi, H. et al (2006). Infantile postural asymmetry and osteopathic treatment: A randomized therapeutic trial. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 48(1), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S001216220600003X, Metaanalyse muskuloskeletale Beschwerden/ Rückenschmerzen: Ceballos-Laita, L. et al (2024). Is Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Clinically Superior to Sham or Placebo for Patients with Neck or Low-Back Pain? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. In Diseases (Bd. 12, Nummer 11). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI). https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases12110287, Metaanalysen kraniosakrale Therapie: Ceballos-Laita, L. et al (2024). Is Craniosacral Therapy Effective? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. In Healthcare (Switzerland) (Bd. 12, Nummer 6). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI). https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12060679, Amendolara, A. et al (2024). Effectiveness of osteopathic craniosacral techniques: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Medicine, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1452465, Reviews Kinderosteopathie: Posadzki, P. et al (2013). Osteopathic manipulative treatment for pediatric conditions: A systematic review. In Pediatrics (Bd. 132, Nummer 1, S. 140–152). American Academy of Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-3959, Posadzki, P. et al (2022). Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for Pediatric Conditions: An Update of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(15). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11154455, Franke, H. et al (2022). Effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment for pediatric conditions: A systematic review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 31, 113–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2022.03.013, exzessives Schreien und Osteopathie: Schwerla, F. et al (2021). Osteopathic Treatment of Infants in Their First Year of Life: A Prospective Multicenter Observational Study (OSTINF Study). Complementary Medicine Research, 28(5), 395–406. https://doi.org/10.1159/000514413, Cabanillas-Barea, S. et al (2023). Systematic review and meta-analysis showed that complementary and alternative medicines were not effective for infantile colic. In Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics (Bd. 112, Nummer 7, S. 1378–1388). John Wiley and Sons Inc. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.16807, Carnes, D. et al (2024). Usual light touch osteopathic treatment versus simple light touch without intent in the reduction of infantile colic crying time: A randomised controlled trial. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijosm.2024.100710, Stellungnahmen Gesellschaft für Neuropädiatrie: Gesellschaft für Neuropädiatrie e.V. (GNP). (2005). Stellungnahme: Manualmedizinische Behandlung des KISS-Syndroms und Atlastherapie nach Arlen. In Manuelle Medizin (Bd. 43, Nummer 2). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00337-005-0351-y, Gesellschaft für Neuropädiatrie (GNP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sozialpädiatrie und Jugendmedizin (DGSPJ), Berufsverband der Kinder- und Jugendärzte (BVKJ), & Deutsche Akademie für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin (DAKJ). (2015). Stellungnahme Osteopathie bei Kindern. https://www.dgspj.de/wp-content/uploads/service-stellungnahme-osteopathie-2015.pdf, Weitere Literatur: Teichmann, P. (2025). Kinderosteopathie - Falsche Versprechen. Deutsche Hebammen Zeitschrift (DHZ), 77(4), 66–71. https://staudeverlag.de/falsche-versprechen/, Maier , J. (2016). In guten Händen? DIE ZEIT. https://www.zeit.de/2016/33/osteopathie-babies-orthopaedie-gesundheit-medizin-saeuglinge/+++ Alle Rabattcodes und Infos zu unseren Werbepartnern findet ihr hier: https://linktr.ee/Wunschkind_Podcast ++++++ Unsere allgemeinen Datenschutzrichtlinien finden Sie unter https://datenschutz.ad-alliance.de/podcast.html +++ Wir verarbeiten im Zusammenhang mit dem Angebot unserer Podcasts Daten. Wenn Sie der automatischen Übermittlung der Daten widersprechen wollen, klicken Sie hier: https://datenschutz.ad-alliance.de/podcast.htmlUnsere allgemeinen Datenschutzrichtlinien finden Sie unter https://art19.com/privacy. Die Datenschutzrichtlinien für Kalifornien sind unter https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info abrufbar.

Journey with us into the heart of one of Scripture's most personal and joy-filled letters—Philippians. This message takes us back to approximately 60 AD, where Paul writes from a Roman prison cell to the very first church ever planted in Europe. What makes this letter extraordinary isn't just its theological depth, but its profound demonstration of partnership in the gospel. We discover how the Philippian church began through dramatic encounters: a businesswoman named Lydia whose heart God opened, a demon-possessed slave girl set free, and a prison guard saved after an earthquake miraculously opened all the prison doors. These weren't just historical events—they reveal how God works through suffering, persecution, and miraculous intervention to advance His kingdom. The central spiritual lesson resonates powerfully: we are called to be partners with Christ and with one another in sharing the gospel. Paul's prayer for the Philippians becomes our prayer—that our love would abound in knowledge and discernment, that we'd be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes only through Jesus. When Paul writes 'He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it,' we find hope for those moments when we feel like failures, when every step seems to lead to another stumble. God doesn't abandon His projects. We are His workmanship, His poem, and He remains faithful to complete what He started in us. This isn't about our effort but about His grace—the peanut butter that must come before the jelly of peace.Chapter 1: Introduction to Philippians and Historical Context0:00 - 7:00We explore the book of Philippians as a deeply personal letter written from prison, examining the historical context of the city of Philippi and its significance as the first European church.Chapter 2: The Founding of the Philippian Church7:00 - 14:00We learn how the church in Philippi was established through divine direction, beginning with three key encounters: Lydia the businesswoman, a demon-possessed slave girl, and a Roman jailer.Chapter 3: Paul's Greeting and Identity as a Bondservant14:00 - 21:00We examine Paul's humble self-identification as a bondservant of Christ and his greeting to the saints, understanding that all believers are set apart as holy through Christ.Chapter 4: Paul's Prayer and Partnership in the Gospel21:00 - 28:00We explore Paul's constant prayer for the Philippians, his joy in their partnership, and the assurance that God will complete the good work He began in us.Chapter 5: Prayer for Abounding Love and Righteous Living28:00 - 35:00We learn how to pray for one another—that our love would abound in knowledge and discernment, leading to lives filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes only through Christ.Keywords#Philippians#BookOfPhilippians#ApostlePaul#JoyInSuffering#Partnership#Gospel#Contentment#Humility#ChristCentered#HolySpirit#Prayer#Macedonia#Philippi#ChurchPlanting#Lydia#PhilippianJailer#Salvation#BelieveInJesus#BondServant#SlaveToChrist#Grace#Peace#Saints#Fellowship#Missions#Righteousness#FruitOfRighteousness#Sanctification#AbideInChrist#Persecution#Suffering#FurtheranceOfTheGospel#PrisonEpistle#Timothy#Acts16#Citizenship#HeavenlyCitizenship#ChristianUnity#Discipleship#Repentance#GodsFaithfulness#SpiritualGrowth#BiblicalTeaching

GOD USES SMALL PEOPLE FOR BIG PURPOSES PT. 2 1. GOD USES THE HUMBLE OVER THE HIGH AND MIGHTY Luke 1:48, Mary sings, “For He has been mindful of the HUMBLE state of His servant.” (NIV) 2. GOD USES CHARACTER OVER CREDENTIALS Luke 1:26–27 “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (NIV) 3. GOD USES A SERVANT OVER A SUPERSTAR Luke 1:38   “I am the Lord’s SERVANT,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. (NIV) Luke 1:48, Mary sings, “For He has been mindful of the humble state of His SERVANT.” (NIV) Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, SERVANTS of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: (NIV) 1 Corinthians 4:1 So look at Apollos and me as mere SERVANTS of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. (NLT) Romans 1:1 Paul, a BONDSERVANT of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God (NKJV) 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a SERVANT and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: (NIV) Matthew 23:11 “The greatest among you will be your SERVANT.” (NIV) 3A. SERVANTS OF JESUS SERVE PEOPLE 2 Corinthians 4:5 “We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are YOUR SERVANTS for Jesus’ sake.” (NLT) 2 Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, SERVE ONE ANOTHER humbly in love.” (NIV) 4. GOD USES HIS PRESENCE OVER YOUR PRESENCE Luke 1:28, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! THE LORD IS WITH YOU” (NIV) Luke 1:34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (NIV) Luke 1:35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will COME ON YOU, and the power of the MOST HIGH WILL OVERSHADOW YOU. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (NIV) Luke 1:37 For with God NOTHING will be impossible. (NKJV)

A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Advent Philippians 4:4-7 & St. John 1:19-28 by William Klock For the last few months I've been reading Tom Holland's book Dominion.  (That's Tom Holland the historian, not the actor.  Until recently I didn't even know there was an actor because, I guess, I'm a history nerd.)  Anyway, I've been reading a chapter here and a chapter there in between reading other more important things and it's been worthwhile.  Holland isn't a Christian, but this rather large book is nevertheless about the influence that the Gospel, the good news about Jesus, has had in shaping Western Civilisation.  One of the points he stresses is just how brutal and barbaric the ancient world was.  Greeks and Romans knew little of mercy and grace.  Theirs was a dog-eat-dog world.  It was cruel.  The weak were something to be exploited and if they couldn't be exploited, they were a liability and left to fend for themselves.  Nearly a third of the people of the Roman empire were slaves.  Infants were routinely left to die of exposure.  Sexual immorality was everywhere and was a central part of the worship of many gods.  Marital fidelity, especially amongst the wealthy and powerful was uncommon.  Think of the pagan gods of Greece and Rome we learned about in school: petty, capricious, fickle, unloyal, angry, and constantly fighting amongst themselves.  These were the gods the Greeks and the Romans created in their own image.  Whatever problems we see in our world—and it's getting worse the deeper we drift from the Gospel and return to paganism—but however bad you think our world is, theirs was worse.  Brother and Sisters, the gospel has had a profound impact on our world.  And even as gospel virtues go to seed in the secular world and we have distorted and perverted version of love and mercy and justice thrown at us, the very fact that anyone at all in our society cares about things like justice, is because of the powerful impact of the gospel. It's appropriate that Advent comes to us at the darkest time of the year, because it reminds us of the darkness of the world into which Jesus was born.  Surrounded by those pagans, Israel had the light of God's law, but even then, Israel lived in darkness.  They'd returned from their Babylonian exile five hundred years before, but the Lord had never returned to his temple.  The priests kept the lamp lit in the temple—the lamp symbolic of the Lord's presence with his people, but behind the great and heavy curtain, the holy of holies was empty.  And Israel was ruled by a series of pagan empires: the Persians, the Greeks, and then the Romans.  But Israel had her story.  They were the people whom the Lord had delivered from slavery in Egypt.  They knew his character and they knew his faithfulness.  And they knew his promises.  They had faith.  And so they lived in hope and expectant longing.  One day the words of Isaiah—the ones we read in our Old Testament lesson—“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.”  One day those words would be fulfilled.  And, most people were pretty sure, that day was coming soon.  That's the setting for today's Gospel, which begins at John 1:19. This is the testimony John [the Baptist] gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”  “What then?” they asked him, “Are you Elijah?” “I am not,” he replied.  “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”  “Well, then who are you?” they said.  “We've got to take an answer back to those who sent us.  Who do you claim to be?”  He said, “I am ‘a voice calling in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord,' just as the prophet Isaiah said.”  (John 1:19-28) So the priests were the spiritual gatekeepers of Israel and when they heard of this prophet, John, preaching and baptising, they sent their people to ask him what he was about—to see if he was legit.  People were talking about John like he was the Messiah—as if he were the one come to fulfil the prophecies of deliverance and salvation.  Was John the one? So they ask, “Who are you?  Who do you claim to be? Elijah?”  Remember that the Prophet Elijah had never died; he was swept up into have by a fiery chariot.  And Malachi had prophesied that “before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes” the Lord would send Elijah back.  Like King Arthur returning to Britain in its hour of greatest need. But John says, “No.  I'm not Elijah.”  He hadn't come to earth in a fiery chariot.  He was the son of Zechariah the priest and his wife, Elizabeth. “Are you the prophet?” they asked.  In Deuteronomy 18 the Lord had promised that he would one day raise up a prophet like Moses, who would declare his words.  Many people thought this prophet would be the Messiah.  But again John answers, “Nope, I'm not the prophet either.”  We get a sense of just how great the longing of these people was.  Like a kid getting up every morning of December and asking his parents if it's Christmas yet, the people of Israel longed for the Messiah to come and set the world to rights, to end the darkness, to once again fill the temple with the glory of the Lord. John was as eager as anyone, but he tells them “No, I'm not the Prophet.”  In fact, John was fulfilling those prophecies—Matthew and Mark tell us as much.   But I think John denied it because he knew people associated the prophecies of Elijah and the Prophet with the Messiah.  John knew he wasn't the Messiah; he was the Messiah's herald.  And so when the priests finally let him speak for himself, he quotes Isaiah 40:3, and says, “I am ‘a voice calling in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.'”  In other words, John was indeed fulfilling prophecy—not as the Messiah, but as the one sent to prepare Israel to receive the Messiah. And that surprised those priests.  People in the past had claimed to be the Messiah.  No one claimed to be his herald.  That was weird.  So they dig deeper.  Look at verses 25-27: They continued to question him, “So why are you baptising, if you aren't the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I'm baptising with water, but there is one standing among you whom you do not know—someone who is to come after me.  I'm not worthy to untie his sandal straps.” For the Jews, baptism was a symbol of cleansing and of ritual purity.  It was a ritual washing.  At this point the other gospel-writers are helpful as they expand on John's answer.  Mark tells us that John's baptism was a baptism of repentance—it was a preparatory act in light of the coming judgement the Messiah would bring.  And Matthew and Luke also report John going on about this one who will come, this one greater than him: “He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11, Luke 3:16).  In other words, John is calling Israel to repentance in anticipation of the Messiah, who will fulfil the Lord's promises to set Israel to rights by filling his people with his own Spirit.  The law written on stone tablets would be inscribed on the hearts of God's people so that they could finally fulfil his law of love.  But the Messiah was also coming in judgement.  He would baptise the repentant with God's own Spirit, but he would baptise unrepentant Israel with fire. These are the two sides of the gospel coin.  You can't have one without the other.  Jesus' advent, on the one hand, brought mercy to the repentant, but on the other it also brought judgement on the unrepentant of Israel.  What's important for us here, Brothers and Sisters, is that this exchange between John and the priests reminds us of the Messiah's place in Israel's story and of the faithfulness of God to his promises.  It is this manifestation of the Lord's faithfulness (and of his goodness, mercy, grace, and wisdom) to Israel—something we see brought to its climax in the birth, the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus, that has drawn us—you and I—to the God of Israel and that, by faith, has incorporated us into the people of God.  Through our union with Jesus, through our incorporation into this people, through our being made adopted sons and daughters of Abraham, you and I have come to know God's mercy and the life of the Spirit, too.  Because of the faithfulness of God, revealed in Jesus and in the power of the gospel, the darkness that Israel knew; that deep, deep darkness full of false gods and wicked kings and evil principalities and powers has been driven away by the light.  The light has come into the darkness, his gospel has thrown those powers down and lit up the world.  And you and I have seen—we live in—the glory of that light.  And knowing that takes us from our Gospel passage today into our Epistle.  Paul writes those wonderful and challenging words in Philippians 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always; I say again, rejoice. Paul spoke these words to a people surrounded by the dark.  “Rejoice in the Lord always!”  Because being surrounded by the dark, it's awfully easy to forget the light of the gospel.  Just before he wrote this, Paul exhorted two women in the Philippian church, Euodia and Syntyche, to “agree in the Lord”.  These two sisters in the Messiah, once close, once working together in gospel life had some kind of falling out.  We don't know the details, but it was something important enough to prompt Paul to address them publicly.  They'd let the darkness extinguish their light.  Instead of standing as a witness to the victory of Jesus over the principalities and powers of the present wicked age, the local church was letting those powers have their way in their midst.  Brothers and Sisters, don't let that happen.  Paul exhorts them (and us) instead: Let everyone know how gentle and gracious you are.  (Philippians 4:5a) Gentle and gracious.  Paul uses the same description in 2 Corinthians 10 to describe the meekness of Jesus as a model for Christians.  This is gospel light lived out.  What Paul's getting at is that Jesus is the King, but in him we see this amazing display of gracious gentleness.  This is the gentleness we see revealed as Jesus, the one to whom heaven and earth belong, humbled himself to be born one of us, to die on the cross, and to show mercy to his enemies.  And in that, Jesus defeated the powers that held the world in darkness and sin and now, we his people, are called to live that victory out amongst ourselves as witnesses to Jesus' victory and the inauguration of God's kingdom.  This is our Advent stewardship. So consider, Brothers and Sisters, when we demand our rights, when we grasp for power, when we nurse grudges, we undermine our gospel witness—we put on display the very darkness from which we've been delivered by the one who is light.  In contrast Paul calls us to rejoice in the Lord and to manifest Jesus-like gentleness in our relationships.  Jesus' gracious gentleness has forgiven and restored us and that same gracious gentleness ought to shine through us and through the life of the church.  Consider that every time we hold a grudge, allow a relationship to break down, or follow the world's advice to cut those problem or negative people out of our lives, we undermine the Church's witness to the world.  But that's not all. Paul goes on: The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything.  Rather in everything let your requests be made known to God, by prayer, supplication, and with thanksgiving.   There's our Advent theme again: Jesus has given us a job to do.  He's given us a gospel treasure to steward in his absence.  In the meantime, rather than being anxious—and anxiousness is so often the thing that evil uses to manipulate us—instead of being anxious we should take our needs to God.  Jesus made the same point in the Sermon on the Mount.  The pagans worry about what they'll eat, what they'll wear, and where they'll sleep.  God's people should know better than to worry unduly about these things.  The God who fed Israel with manna in the wilderness will provide.  He is faithful to his promises.  The story of his dealings with Israel is the proof and even more so, so is his gift of Jesus, who died and rose again to set us free from sin and death.  So go to the Lord with your needs and ask.  And while you're at it, give thanks, because you know his faithfulness and his love. This is part of the witness of the people of God—it's how we are light in the darkness—and it ties back into rejoicing.  When Paul talks about rejoicing, at least part of what he's got in mind is a public display or a public witness.  The pagan Greeks in Philippi regularly held public celebrations to honour their gods.  And yet the pagans, as Jesus said, were always anxious.  Because their gods never delivered.  Pagan religion was a non-stop game of trial and error, trying to guess what the gods wanted, trying to guess what you may have done wrong to offend them, and then guessing at what you might offer to appease their anger or to ingratiate them to you in order to get what you needed or wanted.  The pagan gods were silent and they were notoriously capricious and unreliable.  And in this context Paul exhorts the Philippian Christians: Rejoice yourselves.  Let the pagans see you celebrating the fact that the Creator of the universe has, through Jesus, made you his own and lives in your midst by his own Holy Spirit.  Let the pagans, who know only mean and capricious gods and who live in a dog-eat-dog world, let them see the gracious gentleness of God in you.  Live in such a way that they see in you the God who humbles himself to die for the sake of his enemies.  And let the pagans see you living in faith, praying in confident thankfulness to the God whose story reveals an unfailing pattern of promise and fulfilment.  Shine the light of Jesus into the darkness of the world.  And if you'll do that, he says in verse 7: The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in King Jesus.   I think we tend to look at Paul's exhortation here as something we should do in order to experience the peace of God ourselves, but given the context in Philippians, I think Paul's point is actually more about our witness.  If we truly live as stewards of the good news about Jesus, if we truly live as people who know the faithfulness of God revealed in Jesus and particularly in his death and resurrection, if we truly know the life of the Spirit, the peace of God—instead of the strife and anxiety of the world—will guard our hearts and minds in a way that will astound the unbelievers around us. I like to say that Jesus calls us—his church—to be a pocket of new creation in the middle of the old—to be heaven-on-earth people, living Gods' future in the hic et nunc, in the here and now.  Brothers and Sisters, this is how we do that.  And this makes us the John the Baptists of our own place and age as we proclaim the good news about Jesus—how we proclaim and show the world that Jesus has triumphed over the principalities and powers just as he has over sin and death.  And as the world took notice of those tiny and seemingly insignificant Christian communities popping up around the Roman empire, so it will take not of us.  And some will give glory to God as they see his faithfulness, they will come in faith to Jesus and his cross.  But it will also threaten those who are invested in the present age, its pagan gods and sinful systems.  And they will fight back. So we need to ask: Does the world see our joy?  Are we the voice crying in the wilderness?  Are we the royal heralds the Lord has called us to be, summoning the word to let go of its false gods and to come to the Lord Jesus, calling the world away from sin and self and to come to the cross?  And we need to ask how the world is responding to us.  If we're faithfully proclaiming the good news about Jesus, if we're faithfully calling people to repent and to believe, if we're faithfully proclaiming that Jesus is Lord and that his kingdom has come—well—people will respond in one of two ways.  Either they'll believe or they'll get angry—as Herod got angry with John.  There's some of both out there in the world, but overwhelmingly, when I look at how people respond to or think of the church these days in our part of the world, it's often just indifference.  Why? Because we have not been the witnesses God calls us to be.  We are afraid to confront the world with the good news about Jesus and we are half-hearted in our allegiance to his kingdom.  Like old Israel, we pray to God, but we've failed to tear down the old altars to Baal and Asherah—or money, sex, and power.  We name Jesus, but we deal dishonestly in business, we sell our souls to the commercialism that surrounds us, we look to politics or to science as our saviours, and we dabble in the sexual immorality of the age.  We've failed to proclaim the gospel and we justify it, saying that we'll preach it with our lives.  But if we stop to ask what the world sees in our lives, is it really very different?  Does the world see us rejoicing in the Lord?  Does the world see us manifesting the gracious gentleness of Jesus?  Does the world see us living in faithful prayer and trusting in God, or does it see people just as anxious as everyone else?  Does it see enmity and strife and broken relationships or does it see a gospel people living out the healing and reconciling love of Jesus in loving unity?  Does the world see the peace of God ruling our hearts and minds?  Does the world see us, holding high the gospel, as a challenge to its gods and its kings and its sins?  It should.  But sadly, I think that for the Western Church at large, the answer is often “no”. And, all too often, when we do proclaim the gospel, we do so without power or authority.  Think of John boldly declaring the coming judgement and calling Israel to repentance.  It was urgent and powerful.  In contrast we tend to hold the gospel out as good advice, rather than as the good news that it is.  Friends, the gospel is the royal summons to come in faith to Jesus, the world's true Lord—the Lord who has come with mercy so that the repentant will escape when he comes one day in judgement.  This was the power behind John the Baptist' preaching.  But all too often we present the gospel as just another option on the religious smorgasbord—something you might want to try. See if you like it.  See if it works for you.  If not…oh well.  Brothers and Sisters, that's not the gospel.  The gospel is life! The gospel is good news to the people living in the midst of darkness and death: the king who will set the world to rights has come.  And that means the gospel, when preached as it should be, will challenge and upset the Herods and Caesars of our age and all those invested in the false gods of the world. The Advent message is to be prepared.  Jesus has given us a gospel mission to take the good news of his death, his resurrection, and his lordship into the world.  Brothers and Sisters, pray that we will be faithful to our mission—faithful enough to provoke opposition, because that's the kind of faithfulness that also reaps a harvest for the kingdom.  Pray for the holy boldness of John the Baptist and the gracious gentleness of Jesus.  Pray that we will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Pray that the joy of the Lord will overcome us.  Brothers and Sisters, Rejoice!  Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, I say rejoice. Let's pray: O Lord, come among us, we pray, with your power and strengthen us with your great might; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness we are grievously hindered in running the race that is set before us, your bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory, now and for ever.  Amen.

Experience the miraculous story of Paul and Silas, where faith turns a prison into a sanctuary and a jailor finds salvation.In this episode, journey with Paul and Silas as they face persecution and imprisonment in Philippi. Discover how their unwavering faith and divine intervention turned a prison into a place of worship and redemption.Today's Bible verse is Matthew 5:10, from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The book of Philippians has a common theme of Joy throughout the book.  We all face anxiety and worry in this life but what do we do when we experience those things. Paul instructed the church at Philippi on how to handle those emotions in chapter 4.

Daily Dose of Hope December 12, 2025   Scripture:  Acts 16   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you this morning with humility.  You, Lord of all Creation, Almighty God, came down to earth to become one of us.  You didn't come because you needed to, but because we needed you to.  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gift of incarnation.  As we continue through this Advent season, help us prepare our hearts for your coming.  Help us remember who and whose we are.  In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We have been walking through the Gospels and now we are mid-way through Acts.  Today, we are in Acts 16. There are two parts of this passage I want us to discuss.  The first is when Paul meets Timothy and decides to bring him on his missionary journey, he circumcises him.  Wait?  Didn't Paul just argue at the Council of Jerusalem that circumcision and the law were an unnecessary burden for Gentiles?  Yes, he did.  Now he circumcises Timothy.  Is he contradicting himself?  I don't believe so, but there are some layers to unpack.    Timothy's mother was Jewish and his father was Greek so he would not have been circumcised.  Now, Timothy and Paul are going to be visiting many young churches, some filled with Jewish believers.  While circumcision wouldn't be required, it probably gave Timothy a bit more authority in the eyes of those new Jewish converts.  It was probably also a debate they just didn't want to have.  They wanted the focus to be on salvation through Jesus Christ and they wanted to avoid anything that would be a distraction.  Of course, I'm thinking – was there a circumcision check at the door?  How would they even know?  But I digress.    The other part of the passage that is fascinating to me is how the Spirit of God discourages Paul and crew from going one way so that they would end up in Macedonia.  I mean, they had a route already planned out and they were prevented from taking that route.  And then Paul has a dream about a man calling to them and begging for them to come to Macedonia.  So they head in that direction.  When they go into Macedonia, it opens up a whole new area to the Gospel.  They head to Philippi, where they meet a woman named Lydia and she accepts Jesus.  She welcomes them into her home, which later becomes a house church.  This is only the beginning!  By listening to the Spirit and not insisting on their own way, the Gospel was advanced.    How often do we want to force our own way with God?  Yet, the Spirit is always trying to guide us, if we let him.   I can't finish today's devotional without at least addressing the prison story.  Paul and Silas are arrested after a debacle of sorts with a servant girl.  She had a spirit in her that told the future.  Keep in mind, this spirit would not have been of God, so most likely the power was demonic.  She followed the men around and was really wearing on Paul's nerves so he cast out that spirit.  But she was quite a money-maker for her owners.  When they find out the future-telling spirit is gone, they are livid.  They drag Paul and Silas into the public square and have them beaten.  Then, they are put in prison.  It feels a lot like a local mob gone crazy.   But God is always up to something.  An earthquake basically opens up the prison so the men could have theoretically walked out.  But they didn't.  I don't know why they didn't leave.  Maybe the Holy Spirit impressed upon them to stay, we don't have that information.  But because they stayed, the jailer is saved and so is his family!  One door opens another.    God is always opening at doors, always at work, but we have to be paying attention.  How have you seen God working behind the scenes in your life this week?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

“Whose heart the Lord opened.” — Acts 16:14 In Lydia's conversion there are many points of interest. It was brought about by providential circumstances. She was a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, but just at the right time for hearing Paul we find her at Philippi; providence, which is the handmaid of […]

Power Struggle After Caesar's Death: Colleague Barry Strauss introduces the power struggle following Caesar's death, featuring the established noble Mark Antony and the ambitious, though physically slight, Octavian, detailing the Second Triumvirate and Antony's military prestige after Philippi, contrasting it with Octavian's reliance on political cunning and the legacy of his great-uncle. 1700 ANTONY & CLEOPATRA

October 22, 2025 - Wednesday PM Bible Class In this episode we begin a verse-by-verse study of the book of Philippians, focusing on chapter 1 and its historical context. Chris sets the scene by reviewing Acts 16 — the Macedonian call that brought Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke to Philippi — and highlights key persons like Lydia and the Philippian jailer who played roles in the church's founding. The episode also situates Paul's letter historically, explaining his Roman imprisonment (house arrest around AD 60–62) and how that confinement shaped the letter's emphasis. Topics covered include: the geographic and cultural background of Philippi (a Roman colony in Macedonia), the origin of the church there, and the circumstances that prompted Paul's affectionate and joyful letter. The host unpacks major themes such as joy and rejoicing, the meaning of being a bondservant of Christ, the distinction between the believers Paul calls “saints” and his own humility, and the practical results of gospel partnership between Paul and the Philippian congregation (including their generosity). Key points emphasized: Paul's overriding theme that true Christian joy is rooted in Christ and the gospel — not in changing circumstances; the joy of prayerful fellowship (Paul's thankful, persistent prayers for the Philippians); the joy of purposeful living (how Paul's chains actually advanced the gospel and emboldened other believers); and the famous tension in Paul between “to live is Christ” and “to die is gain,” showing his devotion to Christ and concern for the church's growth. The episode highlights concrete illustrations from the text: the Macedonian call, Lydia's conversion and hospitality, Paul's witness to Caesar's household and the palace guard, divisions among those preaching (envy vs. goodwill), and practical exhortations for love, knowledge, discernment, and bearing the fruits of righteousness. Listeners can expect historical background, theological teaching, and pastoral application designed to help them understand Philippians' message of Christ-centered joy and faithful living.   Duration 40:00

Paul reminds the Thessalonians of the time he and his companions spent there. Despite previous opposition in Philippi and persecution in Thessalonica, Paul labored diligently to bring the Gospel to the Thessalonians, not to please man, but to please God. Even as he toiled night and day, he did so with the same care and affection that parents show their children. As the Thessalonians recall the way Paul ministered to them, they are strengthened to continue to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel.  Rev. Mark Squire, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12.  To learn more about Immanuel Lutheran, visit immanuelsta.org. “Yearning for the Day of Christ's Returning” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that studies St. Paul's two epistles to the Thessalonians. Although Paul's time in Thessalonica was brief, he had great affection for the Christians there. His two letters to the Thessalonians show us the joy that God gives us together in the Church and encourage us to live faithfully in expectation of Jesus' coming on the Last Day.  Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

The Apostle Paul, writing from prison in Philippi 1:7–8, expresses deep joy and affection for believers who share in the work of the gospel. Despite hardship, his confidence and gratitude reveal a fellowship rooted in Christ. This episode explores spiritual joy as a gift of the Holy Spirit, the enduring bond of Christian fellowship, and how Christly affection sustains believers beyond circumstances.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptIf you will, grab a Bible and go to Acts chapter 17. It's our first week of our Give series. Recently, Starbucks released a barista cup and it's precious. That's it. That's the barista cup. There was an article about it in Forbes titled Starbucks Barista cup frenzy leaves big lessons for brands. So I just want to read the beginning of this article for you. It says the Starbucks barista cup caused a frenzy online and in stores. I don't exactly know what an online frenzy looks like, but that cup calls one. When Starbucks announced the release of limited edition holiday merchandise, including the bear shaped $29.95 glass cold cup, which you thought that the temperature of your cup was up to, you Incorrect. This is a cold cup. Actually, I think what it means is if you put hot coffee in it, you're going to burn your hand. So it's a cold cup. It says as part of their holiday menu, few people expected overnight queues in store brawls and a booming resale market. People camped out and fist fought each other. Then it says, beyond the surreal headlines, there are some valuable marketing lessons from the Starbucks bear cup drama. Starbucks barista cup has tapped into an undeniable human truth. I was on the edge of my seat reading this article. The barista cub has tapped into an undeniable human truth. And I had a lot of guesses, none of which prepared me for the answer. So here's the answer. People are obsessed with cuteness. Starbucks released 12 holiday items, but only one captured the public imagination. Cuteness is the primary explanation for the barista cup frenzy. Overnight cues, fist fights, cuteness, which makes a little bit of sense because you know you've seen like a baby so cute before that you punched its mother.I would argue that Forbes analysis is incomplete. Cuteness may have contributed, but I think there are other undeniable human truths at work here. You know, as a pastor, I'm going to float sin out there. I also think that one of the things that this indicates to us is the absolute human ability to, to get our priorities out of line, to misplace value in things. That if you're punching someone for a cup because of the cuteness, your value system is off. And it's a real danger that we're all in. I think when I read these, sometimes I think like I'll read and go, oh my goodness, laugh at it and think, that would never, I would never do that. But really what I'm saying is I would never do that for a bear shaped Starbucks cup. I just have other things I'm willing to punch you for. I have other things that I've misplaced value in. Like, it just should give us the undeniable human truth that we are able to get our priorities out of, out of line. We're able to misplace value. We're able to suddenly think that something is more important than it is and to spend our time and our energy and our money on it. And that that is one of the primary reasons that we have our Give season, our Give series every Christmas season is that we're going to be pushed and pulled in a million different directions and told repeatedly that certain things have value that do not. And we want to always take this time to consider what actually is valuable and are we sending our effort and our money in the right direction.So let's pray then we're going to start in on trying to figure this out together this morning. Lord, we ask for wisdom. We ask for discernment. We ask for the work of the Spirit to help us make correct valuations so that we do not waste our time and specifically for what we're talking about today, that we do not waste our money on things that have no real value. In Jesus name, Amen. Because of our ability to get this wrong, it's always very helpful for us when the Bible just tells us this has value, when it just steps in and explains to us this thing is valuable, it helps us know, okay, then that's something to pursue. That's something worth giving energy towards. I don't want to give away all of what we're doing in our Give series, but we're about to talk about Paul's missions efforts in the Book of Acts. So we're going to walk through. What we're going to do is walk through some of Paul's missionary journey, discuss it, see what's going on here, and then we're going to see something that's behind it, something that's at work in it that the passage doesn't talk about, but that we find out later as we read Paul's letter. So we're going to be in Acts chapter 17. We're going to watch Paul as he goes, who have just been in Philippi, in Acts 16, saw a few people converted to Christianity, got arrested and was beaten and then released. So he leaves. We're going to follow him as he goes to Thessalonica, Berea, and then on a boat down to Athens and then from Athens over to Corinth. And we're going to move pretty fast because It's a couple chapters of text, and we're just trying to follow along and see some of what's going on here.So. Acts, chapter 17, verse 1.> it says now, when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom. And on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise from the dead, saying, this Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.So part of Paul's missionary strategy was when he went to a city, if there was a synagogue, he went to the synagogue because they were going to be studying the Scriptures. And so he would go and start showing them in the Scriptures that Jesus had fulfilled the promises of the Messiah. It's one of the things that we do around Christmas time. We read some of these passages like we read earlier, and we see that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises made to the Jewish people that he is their Messiah. And that's what he's doing. He's saying, the Christ has come. Jesus has fulfilled this. And he does this for three weeks every Sabbath day. And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous. And that's where it goes into. After that verse, it's going to talk to us about. As people start to believe, some of the people in the area begin to fight against Paul. They actually attack them. And Paul and Silas sneak out at night. And so they were only there for a couple of weeks. They're seeing people believe and they're run out of town. So let's pick back up in verse 10 as the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.> As the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.So the brothers being the people who have just believed, it's just the beginnings of a church. And they're like, hey, we live here, but y' all, don't they want to hurt you, not us. Y' all get out of here. And we're going to keep following, figuring this out. And when they arrived, this is in Berea, they went into the Jewish synagogue. So Paul was like, I know my strategy. We're going back. Didn't work well last time, but we're going to do it this time. And it did work in some ways, because people believed. He's like, this is working. Even though some people hated me and wanted to Kill me. So he keeps going.> Now, these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica. They received the word with all eagerness.I just love that that note was in there. Just like these people were better than the ones in Thessalonica. And that's in Scripture, and it's there forever, you guys. All right? Many of them therefore believed with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there, too, agitating and stirring up the crowd.So we don't exactly know how long he was in Berea, but. But he was there long enough for people to believe and for that to become such a thing that's happening there that they find out in Thessalonica. So they're like, oh, well, he's just going to keep at it. So they head over there to run him off out of Berea. Then it says, the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea. But Silas and Timothy remained there. And those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens. And after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.So Silas and Timothy stay. They sneak Paul out to a boat and ride him down to Athens. And then he says, when y' all get back, tell Silas and Timothy to come to me. And then he's hanging out in Athens by himself. While he's in Athens, he finds out that there's a place in Athens. There doesn't seem to. He does go to a Jewish synagogue. Then he also finds out that there's a place in Athens where they just gather and share news and anything new and debate new topics and new ideas. So he goes there and starts proclaiming the Gospel. And we're going to pick up in that.> The times of ignorance God overlooked. But now he commands all people everywhere to repent because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.To Paul, as he's concluding, he says God overlooked ignorance, but not anymore. Now there's a man who's going to judge the whole world in righteousness. And he says, and God's proven this by raising him from the dead. So he's proclaiming the gospel that everyone everywhere needs to repent, which Just so you know, that's essential to the gospel, that everyone, everywhere needs to repent. Sometimes we'll pick specific isolated sins and someone will say, well, you think this is bad? And it's like, I don't know how to tell you this. We think everyone everywhere needs to repent, that you can't. If you just pick an isolated one, we're like, probably, yes, that's a sin. And that's a sin. And that's a sin. We believe that everyone has fallen short of the glory of God and needs Christ, that we aren't going to moral ourselves into this. We're not going to work our way into this. And this is what he's proclaiming to them. And he says that it's proven by. By the resurrection of Christ from the dead.> Now, when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, but others said, we will hear you again about this.So Paul went out from their midst, but some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. So several people believe he proclaims the Gospel. He goes to a new place, begins proclaiming the Gospel, and more people believe.Chapter 18. After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.> After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.So he jumped across out of. He was on Athens and then he jumped across Corinth, had to take a boat, and he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to them. And because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.> When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.So now, instead of making tents, his occupation, what he's at work in now is proclaiming the Gospel. He's had enough room now to share it. And he's spending his time trying to articulate to them this. And he's studying with them and proclaiming it to them.> When the Jewish people opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, your blood be on your own heads. I am innocent. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles.And he left there, and he went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. I just appreciate that a whole lot. He's like, fine, I'm gonna go to the Gentiles. He walks out. He turns the corner. He walks in that house and is like, boom, Setting up shop. Here we go. So he's right next to the synagogue. He didn't go far away. He's like, I'm telling people about Jesus. I don't know. Right here next to y'. All. That's what he starts doing. Then it says, crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord. So he was next door. He was overseeing that. He just is like, I'm going to. And he heads over to the other house together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision.> Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.And he stayed a year and six months teaching the word of God among them. So he's been chased all along. He's in Corinth. Jesus shows up and says, stay here. Keep preaching. Because there are many people in this city who are mine, but not yet. So Paul is in a spot where Jesus says, there are people here who belong to me, but they don't know it yet. I know it. They don't know it. And you've got to stay and you've got to tell them. You've got to proclaim the gospel. You've got to explain what's happened, and then they will belong to me. To me, because they already belong to me. That's what he's saying. And that's one of the things that undergirds missions. One of the reasons we go, one of the reasons we plant churches, one of the reasons we send, one of the reasons we go to places where people have never heard. One of the reasons we go to places that are difficult is because all over the place, there are people who belong to Jesus. And we've got to go tell them. We've got to go tell him who he is. And the Spirit goes to work in their heart, and Jesus claims them it's not something that happens without their knowledge. They are going to come to genuine faith in Jesus that will be tangible and real in their life. But what Jesus is saying is that he sins at times and he puts somebody in a place at times because there are people there who belong to him. They just haven't heard about him yet. That ought to give us courage. We ought to begin to beg the Lord. Lord, are there people at work? There are people at my job. Are there people in this class? Are there people on the street who belong to you that I'm supposed to stay and proclaim the gospel to? And we ought to start praying over maps, and we ought to start going to places and saying, lord, there's gotta be people here who belong to you. Put me in the right spot, Send me to the right place. Help me to be there to proclaim the gospel.Now, there's something else that's happening in this text that I think we need to consider. Alfred Hitchcock was a director. He did movies like Psycho and the Birds, and he had a concept that he called the refrigerator test. He just said he wanted all of his movies that he made to pass the refrigerator test. The point was, you'd go see a movie, you're in it, soaking it up. It's great. You leave, you go home, you open your refrigerator to grab a snack before you go to bed, and suddenly you're like, wait a second. How did they get on the train in the first place? And you realize that the movie just skipped a thing. It didn't explain something to you, or there's a logical problem. You're like, why didn't the bad guys just shoot him? They shot his wife. Why'd they shoot her and then leave him alive? Were they running out of bullets? You open your refrigerator and you think, why don't they ever shoot at Captain America's legs? You know, I've played paintball before. I picked up a pallet one time. I got shot in the legs, like 45 times. Seems easy enough. And as we're reading this passage, there's a little hint at it in one place, but I think there's a thing that we should go. Hold on a second. How does Paul survive not just not get killed, but we've watched him travel around for years at this point. There was one moment where they said he went and made tents. And unless he sold the most extravagant, amazing tents, that he just did that for a couple of weeks, and then he was set for several years. It feels like there's something else going on here now, you could say, well, it's fair to assume that the people that are believing are starting to tend to him, they're going to feed him, they're going to help him have a place to stay. And it's like that. That's reasonable. But there's places where he shows up and there's nobody. That hasn't happened yet. And so this is one of those things where you go, well, how does. How is he doing this? Is he independently wealthy, like Bruce Wayne or something? What's going on? And then it doesn't talk about it in this text, but it does show up in Paul's letters. And so I want us to go to. It's mentioned in Corinthians, but it's talked about directly in Philippians. And I want y' all to see this. This is the end of Philippians chapter four. He's writing to the church in Philippi. So that was the first dot on our map. And he says, and you, Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the Gospel. So this is right when I first started, was proclaiming this.> When I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again.So he's writing to this church, and he's saying, y' all partnered with me from the very beginning you entered into partnership with me. Meaning that the work that Paul did, they had a hand in it. They had a share in it. Even though he's the one traveling around the church in Philippi is helping make sure that's possible. And y'. All. He says something crazy. Look at this. That's Philippi. The whole big section here is Macedonia. When he gets out of Macedonia, he's in Corinth. So he says, nobody helped me when I left Macedonia except for y'. All. So he's like, y' all helped provide for me while I was in Corinth. And that's why he mentions it to the Corinthians, because I didn't take anything from y'. All. He says, I worked. He mentioned that. And then he says, and the churches in Macedonia helped me. But he also says, when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me help. That was right after he left Philippi. He went through two towns, and the next town that it says he was in for three weeks was Thessalonica, which means that the Philippians, as soon as they believed, started helping Paul be a missionary. As soon as it happened, what they said Was, oh, we want everybody to know this. And if you're gonna go and tell people, we want in on that. We want to be a part of making sure that everybody knows what we now know. And it started immediately with them.> Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.You know how that works, right? With your money, there are certain things where it's like your wallet magically appears in your hand that you're just willing to pay for. Usually people who get married to each other, those things are wildly different. So your spouse seems to have infinite money for this stupid category. When you know that you should never spend money on that. You should spend money on this brilliant category that you love. And that seems to be what happens. And what happens with the Philippians is as soon as they know about Christ and they find out that Paul's gonna go check, share it with other people, their wallet's just in their hands. They're just like, oh, yeah, we want this to happen. Make sure he has what he needs. And they do it the whole time. They find out he's in Corinth, and they're like, make sure he has what he needs so that he can tell more people about this. And Paul says that they've partnered with him. And then he says this. Not that I seek the gift, because they've just given him a gift. And he's telling him, thank you. That's what he was doing earlier. He says, not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. He says. So he was telling him, thank you. He said, I appreciate it. He said, but that's not what it's all about. What it's about is that you are doing something that's valuable and that you receive credit for doing this good thing. He's basically saying to the Philippians, this is something you ought to do. It's a good thing to do. And I'm glad that you're doing it. Which if you've ever talked to missionaries, they do have that weird. They're really thankful, but they're also trying, like, they don't trying to be about money. So they'll say like, thank you so much. We also are just trusting the Lord, but thank you. But also, it's good for you to give. But also it's not all about, like, they have these weird. If you read this section in Philippians, you can see Paul being like, you should do this. But I'm not super worried about it. Cause Jesus is gonna take care of me. But not being worried about it doesn't mean I'm not thankful. I'm very thankful. And he just is trying to articulate all these things at once. And he says, I have received full payment and more. I am well supplied having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.> A fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God, and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus,so that they're getting to be stewards of God's provision for them by providing for Paul. And Paul says, God sees it, God knows it. It's a sacrifice pleasing to him. Now, I would argue that there are things we put money towards that do not fit the category of a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. Not to say that everything we spend our money on is bad. And I think that there are things that are, you're perfectly fine to exist and pay your bills and do things. But I think that when we see that there are things that the Lord delights for us to participate in, that we get to join in partnership with missionaries, that we get to enjoy partaking in the endeavor that they're after, and that we get to do something that the Lord looks at and is pleased with than we ought to. When he sets our valuation of something, take him up on it. When he says this is good and valuable, take him up on it. And when Jesus is talking about this, at one point he says it's not about the amount. He just says not even a cup of cold water will be forgotten. That if you give anything to try to participate in this, if you give anything to care and to love and because you're a disciple and because they're a disciple and because they're going, he says, not a thing's forgotten. So every penny is remembered and every penny is worth it. But then he says this in Philippians 4:20, then this is why we do this to our God and Father. Be glory forever and ever. Amen.> To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.That's the point. That's the reason the Philippians want a partner. It's because they want everyone everywhere to give glory to God. To know who Christ is, to know what he's done, to know how good he is, to know how wonderful he is, to know how much he loves, to. To know the grace that he offers. When you ever consider how merciful and kind he's been to you, if you consider the weight of your sin, the weight of your failings, the weight of your shortcomings, the depth of the destruction that we deserve and how loving and good and wonderful he is, and that he's designed so that we would belong to him and so that he can lavish his riches and kindness on us for all eternity. And that that's offered to all who will call on him, then we want all to call on Him. That's why John Piper says that missions exist because worship doesn't. He says worship is the goal and fuel of missions. That's why we go, because we have tasted of the joy of worshiping Jesus and we want all the families of the earth in included.So while everything around you is going to push and pull you in a different direction and tell you, you need this, you need this, you should have one of these in order to be happy, you'll need this. My sons asked me, they said Halloween hadn't happened. Why are all the commercials, Christmas commercial? I said, oh, boy, they want money. Our whole economy runs off of you buying things you don't need. And we're trying to take a moment to just go, look, we want to celebrate well, we also want to pause and go, is my money going in the right direction? Do I have my priorities right? Is my value system correct? Do I look like a person who knows the delight and the goodness of Christ? Does that show up in how my money and my budget works? And that's what we want to pause and do every year in our gift series.So this year what we do. Not this year. I started the wrong sentence. I'll start that sentence in a second. What we do every year is we pick a project or two one time, three, I think, and we just say we want to give money to this. It's just an opportunity for our church to rally together and be generous. So we've done different things. Sometimes we do local things, sometimes we do further away things. This year we're going to partner, hopefully Lord willing, with two different organizations to do some foreign missions work. So I'm introducing the first project today. So this year we're going to do two. I'm introducing the first project today, we'll introduce the next one next week. And then over the next few weeks we'll try to raise money to support these agencies in the efforts that they're doing in foreign mission work. So the first one we're going to partner with is elam. It is a missions organization in Mexico. When we started praying about this and looking, we were like, we want to do something with foreign missions. We want to give some effort in this direction. Scott and Kit's Hill's son Scotty, also Isaac Hill, is one of our pastors. It's his uncle also Isaac Hill's wife Lydia, it's her uncle in law, works with Elam in Mexico. So we just called him up and started trying to talk to him about what would it look like if we partnered with you? What kind of work are you doing? What's the labor looking like right now in where you are? So this is a picture. One of the things, as we said, just start dreaming a little bit if we partner with you now. It's an EFCA organization. So the money's going towards an organization that is very transparent in how they handle their finances. ELAM is they pick that name because it's the name of Oasis mentioned in the book of Exodus and what they do. I'll read some of this specifically. I can find my notes here. Yeah. ELAM is a mission development and mobilization organization in Mexico that focuses on equipping and mobilizing local churches. They do this through trainings and through short term missions trips to indigenous communities. So one of the things they do is they'll partner with a local church in a harder area and they show up and help do missions trips to try to help that church serve the community and have an opportunity for evangelism, have an opportunity to build goodwill with the community as that church is trying to develop. So what they've been doing recently is, is medical mission, short term missions programs. And so they'll go to a community and do medical missions for a couple weeks to try to help a local in partnership with a local church in a community. So the core activities are they do general medical exams and treatment, dental care and hygiene education, vision screenings and the distribution of eyeglasses. And then throughout that they're doing church support and evangelism as a part of it.So they currently have a donated auto refractor which is a machine you put on your face and it tells you what your prescription is. And then someone donated to them 6,000 pairs of glasses. So they show up to places, stick an autorefactor on people's faces, find out what the prescription is, find it and give them a pair of glasses. And so they're able to go to these rural places and under resourced places and help people see. They also have two mobile dental machines and chairs. And then they're using all this on supplies on borrowed trucks and on the open bed trailer covered with tarps. They've been going to Sierra Mezateca where there's about 300,000 Mezatecos and only a few local churches. They've been in Partnership with a church called Amigos de Fe. And they've planted churches and trying to plant churches in eight communities. They've done five medical trips in that area with about 80 to 120 medical patients, 40 to 50 dental patients, and then they were given out 20 to 30 glasses. And then in the areas near Veracruz and hidalgo, there's about 490,000 people. They have two medical trips they've done this past year. They've got a third one scheduled. On their first two, they had about 100 to 150 medical patients, 60 to 100 dental patients, and they gave out 50 to 100 pairs of glasses, which I don't know if you've ever tried to live without glasses and then got glasses, but it's magical. Just ask third grade Chet. So for them to show up to places where people have not been able to see and just outfit them, they walk in and walk out with glasses is a wonderful thing.And so we just said, what would you need if we were going to give you money? What would you use it for? What would this look like? And so the biggest, they said the current biggest limitation is the logistics problem for them. They have an open bed trailer that they've just been throwing a tarp on. And so they said we'd love. Yeah, that. They said they have lost equipment due to rain. And some of the places that they go to, they end up having to park and hike up mountains. I mean, they're going to hard to reach places and difficult to resource places. And so they said they'd love to have an enclosed trailer. And so they sent us this sort of thing now just to help you all out. That 98,500 is pesos. So if you're like, nah, we're gonna have to smuggle in one of our trailers. We ain't paying that. That's in pesos. So don't stress out over that.So here's what we said. We just said, start telling us what you would need. And they gave us a list. We said, dream. We've learned as a church that we want to. We want to get some options. We want to get some things in front of us and we'll see what the Lord does and what we're able to do together. Like we said, our hope is to knock this out, to be able to do what they've asked and do another one. But we'll see. We're happy to get to partner together however we're able to. But this is what. This is how the money would work for this Group the trailer is about $6,000. So the first $6,000 we raise, they're going to go get a trailer. After that, they would use 1250 for insurance, taxes, maintenance of the trailer. So they said if we're able to give them about $7,000, 7,500, they'll get a trailer and they'll be taken care of for a year, and then they'll, you know, just continue to operate with it. But they would be blessed by that because they'd be able to load it up, they'd be able to lock it up, they'd be able to show up to the place, unload what they needed to unload, keep. Like they just said this would bless their souls and their ability to get in and out of places and. And not lose equipment. So we said that sounded smart to us. So we thought, yes, let's try to get them a trailer if we're able to keep giving. Here are other things. They were like, well, look, y' all give us money, we're going to spend it. So they would love another auto refractor, which helps them to do multiple trips or to be able to just handle more people when they're coming in, getting them glasses. A lensometer is actually what you use to shine through glasses to make sure it is the right prescription. So auto refractor goes on the face, lensometer goes on the glasses. A diagnostic kit and a retinoscope is just the ability to try to actually check eyes, see what's going on. If they could have a mobile dental X ray with a computer, that would be amazing so that they could actually do X rays right there, see what's going on inside. And then they said dental chairs and lights, 600 general dental tools and supplies, 1500 general medical equipment, 500, for a total of $22,250. We'd love to be able to raise that for them. We'd love to get to join in partnership in a way that we get to be a part of people in areas of Mexico we'll never step foot in being cared for, loved, and getting a tangible picture of the gospel. As a group of people is trying to plant churches to articulate the gospel.Just so y' all know, we don't do a whole lot as a church in partnership with any kind of foreign missions organization that isn't trying to plant churches and articulate the gospel. We think it is incomplete if we're just doing physical things, but we love to partner where they're doing some physical work, some. Some tangible help in connection with local church planting and church organization and these sort of things going forward. So as a church, every year we do every year at Christmas we partner with the Lottie Moon Christmas offering, which is, you see it on the tables and it's in your bulletin, which is a part of missions efforts for the Southern Baptist. We do that every year and then we pick a give project and then sometimes we pick as a give project a missions opportunity. And we've got two in front of us this year. This is the first one we're going to be able to get after we're excited to be able to partner in this specific way in Mexico for the sake of what they're doing and would love for you to begin praying about what does it look like for you to partner in helping see other people come to know Jesus and tangibly see what he does among a group people, let's pray.Father, we're thankful. We're thankful that you have met us in our need. We're thankful that you have redeemed us and called us into something eternal. We ask that your spirit would be at work so that our church might be a blessing to those who are out and doing international efforts. We pray, Lord, that you would stir in the hearts of our church family so that we might be able to send people and we pray that you would stir in our hearts that we might be able to send money to the people who are already there. But may we be a part of what you are doing around the world in the places where people belong to you. There just hasn't been someone who's told them about you yet. In Jesus name Amen. Band's gonna come up. We're gonna sing. If you desire to give, there are there is a drop down menu online that you can give directly to it already. You can also give via an envelope or just put on the check that it's for our gift project. But we ask you to begin to pray and hopefully, Lord willing will be able to begin to move on this and then get into some of the other stuff, see what the Lord does.

Julius Caesar – Act V scene 1 The apposing armies meet at Philippi, but before the fight there must be words.

On May 29, 1925, Percy Fawcett sent a final letter to his wife before he ventured deeper into the unmapped jungles of Brazil. He was seeking a fabled lost city of great splendor, determined to be the first explorer to share its location with the world after years of searching. But his team of explorers got lost, the city was never found, and many expeditions failed to recover either. Percy’s courage and passion, while admirable, was squandered on a lost city that could never be reached. If we’re honest, there are many unreachable goals in our lives that hold a similar power over us. But there is a real treasure for each person that’s worth seeking with all of our heart, mind, and strength. In his letter to believers in Philippi, Paul put it this way: “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). Unlike a fabled city—yielding riches, fame, or power—knowing Jesus and believing in Him is a treasure without equal. It’s the very thing for which we have been made. Worldly goals of power or status, or even the appearance of righteousness through keeping the law, are nothing compared to knowing Jesus (vv. 6–7). Are we spending our time and energy on something that can never satisfy? May Christ help us check what “city” we’re seeking.

Experience the miraculous story of Paul and Silas, where faith turns a prison into a sanctuary and a jailor finds salvation.In this episode, journey with Paul and Silas as they face persecution and imprisonment in Philippi. Discover how their unwavering faith and divine intervention turned a prison into a place of worship and redemption.Today's Bible verse is Matthew 5:10, from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Philippians is a remarkable epistle (or letter) to the church in Philippi. In it, the apostle Paul writes on topics such as prayer, worship, Christian living, humility, unity, and the powerful work of Christ completed in us. People often recognize this book by it's many familiar passages such as, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" to name just a couple.  This book is packed with life-changing principles, so grab your Bible and join Jerry Dirmann as he dives into the amazing book of Philippians, and helps us see how to apply this book in practical ways.   You can also join Jerry everyday on this podcast as he walks us through a chapter of the New Testament, and gives us some amazing insights and applications. Take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann.    « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Philippians is a remarkable epistle (or letter) to the church in Philippi. In it, the apostle Paul writes on topics such as prayer, worship, Christian living, humility, unity, and the powerful work of Christ completed in us. People often recognize this book by it's many familiar passages such as, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" to name just a couple.  This book is packed with life-changing principles, so grab your Bible and join Jerry Dirmann as he dives into the amazing book of Philippians, and helps us see how to apply this book in practical ways.   You can also join Jerry everyday on this podcast as he walks us through a chapter of the New Testament, and gives us some amazing insights and applications. Take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann.    « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal  Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Philippians is a remarkable epistle (or letter) to the church in Philippi. In it, the apostle Paul writes on topics such as prayer, worship, Christian living, humility, unity, and the powerful work of Christ completed in us. People often recognize this book by it's many familiar passages such as, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" to name just a couple.  This book is packed with life-changing principles, so grab your Bible and join Jerry Dirmann as he dives into the amazing book of Philippians, and helps us see how to apply this book in practical ways.   You can also join Jerry everyday on this podcast as he walks us through a chapter of the New Testament, and gives us some amazing insights and applications. Take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann.    « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

Building a life of order means more than tidying your house. It is time to embrace apostolic structure. Dr. Gabriel Allen Powell takes listeners on a journey through the story of the Church of Philippi, using the example of Lydia and the early believers to challenge modern disciples to assess their own lives for order and discipline.Whether discussing the importance of establishing spiritual altars at home, embracing correction from trusted leaders, or cultivating structure in every area of life, this message is a call to action for believers ready to experience breakthrough by getting their lives in order.Support the showText encounteratl to 94000 to stay up-to-date on all things Encounter.Worship with EncounterSundays at 11 AM ET | Wednesdays at 7:30 PM ETSupport EncounterText egive to 77977 Connect with EncounterFacebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | WebsiteConnect with Dr. GabeInstagram | YouTube | Website

Philippians is a remarkable epistle (or letter) to the church in Philippi. In it, the apostle Paul writes on topics such as prayer, worship, Christian living, humility, unity, and the powerful work of Christ completed in us. People often recognize this book by it's many familiar passages such as, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" to name just a couple.  This book is packed with life-changing principles, so grab your Bible and join Jerry Dirmann as he dives into the amazing book of Philippians, and helps us see how to apply this book in practical ways.   You can also join Jerry everyday on this podcast as he walks us through a chapter of the New Testament, and gives us some amazing insights and applications. Take your daily Bible reading to another level with The New Testament Daily with Jerry Dirmann.    « FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » To listen to or download more teachings from Jerry and others from Solid Lives ministries, visit our new media library at: https://app.jesusdisciple.com/jesus-way/media-library « THE NEW TESTAMENT DAILY PODCAST » https://thenewtestamentdailywithjerrydirmann.buzzsprout.com « SOLID LIVES » Find out more about the ministries of Jerry Dirmann and Solid Lives at https://www.solidlives.com/  « SUPPORT » You can help us get free resources like this out to more people. Visit https://pushpay.com/g/jdglobal Thank you for joining us today! For more resources like this, or to support the ministry of Solid Lives, visit one of the links below: FREE MEDIA LIBRARY » Download or listen at https://SolidLivesMedia.com/ ABOUT SOLID LIVES » Find out more at https://www.solidlives.com/ SUPPORT » Help us get the word out at https://solidlives.com/give/

2 Timothy 1:3-7, Philippians 1:3-4,7 Ann Robertson brought the message this Sunday prior to Thanksgiving. She reminded us of the importance of being grateful for the people in our lives who have made a difference and reflected on the ways that gratitude benefits us. Ann also provided some solutions to address times when we might not be so grateful, three of which were portrayed humorously by Hans. As Paul told the church in Philippi, "I thank God every time I think of you."

11-23-25 | The Apostle Paul wrote an amazing letter from prison to the Church at Philippi about advancing the gospel, Christ's example of humility, and joy in all circumstances. This November, on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, we will unpack this great book, showing how our lives can be enriched.

Paul's closing to the letter reminds us of the reality that our love for each other affects even others. The small church in Philippi didn't know the magnitude of what they were part of. Explore this in the conclusion to our fall series in Pastor Kevin's sermon, SAINTS & SEEDS.

The Apostle Paul in Philippians, that epistle of joy, exhorts the congregation, the church there at Philippi, and by the Holy Spirit we're exhorted, rejoice in the Lord always. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Let's start thinking about that exhortation in this way. The Christian life is a life devoted. The Christian life is a life devoted to seek, experience, and express joy. Paul also exhorts the church to persevere, to remain steadfast. And what's the secret of persevering in our lives when we are weary, when we are burned out, when we are struggling? What's the secret? The way to remain steadfast is to rejoice because it signifies a triumph. Christ has triumphed!

Contentment is one of the hardest lessons to learn—whether you’re a child circling toys in a catalog or an adult eyeing upgrades and “just one more thing” that promises satisfaction. Philippians 4:12 pulls us back to center, reminding us that peace doesn’t rise and fall with our circumstances. Paul learned to be steady in seasons of plenty and seasons of lack because his confidence was rooted in Christ, not conditions. When we anchor our joy in the unchanging character of God, we discover the quiet strength that carries us through both abundance and need. Highlights Contentment and happiness aren’t the same—one depends on circumstances, the other doesn’t. Paul learned contentment through every season: need, abundance, hunger, and fullness. Lasting peace is found in Christ, not in possessions, upgrades, or life improvements. Our hearts easily drift toward “more,” making contentment a daily, intentional choice. Philippians 4:13 reveals the true secret: Christ’s strength empowers us to be faithful in any situation. Even Paul, writing from captivity and suffering, modeled unwavering trust in God. Want and plenty both test our faith—but both can draw us closer to God when we rely on Him. Gift Inspiration: Crosswalk's Holiday Gift Guide Looking for a meaningful way to celebrate the season? Check out our Holiday Gift Guide—from beautifully illustrated Bibles and devotionals to novels, greeting cards, and picture books, there’s something for everyone on your list. Wrap up stories for loved ones, tuck a book into your own nightstand, and join us in celebrating the wonder of giving this Christmas! Full Transcript Below: Faithful in Plenty, Faithful in Want By: Laura Bailey Bible Reading: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” - Philippians 4:12 NIV “Give me! It’s my turn to look!” my youngest daughter screamed as she ripped the latest Christmas catalog out of my middle daughter’s hands. We’d received four toy books this week, the glossy pages filled with the latest gadgets, and my daughters were eager to circle the items they’d had their eyes on all year and add a few more things to their lists.“I think I will hold onto this,” I said as I tucked the book underneath my arm. “You girls already have so much, how could you possibly find anything else you want?” My daughters turned to each other in an unspoken agreement that their mother was, in fact, crazy. They could never have “enough,” there was always something more to bring them greater joy. It is my responsibility as a parent to teach my girls about contentment, gratitude for what they have, and the dangers of placing our happiness in things. Don’t worry, I did address the heart issue with my littles. However, at thirty years their senior, I still struggle with the same things. No, it’s not the lure of a new doll that promises to boost my morale; instead, it’s looking forward to a raise, taking a trip, or upgrading the kitchen appliances. How often do I struggle to be faithful in plenty and faithful in want? Sadly, it is still a struggle. Paul, in his letter to the Christians at Philippi, encourages them to be content and faithful to what God has called them to, in all circumstances. Notice that Paul, in our key verse, uses the word content and not happy. Often, we use those words interchangeably, and while they are similar, they have slightly different meanings. Happiness, a state of euphoria, is dependent on circumstances, while contentment is a state of peace or satisfaction independent of circumstances. Paul desired that his ancient readers and today’s believers understand that peace and joy aren’t rooted in our circumstances but in our relationship with Christ. Therefore, contentment and choosing to be faithful to God’s purpose are daily choices. Often, my feelings dictate my soul's contentment. Paul understood this struggle. The verse following Paul’s “secret,” to contentment, tells us how he was able to, even in the worst of circumstances, he can stay faithful ( remember, Paul is writing this letter from house arrest, and was beaten, flogged, and severely injured for the gospel). Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Paul kept his faith even in the most dire of circumstances because God was with him, strengthened him, and gave him peace and joy through the work of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s life. The key to lasting happiness and peace isn’t found in a temporary world but in an everlasting God. Paul understood how easily we get discouraged, allowing the disappointments of this world to overcome us, rob us of our peace, steal our joy, and undermine our faith. But in our weakest moments, we must cry out to God, asking Him to give us the strength to “count it all joy” (James 1:2-4). Once my girls had settled down, I brought out the magazine and shared with them that I, too, can get sidetracked and distracted by all the shiny things this world offers. It’s not wrong to want a new pair of shoes, or a new game, or even to have a toy chest overflowing with playthings. However, we must guard our hearts against the proclivity to find contentment in our circumstances, cash flow, or STUFF. The “not-so secret” to be faithful in plenty and little, is to place our trust in the One Who is the Provider of it all. Intersecting Faith & Life: Next time you are tempted to measure your happiness by the temporary, take a minute to meditate on our key verse. Commit the verse to memory, or write it down on a sticky note as a reminder that we can find contentment in Christ, not our circumstances.Further Reading:James 1:2-8 A Prayer to Enjoy Each Season Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Share a commentGrace doesn't wait for perfect conditions; it reaches the soul right where life feels unmoved. We close our journey through Philippians by tracing how Paul's final lines pull the whole letter into focus: greet every saint, honor the family of faith, and rest in the grace that Christ applies to the spirit, not the circumstances. Along the way, we dismantle the myth of sainthood as a status for a rare few and recover the New Testament vision—saints are all believers set apart in Christ, called, known, and needed.We walk through Paul's four circles of greeting: the local church in Philippi, the brothers beside him, the wider community of believers in Rome, and the surprising believers within Caesar's household. Each circle reveals something vital about a gospel-shaped community. Leaders speak dignity to every member. Brothers and sisters belong to each other because they belong to Christ. Bridges get built even when disappointment lingers. And the gospel advances in unlikely places, reminding us that grace is not fragile; it flourishes under pressure.Throughout the conversation, we keep returning to the center—Jesus Christ. Identity, joy, contentment, and perseverance are not self-manufactured; they are rooted in union with Him. That means we don't pray on the strength of a good week, and we don't serve on the basis of a flawless record. We live under a lavish downpour of unmerited favor, enough for each trial and every day until faith becomes sight. If you've ever wondered whether you're worthy to be used by God, or if your past disqualifies you from hope, this message invites you to breathe again: you are a saint by calling, a sibling in a family, and a witness to grace at work.If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others discover these teachings.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentGrace doesn't wait for perfect conditions; it reaches the soul right where life feels unmoved. We close our journey through Philippians by tracing how Paul's final lines pull the whole letter into focus: greet every saint, honor the family of faith, and rest in the grace that Christ applies to the spirit, not the circumstances. Along the way, we dismantle the myth of sainthood as a status for a rare few and recover the New Testament vision—saints are all believers set apart in Christ, called, known, and needed.We walk through Paul's four circles of greeting: the local church in Philippi, the brothers beside him, the wider community of believers in Rome, and the surprising believers within Caesar's household. Each circle reveals something vital about a gospel-shaped community. Leaders speak dignity to every member. Brothers and sisters belong to each other because they belong to Christ. Bridges get built even when disappointment lingers. And the gospel advances in unlikely places, reminding us that grace is not fragile; it flourishes under pressure.Throughout the conversation, we keep returning to the center—Jesus Christ. Identity, joy, contentment, and perseverance are not self-manufactured; they are rooted in union with Him. That means we don't pray on the strength of a good week, and we don't serve on the basis of a flawless record. We live under a lavish downpour of unmerited favor, enough for each trial and every day until faith becomes sight. If you've ever wondered whether you're worthy to be used by God, or if your past disqualifies you from hope, this message invites you to breathe again: you are a saint by calling, a sibling in a family, and a witness to grace at work.If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others discover these teachings.The first of Stephen's two volumes set through the Book of Revelation is now available. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQ3XCJMYSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA thank-you note written in chains shouldn't feel this joyful, but Paul's letter to the Philippians turns generosity into worship, partnership, and a promise with real weight. We walk through Philippians 4:14–20 to show how a small church that “gave until it hurt” became equal partners in the work of the gospel—and even in its reward. When others forgot Paul, Philippi remembered. Their loyalty paid past debts, covered present needs, and overflowed into future ministry, not just for Paul but for everyone tied to their account.We unpack what koinonia really means: not potlucks or polite fellowship, but deep, sacrificial investment. Paul borrows banking language to say their giving “increases to your account,” the compounding interest of eternal reward. Then he shifts to temple language—“a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice”—to frame generosity as worship God sees and values. That blend of market and altar imagery grounds a famous promise often pulled out of context: “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Not a blank check, but a pledge to givers who meet real needs with real sacrifice. “According to his riches” means provision measured by the Giver's wealth, not by our limits.Along the way, we revisit Philippi's origin story—Lydia's hospitality, a freed slave girl, a jailer's family—and trace how gratitude matured into ongoing support. We also face the sobering reality of missed opportunities from other churches and ask what investments we might be overlooking today. The episode crescendos with Paul's doxology, moving from “my God” to “our God,” inviting us into shared praise and shared mission. If you're hungry for a faith that turns dollars into doxology and partnership into purpose, this conversation will sharpen your vision for giving that lasts.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage to give, and leave a review to help others find it. Then tell us: where are you investing your time and treasure this week?The first of Stephen's two volumes set through the Book of Revelation is now available. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQ3XCJMYSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA thank-you note written in chains shouldn't feel this joyful, but Paul's letter to the Philippians turns generosity into worship, partnership, and a promise with real weight. We walk through Philippians 4:14–20 to show how a small church that “gave until it hurt” became equal partners in the work of the gospel—and even in its reward. When others forgot Paul, Philippi remembered. Their loyalty paid past debts, covered present needs, and overflowed into future ministry, not just for Paul but for everyone tied to their account.We unpack what koinonia really means: not potlucks or polite fellowship, but deep, sacrificial investment. Paul borrows banking language to say their giving “increases to your account,” the compounding interest of eternal reward. Then he shifts to temple language—“a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice”—to frame generosity as worship God sees and values. That blend of market and altar imagery grounds a famous promise often pulled out of context: “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Not a blank check, but a pledge to givers who meet real needs with real sacrifice. “According to his riches” means provision measured by the Giver's wealth, not by our limits.Along the way, we revisit Philippi's origin story—Lydia's hospitality, a freed slave girl, a jailer's family—and trace how gratitude matured into ongoing support. We also face the sobering reality of missed opportunities from other churches and ask what investments we might be overlooking today. The episode crescendos with Paul's doxology, moving from “my God” to “our God,” inviting us into shared praise and shared mission. If you're hungry for a faith that turns dollars into doxology and partnership into purpose, this conversation will sharpen your vision for giving that lasts.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage to give, and leave a review to help others find it. Then tell us: where are you investing your time and treasure this week?The first of Stephen's two volumes set through the Book of Revelation is now available. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQ3XCJMYSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

11-16-25 | The Apostle Paul wrote an amazing letter from prison to the Church at Philippi about advancing the gospel, Christ's example of humility, and joy in all circumstances. This November, on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, we will unpack this great book, showing how our lives can be enriched.

The theme for November 2025 is "Service." Our guest author, Randi Cassel, discusses "To Live Is Christ: Applications of Paul's Message to the Church in Philippi."Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/zoo/clarityLicense code: UL9CSCKZ4YPM52DF

Paul urges the church at Philippi to finish their race. Leaving the past behind, straining ahead toward what's next, we can trust that God will be with us and strengthen us on our journey. This sermon is an encouragement you won't want to miss.

Send us a textEver wonder how midwifery knowledge makes its way from practice to publication? This episode pulls back the curtain on the world of midwifery publishing with two luminaries who shape how we learn and share our profession's wisdom.We're joined by Dr. Melissa Avery, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, and Dr. Julia Philippi, lead author of the foundational text Varney's Midwifery. These publishing powerhouses share their journeys and offer practical advice for midwives at every career stage who want to contribute to our collective knowledge."Your work doesn't do you," Dr. Avery reminds us. "Until we write about it and disseminate it, no one else is really benefiting from it." Both guests demystify the publishing process, from crafting that intimidating first draft to navigating peer review. Their message is refreshingly straightforward: just start writing. Whether you're considering a clinical case study for JMWH or wondering how textbooks like Varney's evolve to reflect contemporary practice, this conversation provides the roadmap you need.We explore the differences between journal articles and textbooks, the value of becoming a peer reviewer, and practical strategies like forming writing teams and protecting your writing time. For students and educators, Dr. Philippi offers fascinating insights into how midwifery texts might evolve to meet changing learning styles, potentially moving beyond the "eight-pound two-ounce textbook" to more interactive formats.Whether you're a student, new graduate, or seasoned midwife, this episode will inspire you to share your unique midwifery knowledge and experiences. Your voice matters—and with the right approach, it can strengthen midwifery care everywhere.#EveryMidwifeHasAStory #AcademicMidwife #GetPublished #MidwivesWhoWrite #TheScholarlyMidwife #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork @jblearning @midwiferyandwomenshealth @juliaphillippi 

Paul and Silas travel to Thessalonica and Berea with the goal of bringing the gospel to first the Jews and then the Gentiles. And the response is quite similar to that of Philippi, some Jews believe, while many Gentiles also come to faith. But things are not peaceful because when people genuinely embrace the gospel tensions rise due to new devotion and dedication. In this sermon we see how the one gospel message will always provoke two different reactions.

Paul and Silas travel to Thessalonica and Berea with the goal of bringing the gospel to first the Jews and then the Gentiles. And the response is quite similar to that of Philippi, some Jews believe, while many Gentiles also come to faith. But things are not peaceful because when people genuinely embrace the gospel tensions rise due to new devotion and dedication. In this sermon we see how the one gospel message will always provoke two different reactions.

In this thought-provoking episode, Tony and Jesse delve into Jesus's twin parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price from Matthew 13:44-46. They explore the profound economic metaphor Jesus uses to illustrate the incomparable value of the Kingdom of Heaven. Through careful examination of both parables, they discuss what it means to "count the cost" of following Christ while simultaneously recognizing that no earthly sacrifice can compare to the infinite worth of gaining Christ. The conversation moves between practical application—considering how believers assess value in their spiritual lives—and deeper theological reflections on Christ's perfect sacrifice that makes our entrance into the Kingdom possible in the first place. Key Takeaways The Kingdom of Heaven has such surpassing value that sacrificing everything to obtain it is considered a joyful exchange, not a loss. Both parables show different paths to discovering the Kingdom (unexpected finding vs. intentional seeking), but identical responses: selling everything to obtain the treasure. The parables are not primarily commanding material poverty, but rather illustrating the "sold-outness" required in pursuing the Kingdom of God. Counting the cost of discipleship is not only permissible but necessary to fully appreciate the value of what we gain in Christ. The ultimate treasure we receive in salvation is not merely benefits like eternal life, but God Himself—union with Christ and fellowship with the Trinity. Christ Himself is the one who ultimately fulfills these parables perfectly, giving everything to purchase us as His treasure. The irresistible draw of the Kingdom illustrates how God's grace works in the heart of believers, compelling joyful surrender. Exploring the Incomparable Value of the Kingdom The economic metaphor Jesus employs in these parables is striking—both the hidden treasure and the pearl are deemed so valuable that the discoverers "sell all they have" to obtain them. As Tony and Jesse point out, this transaction reveals something profound about how we should view the Kingdom of Heaven. It's not simply that the Kingdom is valuable; it's that its value so far exceeds anything else we possess that the comparison becomes almost absurd. As Tony notes, "For sure the worth of the kingdom of heaven surpasses anything we could imagine... there's no measure that is satisfying, there's no measure that can actually show us how worthwhile it is." This perspective transforms how we understand sacrifice in the Christian life. When opportunities or comforts are foregone because of our faith, we're not simply losing something—we're experiencing the reality that we've chosen something infinitely more valuable. The parables teach us to view these moments not with regret but with a clearer vision of the treasure we've received in Christ. The Ultimate Prize: God Himself Perhaps the most powerful insight from the discussion is the realization that the ultimate treasure of salvation is not the benefits we receive, but God Himself. As Tony eloquently states: "All of those things are attending gifts. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God... we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We get swept up into the life of the Trinity... We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that." This perspective reshapes how we understand the value proposition of the gospel. It's not merely that we receive eternal life, freedom from suffering, or other benefits—though these are real. The pearl of great price is relationship with God Himself. This helps explain why both men in the parables respond with such dramatic, all-encompassing sacrifice. When we truly grasp what's being offered, nothing seems too great a price to pay. Memorable Quotes "What we get in salvation ultimately is we get God. We get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We get swept up into the life of the Trinity... We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that." — Tony Arsenal "I often say in my own line of work, that cost only matters in the absence of value... it's like at the end of days when we think about the worthiness of our God, that there's no one like him, that he's unequal, that he has no rival, that the gospel is the sweetest message that we're rescued literally from the pit. We'll just say no matter what the cost of us personally, great or small, totally worth it." — Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript [00:00:08] Tony Arsenal: All of those things are attending gifts. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the, the power of the Holy Spirit. We, we get swept up into the life of the, the God of the universe. Like the life of the Trinity indwells us. And we, we become a part of that. We get swept up into that. We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that. [00:00:47] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 469 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:54] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:00:59] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. Discussing the Value of the Kingdom of Heaven [00:01:00] Jesse Schwamb: Speaking of ears to hear, we're back at it again with a whole new, or let's say different parable from our Lord and Savior Jesus. And we've been talking about how really these parables give us this view of the face of heaven through these earthly glasses. And I am pretty interested in our conversation about what's coming up because sometimes we don't like to put too fine a points to our, our point of question to our faith. And in this case, we're gonna get to ask the question, what is it all worth, this kingdom of heaven, this rule and reign of Christ? What is it all about? Who are the beneficiaries of it? And what is it all actually worth? There's a little bit of economics in this, so we're gonna get there. And while we talk and do a little affirming or denying, you should just go ahead write to just skip, go. Do not collect $200 or maybe. Pass, go and collect $200. I dunno. But just go to Matthew chapter 13 and hang out there for just a second. Affirmations and Denials [00:01:58] Jesse Schwamb: But first, I'm always curious to know whenever we talk, are you gonna affirm with something or are you gonna die against something? We've been on a string of lots of affirmations, but I'd like to think that's just because we're fun, loving, optimistic people. But there was a day where we had to do both. And now that I only have to choose one, I do find myself gravitating almost naturally toward the affirming width. But I leave it to you, Tony, are you affirming with or denying against? [00:02:22] Tony Arsenal: I, unfortunately am denying tonight. Technical Issues with Apple Podcasts [00:02:25] Tony Arsenal: So you and I already talked about it a little bit, but uh, I'm denying Apple Podcast Connect. Oh yes. So, uh, I. Obviously, like if you're affected by this, you're not hearing the episode 'cause it's not updating for you. But, uh, if you happen to be using Apple to listen to the podcast and for some reason you're listening somewhere else, maybe you realize that the podcast has not been updating for several weeks. And so you went to a different podcast catcher. Um, apple just decided for some reason that none of our feeds were gonna update. No good reason. So I've got a ticket out to Apple and hopefully we'll get it fixed. Uh, if you do know someone who listens to the show and they use Apple, please tell them to subscribe to something else or to, uh, go to the website. You can get all of the, all of the episodes on our website. You could go to Spotify, you could do something like, uh, overcast or PocketCasts. Um, it really is just Apple. It's, it's the actual account that we use to, uh, to access. Apple's Directory is not pulling new episodes and it's not pulling new episodes on another show that I run as well. So, uh, it's not just this show, it's not our RSS feed. These things happen. It'll, you know, you'll get four or five episodes all at one time. When it, when it corrects itself, usually they're pretty quick. I put in a ticket like late on Friday afternoon, so I didn't expect them to get to it on, uh, Saturday or Sunday. So hopefully by the time you're hearing this, uh, it's resolved. I would hope so, because that means it would be about a week from today. Um, so hopefully they'll have a resolve. But yeah, it's just th thorns and thistles. This is our own, our own, uh, manifestation of the curse here in this little labor that we do. It's, it's thorns and thistles right now, but no big deal. Just, uh, catch up when you can. And, uh, yeah, so denying Apple Podcasts now, really, it's, it's a great service and this is a, a little glitch. It's, it's just a little frustrating. [00:04:20] Jesse Schwamb: The sweat of our brow. Yes. Here it is. We're just toiling over getting Apple to please release our episodes. Well, it'll be your happy day if you use Apple Podcasts and then get a bunch of them all at once. That's fantastic. It's like the gift that is over in abundance. Supporting The Reformed Brotherhood [00:04:36] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, it is a good reminder that you just said, Tony, that everybody should go, just take some time. Head on over to our form brotherhood.com. You can find all the other 400 some odd episodes living over there. And while you're over there and you're perusing or searching by topic to see what we've talked about before, you're probably gonna think to yourself, this is so incredible. How is this compendium, this omnibus of all these episodes just hanging out here free of cost? And I'm so glad you're thinking about that because there are so many lovely brothers and sisters who have decided just to give a little bit to make sure that all that stuff gets hosted for free for you Yeah. And for us, so that anybody can go and explore it and find content that we hope will be edifying. So if that's something you're interested in, maybe you've been listening for a while and thought, you know what? I would like to give a little bit one time or reoccurring, we would love to, for you to join us in that mission. You can go to patreon.com/reform brotherhood, and there's all the information for you to give if that's something that you feel you would like to do, and we would be grateful for you to do it. [00:05:32] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. We, we have a group of people who support the show. They make it possible for your, uh, your ear holes to be filled with our voices. And, uh, but again, you know, the costs are going up all around and, and we would, uh, certainly love to have people partner with us. Um, we've committed to making show that the, making sure that the show is free and available. Um, it's never our intention to put anything behind a paywall or to, to barrier and in that way, but we can only do that if there's people who are supporting the show and making, making sure that we've got the funding that we need to, to keep going. So, thank you to everybody who gives, thank you to anyone who's considering it, uh, and thanking anybody who decides to, uh, jump on board with that. [00:06:11] Jesse Schwamb: Right on. We're appreciative who we really are. [00:06:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So Jesse, what are you affirming or denying today? Exploring Open Webcam DB [00:06:16] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, this is what I've kind of done before, but I think I've found a new place for it. I just am continually impressed and fall in love with how great and big and lovely God's world is. So I love these types of sites that give you insight into this great big world, even if it's in unexpected places or maybe in strange places. So I'm affirming with a website called Open webcam db.com. Open webcam db.com. And it's exactly like what it sounds like. It's a database that has something like 2000 live cameras streaming daily from over 50 countries, all searchable by a category. So you can find natural landscapes, airports, construction sites, and one of my recent favorites, honestly, and this is. It's so strange, but kind of awesome is this warehouse, it's called Chinese Robotic Warehouse Buzz, and it's just robots moving pallets around or like stacks of all of these items. It's mesmerizing. But I would encourage you go to open webcam db.com, search for like your stage or your country. You'll find so many amazing things. So I've sat and just watched, you know, between tasks or when you know you just need a break or you're just curious about the world. Like I look, I watched the Krakow Maine Market Square quite a bit because it's. Beautiful and brilliant, and to think about the people moving to and fro and what they're doing, what their lives are like. There's some great scenes from San Francisco Bay. There is a bird feeder in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that I often watch. So of course, like go out as we've said, and live and breathe and be in your own communities. And as well, if you're looking at scratch that itch of just seeing all these different places, all the different things that are happening in God's created world, I can firmly and unreservedly recommend open webcam db.com for that. [00:07:58] Tony Arsenal: Nice, nice, uh, little known fact at one point, Dartmouth Hitchcock, which is the hospital that I worked for, had to block a penguin cam, uh, because it was causing such a productivity drain combined with an actual measurable decrease in internet bandwidth at the hospital. 'cause so many people were watching this little penguin cam at some zoo in Boston. I think it probably was. Yeah, I, I love this kind of stuff. I think this kind of stuff is great. Uh, I use, uh, Dartmouth College has a, like a live one that I use all the time, especially when we're trying to figure out what the weather's gonna do. You can see it on the camera. Uh, we, we often will, you know, see, especially as we get closer to the season when we're talking about traveling to the beach and whatnot, uh, often look at the ocean grove. Oh, that's right. Uh, pier cam. So yeah, check it out. Uh, sounds like a fun time. Do not share it with too many of your friends at work. Or it may crash the network and Yeah. But [00:08:53] Jesse Schwamb: yeah, for [00:08:54] Tony Arsenal: sure. That was a funny email that they had to send out. I remember that [00:08:57] Jesse Schwamb: for sure. Use, use the penguin cam responsibly. I just did a quick search. There are four different penguin cams. Uh, three of them are in the United States, one is in New Zealand, and you better believe I'm gonna be checking those bad boys out. Yes. I didn't even think about. The penguin feature here and penguins are an amazing animal. Like we could stop right now and just shift our topic to penguins if you want to. [00:09:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. ' [00:09:16] Jesse Schwamb: cause there's so much there. And the spiritual truths are so broad and deep, but I just think penguins are kind of undervalued. Birds. Everybody should go check them out. [00:09:26] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. They're, they're pretty cool. [00:09:28] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Um, I'm like, I will watch any Penguin documentary and just be astounded by Penguin. Like, whether they're Emperor Penguins or South African Penguin, wherever. I just think they're phenomenal and hilarious and seem to be living the dream. And he doesn't want a little bit of that. [00:09:46] Tony Arsenal: You just gotta get Morgan Freeman to do the voiceover in any documentary or, or nature documentary is better with Morgan Freeman doing the voiceover. [00:09:55] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I all, this might be a deep cut real quick, but I just learned this, and I'm guessing some of our listening brothers and sisters probably already know this. Maybe you do too, Tony. So, Benedict Cumberbatch, do you know where I'm going with this? Yep, [00:10:06] Tony Arsenal: yep. Pen wing. [00:10:07] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. I didn't. I cannot say that word or stumbles over its pronunciation. He did some kind of big documentary in which Penguins played at least some part. Yeah. And they were in an interview. They were giving him such a hard time because they played his reading of it like within the same kind of five minutes. And his, the word just kept degenerating in his mouth every time he said it. So it became like almost undistinguishable from the actual word. And it's like initial pronunciation. It was so hilarious. Apparently it's a big joke on the internet and I just didn't know it. [00:10:38] Tony Arsenal: Especially for someone like Bent Cumberbatch who just is, uh, like he's a world-class voice actor. [00:10:44] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:10:45] Tony Arsenal: And like a super smart ude guy and he just can't say the word penguin and penguin. Yeah. [00:10:51] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. He said, you got everybody go look it up. 'cause it is super hilarious. And now it's kind of gotten stuck in my head. But um, again, this suddenly became like the All Penguin episode all of a sudden. [00:11:01] Tony Arsenal: I mean like, he can pronounce his own last name just fine, but the word penguin escapes him. I like to call 'em blueberry crumble bottom or whatever. Crumble bunch. [00:11:11] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, see that's the good stuff right there. That's what everybody we know. This is what you all tune in for. This is what you're missing when Apple Podcast doesn't send everything out on time. Yeah. You're welcome. [00:11:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl [00:11:23] Tony Arsenal: Well, Jesse, why don't we, why don't we get into it? Because you know it, it's interesting. Let's [00:11:27] Jesse Schwamb: get into it. [00:11:28] Tony Arsenal: Well, it's interesting because when you, you know, you kind of, we, we sort of do the little lead to the episode and I, I suddenly realized that I think I've been interpreting this parable very differently than maybe you have or other people. Great. Do, uh, because I, I think I, I think I might have a different take on it. Let, let's do it. Yeah. So let's get into it. Uh, do you have the, the text in friend you wanna read? Uh, why don't we just do 44 all the way through 46? We'll do both parables in one reading. We'll come back and talk about it. [00:11:54] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Sorry, everybody. So here's a two for one for you. Beginning in where we're in verse 44 of Matthew chapter 13. This is Jesus speaking. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field again. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Interpreting the Parables [00:12:22] Tony Arsenal: I think maybe this is the, like the beauty of parables, uh, when Christ doesn't give us a interpretation. I, I think we're, we're, we're not free to like make up whatever we want, but these kinds of teaching tools are useful because the fact that there can be multiple interpretations actually is, is probably intentional. [00:12:43] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:12:43] Tony Arsenal: So it's funny because I think when you intro the episode here, it sounds like you're going to the kingdom of Heaven being a treasure hidden in a field, being something that we should sell everything we have and go after. And when I read this, I read it as the kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden a field. And the man who is Jesus goes and sells all that. He has. He gives all that he has and buys the field. So, and I, I think this is one of those ones where like. Probably both of those things are in play. Sure. But it's interesting 'cause I've never, I've never really read this and thought about myself as the person who buys the field. [00:13:19] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Interesting. [00:13:20] Tony Arsenal: I've probably heard sermons or read devotionals where people have said that and it just never clicked. And it didn't register until just now. And you were, when you were, uh, introing the parable that maybe you are the, maybe your way of introing your, your interpretation. Maybe that's the dominant one. So I, I looked at a couple quick, um, commentaries while you were speaking and I didn't get a chance to do my commentary reading before the episode. It seems like I'm the weird one. So, but it's interesting, um, 'cause again, I think that's the, kind of the beauty of parables is that sometimes the, the, um. Ambiguity of what the possible meaning could be, probably plays into the, the, um, teaching technique itself. [00:13:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I, I think that's fair. I totally can take and understand what your perspective is on this. What I find interesting is that these, we've got these two abutting each other, like the cheek to cheek parallel approach here, and in doing so, there seems to be like kind of an interesting comparison between the two. Actors in this. And I think we should get into that. Like why in one case Jesus is talking about a person who finds this in a field, which by the way, I think the, the thing that jumps out to me first about that person is this person doesn't actually own the field at first. Right. That the treasure is in. So that is interesting. I'm totally with you. But then the second one, so in the first one there's kinda almost like this sense, and I don't wanna like push this too far, but that this person who finds this treasure does so very unexpectedly, perhaps like he's even the hired hand and of course not the one who owns the field. [00:14:48] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:14:49] Jesse Schwamb: And in the second case, we have somebody who almost is volitionally looking for this thing of great value, but finds the one thing above all the other things that they're used to looking for that clearly has the greatest and most. You know, essential worth and therefore the end is always the same in both of 'em. They give everything they have. They're willing for forsake all other things with great joy, recognizing the great value that's in front of them. I think there is a place to understand that as Christ acting in those ways. I think there's also interesting, again, this comparison between these two people. So I'm seeing this as we've got these varied beneficiaries of the kingdom. They both come to this place of the incomparable value of the kingdom, but then there's also like this expulsive power of the kingdom. All, all of that's, I think in there, and again, these are really, really, really brilliant, I think, because the more that you spend time meditating on these, the layers just kind of come and they fall away and you start to really consider, well, why again is Jesus using these two different characters? Why is he using this kinda different sense of things of, of worth what the people are actually after? I think all of it's in play. You're totally right. [00:15:54] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. The Cost and Value of the Kingdom of Heaven [00:15:55] Tony Arsenal: So I think, you know, when we think about the kingdom of heaven, when we think about these perils, we made this point last week, we shouldn't, um, we shouldn't restrict, we have to be careful not to restrict the comparison to just like the first noun that comes up, [00:16:08] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:16:08] Tony Arsenal: So it's not just that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, it, it is like a treasure, but it's like a treasure that's hidden in a field. Yes. And it's not just like a treasure that's hidden in a field, it's a treasure that's hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Right? So, so like we have to look at that whole sequence. And I think, I think, um, you know, obviously like the, the interpretation that we are the, we're the man who finds the kingdom of heaven and we, you know, we go and buy the field. Um, that, that obviously makes perfect sense now that I'm looking at a few different commentaries. It seems to be the predominant way that this gets interpreted. And we, we look at it and we say, what, well, what does this mean for like our Christian life? Like. What does it mean? Do we have to, do we have to give everything away? Do we have to sell everything we have? Is that the point of the parable? I think some people make that the point of the parable. Um, I'm not convinced that that actually is the point of the parable. Um, because it, you know, it, it, it just, there's lots in the scripture that, that, uh, doesn't seem to require that Christians automatically like, give away everything they have. Um, maybe that's your calling. Maybe it is something that God's calling you to do to sort of, um, divest yourself of your, your belongings, either to sort of fight materialism or greed or, or just because like you're gonna need to have that fluidity and liquidity to your assets 'cause you're gonna need to move around or whatever it is. But I don't think we look at this parable and have like a, like a, a command for a life of poverty or something like that. Right. Um, really this is more about the. Utter sold outness of the Christian to pursue and seek the kingdom of God. [00:17:48] Jesse Schwamb: Right? Right. [00:17:49] Tony Arsenal: And and I think that that's the same in both, even though the way that the person in the parables comes a, comes across the kingdom or they come across this, this thing of great value or thing of great price, that they find their response in both parables is the same. And to me, that that actually tells me that that's more the point of these parables. Um, or, or maybe we shouldn't even think of these as two parables, right? Some of the introductory language that we see in when we transition from one parable to another, we don't really see that here. Uh, and if, if we're gonna follow that, actually we would be going to the next parable would also kind of fall into this. But he says the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure. And then in 45 he says, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. We're gonna run into something like this later on when we get to like the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of lost coins. Where there are these distinct parables, but they're kind of stacked on top of each other in order to make a specific point. All of the parables that are sort of in these parable stacks are making the same point. And so I think it's not so much about like, how do we find the Kingdom of Heaven or how do we come upon the kingdom of heaven? It's more about what do we do once we've come upon it? Once we've thrown it's, that's the point of the parable that we need to unpack. [00:19:03] Jesse Schwamb: That's right. And I would add to that, like who is it that is the beneficiary of this kingdom? We have two different, very different individuals, which I, again, I think, we'll, we'll talk a little bit about, but I'm totally with you. I, I think it's, it's easier, it's almost too narrow and too easy to say. Well, this is really just about like physical ma or about wealth. Like in some way the, what we're being taught here is that you have to get rid of everything of value in exchange for this. In some ways, that almost feels too transactional, doesn't it? As if like what, what we need to do is really buy the kingdom. We express our seriousness about this kingdom or the rule and reign of God by somehow just giving up everything that we own as if to prove that we're really worthy of receiving that kingdom that we prayed enough. Right. That we've done enough, even though that we're contrite enough. Yeah. And all that stands like in direct opposition to the mercy and grace, which God gives to us through his son by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring us into this kingdom. So we know it can't really be about that. And so that leads me back again to just like the lovely details here. And like you've already said in the first case, here's what really strikes me is. For probably most of us in the West, this idea of treasure is novel and maybe romantic. There's a adventure and an energy to it. Because we've all heard stories about this, whether it's like, I don't know, pirates of the Caribbean or the county Mount Cristo. Like there's something about treasure finding some kind of, or national treasure. Sorry, that just came to my mind. Like I couldn't go any further without mentioning Nick Cage. So you know, like there's something there that pulls us in that finding this thing almost unexpectedly in a hidden place of immense worth and value is, has a real draw to it. But I imagine that in Palestine being like a war torn region in Jesus' day, in the way people might store goods of great value in the fields they own. And then of course the owner may never be able to achieve for lots of reasons, including death. And then somebody might stumble upon it. And as I understand the, the laws there, of course, if you were to stumble upon something. I was in somebody else's property and and on earth that thing take it out of the ground. In this case, you would be by law required to bring that back to the person who owned the field. So there's something interesting here that this first person, probably the more meager and humble of the two with they at least respected, like their socioeconomic status is let's, we could presume maybe going about their normal work. They find this unexpectedly in the field and it's immediately recognized to be something of great value that it is to stop and to, again, there's like a measuring that happens behind the scenes. This person at least is measuring of all the things that I own, all things I could possibly own. The better thing for me to do is to consolidate all the rest of my wealth. And this case, again, it's not the message of the story to do this, it's the exemplification of what's happening here. This person is so sold out to ensure that they acquire this great treasure that they stumbled upon, that they will take literally everything else of value that they own to exchange it for this very thing. So I'm totally with you because I think the predominant message here is not like take all your wealth and make sure that you give it to the church or that it goes to ministry or to missions. That may all be well and good and it may all be the kind of calling that you receive. However, I think the principle message here is the kingdom of God is so valuable that losing everything on earth, but getting the kingdom is a happy trade off. Like that's actually a really, really good deal. And so having the omnipotent saving reign of Christ in our lives is so valuable that if, if we lose everything in order to have it, it would be a joyful sacrifice. [00:22:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I think, um, I think there is a level of. Encouragement in Sacrifice and Joy in the Kingdom [00:22:27] Tony Arsenal: Sacrifice that happens for every Christian and. I mean, I, I know there's a lot of people who they, uh, come to faith as young children and we've kind of talked about that as like, that's that testimony that, you know, I think everybody really wants is like they wish they never had a time that they didn't know Jesus and Right. I don't know any parent that I've ever spoken to, and I'm certainly not any different here that doesn't want that testimony for Jesus, but, or for, for their kids in their relationship with Jesus. But. I think most people who come to faith at some point in their life when they're able to remember it, like they, they have a conscious memory of their conversion experience. There is this sort of sense of sacrifice and e even a sort of a sense of loss. Um, I think there, there are times where, and, and you know, I think maybe, um, even people who've always been in the faith, um, they probably can resonate with this. I think there are times when we might look at how our lives could have been different or could be different if we weren't in the faith. Um, and, and sometimes there's a sort of wistfulness to that. Like being a Christian can sometimes be difficult right On, um, you know, maybe you miss a promotion opportunity because you're not willing to work on the Lord's day or because you're not willing to do something unethical. Like you, you miss out on some sort of advancement and you think, well, if I could just, you know, if I could have just gotten past that, like my life would be much different. And what this parable teaches us is. That's an understandable, like that's an understandable emotion or response. Um, and there is this weighing of the cost. And in the parable here, he, like you said, there's this calculation that goes on in the background. He finds this treasure, he makes the calculation that to have this treasure is worth. Everything it's worth everything he has. He sells everything he has, and he buys the field in order to get the treasure right. And, and there's some interesting textual dynamics going on through this chapter. We've talked about how the parables kind of like the imagery across the parables in chapter 13 here of Matthew, they kind of flip certain figures around and almost, it's almost intentional because he is getting the treasure and the treasure. The kingdom of heaven here is like the treasure, but he's also getting the field right. And the kingdom of heaven is, is the field in other parables. Um, but this, this calculation that happens, um. I don't know, maybe my heart is just sensitive to this right now. I, I, I, I feel like a lot of times we look at that sort of wis wistful second glance at what could have been if we were not Christians, and we automatically feel like that's gotta be a sinful impulse. Like, how could I ever even consider what life might have been? Like this parable implies that that's the thing we actually have to do. You have to know and consider what it is you've sacrificed or will be sacrificing in order to make this transaction happen. You can't just blanketly say like, oh, of course. You know, you've gotta, you've gotta count the cost, as it were, and then you have to actually make the purchase. So I think we should look at this as a source of encouragement. Um, like I said, I'm not sure why. I feel like maybe there's, maybe there's just a, a. I dunno, I'm feeling a little weird and charismatic right now. I feel like this is something that I definitely need to be saying, like, I feel like someone needs to hear this. Maybe it's just me that needs to hear this. And that's, I'm tricking myself by thinking of someone else. But we are able, as Christians, I think God permits us and in some sense, maybe even expects and commands us to recognize what we have given to be Christians in order that we might realize how much we have gained with that transaction. It's not just this like remorse or regret, um, for the sake of remorse or regret. It's to be able to see how good and how beautiful and how worth it is the kingdom of God, uh, to, to, to claim that. [00:26:23] Jesse Schwamb: I like that there is a great discipline and a great joy in remembering worth and worthiness. So there's gonna be times, like you said, when it's hard and if you look back, look back at the ministry of Jesus, I've often thought that he's like a poor evangelizer from like modern standards. Yeah. Because often people come to him and say things like. I, I wanna be part of the kingdom of God. Well, what do I need to do to enter the kingdom of God? And here you have like a seemingly a willing convert. And he always says things like this, like, you gotta go count the cost. Yeah. Like is, is this worth it to you? Like you have to deny yourself, you have to hate your own father and your mother, and your wife and children, and brothers and sisters, even your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple. And in this kind of language, it's clear that Jesus is saying you fail often. And maybe this goes back like you're saying, Tony, it's like the parable of the soil that you fail to really take into account what it means to follow with full fidelity, to commit yourself in a fully unencumbered way. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to consider that? And as human beings, we're just not good often at counting costs. We're not good at thinking about opportunity costs. And it's interesting here that we're called out to say, even if you've already purchased the field as so to speak, that as if you've been saved by Christ, to continue to remember how good it is to be in the kingdom of God. And that the joy. Of knowing as like the Heidelberg Catechism says in the first question that all things are subservient to our salvation. Yeah. That incredible worth of, that should be a source of encouragement in times of great trial and tribulation, no matter how big or small, so that this joy that this person has when they go and sells everything he has and he buys this field, you know those details, like you're saying, do press us. It really comes to us with this idea that we should be able to see plainly why having Christ is more valuable than all other things. If the omnipotence all wise, God is ruling, ruling over all things for our joy, then everything must be working for our good, no matter how painful and in the end, God is gonna triumph over all evil and all pain. So this kingdom is a real treasure. Like it is a, it is a real. A real quantity in our life and our wellbeing and in our spiritual consistency, that'll ought demand some reflection of how valuable it truly is. And then knowing that in our minds, that like influencing our behavior, our other thought patterns, and then our actual feelings about stuff. So that when, like you said, we're passed over, we're looked over, we're ridiculed for something, we go back and we count it all joy to be worthy of being part of God's kingdom, knowing that it was because of the entrance and acceptability and the identity in that kingdom that we experience. Those things, those hardships begin with. [00:29:05] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And, and I, um, I don't want us to miss out on the fact that even as the parable may be encouraging or forcing us to think about. The cost. It, it really is trying to emphasize the great value of the kingdom. Right? Right. We, like I said, we, we don't just count the cost. In order to count the cost for its own sake. We count the cost in order to understand the great blessing that is ours in Christ. Right. All I, I count all that I have as a loss compared to the greatness of Christ Jesus. And, um, I think we just don't often do that. I, I, I think as Christians, that's probably a thought that is in our head more as young Christians, especially if we come to the faith in, in a time in our life where we're aware of things like that. We think about things like that. Reflecting on the Cost of Faith [00:29:59] Tony Arsenal: You know, I was 15 when I first came to faith and, um, I, I don't think I was in a frame of mind as a 15-year-old boy to think about, like. The cost of what I was doing, right? It's not like I was a particularly popular kid. I didn't have a, you know, I didn't, I wasn't unpopular, but it wasn't like I lost a ton of friends when I became a Christian. I didn't really lose anything that was measurable. Um, but I do think that, as, you know, someone now in my forties, looking back at, you know, 15, 20, 25 years of, of Christian life, it's easy to see that things could have been different on a sort of temporal scale. Like my, my life could probably be more comfortable in terms of wealth or opportunities or other things that might, uh, aren't, aren't even bad things necessarily. There is a sense of sacrifice. But again, God has brought us into this kingdom and he's given us parables like this and given us the ability to recognize. That we do have a cost, that there is a cost to be counted in order that we might now look at it and praise him for how great and glorious and valuable the gift that he's given us is. Understanding the Parable of the Pearl [00:31:08] Tony Arsenal: And so I think, you know, I think that's the same basic meaning of this second, second half of the same parable. I guess the, the pearl of great price or the pearl of great value. But it's not exactly the same, right? It's not like Christ is just repeating the same ver, you know, parable with, with different words for variation. Um, every word is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching correction, reproof, and training and righteousness. And I had a, I had a prophet in, uh, in Bible college who would say like, difference means difference. And he was often talking about like minute things, like the difference, um, or why, why is this word used instead of that word? This word would've worked. And, and the author chose that one. There's a reason for that. Difference means difference, but. Christ here chooses to, to tell the parable a second time, um, in a slightly different way. Uh, and Matthew chooses to record these in the same sense next to each other in slightly different ways. So what, what do we, what do we wanna pull out of this second parable that's different and what do we think it's telling us that's a little bit different than the first version Y? [00:32:14] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's a great question. Diverse Approaches to the Kingdom of Heaven [00:32:16] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, I love this idea because not until really, I was thinking about it this week when I read through them, was I really, again, drawn to the differences between these two main characters. Interestingly, I think in both, and we can make the case that the, the treasure, the kingdom of heaven here represented in both this pearl or in this literal treasure is in a way hidden. Certainly the first man is not necessarily looking for, it's still revealed to him, but the second in a way. And on the other hand, he knew this guy knows treasure. He's been seeking it with diligence in vigor, or at least like this is what he does for a living in his vocational career. He's out there trading pearls, presumably, and he knows something about them and how to evaluate them effectively. And so it's his business and he's dedicated himself to finding them. And apparently he's seen plenty of them over the years. But then all of a sudden, and this is wild, the beautiful, all of a sudden, clearly the search comes to like an abrupt end because he finds this one of immeasurable value, so much beauty exceeding and value exceeding all the other ones. And he doesn't need to search anymore. He just finds the one pearl that he can retire on a pearl with more than everything else. Or anything else that he's ever possessed and he gets it again. He does. And this brings him into symbol two with the first man. He does the same thing, then liquidate everything else and go after this one. Great pearl. So to me, and I'm curious your perspective on this, I'm not necessarily promulgating that. Well, the first one is not a seeker and the second one is like a seeker of of God things. Right? There is though, like you said, a difference in their approach and what they're after. And so I think what we can take from this, at the very least, is that there is diversity in these beneficiaries of the kingdom of God that's covering everybody. And just by these two kind of bookended or polar examples, that's what Jesus draws us to. But I would turn the question back to you. What do you think about this second guy? What do you think about the fact that his business is searching after these things? What? What do we take away from that? [00:34:07] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. The Ultimate Value of the Kingdom [00:34:07] Tony Arsenal: And you know, the thing that drop that jumps out to me immediately in the first parable, the kingdom of heaven is, is like the treasure hidden in the field, [00:34:16] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:34:16] Tony Arsenal: In the second one, the kingdom of heaven is the merchant who's searching, [00:34:20] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:34:20] Tony Arsenal: Right. The kingdom of heaven is like the merchant in search of fine pearls who finds one. That's right. And so I think that they kind of are like, almost like mirror images of each other, right? One of them is about the treasure and what it takes to come upon it and then obtain it. The second is about the person who is coming upon the treasure and, and finding it. And then what it takes again to obtain that treasure. And I think, I think you're right, there is an element here that. Um, in this second parable, the person who is seeking for this treasure is one he's seeking for the treasure, right? Right. You get the image in this, in this first parable that the dude just kind of stumbles upon it. Um, I've heard this Todd as like, it's actually more like a guy who's just walking through a field rather than like a person working the field. And I'm not sure that matters that much, but there is this sense in the first parable that the guy kind of stumbles upon it. He wasn't looking, it wasn't what he was trying to do, but you're right in the second one, the kingdom of heaven, and this is where I, this is where I think I need to think more about it, is what does it mean for the kingdom of heaven to be like a merchant searching for fine pearls right [00:35:23] Jesse Schwamb: on. [00:35:23] Tony Arsenal: Rather than the pearls being the kingdom of heaven, which is what we see in the first bearable. Um, and I don't know the answer to that question. I think I need to, need to think about it and study it a little bit more. But I do like this distinction that in, in the first case, it's sort of a happy accident. And in the second case, this is, this is the life, this man's life work. He finds he's, he's in search of fine pearls. I'm not sure I know exactly what he's trying to do with the fine pearls. It seems like it implies that he's a pearl merchant or a pearl trader, but then he finds this pearl. He doesn't seek to sell it. He buys it. Right. [00:36:00] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:36:00] Tony Arsenal: And, and the, the, the fact that the parable stops with him buying it sort of implies that like. He actually is not going to sell it. He's just gonna keep this pearl. Now before the, the pearls, the, the source of the value of the pearls was kind of in the, the financial gain that selling or trading them could bring. But now he suddenly finds this pearl that is so valuable. It's so great, it's so beautiful. Everything he was working to obtain before all of the money he's gathered by finding and selling pearls in the previous like mode of living. He now gets rid of all of that just to purchase this one pearl and presumably to keep it. And I think that again, is kind of a, kind of a, um, statement on our Christian life is that we, we probably have all sorts of things that we've been doing our whole life and we are seeking to, to move forward in our life. And the kingdom of heaven is kind of the ultimate goal of all of that, for those who are in Christ, for those who are called according to his purpose. The purpose is not just to accumulate wealth. It's not even necessarily, uh, in and of itself to like grow in righteousness. It's to be transformed to the, uh, to the image of God's glory son, for the purpose of making him great, making his name renowned. Right. When we look at that passage in Romans that have kind alluded to, he's, he would transform into the image of Christ so that he might be the first born among many brothers. The Incomparable Worth of Salvation [00:37:24] Tony Arsenal: Ultimately, our, our sanctification and glorification is about making Jesus great and glorified, um, to give him glory, to have our glorification reflect his already intrinsic glory and the gift that he gives us, and I think that's kind of, kind of in play here, is that. Uh, we might have all sorts of goals in our life. We might have goals in our Christian life, um, that are good things that we should strive for, but at the end of the day, all of those things only serve to bring us to the kingdom of heaven, which is this pearl of great price that we, we purchase, we buy it and we just kind of hang onto it. It is its own treasure and it's, it's not about what this, this treasure can bring to us, right? Which is what the fine pearls were before they were about what the merchant can find and sell. It's, it's now about just obtaining the pearl and enjoying that pearl. Um, which I think is a little bit different than, than, um, what I would've thought of with the par before. [00:38:19] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I totally agree with you. I think, I think you're actually onto something with the distinction because I think of. So much of my career has been spent in financial services among people who are buyers and sellers of things. They're traders. And the way I read this was very similar to what you were saying to me. What resonated was if this gentleman or this person is. Trading, collecting these pearls. Presumably they have appreciation for the beauty of the pearl itself. So there is like something innate that draws them to this particular thing. And with that experience and with that knowledge and with that, that appreciation of that beauty. I think when they see this other pearl, it moves from, well, why would I ever sell that? I've seen everything. This is the most beautiful pearl I've ever laid my eyes on. And now I want to keep it for me. I want to have it in my possession. I want to cherish it and not just keep it in the inventory and then turn around and sell it for markup, presumably, because there is no nothing that would be of greater value to this person. 'cause they just sold everything else that they had. So they, it's appreciation for the pearl itself. It's going after that finding and seeking that great beauty. And then that led me right into Philippians chapter four, where Paul writes the church in Philippi, beginning of verse eight. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever's honorable, whatever's just whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, whatever's commendable. If there's any excellence, if there. Anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Practice these things and the god of peace will be with you. So this idea, like you and I, Tony, have talked about like the world has great wisdom, it has great knowledge, it has things that can lead us by way of common grace into certain amounts of peace. But the pearl of great price, the seeking after the going after all these great things is to find the gospel, to be given the gospel it revealed to you. And then say everything else I count as a loss. Everything else is worthless compared to this thing. And if you're a person that can appreciate even just by turn of mind or God's influence in your life, you know, knowledge and wisdom, and you're seeking after that, which is the ultimate expression and representation of those things, and then you find you come upon this pearl of great price, the gospel wisdom and the beauty of God represented in his son Jesus Christ. And you say, this is it. I, I know enough to know, again, by the regeneration that comes through the spirit, this is the real deal. Then I think the message still stands. We come through two different directions into the same final culminating point, which is there is a condition for having this kingdom of God, for having the king on your side as your friend, but the condition isn't like wealth or power or negotiating or intelligence or even good trading behavior or going out and finding the right thing. The condition is that we prize the kingdom more than anything else we own. The point of selling everything in these parables is to simply show where our hearts are at. And so I often say in my own line of work, that cost only matters in the absence of value. Actually, it's true for everything that we. We presumably spend our time or our money on cost only matters in the absence of value. And I think like you and I could do a fun little experiment where I don't know, you ever talking to somebody about something and you're paying a cost to have that service delivered to you and you're, and you're just like totally worth it, like I would do totally worth it. Like, yeah, that's kind of the vibe I'm getting here. It's like at the end of days when we think about the worthiness of our God, that there's no one like him, that he's unequal, that he has no rival, that the gospel is the sweetest message that we're rescued literally from the pit. We're just say no matter what the cost of us personally, great or small, totally worth it, that that's what we'll be saying for all of eternity as we worship him. [00:41:45] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think even more than saying, totally worth it. I think when we are given our new eyes to see, and we no longer see through a da a glass dimly, we're gonna recognize saying that it was worth, it is is like it's a pale, like it's a faulty answer to begin with because the, for sure the worth of the kingdom of heaven surpasses anything we could imagine. And in our, you know, locked in little meat brains that we have now, we're kind of com we're just comparing it to. You know, like what, what we could have had or what we, what we've given up. Um, it, it's gonna be an incomparable comparison. Like there's no, there's no measure that is satisfying, there's no measure that can actually show us how, how worthwhile it is. And, you know, we've, we've made a point of it, like the, the blessing of salvation and, and really like what it is that we're getting, uh, in, in the. You know, the Christian understanding of salvation, it's not, it's not an eternal destiny. It's not bigger mansions in heaven. It's not freedom from death. All of those things come with it. All of those things are attending gifts. That's right. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the, the power of the Holy Spirit. We, we get swept up into the life of the, the God of the universe. Like the life of the Trinity indwells us. And we, we become a part of that. Uh, not, not in the, you know, like. Eastern Orthodox deification sense, although I think there's a proper way we can talk about deification. Um, but we get swept up into that. We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that. There's nothing that we could ever point to. Um, it's funny, my, my wife and I, um, this is a little corny, but, um, we'll often say to, to each other instead of saying, I love you more than anything, we'll say, I love you more than everything. Right. And, and it's, it's a way to say like. You could take all that there is in the world, everything that I have that I could possibly consider and sum up the value. And I love my wife more than that. I love my children more than that. So it's not that I love them more than any one thing, it's that I love them more than everything combined. And this is even greater than that, right? We, we will look back at our lives and if, if it's even in our mind, if we even can, can comprehend anymore. The idea of thinking about what it costs us to obtain this pearl of great value, which is the kingdom of heaven, which is just another way to say, is just fellowship with the God of the universe. Um, we'll look at it and say no matter what it was. No matter what it could have been, I would give everything I, I love God more than everything. Right. Right. There's nothing that could ever possibly be considered that even comes close to what we gain in, in Christ Jesus, in union with, with God. And I think that's the point of this, like I think the guy who, um. Christ's Perfect Sacrifice and Our Response [00:44:58] Tony Arsenal: I think about what it would take for me to even like to sell everything, like the concept of selling everything I own. I'm not even sure how I would do that, to be honest with you. Like, I don't even know the mechanism for that kind of thing. But the idea that there's anything that could be valuable enough that I would just sell every piece of human property that I have, there's probably nothing like that in this world. Like, there probably isn't. And to, to take that comparison and then basically say like, that's just what the kingdom of God is like. 'cause that's the other thing I think we miss about parables is you, you only make a comparison when you can't describe something, um, analytically, right? There's the difference between analogically and analytically Ana lot analytically means we're able to actually quantify and explain it kind of in strict terms, right? I can, I can say that, um, uh, a heavy object ways, X number of grams or it, you know, or, um. Pounds or whatever. I can, I can measure that and make an analytical statement, or I can make an analogy, an analogy that is comparative. Uh, but by definition, or almost by by nature of the thing, when you make that comparison, you're kind of saying like, not only is it like this, but it's actually it, like it's more like this than I can even describe. Right? So when we're talking about the kingdom of Heaven here, and we say it's, it's like, it's like a man who goes, he finds a treasure and then he sells everything. He has to get that treasure. It's infinitely more like that than it actually can be described. Does that make sense? I feel like I'm rambling on that a little bit. Maybe trying to describe something that can't be described is, is hard to do. [00:46:35] Jesse Schwamb: It's, that's, yeah. But yeah, that's, that's very difficult to do. I'm actually totally with you on this. I think I understand clearly what you mean, this idea that no matter how hard we actually try to value it, we'll be incapable of doing so. Yes. And at best, it almost seems like this is a strange command in a way because it's, it's asking us to do in some ways a thing that is impossible for us to do. However, I think what you're saying is it doesn't mean that we shouldn't turn our minds toward that. We're a bit like people who, I don't know if this show is still on PBS, but like, do you know that show, remember that show The Antiques Road Show? Yeah. Where people would like come, they'd ran ransack their homes or their garages with these old antique items and they bring them to this road show where there'd be experts who would value them. And inevitably we'll be like those people who come with what we think is like a. A thousand dollars clock that we got at a garage sale thinking, wouldn't it be great? I know this is valuable. It's probably a thousand dollars. It'll be, look at the return, tenfold return, I'll get on this item, and then instead finding that it's worth $10 million when it's appraised. Yeah, I assume it'll be just like that in the Beautific vision that even maybe for all of eternity will be growing in our appreciation for just how valuable this great salvation is. And yet at the same time, I think what this should encourage us to do is to pray things like God make us real in seeing and savoring Christ in his saving work above all the other things. Yeah. So that, as you said in your example, we would cherish him above everything, above all things that you have that right place in our hearts or that we be inclined to undertake that posture, which says, God, though I cannot understand it in full. Would you help me to see that? Encouragement in Our Spiritual Journey [00:48:08] Jesse Schwamb: And I wanna just say like, as a word of encouragement, maybe I'm speaking more to myself here so everybody else can disregard this if you like, but I think sometimes there can be a little bit of intimidation then when you hear these things and say like, ah, I'm just not, I just dunno if I love God enough, like I wanna love him, or I want to want to love him more. And I think even that posture is appropriate. Yeah. Sometimes there, oftentimes in my personal life, I'll pray something like, God, help me to know how much you love me and would you give me the strength to love you back? So that even that awareness, that energy, that volition, that vitality, that, that heat, all of that, that fire itself is kindled by the Holy Spirit. It's not like we need to like try to again manufacture here. Because the point of these, these stories is not again, that we just find the means to do a transactional exchange here, but that instead we really just sit in the full promises of God. And of course to that, I would say we always need to go back to, to something like Romans eight. I mean, I know that we should, like you said, Tony, the. The standard description we give for the Bible is the one that gives itself, which is that all of it, all of it's is carried along by the Holy Spirit. All of it is God breathe. All of it is useful for something. And yet, of course, I say somewhat tongue in cheek that, you know, if I have 10 minutes to live, I'm probably not gonna the s descriptions of reading a genealogy, I'm going straight from Roman and say, Romans say, I think it's just like the pinnacle of the scriptures. And so just a couple of verses at the end there, because I think this is, this is leading us into what is this great treasure? What is the kingdom of God? Why do we value it so much? What is the saving power? And uh, these verses, I mean, always just entirely get me ready to run through a wall. So this is the end of, of Romans eight beginning verse 35. Who shall separate us from the law of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword as it is written for your sake. We are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I'm sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from a love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. [00:50:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's a good word. And I, I, I like what you're saying too, is, is I think we, we can. There's this paradoxical thing that happens when the scriptures is trying to encourage us to do something, is we often like to get our, in our own way. And, and actually that becomes a source of discouragement for us. The Bible calls us to something and we know we can't live up to it. And that's actually like part and parcel of, of reform theology to recognize that this is law, like the, the, the, the, you know, maybe not in like the strict sense, like when we talk about dividing the scripture into law and gospel, um. It may not be that this particular passage would fall under that rubric of law normally, but this idea that we need to count the cost and that we need to be treasuring Christ more and more, and then when we feel like I'm just not getting it. I'm just not there. Like, I don't, I don't treasure Christ as much as I so should. Um, that Yeah, that's right. Nobody does. Nobody can, like, that's, that's kind of the point of this, and that's why it's law is it's, it shouldn't drive you in Christ. It should not drive you to despair. Right. It should not drive you to discouragement. It should drive you to gratitude that God saved you anyways. That, that this pearl of great value is still yours even though you can't possibly deserve it. Um, you know, we're, we're a little bit different than the, the merchant and the man who finds the treasure in the field in that we can't sell everything we have and obtain it like they have the ability to do that in the, in the parables. Right. Um, we, we don't, and we never will. And so rather than let that drive you to being discouraged that like you're just not getting. I recognize God is of infinite value and we are finite creatures. So we, we could, uh, value God perfectly. Like whatever that means, and I don't even know what that means, but we could value and cherish and love God perfectly as far as our capacities are concerned, and it still would not be enough to sufficiently merit God's favor for us. Like as much as we can, even in, even in eternity. As much as we can value and worship and love and praise Jesus, he is worth infinitely more than we could ever give, even when we do it perfectly. And this is, this is why you know Christ coming to die, to live on our behalf, to die in our place. Why that's necessary is because only this is a, maybe a different take on it. We, I think we talk a lot about how, um. Only God could, could carry, bear the wrath of God and not be destroyed. Right. Right. Only God could, um, could stand up under his own wrath, could stand up under the wrath of God and bear that punishment and not be destroyed. And so therefore, um, Christ had to be not just a man, but had to be God. But on the flip side. And God requires perfect perpetual obedience, which involves loving the Lord your God, perfectly with your whole heart at all times. Right? Only God can do that too. So it's not just that God. It's not just that G

Join host Rob Stoddard for an insightful conversation with Alex Kocman, Director of Communications for ABWE, speaker, author, and church leader.In this episode, Alex shares his journey into missions, the heart behind his book Striving for the Faith, and why he believes many churches lose sight of the “why” behind their outreach efforts.You'll hear deep insights on:✓ What truly motivates mission work✓ How every believer can live with outward purpose✓ The growing challenges facing mission agencies✓ How spiritual formation and accountability strengthen long-term ministry✓ Wise pastoral encouragement for leading churches toward global engagementAlex also discusses cultural pressures that make spiritual integrity harder today — and how Christian communities can respond with clarity, hope, and accountability.

Your words have the power to shape souls—so use them to affirm, encourage, and breathe life into those around you. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.     Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org   Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Have you ever wondered what happens when God dramatically redirects your plans? In ancient Philippi, a divine detour led to an unexpected encounter that would change the course of Christianity in Europe. Pastor Jason shares his transformative experience visiting the very river where Lydia, a wealthy merchant, first heard Paul's message and became the continent's first Christian convert. Through her radical response—opening both her heart and home—this businesswoman helped launch a movement that still echoes today. Whether you're facing unexpected changes or seeking deeper purpose, this powerful message reveals how God's redirections often lead to our greatest impact. Don't miss this inspiring look at how one person's "yes" to God can ripple through generations!

Acts 20:1-12   After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. 7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, "Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him." 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.   Key Words: Encourage, Sabbath, Bread, Speech, Dead, Alive, Comfort Keystone Verse: And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted. (Acts 20:11-12)   Download Bulletin

St. Paul concludes his letter to the Philippians by rejoicing over the support that they have given him during his time in prison. All the while, he reminds them of Christ Jesus as the source of contentment and strength, not only in times of prosperity, but especially in times of poverty. The Apostle has confidence that just as God has supplied his every need, so God will supply the Philippians' every need. With greetings to the saints in Philippi and from saints with him, St. Paul closes his letter with the grace of Jesus.  Rev. Andrew Jagow, pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Philippians 4:10-23.  To learn more about Bethany Lutheran, visit bethany-lcms.org. “Letters from Prison” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that studies Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Even when Paul was imprisoned for the sake of Christ, the Word of God remained unbound. The apostle's letters from prison still fill us with the same joy that his chains could never silence. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

St. Paul commends particular members of the Christian congregation in Philippi to agree in the Lord as they continue to labor together with him and each other in the Gospel. That Gospel allows Christians to rejoice in the Lord always, because His return is near. Therefore, we live not with anxiety and worry, but with gentleness, prayer, thanksgiving, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. St. Paul encourages the Philippians to imitate him in thinking about whatever is good and right and true, knowing that the God of peace is with them.  Rev. Merritt Demski, pastor at St. John Lutheran Church—Hannover in Alta, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Philippians 4:2-9.  To learn more about St. John Lutheran, visit stjohnhanover.org. “Letters from Prison” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that studies Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Even when Paul was imprisoned for the sake of Christ, the Word of God remained unbound. The apostle's letters from prison still fill us with the same joy that his chains could never silence. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Fear is one of the greatest battles every Christian faces — but God has already equipped us to conquer it. Drawing from 2 Timothy 1:7, Megan J. Conner reminds us that we can overcome fear not through our own strength but through God’s power, love, and a sound mind. Through personal reflection and biblical examples—from David’s cries for courage to Paul and Silas singing in chains—this devotional reveals how faith transforms fear into steadfast trust. Highlights Fear is natural, but faith is our divine response. God replaces fear with power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). David found courage by focusing on God’s strength and salvation (Psalm 27:1). Paul and Silas showed unwavering faith in prison, turning fear into worship (Acts 16:25–26). God’s Word is a powerful weapon against anxiety (Ephesians 6:10–20). Memorizing Scripture builds spiritual resilience and peace. Join the Conversation What verse helps you face fear with faith? Share your reflections and encourage others to trust God in the face of fear. Tag @LifeAudioNetwork and use #FaithOverFear #LifeAudio #CourageInChrist to join the conversation.