Podcasts about Pontus

We start by Pontus correcting himself on numbers he uttered, then we contemplate whether the recent Russian election results hold water. In TWISH we celebrate the real giant of science Michael Faraday commemorating his brilliant method to prove the ideomotor phenomenon. Then we turn to the news:INTERNATIONAL: a 'Godzilla level' el Niño coming up?UK: Meta deepfake safeguards deemed “fundamentally inadequate” by own Oversight BoardUK: 'Blade runners': Conspiracy theorists are destroying traffic scannersThis week's Really Wrong Award goes to Kent Ekeroth of Sweden Democrats for blaming election defeat on 'voting cattle'Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-550.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:15:52 TWISH0:27:30 News0:44:02 Really Wrong0:51:32 Quote0:53:30 Outro0:54:45 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonusavsnitt: Berra är livrädd för att bli sjuk eller skada sig inför Sporttouchen-matchen, vi diskuterar varför vi borde flytta till Danmark, Anis och Pontus släpper låten ”Superman” och Berra delar med sig av sina minst användbara musiktips. Dessutom: båtmekanikern som scammade Matt Armstrong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vad händer egentligen bakom kulisserna när en stor fotbollsövergång blir verklighet? Vilka samtal förs, vilka affärer spricker och vad är det som till slut avgör var en spelare hamnar? Det är precis det som står i centrum i Silly Season Inifrån, en ny podd som nu har premiär på Podme. I samarbete med Sportbladet berättas historierna bakom några av svensk fotbolls mest uppmärksammade övergångar. Lyssna på första avsnittet om Pontus Wernblooms flytt till CSKA Moskva på Podme: https://podme.com/se/podcast/fraga-disco/

Share Until The Spirit Leads You Elsewhere, But Always Share Where You Are Acts 18:1-6 1After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Vi har i veckans avsnitt med oss Pontus Alsing, lillebror till Adam Alsing. Pontus har precis skrivit boken "Om att förlora en bror" som handlar om när han förlorade sin storebror Adam i sviterna av Covid-19. Om den avgrundsdjupa sorgen som gör en mörk på insidan. Om tvångstankarna som skulle hålla Adam vid liv och om att tillslut behöva inse att man håller på att förlora allt när man bara blivit en stor sorgklump. Boken finns såklart överallt där böcker finns. Programledare: Ida Höckerstrand & Sofie HallbergKlippning: Sofie HallbergInstagram: @angestpodden @idahockerstrand @sofiehallbergFacebook: ÅngestpoddenTikTok: @therealangestpoddenHar du förslag på ämnen, ett dilemma eller gäster du skulle vilja höra i Ångestpodden?Mejla oss gärna: angestpodden@ingetfilter.seBehöver du prata med någon?https://hjalplinjen.semind.se spes.se suicidezero.se teamtilia.sebris.se Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pontus Wittenmark från spelstudion Warm Kitten Games träffar Kontrollrummet och diskuterar Justin Wack and the Big Time Hack . Det är ett pekaklicka-spel med stil, knorr och både kodningen och musiken i spelet står Pontus själv för. Så långt, allt gott - men så plötsligt transformerar ett Viktigt Meddelande till Allmänheten (VMA) avsnittet mitt under inspelning - Det blir en "historisk tidskapsel" till podd, helt enkelt.Efter avbrottet berättar Pontus ingånde om den levande 2D-animerade världen, och vilka influenser som varit viktiga för Pontus själv. Pontus står alltså bakom en lyckad svensk Kickstarter för Justin Wack och han har tacksamt nog fortsatt med spelutveckling efter Justin Wack släpptes. med kommande Marshland Hollow.Lyssna på avsnittet för att höra mer om Pontus äventyr till spelutveckling. Ända från pappas Pac-Man på hemdatorn till Sierras King's Quest. Pontus hyllar klassikern Day of the Tentacle, en förebild för hans egna Justin Wack and the Big Time Hack - och berättar spännande turer om utvecklingen och vilken känd utvecklare av äventyrs-spel som själv Kickstarter-backat Justin Wack. Vill du veta mer om Indiespelklubben? ⁠⁠⁠Klicka här⁠⁠⁠!

Matthew Week 153     Luke 23:20-22 ESV   22 A third time he said to them, "Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him."       John 19:1 ESV   Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.       Matthew 27:27-30 ESV   Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.             John 19:4-5 ESV   4 Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him." 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!"       John 19:6a ESV   6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!"       Matthew 27:24-26 ESV   24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.       Deuteronomy 21:6-8 ESV   6 And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they shall testify, 'Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed.8 Accept atonement, O Lord, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.'       Genesis 9:6 ESV   6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man,   by man shall his blood be shed,   for God made man in his own image.       Psalm 26:6-7 ESV   I wash my hands in innocence   and go around your altar, O Lord,   7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,   and telling all your wondrous deeds.       John 19:11 ESV   11 Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin."       John 19:16-17a ESV   16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross       Matthew 27:32 ESV (with Mark 15 and Luke 23)   32 As they went out, they found {luke they seized} a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. {mark and luke who was coming in from the country}, {mark the father of Alexander and Rufus} They compelled this man to carry his cross. {luke They laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus}     Acts 2:8-10 ESV   8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome       Acts 11:19-21 ESV   19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.       Romans 16:13 ESV   13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.    

https://www.bibleserver.com/NeÜ/1.Petrus1,1-12Ermutigung in unsicheren Zeiten Teil 1Die damaligen Christen lebten mit der Gegenwart der Verfolgung, Ausgrenzung und Diskriminierung.Leben in einer Welt, die sich nicht (mehr) an christlichen Werten orientiert : “Es schreibt Petrus, ein Apostel von Jesus Christus. An die von Gott Erwählten, die wie Fremde unter ihren Landsleuten leben, und zwar in Pontus, Galatien, Kappadozien, der Asia und in Bithynien.“ 1.Petrus 1,1 NeÜ. Ensuring unserer heutigen Situation.1. Wir haben Hoffnung → unsere Hoffnung liegt in Jesus Christus!„In seiner großen Barmherzigkeit hat er uns wiedergeboren und uns durch die Auferstehung von Jesus Christus aus den Toten eine lebendige Hoffnung geschenkt.“ 1.Petrus 1,3 NeÜ„Ein makelloses Erbe hält er im Himmel für euch bereit, das nie vergehen wird und seinen Wert nie verliert. 1.Petrus 1,4 NeÜ2. Wir haben Herausforderungen„Darüber freut ihr euch, obwohl ihr jetzt für kurze Zeit ganz unterschiedlichen Prüfungen ausgesetzt seid und manches Schwere durchmacht.“ 1.Petrus 1,6 NeÜwas ist die “kurze Zeit”? → Tage, Monate,Jahren? Vergleich zur Ewigkeit?Welche Prüfungen, Leiden sind gemeint?Lässt Gott diese Prüfungen zu?Für die Empfänger vom Petrusbrief war es vor allem das Leiden darunter, als Fremde in einer nichtchristlichen Gesellschaft unterwegs zu sein.→ Was ist die Herausforderung, in der wir heute als Christen leben?Kritik und Skepzis an allgemeinen Dingen : „Wir werden bald in einer Welt leben, in der ein Mensch ausgelacht oder zum Schweigen gebracht wird, nur weil er sagt, dass zwei und zwei vier ergibt. In der wütende Proteste gegen jemanden aufsteigen, der behauptet, Kühe hätten Hörner, in der man das Ketzerische sieht, wenn jemand ein Dreieck als dreiseitige Figur bezeichnet und in der man einen Mann hinrichten würde, weil er die Menge damit verwirrt, dass das Gras grün ist.“ G.K. Chesterton, On Modern Controversy, ILN, 14.August 1926Was vertreten wir heutzutage?Fühlen wir uns fremd in dieser Welt?→ Leben wir noch als „Fremde“ in dieser Welt – oder haben wir uns zurückgezogen – oder angepasst?Jesus selbst hat uns hier etwas anderes vorgelebt. Er lebte mitten in der Gesellschaft seiner Zeit – und war doch Fremder.„Doch dadurch soll sich euer Glaube bewähren, und es wird sich zeigen, dass er wertvoller ist als das vergängliche Gold, das ja auch durch Feuer geprüft wird.“ 1.Petrus 1,7, NeÜWelche Punkte in meinem Leben sind es, an denen sichtbar wird, dass Jesus mein Herr ist? Woran erkennt mein Nachbar, dass ich Christ bin? Woran meine Freunde?→ Mein Christ-Sein zeigt sich daran, dass mein ganzes Leben von Jesus geprägt wird.Aber leider wird das an vielen Stellen gar nicht so offensichtlich, dass es mit Jesus zusammenhängt – oder ich bringe auch nicht den Mut auf und lebe, wie ich (als Christ) eigentlich leben sollte.3. Wir haben Freude.„Darüber freut ihr euch, obwohl ihr jetzt für kurze Zeit ganz unterschiedlichen Prüfungen ausgesetzt seid und manches Schwere durchmacht.“ 1.Petrus 1,6 NeÜ„Ihn liebt ihr ja, obwohl ihr ihn noch nie gesehen habt, an ihn glaubt ihr, obgleich ihr ihn auch jetzt nicht seht, und jubelt in unsagbarer, von Herrlichkeit erfüllter Freude.“ 1.Petrus 1,8 NeÜ„Und weil ihr an ihn glaubt, bewahrt euch Gott in seiner Macht für die Rettung, die schon vorbereitet ist, um dann in der letzten Zeit offenbar zu werden.“ 1.Petrus 1,5 NeÜGott ist der Handelnde, nicht wir sind es. Er rettet, nicht wir uns selbst → wir müssen vertrauen und folgen. Treue zu Jesus Christus Zeugen ⇒ Freude!

Steve DeWitt Spiritual Exiles - Part B Study Guide for Spiritual Exiles, I Peter 1:1-2 Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 1:1-2 Visit the series page: Exiles: A study in 1 Peter Donate to Support The Journey Sermon Transcript for Spiritual Exiles, I Peter 1:1-2 Message: Spiritual ExilesAirdate: 9/4 & 9/7/26, Programs 2350 & 2351Studying through books of the Bible has been, has really been the bread and butter of our church over the years. And, today, we begin a new series as you've seen on the screen in the, the book or the letter of First Peter. And you might ask, well, why First Peter? I mean, because from one perspective, we really could open the Bible anywhere and have things that would be profitable to us. That's what, Scripture says about itself, that all Scripture is God breathed, that is profitable. So we really could go. We could go to Leviticus. We could go to Psalms. We could go to Revelation, and there would be a quality word that God would have for us. But why First Peter? Well, I've chosen First Peter because it is so wonderfully relevant to, life as we are living it increasingly here in our culture and our society where we find ourselves as Christians and particularly as evangelical Christians increasingly on the margins of society. More and more it seems that to actually believe in Jesus is a, you know, small s scandalous sort of thing. And by that, I mean, not nominal Christianity. Nominal Christianity will fit in anywhere. Nominal Christians are accepted. But if you actually believe it, like you're one of those crazy people that actually believe the gospel, and you really believe in, the resurrection, and you really believe in that the world was created and things like that, more and more, people are looking down their nose at that and pushing us to the fringe of the culture. And First Peter is written for the church in exile. First Peter is written for a church on the margins. It is written for the persecuted church. It's written, for the ostracized church. It is written for the hated church. I read somebody that basically said, the more irrelevant Christianity becomes, the more relevant First Peter becomes because it's written for that church that is in exile in its culture. The title of the series comes from the first words in, Peter's letter where he addresses it and says, to those who are elect exiles. Exiles where and exiles why we're going to, get into. And I dare say that by the time we're done with this series, I'll bet First Peter might be in the running for your favorite book in all the Bible. Luther himself said about First Peter that it is, quote, “one of the noblest books in the New Testament,” and he put it on par with Romans and the Gospel of John, which is saying something, isn't it? So, it's a wonderful letter, and I think it's gonna be a real blessing to all of us. We're going to work through it in a style of teaching, known as expository preaching. And what that means is that week in and week out, we're going to look at the text as Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote it. We're gonna ask the question, what did Peter and the Holy Spirit mean when they wrote that particular text? And then we are going to draw out of that meaning as it was originally intended and apply it to our lives today. What does that mean for us today? I wanna encourage you to come each week, every week with expository preaching is a fresh text, which means that it is a fresh word from God for us. And I think that it will be, it will be a blessing. So with that, let me just pray and ask God's blessing on this entire teaching series. Father, we ask that you would please, as you have done down through the centuries, that you would take your holy word, that you would enlighten it to our understanding, and that you would powerfully apply it to our lives and to our church and through us to the culture around us. We pray that this series would be just uniquely blessed by you, and all the good that can be done from it has little to do with, me or any of our teachers and pastors, but it depends on your Holy Spirit's blessing, and we seek that and we ask for it. Bless even now in in in in this day as we begin in in our study. We pray that this would be a great launch, and we pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Now as we always do when we begin a a book study, we spend time talking about the background to the letter. Now you might say, well, why is that so important? Can't we just get going in this? Here's why it's important. It's important for the same reason that if you were walking along the street and the wind blew a letter into your to your path and you picked it up and you read it, on one level, you could understand the letter, couldn't you? Because you can read English, you can read the words, etcetera. But to know who wrote it, who they wrote it to, and why they wrote it would fill in all of those things that you can read with all kinds of meaning, wouldn't it? And so that's why we spend time figuring out who wrote this thing and why he wrote it and who he was writing it to. So let's begin by asking that question. Who wrote this letter? And you might say, well, that's simple. The top of my page, it says it says Peter wrote this letter. Right? And indeed, the first verse says, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.” So you could say, well, it must be it must be Peter. But realize that just because it says that Peter wrote it is not undeniable proof that Peter wrote it. This could have been written by somebody else who claimed to have been Peter. And, there are always scholars that wanna argue against these people actually being the authors of these letters, whether that be Paul or John or or here Peter. And so there are some scholars that try to stir up controversy, but to me, it's really, difficult seeing it not be Peter because later in the letter, he's going to say that he was an eyewitness to the sufferings of Christ. Well, how many Peters are there that were eyewitnesses to the sufferings of Christ? And the early church fathers, and by that, I mean, the leaders of the church in the post apostolic age. So after John and Peter and others had died, you have certain church leaders, and they all attribute this letter to being written by the Peter of the gospels, the disciple, the apostle Peter. So I think that there is little reason to doubt that Peter actually wrote this letter. And this Peter is the Peter of the gospels. This is the Peter who had a brother named Andrew who brought him to Jesus, and Jesus met him and changed his name. Do you remember? His name had been Simon. And he said, from this point on, your name is Peter or which is the Greek word, by the way, for rock, which is like a cruel joke, I think, on Peter if you read the story because perhaps he should have been named Feather because he sees the blows in the wind. But what happens in the story of Peter is that he becomes the rock at the end of the story as he assumes leadership of the disciples after Jesus' resurrection as he is a leader in the early church, and history tells us that he was crucified upside down in Rome and and refused to be crucified upright like his savior Jesus. He didn't feel he was worthy to die the same way that Jesus died. Part of the importance of First Peter and Second Peter is that given the prominence of Peter in the church, we have very little that he wrote, actually, as compared to, like, Luke, John, or Paul. Luke wrote Luke and Acts. John wrote the Gospel of John, First, Second, Third John, and Revelation. And Paul obviously wrote a bunch of letters in the New Testament. So we got lots from those guys. But Peter, in his stature, we have very little. We have First Peter and Second Peter. And so it's like the smallness of what we have actually makes it more valuable as we can see the the teaching and the emphases of this key leader in the early church. Now to who did Paul Peter write this and why did he write? And just look at verse one with me a moment. It says, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” Now I'll bet that in your private devotional reading, you get to a verse like that and you sort of skip ahead, don't you? You're like, there's gotta be some more applicable thing here than ancient geography. Right? I didn't get up this morning to read my Bible, to read ancient geography. Isn't there something a little bit more helpful to me than that? And so we easily skip over those things and uniquely, I think in First Peter, probably true of all of them, but this is actually one of the keys to understanding the entire letter. Is that verse right there? Who are these people? What is it talking about? Again, those who are elect exiles of the dispersion. Now what is that all about? Alright. Quick history lesson. Hang with me. Some of you hated it your sophomore year. This will be short. Okay? But a very quick history lesson. We go back to the Roman Empire, and most of us probably heard of the Roman Empire, one of the great human empires in in history, ruled the known world for, like, five hundred years. And they were able to pull that off because they were really smart. They had policies and things that they did that allowed them to remain in power for, like, five centuries. And one of the things that they did is actually what Peter is referring to here, and and that is what is called colonization. K? Colonization. Here's the way that it worked. The Romans had the great armies. Maybe you've seen movies that portray the Roman armies and the eagle and all of that. They would go into an area that they wanted to conquer. And largely, they would conquer. They were really good at warfare. And after they had conquered this region, they would move on to go, you know, do battle in other places. But they needed to maintain power in that region that their army had already conquered. So the strategy for them was that they would colonize that area by sending, people from Rome or who at least were Roman into that community where they would establish their lives. They would establish business. They would establish some of the things that Roman culture was known for, like the theater or the auditorium or whatever. And by doing that, essentially, they would integrate into the cult actually, the culture, the indigenous culture, would integrate into the Roman culture. And by doing that, they were able to exert Roman influence and thought and power into those, particular areas. K? So these were known as dispersions. K? Sometimes these were, political friends who wanted if it was a nice area, like if suddenly we conquered Hawaii and said, wants to go live? Well, I think I'd like to so all the friends, you know, the friends of the people in charge, they would go and they would colonize Hawaii. Sometimes these were political enemies that they wanted out of Rome. Alright. Take that family and those people and get them over in Galatia. We don't wanna see them ever again. And so off they would go. And and sometimes it was just people that were like, you know what? We think we can have a better life there. Like, you can think about even the story of The United States and the colonies on the East Coast and how people came across on the boats because they wanted a better life in the new the new world. So Rome would do that. And by doing that, they essentially would, retain a kind of control over that area by repopulating and integrating. It was essentially colonization by deportation for the purpose of domination. And that's how you retain control for five hundred years. So these people that would leave Rome or a Roman, community to go into some of these new areas, they essentially lived as exiles there. They were foreigners there. They were Romans there. And, the people that were from there knew that they were these people that had come. And this was not always a comfortable thing. Realize the Roman armies would come and conquer. They would wipe out, you know, how how many people's husbands and fathers in in, in winning the war. And now you've got representatives from there coming and living amongst us. The people from that land did not look favorably necessarily on them, especially initially. They were always from somewhere else. Right? It's kind of like living up here in the North when we hear somebody with a thick southern accent. What do you do? You look at them and you think to yourself or maybe you even say it, you're not from here are you? Right? And they're like, no I'm not. I'm from Georgia or Mississippi. Right? And you're like, what are you doing up here? Why don't you go home where you belong? Explain some people we have on staff even. But as awkward as that might be for Southerners to live up here amongst the Yankees, It was much more uncomfortable back in this day. And so they lived in a kind of ostracized way, and there was social awkwardness representing the ideology of the conquering army. So Peter here is writing then to colonists who were also Christians, who for political, social, who knows what reason had gone into Asia Minor and are now living there as representatives of the Roman Empire. Now to give you an idea of where we're talking, here's a map. And it's essentially modern day Turkey. And some of you maybe are not up on your you know, Turkey to you is a, November celebration. But it's actually a country as well. And so you see some of you see the Black Sea, and you see these communities that are being referred to, Bithynia, Galatia, Cappadocia, these would have been well known in that time and would have been places of influence, cultural influence. Essentially, what Peter does in the letter is he takes these Christians' social political situation and he draws spiritual meaning from it. He says, yes, you're exiles politically and geographically, but I wanna talk to you about what it means to be a spiritual exile. What does it mean to live in an area where you it's not your homeland. What does it mean to live in an area where people look at you a little cross eyed and they say to themselves, that person isn't they're not really of us. Their values are not our values. Their priorities are not our part. They're like those Christian people. They're those marginalized people. What is it like, and how do we live when we are the ones that are in exile, when we are the weird ones? So Peter writes to these political exiles, but he wants them to see that they are really spiritual exiles and to learn what it means to live amongst people that are very, very different. K? Very different. And so what he's gonna say in this letter is he's gonna encourage them to stand strong, to remain faithful, to live obedient to Jesus in spite of the immoral culture around them, to remain faithful even though people look at them like we look at Amish people. Kinda like, man, what's your problem? What's get with the program here. Right? Why aren't you kind of along with what we're doing? That's how they felt. And here's where I think First Peter is so helpful to us is is and I don't know if you feel this or not. I certainly do. If you talk to some of the old timers around here who remember what it was like to be a Christian, like in the nineteen forties or the nineteen fifties and maybe the early nineteen sixties, it's a much different feel back then to be a Christian in America than it is in 2015. Right? Where even to pronounce Christian faith in public media in some way is to be scorned or to have the plug pulled. Right? Get him off of there immediately. We don't want any of that kind of stuff going across the airwaves. What do we do? How do we live? What are we supposed to be like? And again, I'm talking about real Christians, nominal Christians, fit in just fine. K? I'm talking about the people that actually believe this stuff and try to live it out. How do we do it? These are the exiles that Peter is writing to. Now let's ask why are we exiles, and what is the purpose for all of this? So let's get into the text now and and begin to kind of do our little exposition here. I begin again in verse one. “To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bethenia Church.” Do you kinda get what that means now? K. “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.” May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Now a quick read here, and again, that morning devotional, moment where I'm trying to find something for my day, we could easily miss how important what Peter is saying here is. Because essentially what Peter is doing here is he's tipping his hand to the entire letter. It's kind of like in a symphony or something where in the prelude, you hear a little piece of the of the melody, and you're like, you pick up on it. Or that little Star Wars theme, if you're watching a Star Wars movie, you sort of hear that, it's either Vader or it's Skywalker. You know? And you're like you pick you pick up on it. Even in the in the in the opening scene of the movie, you kinda get a sense of what's coming. That's what this is. He's he's basically it's it's First Peter in microcosm. Peter, what are you gonna say? What is your big point to these people that are living in spiritual exile? And he begins in verse two with a series of purpose statements. The why question.Now my wife Jennifer and I, we have a 19 year old daughter. And what's wonderful at this point is that she has not discovered the word why. It's just not there yet. Did I say something wrong? Did I say year old? Peter's got something to say about that too. 19 month old daughter. Yes. So and see, we're getting that kind of Gary feel going on here. Like that. Keep it up. Keep it up. 19 month old daughter. So she's learning words at an amazing clip right now. We're thankful she's not yet learned the word why. She is unaware at this point that in life, there is all of this sort of philosophical stuff that underlies why we do what we do. So at this point, we just say, don't throw your food. She's never said, well, why is that not allowed? Right? She's unaware of purpose behind things. Peter wants to make sure that we understand that there is purpose behind things, even exile. Even the experience of spiritual exile, there's a purpose behind it. There is a why behind it, and we see that from the get go. Notice what kind of exiles are they? And can I say the question, what kind of exiles are we? What is the descriptive word for exiles? It is what? You have Bibles. Look. What is the word before exiles? We are what exiles? We're elect exiles. Elect exiles. What? I am experiencing what I'm experiencing because there's somebody that chose to put me here, chose to give me this experience? Because that's what the word elect means. It just it means chose, chosen. We are chosen exiles. You know, most exiles don't think that they are chosen exiles. You can think about the Jews in World War two, for example, in in Poland and the ghetto there, if you've seen that or studied that, they were victims of circumstance. They were victims of sociopolitical things that were beyond their control, and they suffered greatly in, in that experience. Or the Syrian refugees in our contemporary world, who there's all these, you know, there's big sort of, sociopolitical things that are at play that are creating the circumstances that they find themselves in. You could go to a Syrian refugee and say, you know, how did this happen? And he would say, well, my the president of this company country and this is going on and all of that. They would never have the thought in their mind that they were chosen to be Syrian refugees. Why? Because it's circumstantial. But here, Peter doesn't say, I'm so sorry that you are having this experience living as Christians in that land. He says, you are having that experience by divine choice. There is a God behind all of this. You are not just exiles randomly. You are exiles divinely. You have been chosen for this experience. And what a difference it makes when I realize that there is a purpose behind the pain. There is an answer to the question of why. And behind all of that is a God who is sovereignly working out everything according to the purpose of his will, Ephesians one eleven. Think about the Israelites as another sort of exile example. If you know the story of Israel, descendants of Abraham. Right? They were all time living in tents, never having a land of their own. God takes them down to Egypt. Four hundred years, they live largely under oppression there in Egypt. They're living as exiles. They're not in their the land that they're not in the promised land. They're not in the land where they're supposed to be. But there they are, and they have horrible, terrible experiences. Well, God leads them out into the hand of Moses, and they go through the Red Sea. It's not that far of a walk from Egypt to the promised land. Right? As the crow flies, where does God take them? Forty years wandering around in the wilderness. Are they like, God, is your GPS messed up? Because we could just it's just right there. We just gotta go right there. Why you guys going all over here and wandering around like this? What is the purpose behind our wanderings? What is the purpose behind our exile? Why are we experiencing all of these difficulties living a million people in a desert? Why are you doing this, God? And from the words of Moses himself, God says, “you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In other words, God was using their physical experience, their geographical experience for spiritual purposes. And all of the difficulties and all of the uncomfortableness and all of the challenges of living in a desert for forty years was not about living in a desert for forty years, but what God wanted that desert to do in them and to teach them. There was a purpose behind it. There was a why behind it. Do you see? So that the sorrows, what Peter is saying here, the sorrows of Christianity on the margins is comforted by the confident knowledge that we have that I am where God wants me to be, and the challenges are from the hand of God as well. I am an elect exile. I am not a political exile. I am I am not a chaotic exile. I am where I am by the sovereign choice of God, which then brings meaning in the midst of the pain and the sorrows and the issues. What do people ask when they're going through a trial? What do we hear even in our church when somebody gets the cancer call? Why? God, why are you doing this? Why am I the one of all the people having to suffer this? And what do you say pastorally to people that hear that kind of news? Wow. That's really chaotic. Maybe there isn't a God. No. We say that there is a God, and that circumstance in your life is not chance. And you can trust him. He is a good God. He loves you. He sent Jesus. Right? And now the Christian begins to derive meaning from even the pain of the exile and to see that God is doing something good in it. Would this not have been wonderfully comforting? I mean, about these Christians. They're living there in Asia Minor. Would this not have been, comforting for a businessman living in Pontus who is suffering financially because he's a Christian? They know he's a Christian. They don't wanna do business with him. He's suffering because of it. Or how about the wife of a pagan husband? You want to talk about personally uncomfortable? How about the wife of a Christian wife of a pagan husband? You want to talk about issues. How about a husband who's living according to the values of the immoral Greco Roman world around him, and yet you're married to him? How do you derive any kind of hope or comfort in the midst of that? You read chapter three, and you see what Peter has to say to wives who are married to pagan husbands. And you see, whatever pick your category. All of them. The Christian sees through the physical, political, social issue a good God who is providentially behind that and is actually using that for some good in our life that maybe we can't see and maybe you can't see right now. I mean, my wife had trouble finding parking today. We have a lot of people sitting right here in front of me. Is it possible maybe one person here is in a time of trouble or has a circumstance they wish was different? What does the word of God have to say to you? You are an elect exile. There is a God who is sovereignly doing the choosing, and it is painful, and it's awkward, and it's difficult, but there is a God behind it. And we believe that by faith. Amen? Amen. Amen. So I'm not in Cappadocia by accident after all. I'm here because God wants me to be in Cappadocia. Nothing is random. Now the second thing that we have here besides being chosen by God to be in this exile is that Peter wants us to he he lifts our eyes to God himself, and he wants us to see what the triune God is doing here. And you see in the text here a very clear Trinitarian statement. “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit for the obedience to Jesus Christ who is the Son.” It's one of the clearest Trinitarian statements in all of Scripture. Father, Son, and Spirit, each of them with a slightly different role in, as being described here. The foreknowledge, first of all, of the Father. Okay? Foreknowledge basically means to to know in advance. Right? To know in advance. Their exile was sovereignly known by God. God was not surprised. What are those Christians doing over there in Bithynia? I had no idea that they were gonna end up in Cappadocia. What are they up to in Galatia? God is never surprised by anything, which is itself a incredible thought, isn't it? If you're God, there are no surprise parties for God. He already knows everything. Right? He has known all of it and purposed it in eternity past, which means that when I find myself in Bithynia, God knew in eternity past that this was part of the plan. In fact, that word there is used in later in the chapter to say that Christ himself was foreknown. In eternity past, the Father knew the Son. In eternity past, the Father knew that you would be living and doing what you're doing here today. All of it, a sovereign God. There is no there are no surprises with God. There is nothing that is random with God. There is nothing that is chaotic with God. He is the sovereign God. No surprises. The sanctifying work of the Spirit. K? Sanctification is this word in the New Testament to talk about the process of God working in our lives to shape and mold us into the likeness of Jesus, the holy Son of God. And so sanctification is this kind of progressive growth and development. When I become a Christian, I to use this text, I I enter into the realm of sanctification. I am now in a process that the Holy Spirit is working in my life. Verse one says that they are in Asia, but verse two says they're actually in sanctification. So they may wanna define themselves geographically. Right? We're for the Bithynia bulldogs. Bulldogs. K. I am who I am. Some of you may be cheering sports teams today somehow related to a geography that used to have a Packer fan or I'm a Cowboys fan or whatever. Like, I'm born in Dallas or something. So you wanna define yourself geographically. When your teams aren't doing well, you don't wanna define yourself geographically. So most of us will be cheering for the Big Ten tomorrow. Sad. But Peter wants them to realize that they're not defined by their locale. They are defined their locale geographically, but by their locale spiritually. You're in the Holy Spirit now. You're in a process. You're in a world, not a pagan land. The life changing work of Jesus in us is the last thing “for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.” And we see in this that that the electing work of God, the choosing work of God is never without its effect. That not only did God sovereignly choose to put them in Bithynia or Galatia, but he chose through that experience to change them, to transform them for the obedience, a life of obedience to Jesus Christ. That's what God is working in all of us. If you're a Christian here today, what's God doing in my life? Well, he's doing a lot of things. But one of the things he's doing is that he is shaping and molding your heart and value mine as well so that I increasingly want to obey the will of God. I wanna be obedient to my savior Jesus. The obedience to Jesus is part of what we're doing here. And for sprinkling with his blood, and I gotta tell you, I don't know what that means. Just being honest. Commentators are all over the place. I'm not sure what that means. I think it refers somehow to the atoning work of Jesus for us, but I'm not exactly sure. Is that okay to say that? Okay. I don't know. But broadly, what this is saying is this, the Father foreknew us, the Spirit sanctifies us, the Son atoned for us and frees us from a life of sin to now this new life in Christ where I am living to the will of God, and I am pleasing God with my life, and all of it is by God and for God. He foreknew it. He purposed it. He's working in it right now. He is the sovereign hand, the loving hand behind all of it. So that these people might have thought to themselves if they were political exiles, they might have thought to themselves, I am in Galatia by the choice of man. And Peter writes this letter and says, you are in Galatia by the choice of God. He is the one that is behind all that is happening here. Alright. With the time remaining, I have one application point. And this is just the salutation of the letter. Okay? But one application point that I'd like to talk with you about, and it's this. When we are in exile, we wanna change where we are. God wants to change who we are. When we are in exile, God wants or we wanna change where we are. God wants to change who we are. If you talk to an exile and you say, hey. What is the solution to your problem? They are generally going to say, the answer to my problem is to change where I am. Like, I'm not in my homeland. I'm not where I'm supposed to be. And if I was to get where I'm supposed to be, in other words, if I was to change my geography, then everything would be great. Like, take a week like this as an example. This week, I feel like a climate exile. I experienced a week like we've had around here, and I think to myself, I do not live where I'm supposed to live. I am supposed to live in a warmer climate than this. Friday night, Jennifer and I were we spent some time with some friends, and we came back to the church here to pick up my car. I forget how cold it was Friday night, but it was like, you know, zero or minus or something. And we get there, and I get in my car. No. So we spent, I don't know, forty five minutes trying to jump my car off of our van. And it was one of those experiences where there's cold and then there's that cold. Right? I was so cold trying to get that thing started. It took us like forty five minutes, and I was just absolutely frozen. This was a terrible week around here. Right? Horrible week. We're all climate exiles. What do we need? We need to change our geography. We need to live somewhere different. We need a different climate than the one that we've been experiencing. They would have amen in Gary on that. So if you talk to the climate exile, they're going to say, I need a change of geography, right? There's some other place that they would rather be. Do we have any marriage exiles? What's a marriage exile? You've come to the conclusion that the person that you're married to is not the person that you're supposed to be married to, and the solution for you would be to be either not married or married to somebody different. Do we have any vocational exiles here? The solution to happiness in your life would be a different job. You feel like you're being persecuted on the job or you feel like you have an unfair boss, you got some other thing going on. So what's the solution? I need a different job. Do we have any health exiles here? You've got some ailment, you've got some problem, you've got the cancer call in your mind, what's the solution? I need a different body, right? If had a different body, then everything would be fine or pick your category. Generally speaking, our solution to our problems is to change where we are. And then we read this verse here. Elect exiles. Elect exiles. Do you mean that the exile that I am experiencing, that trial that I am going through, that experience that I wish was different and in my mind I can think of three different ways to get out of it? That that is something that God has brought into my life by his sovereign hand and good. Yes. And Peter goes on here to say that good is something not about changing where you are, but changing the person that you are. In other words, my heart, my mind, my my my my spiritual depth and quality, God is in the process of changing that. And you know what? He oftentimes puts us in Cappadocia to do it. We wanna get back to Rome. In fact, what's striking here is he doesn't say to exiles of the dispersion, get out of Bithynia now. Get back to Rome. The streets are clean, and the coffee's good, and the sun is shining. Get out of there. He doesn't say that one place in the whole letter. Why not? Because Peter realized something, that they were elect exiles, that their experience of all of this discomfort was something that God wanted in their life. Well, why would God want that in our life? Because he uses Bithynia, Cappadocia, and the people and the experiences of our life to produce change that would never happen in Rome. And so here you are today, and spiritually speaking or, you know, in your life, you feel like you're in exile, and you want change. I wonder if you can hear the word of God today saying to you. Here's the word. The change that I want is within you. And as Christians, for us to embrace trials, and this is not easy. I think about trials that I've gone through in my life, and in the midst of it, you're like, I want out now. But to pray to God, heavenly Father, I'm not sure what you're doing in this, but I sense in my heart that you are breaking me. You're breaking my pride. You're breaking my self dependence. You're helping me to live by faith. And I just want to say that I surrender to your purpose in Cappadocia. Don't you think I have a loving heavenly Father would answer that prayer? Don't you think that he delights? In fact, is it possible that he put you there to get you to that point of surrender in the first place? And now from that point, God's purpose can be lived out because that aspect of me, pride, whatever is taken away in a way now that I can live in obedience to the will of Jesus Christ according to the foreknowledge of the of of the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit as I made more and more into likeness of Christ. Oh, by the way, what does that sound like? That whole, I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I'm not where I'm from. I'm experiencing pain and yet I want your will in my life. Who does that sound? Does that sound familiar to me? Is that not Christ himself who left his Father's throne above, left his experience of heaven, came into this broken world with all of its pain and all of its sin and all of its brokenness. You you wanna talk about somebody who didn't fit in. How about the Son of God on earth with us? Right? How often people looked at him and thought you must not be from here because you are not buying into the way that we do things at all. And for him to go through that entire experience and to suffer. I think of the old song, he could have called 10,000 angels to destroy the world and set him free in a moment. Gone. You can't afford the plane ticket. That was not an issue with Jesus. And yet he remained. And the night before he was crucified, prayed. “Father, if there's any way for this cup to pass from me, I ask that it would be so.” There's an honest prayer. We've all prayed that. Right? Take this cup from me, please. “Yet not my will, but your will be done.” There is the bottom line. When we are in an experience that we deem undesirable, a long term trial, I think we can be honest with God. I don't wanna live in Bithynia. I'm tired of Cappadocia. But my bottom line, God, is that I want what you want in my life. I believe that your plan is better than mine, and I embrace the change that you are working within me. This is the example of Jesus himself. And I hope that his example would help us realize that even if you're about to be crucified, you can know that there is a sovereign God who is doing good through it. And indeed he did, through that crucifixion, a savior for the world. And that's just the prelude. That's First Peter. So much more good stuff to come. I hope God blesses and uses it. Let's stand together for prayer.* This transcript was generated using AI transcription technology and reviewed for accuracy but may contain errors. Please refer to the original audio for precise wording.

Steve DeWitt Spiritual Exiles - Part A Study Guide for Spiritual Exiles, I Peter 1:1-2 Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 1:1-2 Visit the series page: Exiles: A study in 1 Peter Donate to Support The Journey Sermon Transcript for Spiritual Exiles, I Peter 1:1-2 Message: Spiritual ExilesAirdate: 9/4 & 9/7/26, Programs 2350 & 2351Studying through books of the Bible has been, has really been the bread and butter of our church over the years. And, today, we begin a new series as you've seen on the screen in the, the book or the letter of First Peter. And you might ask, well, why First Peter? I mean, because from one perspective, we really could open the Bible anywhere and have things that would be profitable to us. That's what, Scripture says about itself, that all Scripture is God breathed, that is profitable. So we really could go. We could go to Leviticus. We could go to Psalms. We could go to Revelation, and there would be a quality word that God would have for us. But why First Peter? Well, I've chosen First Peter because it is so wonderfully relevant to, life as we are living it increasingly here in our culture and our society where we find ourselves as Christians and particularly as evangelical Christians increasingly on the margins of society. More and more it seems that to actually believe in Jesus is a, you know, small s scandalous sort of thing. And by that, I mean, not nominal Christianity. Nominal Christianity will fit in anywhere. Nominal Christians are accepted. But if you actually believe it, like you're one of those crazy people that actually believe the gospel, and you really believe in, the resurrection, and you really believe in that the world was created and things like that, more and more, people are looking down their nose at that and pushing us to the fringe of the culture. And First Peter is written for the church in exile. First Peter is written for a church on the margins. It is written for the persecuted church. It's written, for the ostracized church. It is written for the hated church. I read somebody that basically said, the more irrelevant Christianity becomes, the more relevant First Peter becomes because it's written for that church that is in exile in its culture. The title of the series comes from the first words in, Peter's letter where he addresses it and says, to those who are elect exiles. Exiles where and exiles why we're going to, get into. And I dare say that by the time we're done with this series, I'll bet First Peter might be in the running for your favorite book in all the Bible. Luther himself said about First Peter that it is, quote, “one of the noblest books in the New Testament,” and he put it on par with Romans and the Gospel of John, which is saying something, isn't it? So, it's a wonderful letter, and I think it's gonna be a real blessing to all of us. We're going to work through it in a style of teaching, known as expository preaching. And what that means is that week in and week out, we're going to look at the text as Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote it. We're gonna ask the question, what did Peter and the Holy Spirit mean when they wrote that particular text? And then we are going to draw out of that meaning as it was originally intended and apply it to our lives today. What does that mean for us today? I wanna encourage you to come each week, every week with expository preaching is a fresh text, which means that it is a fresh word from God for us. And I think that it will be, it will be a blessing. So with that, let me just pray and ask God's blessing on this entire teaching series. Father, we ask that you would please, as you have done down through the centuries, that you would take your holy word, that you would enlighten it to our understanding, and that you would powerfully apply it to our lives and to our church and through us to the culture around us. We pray that this series would be just uniquely blessed by you, and all the good that can be done from it has little to do with, me or any of our teachers and pastors, but it depends on your Holy Spirit's blessing, and we seek that and we ask for it. Bless even now in in in in this day as we begin in in our study. We pray that this would be a great launch, and we pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Now as we always do when we begin a a book study, we spend time talking about the background to the letter. Now you might say, well, why is that so important? Can't we just get going in this? Here's why it's important. It's important for the same reason that if you were walking along the street and the wind blew a letter into your to your path and you picked it up and you read it, on one level, you could understand the letter, couldn't you? Because you can read English, you can read the words, etcetera. But to know who wrote it, who they wrote it to, and why they wrote it would fill in all of those things that you can read with all kinds of meaning, wouldn't it? And so that's why we spend time figuring out who wrote this thing and why he wrote it and who he was writing it to. So let's begin by asking that question. Who wrote this letter? And you might say, well, that's simple. The top of my page, it says it says Peter wrote this letter. Right? And indeed, the first verse says, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.” So you could say, well, it must be it must be Peter. But realize that just because it says that Peter wrote it is not undeniable proof that Peter wrote it. This could have been written by somebody else who claimed to have been Peter. And, there are always scholars that wanna argue against these people actually being the authors of these letters, whether that be Paul or John or or here Peter. And so there are some scholars that try to stir up controversy, but to me, it's really, difficult seeing it not be Peter because later in the letter, he's going to say that he was an eyewitness to the sufferings of Christ. Well, how many Peters are there that were eyewitnesses to the sufferings of Christ? And the early church fathers, and by that, I mean, the leaders of the church in the post apostolic age. So after John and Peter and others had died, you have certain church leaders, and they all attribute this letter to being written by the Peter of the gospels, the disciple, the apostle Peter. So I think that there is little reason to doubt that Peter actually wrote this letter. And this Peter is the Peter of the gospels. This is the Peter who had a brother named Andrew who brought him to Jesus, and Jesus met him and changed his name. Do you remember? His name had been Simon. And he said, from this point on, your name is Peter or which is the Greek word, by the way, for rock, which is like a cruel joke, I think, on Peter if you read the story because perhaps he should have been named Feather because he sees the blows in the wind. But what happens in the story of Peter is that he becomes the rock at the end of the story as he assumes leadership of the disciples after Jesus' resurrection as he is a leader in the early church, and history tells us that he was crucified upside down in Rome and and refused to be crucified upright like his savior Jesus. He didn't feel he was worthy to die the same way that Jesus died. Part of the importance of First Peter and Second Peter is that given the prominence of Peter in the church, we have very little that he wrote, actually, as compared to, like, Luke, John, or Paul. Luke wrote Luke and Acts. John wrote the Gospel of John, First, Second, Third John, and Revelation. And Paul obviously wrote a bunch of letters in the New Testament. So we got lots from those guys. But Peter, in his stature, we have very little. We have First Peter and Second Peter. And so it's like the smallness of what we have actually makes it more valuable as we can see the the teaching and the emphases of this key leader in the early church. Now to who did Paul Peter write this and why did he write? And just look at verse one with me a moment. It says, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” Now I'll bet that in your private devotional reading, you get to a verse like that and you sort of skip ahead, don't you? You're like, there's gotta be some more applicable thing here than ancient geography. Right? I didn't get up this morning to read my Bible, to read ancient geography. Isn't there something a little bit more helpful to me than that? And so we easily skip over those things and uniquely, I think in First Peter, probably true of all of them, but this is actually one of the keys to understanding the entire letter. Is that verse right there? Who are these people? What is it talking about? Again, those who are elect exiles of the dispersion. Now what is that all about? Alright. Quick history lesson. Hang with me. Some of you hated it your sophomore year. This will be short. Okay? But a very quick history lesson. We go back to the Roman Empire, and most of us probably heard of the Roman Empire, one of the great human empires in in history, ruled the known world for, like, five hundred years. And they were able to pull that off because they were really smart. They had policies and things that they did that allowed them to remain in power for, like, five centuries. And one of the things that they did is actually what Peter is referring to here, and and that is what is called colonization. K? Colonization. Here's the way that it worked. The Romans had the great armies. Maybe you've seen movies that portray the Roman armies and the eagle and all of that. They would go into an area that they wanted to conquer. And largely, they would conquer. They were really good at warfare. And after they had conquered this region, they would move on to go, you know, do battle in other places. But they needed to maintain power in that region that their army had already conquered. So the strategy for them was that they would colonize that area by sending, people from Rome or who at least were Roman into that community where they would establish their lives. They would establish business. They would establish some of the things that Roman culture was known for, like the theater or the auditorium or whatever. And by doing that, essentially, they would integrate into the cult actually, the culture, the indigenous culture, would integrate into the Roman culture. And by doing that, they were able to exert Roman influence and thought and power into those, particular areas. K? So these were known as dispersions. K? Sometimes these were, political friends who wanted if it was a nice area, like if suddenly we conquered Hawaii and said, wants to go live? Well, I think I'd like to so all the friends, you know, the friends of the people in charge, they would go and they would colonize Hawaii. Sometimes these were political enemies that they wanted out of Rome. Alright. Take that family and those people and get them over in Galatia. We don't wanna see them ever again. And so off they would go. And and sometimes it was just people that were like, you know what? We think we can have a better life there. Like, you can think about even the story of The United States and the colonies on the East Coast and how people came across on the boats because they wanted a better life in the new the new world. So Rome would do that. And by doing that, they essentially would, retain a kind of control over that area by repopulating and integrating. It was essentially colonization by deportation for the purpose of domination. And that's how you retain control for five hundred years. So these people that would leave Rome or a Roman, community to go into some of these new areas, they essentially lived as exiles there. They were foreigners there. They were Romans there. And, the people that were from there knew that they were these people that had come. And this was not always a comfortable thing. Realize the Roman armies would come and conquer. They would wipe out, you know, how how many people's husbands and fathers in in, in winning the war. And now you've got representatives from there coming and living amongst us. The people from that land did not look favorably necessarily on them, especially initially. They were always from somewhere else. Right? It's kind of like living up here in the North when we hear somebody with a thick southern accent. What do you do? You look at them and you think to yourself or maybe you even say it, you're not from here are you? Right? And they're like, no I'm not. I'm from Georgia or Mississippi. Right? And you're like, what are you doing up here? Why don't you go home where you belong? Explain some people we have on staff even. But as awkward as that might be for Southerners to live up here amongst the Yankees, It was much more uncomfortable back in this day. And so they lived in a kind of ostracized way, and there was social awkwardness representing the ideology of the conquering army. So Peter here is writing then to colonists who were also Christians, who for political, social, who knows what reason had gone into Asia Minor and are now living there as representatives of the Roman Empire. Now to give you an idea of where we're talking, here's a map. And it's essentially modern day Turkey. And some of you maybe are not up on your you know, Turkey to you is a, November celebration. But it's actually a country as well. And so you see some of you see the Black Sea, and you see these communities that are being referred to, Bithynia, Galatia, Cappadocia, these would have been well known in that time and would have been places of influence, cultural influence. Essentially, what Peter does in the letter is he takes these Christians' social political situation and he draws spiritual meaning from it. He says, yes, you're exiles politically and geographically, but I wanna talk to you about what it means to be a spiritual exile. What does it mean to live in an area where you it's not your homeland. What does it mean to live in an area where people look at you a little cross eyed and they say to themselves, that person isn't they're not really of us. Their values are not our values. Their priorities are not our part. They're like those Christian people. They're those marginalized people. What is it like, and how do we live when we are the ones that are in exile, when we are the weird ones? So Peter writes to these political exiles, but he wants them to see that they are really spiritual exiles and to learn what it means to live amongst people that are very, very different. K? Very different. And so what he's gonna say in this letter is he's gonna encourage them to stand strong, to remain faithful, to live obedient to Jesus in spite of the immoral culture around them, to remain faithful even though people look at them like we look at Amish people. Kinda like, man, what's your problem? What's get with the program here. Right? Why aren't you kind of along with what we're doing? That's how they felt. And here's where I think First Peter is so helpful to us is is and I don't know if you feel this or not. I certainly do. If you talk to some of the old timers around here who remember what it was like to be a Christian, like in the nineteen forties or the nineteen fifties and maybe the early nineteen sixties, it's a much different feel back then to be a Christian in America than it is in 2015. Right? Where even to pronounce Christian faith in public media in some way is to be scorned or to have the plug pulled. Right? Get him off of there immediately. We don't want any of that kind of stuff going across the airwaves. What do we do? How do we live? What are we supposed to be like? And again, I'm talking about real Christians, nominal Christians, fit in just fine. K? I'm talking about the people that actually believe this stuff and try to live it out. How do we do it? These are the exiles that Peter is writing to. Now let's ask why are we exiles, and what is the purpose for all of this? So let's get into the text now and and begin to kind of do our little exposition here. I begin again in verse one. “To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bethenia Church.” Do you kinda get what that means now? K. “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.” May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Now a quick read here, and again, that morning devotional, moment where I'm trying to find something for my day, we could easily miss how important what Peter is saying here is. Because essentially what Peter is doing here is he's tipping his hand to the entire letter. It's kind of like in a symphony or something where in the prelude, you hear a little piece of the of the melody, and you're like, you pick up on it. Or that little Star Wars theme, if you're watching a Star Wars movie, you sort of hear that, it's either Vader or it's Skywalker. You know? And you're like you pick you pick up on it. Even in the in the in the opening scene of the movie, you kinda get a sense of what's coming. That's what this is. He's he's basically it's it's First Peter in microcosm. Peter, what are you gonna say? What is your big point to these people that are living in spiritual exile? And he begins in verse two with a series of purpose statements. The why question.Now my wife Jennifer and I, we have a 19 year old daughter. And what's wonderful at this point is that she has not discovered the word why. It's just not there yet. Did I say something wrong? Did I say year old? Peter's got something to say about that too. 19 month old daughter. Yes. So and see, we're getting that kind of Gary feel going on here. Like that. Keep it up. Keep it up. 19 month old daughter. So she's learning words at an amazing clip right now. We're thankful she's not yet learned the word why. She is unaware at this point that in life, there is all of this sort of philosophical stuff that underlies why we do what we do. So at this point, we just say, don't throw your food. She's never said, well, why is that not allowed? Right? She's unaware of purpose behind things. Peter wants to make sure that we understand that there is purpose behind things, even exile. Even the experience of spiritual exile, there's a purpose behind it. There is a why behind it, and we see that from the get go. Notice what kind of exiles are they? And can I say the question, what kind of exiles are we? What is the descriptive word for exiles? It is what? You have Bibles. Look. What is the word before exiles? We are what exiles? We're elect exiles. Elect exiles. What? I am experiencing what I'm experiencing because there's somebody that chose to put me here, chose to give me this experience? Because that's what the word elect means. It just it means chose, chosen. We are chosen exiles. You know, most exiles don't think that they are chosen exiles. You can think about the Jews in World War two, for example, in in Poland and the ghetto there, if you've seen that or studied that, they were victims of circumstance. They were victims of sociopolitical things that were beyond their control, and they suffered greatly in, in that experience. Or the Syrian refugees in our contemporary world, who there's all these, you know, there's big sort of, sociopolitical things that are at play that are creating the circumstances that they find themselves in. You could go to a Syrian refugee and say, you know, how did this happen? And he would say, well, my the president of this company country and this is going on and all of that. They would never have the thought in their mind that they were chosen to be Syrian refugees. Why? Because it's circumstantial. But here, Peter doesn't say, I'm so sorry that you are having this experience living as Christians in that land. He says, you are having that experience by divine choice. There is a God behind all of this. You are not just exiles randomly. You are exiles divinely. You have been chosen for this experience. And what a difference it makes when I realize that there is a purpose behind the pain. There is an answer to the question of why. And behind all of that is a God who is sovereignly working out everything according to the purpose of his will, Ephesians one eleven. Think about the Israelites as another sort of exile example. If you know the story of Israel, descendants of Abraham. Right? They were all time living in tents, never having a land of their own. God takes them down to Egypt. Four hundred years, they live largely under oppression there in Egypt. They're living as exiles. They're not in their the land that they're not in the promised land. They're not in the land where they're supposed to be. But there they are, and they have horrible, terrible experiences. Well, God leads them out into the hand of Moses, and they go through the Red Sea. It's not that far of a walk from Egypt to the promised land. Right? As the crow flies, where does God take them? Forty years wandering around in the wilderness. Are they like, God, is your GPS messed up? Because we could just it's just right there. We just gotta go right there. Why you guys going all over here and wandering around like this? What is the purpose behind our wanderings? What is the purpose behind our exile? Why are we experiencing all of these difficulties living a million people in a desert? Why are you doing this, God? And from the words of Moses himself, God says, “you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In other words, God was using their physical experience, their geographical experience for spiritual purposes. And all of the difficulties and all of the uncomfortableness and all of the challenges of living in a desert for forty years was not about living in a desert for forty years, but what God wanted that desert to do in them and to teach them. There was a purpose behind it. There was a why behind it. Do you see? So that the sorrows, what Peter is saying here, the sorrows of Christianity on the margins is comforted by the confident knowledge that we have that I am where God wants me to be, and the challenges are from the hand of God as well. I am an elect exile. I am not a political exile. I am I am not a chaotic exile. I am where I am by the sovereign choice of God, which then brings meaning in the midst of the pain and the sorrows and the issues. What do people ask when they're going through a trial? What do we hear even in our church when somebody gets the cancer call? Why? God, why are you doing this? Why am I the one of all the people having to suffer this? And what do you say pastorally to people that hear that kind of news? Wow. That's really chaotic. Maybe there isn't a God. No. We say that there is a God, and that circumstance in your life is not chance. And you can trust him. He is a good God. He loves you. He sent Jesus. Right? And now the Christian begins to derive meaning from even the pain of the exile and to see that God is doing something good in it. Would this not have been wonderfully comforting? I mean, about these Christians. They're living there in Asia Minor. Would this not have been, comforting for a businessman living in Pontus who is suffering financially because he's a Christian? They know he's a Christian. They don't wanna do business with him. He's suffering because of it. Or how about the wife of a pagan husband? You want to talk about personally uncomfortable? How about the wife of a Christian wife of a pagan husband? You want to talk about issues. How about a husband who's living according to the values of the immoral Greco Roman world around him, and yet you're married to him? How do you derive any kind of hope or comfort in the midst of that? You read chapter three, and you see what Peter has to say to wives who are married to pagan husbands. And you see, whatever pick your category. All of them. The Christian sees through the physical, political, social issue a good God who is providentially behind that and is actually using that for some good in our life that maybe we can't see and maybe you can't see right now. I mean, my wife had trouble finding parking today. We have a lot of people sitting right here in front of me. Is it possible maybe one person here is in a time of trouble or has a circumstance they wish was different? What does the word of God have to say to you? You are an elect exile. There is a God who is sovereignly doing the choosing, and it is painful, and it's awkward, and it's difficult, but there is a God behind it. And we believe that by faith. Amen? Amen. Amen. So I'm not in Cappadocia by accident after all. I'm here because God wants me to be in Cappadocia. Nothing is random. Now the second thing that we have here besides being chosen by God to be in this exile is that Peter wants us to he he lifts our eyes to God himself, and he wants us to see what the triune God is doing here. And you see in the text here a very clear Trinitarian statement. “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit for the obedience to Jesus Christ who is the Son.” It's one of the clearest Trinitarian statements in all of Scripture. Father, Son, and Spirit, each of them with a slightly different role in, as being described here. The foreknowledge, first of all, of the Father. Okay? Foreknowledge basically means to to know in advance. Right? To know in advance. Their exile was sovereignly known by God. God was not surprised. What are those Christians doing over there in Bithynia? I had no idea that they were gonna end up in Cappadocia. What are they up to in Galatia? God is never surprised by anything, which is itself a incredible thought, isn't it? If you're God, there are no surprise parties for God. He already knows everything. Right? He has known all of it and purposed it in eternity past, which means that when I find myself in Bithynia, God knew in eternity past that this was part of the plan. In fact, that word there is used in later in the chapter to say that Christ himself was foreknown. In eternity past, the Father knew the Son. In eternity past, the Father knew that you would be living and doing what you're doing here today. All of it, a sovereign God. There is no there are no surprises with God. There is nothing that is random with God. There is nothing that is chaotic with God. He is the sovereign God. No surprises. The sanctifying work of the Spirit. K? Sanctification is this word in the New Testament to talk about the process of God working in our lives to shape and mold us into the likeness of Jesus, the holy Son of God. And so sanctification is this kind of progressive growth and development. When I become a Christian, I to use this text, I I enter into the realm of sanctification. I am now in a process that the Holy Spirit is working in my life. Verse one says that they are in Asia, but verse two says they're actually in sanctification. So they may wanna define themselves geographically. Right? We're for the Bithynia bulldogs. Bulldogs. K. I am who I am. Some of you may be cheering sports teams today somehow related to a geography that used to have a Packer fan or I'm a Cowboys fan or whatever. Like, I'm born in Dallas or something. So you wanna define yourself geographically. When your teams aren't doing well, you don't wanna define yourself geographically. So most of us will be cheering for the Big Ten tomorrow. Sad. But Peter wants them to realize that they're not defined by their locale. They are defined their locale geographically, but by their locale spiritually. You're in the Holy Spirit now. You're in a process. You're in a world, not a pagan land. The life changing work of Jesus in us is the last thing “for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.” And we see in this that that the electing work of God, the choosing work of God is never without its effect. That not only did God sovereignly choose to put them in Bithynia or Galatia, but he chose through that experience to change them, to transform them for the obedience, a life of obedience to Jesus Christ. That's what God is working in all of us. If you're a Christian here today, what's God doing in my life? Well, he's doing a lot of things. But one of the things he's doing is that he is shaping and molding your heart and value mine as well so that I increasingly want to obey the will of God. I wanna be obedient to my savior Jesus. The obedience to Jesus is part of what we're doing here. And for sprinkling with his blood, and I gotta tell you, I don't know what that means. Just being honest. Commentators are all over the place. I'm not sure what that means. I think it refers somehow to the atoning work of Jesus for us, but I'm not exactly sure. Is that okay to say that? Okay. I don't know. But broadly, what this is saying is this, the Father foreknew us, the Spirit sanctifies us, the Son atoned for us and frees us from a life of sin to now this new life in Christ where I am living to the will of God, and I am pleasing God with my life, and all of it is by God and for God. He foreknew it. He purposed it. He's working in it right now. He is the sovereign hand, the loving hand behind all of it. So that these people might have thought to themselves if they were political exiles, they might have thought to themselves, I am in Galatia by the choice of man. And Peter writes this letter and says, you are in Galatia by the choice of God. He is the one that is behind all that is happening here. Alright. With the time remaining, I have one application point. And this is just the salutation of the letter. Okay? But one application point that I'd like to talk with you about, and it's this. When we are in exile, we wanna change where we are. God wants to change who we are. When we are in exile, God wants or we wanna change where we are. God wants to change who we are. If you talk to an exile and you say, hey. What is the solution to your problem? They are generally going to say, the answer to my problem is to change where I am. Like, I'm not in my homeland. I'm not where I'm supposed to be. And if I was to get where I'm supposed to be, in other words, if I was to change my geography, then everything would be great. Like, take a week like this as an example. This week, I feel like a climate exile. I experienced a week like we've had around here, and I think to myself, I do not live where I'm supposed to live. I am supposed to live in a warmer climate than this. Friday night, Jennifer and I were we spent some time with some friends, and we came back to the church here to pick up my car. I forget how cold it was Friday night, but it was like, you know, zero or minus or something. And we get there, and I get in my car. No. So we spent, I don't know, forty five minutes trying to jump my car off of our van. And it was one of those experiences where there's cold and then there's that cold. Right? I was so cold trying to get that thing started. It took us like forty five minutes, and I was just absolutely frozen. This was a terrible week around here. Right? Horrible week. We're all climate exiles. What do we need? We need to change our geography. We need to live somewhere different. We need a different climate than the one that we've been experiencing. They would have amen in Gary on that. So if you talk to the climate exile, they're going to say, I need a change of geography, right? There's some other place that they would rather be. Do we have any marriage exiles? What's a marriage exile? You've come to the conclusion that the person that you're married to is not the person that you're supposed to be married to, and the solution for you would be to be either not married or married to somebody different. Do we have any vocational exiles here? The solution to happiness in your life would be a different job. You feel like you're being persecuted on the job or you feel like you have an unfair boss, you got some other thing going on. So what's the solution? I need a different job. Do we have any health exiles here? You've got some ailment, you've got some problem, you've got the cancer call in your mind, what's the solution? I need a different body, right? If had a different body, then everything would be fine or pick your category. Generally speaking, our solution to our problems is to change where we are. And then we read this verse here. Elect exiles. Elect exiles. Do you mean that the exile that I am experiencing, that trial that I am going through, that experience that I wish was different and in my mind I can think of three different ways to get out of it? That that is something that God has brought into my life by his sovereign hand and good. Yes. And Peter goes on here to say that good is something not about changing where you are, but changing the person that you are. In other words, my heart, my mind, my my my my spiritual depth and quality, God is in the process of changing that. And you know what? He oftentimes puts us in Cappadocia to do it. We wanna get back to Rome. In fact, what's striking here is he doesn't say to exiles of the dispersion, get out of Bithynia now. Get back to Rome. The streets are clean, and the coffee's good, and the sun is shining. Get out of there. He doesn't say that one place in the whole letter. Why not? Because Peter realized something, that they were elect exiles, that their experience of all of this discomfort was something that God wanted in their life. Well, why would God want that in our life? Because he uses Bithynia, Cappadocia, and the people and the experiences of our life to produce change that would never happen in Rome. And so here you are today, and spiritually speaking or, you know, in your life, you feel like you're in exile, and you want change. I wonder if you can hear the word of God today saying to you. Here's the word. The change that I want is within you. And as Christians, for us to embrace trials, and this is not easy. I think about trials that I've gone through in my life, and in the midst of it, you're like, I want out now. But to pray to God, heavenly Father, I'm not sure what you're doing in this, but I sense in my heart that you are breaking me. You're breaking my pride. You're breaking my self dependence. You're helping me to live by faith. And I just want to say that I surrender to your purpose in Cappadocia. Don't you think I have a loving heavenly Father would answer that prayer? Don't you think that he delights? In fact, is it possible that he put you there to get you to that point of surrender in the first place? And now from that point, God's purpose can be lived out because that aspect of me, pride, whatever is taken away in a way now that I can live in obedience to the will of Jesus Christ according to the foreknowledge of the of of the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit as I made more and more into likeness of Christ. Oh, by the way, what does that sound like? That whole, I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I'm not where I'm from. I'm experiencing pain and yet I want your will in my life. Who does that sound? Does that sound familiar to me? Is that not Christ himself who left his Father's throne above, left his experience of heaven, came into this broken world with all of its pain and all of its sin and all of its brokenness. You you wanna talk about somebody who didn't fit in. How about the Son of God on earth with us? Right? How often people looked at him and thought you must not be from here because you are not buying into the way that we do things at all. And for him to go through that entire experience and to suffer. I think of the old song, he could have called 10,000 angels to destroy the world and set him free in a moment. Gone. You can't afford the plane ticket. That was not an issue with Jesus. And yet he remained. And the night before he was crucified, prayed. “Father, if there's any way for this cup to pass from me, I ask that it would be so.” There's an honest prayer. We've all prayed that. Right? Take this cup from me, please. “Yet not my will, but your will be done.” There is the bottom line. When we are in an experience that we deem undesirable, a long term trial, I think we can be honest with God. I don't wanna live in Bithynia. I'm tired of Cappadocia. But my bottom line, God, is that I want what you want in my life. I believe that your plan is better than mine, and I embrace the change that you are working within me. This is the example of Jesus himself. And I hope that his example would help us realize that even if you're about to be crucified, you can know that there is a sovereign God who is doing good through it. And indeed he did, through that crucifixion, a savior for the world. And that's just the prelude. That's First Peter. So much more good stuff to come. I hope God blesses and uses it. Let's stand together for prayer.* This transcript was generated using AI transcription technology and reviewed for accuracy but may contain errors. Please refer to the original audio for precise wording.

Skolstarten är här. För många barn, föräldrar och lärare betyder det både förväntan och oro. I det här avsnittet pratar jag med en skolkurator om hur vi skapar en tydlig och trygg kommunikation mellan skola och hem – och varför det är så viktigt just nu. Vi pratar om sociala medier och hur de påverkar barns känslor och vardag, om vilket ansvar skolan har och vilket ansvar som ligger hos föräldrarna, om kontakten med BUP och om den svåra frågan: kastar skolor ibland diagnoser på barn för att skydda sig själva? Ett öppet och praktiskt samtal för dig som är förälder, lärare eller arbetar i skolan och vill förstå hur vi tillsammans kan ge barnen bättre förutsättningar under grundskoleåren. Länkar till Kigge: www.instagram.com/kuratormedk/   Besök även Pontus sociala medier: www.instagram.com/josefssonp/ Är du ute efter ett gymkort till förmånligt pris?  Just nu får de 50 första 100 kr rabatt per månad när du uppger "kan jag så kan du" personligen till Niklas Bäckström som driver Northpaw fighcenter & gym i Luleå, beläget på Björkskatan. Detta erbjudande gäller månadskortet "KAMPSPORT MÅNADSKORT". Rabatten gäller tills du säger upp ditt medlemskap.  Kampsport i Luleå | Northpaw Fightcenter Bli medlem - Northpaw

Pontus Alsing berättar om sorgen efter sin storebror Adam Alsing som dog i sviterna av Covid-19 för sex år sen. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radios app.

Republikaanit ja demokraatit ovat yhdistyneet vastustamaan datakeskuksia. Vastarinta on Yhdysvalloissa kasvanut vauhdilla, ja paikallisia rakentamiskieltoja ajetaan läpi alue kerrallaan. Suomessa taas puuhataan uusia datakeskuksia yötä päivää, ja poliittinen vastustus on toistaiseksi ollut lähes olematonta, vaikka kulttuurialalla tekoälyn inhoamisesta on tullut hyvien tapojen mukaista. Veikka selvittää ketkä puhuvat datakeskusten puolesta, ketkä niitä vastaan, ja miten asiaan voi vaikuttaa kuntatasolla. Toisella puoliskolla Pontus käsittelee Ville Lähteen, Tere Vadénin ja BIOS-tutkimusyksikön kirjaa 12 käsitettä maailmasta ja kysyy kolme idioottimaisen yksinkertaista kysymystä: Miksi luontokato jää ilmastonmuutoksen varjoon? Miksi puhutaan vain energian tuottamisesta eikä siitä, mitä valtava määrä energia tekee? Ja mikä tässä kaikessa on end game? Podcastia tehdään yhteistyössä KU-lehden kanssa. KU-nostot: velkajarrun kuolinilmoitus, Audre Lorden suuttumus ja luddiitit https://www.ku.fi/digilehti/20260819/5446567-on-syyta-julistaa-velkajarru-kuolleeksi https://www.ku.fi/digilehti/20260819/5446578-suuttumus-kayttovoimana https://www.ku.fi/digilehti/20260819/5446577-kone-valta-ja-vastarinta Muita mainittuja juttuja: HS: Suomi on osa tekoälyjättien likaista ilmastopeliä https://www.hs.fi/visio/art-2000012211194.html HS: Veronmaksajien rahoilla https://www.hs.fi/talous/art-2000010995459.html Thomas W. Murphy: Limits to economic growth https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-022-01652-6.epdf?sharing_token=yNwL92oPzcpklZSqVsr-ndRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0N0u2htmeT1Hou6SrdtT_vjhsjDi8mPyrY6gILuO1cIPYM5r9vTrCV6dFSGWkHiq63t24rvELuWNN1w82farMIezAYiWj7ialZ8KkzI_SEgHP98WBPRE6PFu8lx9H4EP5A%3D Suosituksia: Cascara-tee Kamasi Washington: The Epic (2015) Espoo Cinen loppulöylyt ja Pontuksen ja Laura Lindstedtin & Tytti Rantasen keskustelu la 29.8. klo 17.30 https://espoocine.fi/event/aanel-x-espoo-cine-populismi-vs-elitismi-kuuluuko-kulttuuri-kaikille/ Katariina Yli-Malmi: Varkaan päiväkirja Hulda Huima: Vietkö multa terveiset? Taika Mannila: Drömhotellet Tue podia: https://patreon.com/mikameitavaivaa Lue KU:ta: https://ku.fi/

I det här avsnittet möter vi Lena Olsson Lalor från Luleå – psykoterapeut, född med en ögonsjukdom som gradvis tar synen ifrån henne. Hon berättar öppenhjärtigt om hur det är att tampas med livet medan världen mörknar, om sorg, anpassning och den oväntade styrkan som växer fram. Lena delar sin resa från att förlora synen till att leva ett fullt funktionellt liv, och hur hennes egna erfarenheter format hennes arbete som psykoterapeut. Ett samtal om sårbarhet, motståndskraft och konsten att se mer än det ögonen kan uppfatta. Ett avsnitt för dig som vill förstå mer om att leva med synnedsättning – och om att hjälpa andra samtidigt som man själv går igenom stora förändringar. Länkar till Lena: Om – Lev som du vill Instagram Självbildsskiftet – Lev som du vill Nu finns chansen att teckna medlemskap på Northpaw Fightcenter & Gym i Luleå till förmånlig rabatt! De 50 första kunder som uppger "kan jag så kan du" personligen till Niklas Bäckström, får 100 kr rabatt på månadskortet "kampsport". Du har tillgång till att träna kampsport, samt alla gym ytor 24/7. (Rabatten gäller tills du säger upp ditt medlemskap.) Länk: Kampsport i Luleå | Northpaw Fightcenter Besök även Pontus sociala medier: www.instagram.com/josefssonp/    

Welcome to The Daily. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. Our text today is 1 Peter 1:1-2: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. — 1 Peter 1:1-2 Who are you? That's one of the most important questions you'll ever answer. The world tells you to build your identity around your accomplishments, relationships, possessions, preferences, politics, or feelings. But every one of those things can change. When they do, your identity becomes unstable. Peter starts somewhere better. He calls these believers elect exiles. They are exiles because they do not fully belong to this world anymore. Their citizenship is in heaven. Their values, priorities, and hopes are different because they belong to Christ. Peter's choice of words would have reminded his readers of Israel's history. For generations, God's people lived as exiles, scattered from their homeland and longing for the fulfillment of God's promises. By calling Christians "elect exiles of the Dispersion," Peter connects believers to that story. But there is something remarkable about that connection. Most of Peter's readers were likely Gentiles, not Jews. For much of history, Gentiles were considered outsiders to God's covenant people. They were the nations far off from God's promises, looking in from the outside. Many of them had spent their lives believing they did not truly belong. Now, because of Jesus, everything has changed. Peter takes language that once described God's covenant people and applies it to these believers. He tells them that they are no longer outsiders. They are no longer far away. Through Christ, they have been brought near, welcomed into God's family, and included in God's redemptive story. In other words, Peter is correcting their understanding of themselves. Their suffering may have made them feel abandoned. Their rejection by society may have made them feel unwanted. Their status as minorities in a hostile culture may have made them feel as though they did not belong anywhere. But Peter says they do belong. They belong to God. They are exiles, not because they are excluded from God's people, but because they have been included among God's people. They are strangers in the world because they are now citizens of a greater kingdom. And they are also elect. Chosen. Before they chose Christ, God chose them. Peter says this happened according to the foreknowledge of the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, and for obedience to Jesus Christ and the sprinkling of His blood. In just a few words, Peter reminds believers that their salvation is the work of the entire Trinity. The Father planned it. The Spirit applied it. The Son accomplished it through His sacrificial death. Why does Peter begin here? Perhaps because Peter knew what happened when your identity was built on the wrong thing. Earlier in his life, Peter often defined himself by his own strength and loyalty. He was the disciple who spoke first, acted boldly, and confidently declared that even if everyone else abandoned Jesus, he never would. Peter's identity was tied to what he believed he could do for Christ. Then came the night of Jesus' arrest. Three times Peter denied even knowing Him. In a matter of hours, the identity Peter had built around his own faithfulness shattered. The man who thought he would stand firm discovered how weak he really was. But that was not the end of Peter's story. After His resurrection, Jesus lovingly restored Peter and recommissioned him to ministry. Peter learned that his standing with God was not based on his performance but on God's grace. His confidence was no longer rooted in his own devotion to Christ but in Christ's unwavering devotion to him. Even the way Peter introduces himself in this letter reflects that growth. He simply writes, "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ." He does not boast about his experiences, his leadership, or his accomplishments. His identity is found in who Jesus says he is and in the calling Jesus has given him. That is why Peter begins this letter by reminding believers who they are. Before he tells them how to live, he reminds them whose they are. Before he calls them to stand firm, he reminds them that God has already claimed them as His own. Peter writes as a man who learned this lesson through failure, restoration, and grace. The same is true for you. Perhaps your circumstances have led you to believe you are forgotten, that you are disqualified, that God is distant. Or perhaps, like Peter's first readers, you sometimes feel like an outsider looking in. Remember who you are. You are not far from God. You are not an accident. You are not forgotten. You are not abandoned. You belong to God. And if God has claimed you as His own, no hostile world can take that away. DO THIS: Write down three identities you often lean on—your work, accomplishments, reputation, or relationships. Then write this above them all: "I belong to God." ASK THIS: What identity do I most often rely on besides Christ? How does being an "elect exile" change the way I view this world? What would change if I truly believed I belong to God? PRAY THIS: Father, thank You for choosing me, loving me, and making me Your own. Help me remember who I am when the world pressures me to find my identity somewhere else. Teach me to live as Your child in a world that is not my home. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me"

First day back after the summer. I sit down and I start with gravel.Not the interesting kind. There isn't an interesting kind. But where I grew up almost nothing was paved, and when you came off a bike on that surface it took a wide decorative area out of you and filled it with small stones. And those stones lived in your knee until September.So this one is mostly that. Two memories from a very small village in the middle of Sweden. My little brother and a friend stuck in a ditch full of clay, and one single boot left lying on the road. And a boy called Pontus who did a skid that tied a knot in itself.There are old people in it too. Real ones. Born so long ago they had probably seen the nineteenth century. One of them stood on his steps and offered us sweets and then wanted to hear about our lives.Then I talk about my summer. Copenhagen with my daughter, who navigates vintage shops she found on TikTok while I stand there holding the bags. Being told, gently, that my life is unfair. Driving alone to places nobody else wants to go to, and slowly noticing that the pleasure in it is running out.And whether or not I have been swimming this summer. You can decide that one for yourself.No script. No plan. One hour, and then a timer goes off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oscar Uvemo säger själv orden: ”Jag ska egentligen inte leva idag.” Uppe i fjällen med vännerna åker han skidor, droppar in i en ravin och utlöser en lavin. På några sekunder är han begravd två meter under snön. Tjugo minuter utan syre. Ansiktet blir vitt och läpparna lila. Vännerna söker febrilt över ett område på mer än 150 meter och trycker ner staven varje decimeter. Det är ett race mot tiden som egentligen inte går att vinna. Men de hittar honom. I det här avsnittet berättar Oscar om de minuter som nästan tog hans liv – om mörkret under snön, paniken, änglavakten och hur det är att överleva något man egentligen inte överlever.   Länkar till Oscar: http://www.instagram.com/oscaruvemo/ http://www.instagram.com/dryflystories/   Besök även Pontus sociala medier: http://www.instagram.com/josefssonp/

Sommarlovet är slut, och Kulturbarnen dundrar på med ett nytt avsnitt för att sparka igång hösten. Ida berättar om hardcorebandet hon haft i sin förrådsskrubb, resorna som hennes båda böcker tar henne på - medan Pontus ser fram emot en höst med livespelningar, musikinspelningar och återvändandet från Gotland. Vi slutar som vanligt med några boktips. Hjärtligt välkomna! www.instagram.com/kulturbarnen Dessutom: Title Fight Mick Jagger Kungsgatan - Ivar-Lo Johansson Stockholm Läser Carina Ramberg - Den Högsta Kasten 'Är det här nåt?' - Henrik Schyffert & David Sundin Daniel Kehlmann - The Director / Ljusspel Lee Miller Ali Smith - Gliff Martin Kehlin - Gästerna Soraya Bay - Ymnighetshornet Ben Lerner - Transcription Ian McEwan - Atonement Keira Knightley Gábor Zoltán - Orgie Vanessa Springora - Samtycke Christian Kracht - Air Stefan Zweig - Schack Fredrik Sjöberg - Flugfällan Home Video Proud

Sommaren är slut och jag är tillbaka. Min första arbetsdag. Jag börjar i barndomen, i Hökviken, där man cyklade överallt och ingen låste dörren. Två berättelser om cyklar och skrapsår. En om djup lera i ett dike. En om Pontus som sladdade för långt.Sen berättar jag vad jag har gjort i sommar. En del är sant. En del är falskt som vatten. Du får själv avgöra. Det handlar om Köpenhamn och secondhandbutiker med min dotter, om att vara pappa på sista versen. Om en fornlämningsturné, en liten kris i Funäsdalen och en sten som blev till för 1,7 miljarder år sedan. Om ensamhet, och om att inte lämna sig själv.Och så en nyhet. Jag har byggt en app till podden. Helt själv. Den finns i App Store nu, än så länge bara till iPhone.Godnatt. Sov gott. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 1, 2026 - Wednesday Bible Class In this episode we study Aquila (Acts 18) and his wife Priscilla, exploring their role alongside Paul and their influence across Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. David builds on recent teaching about Apollos, references contributions from Dale, and promises a short, pre-recorded segment from Neil on-site in Ephesus. Using Acts 18 and related New Testament passages (1 Corinthians, Romans, 2 Timothy), the talk surveys biblical facts about Aquila and Priscilla and draws practical lessons for believers today. Topics covered include: Aquila's background as a Jew from Pontus who fled Rome under Claudius, his trade as a tentmaker and partnership with Priscilla, Paul's year-and-a-half ministry in Corinth while working with them, and their decision to travel with Paul to Ephesus and remain there to strengthen the church. The episode highlights how their home became a meeting place for congregations and how their hospitality and industry supported ministry work. Key moments discussed are Priscilla and Aquila's tactful correction and mentoring of Apollos—listening first, taking him aside, and teaching the “way” more accurately—and the theological details implied by those episodes (the role of baptism, belief in Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit, and entrance into the kingdom of God). The speaker also draws attention to scriptural references showing the couple's ongoing influence: house church leadership, greetings in Paul's letters, and Paul's gratitude for their service and willingness to risk for his life. Takeaway lessons emphasize partnership in marriage and ministry, being open to discussing faith at work, the courage to both go and stay for the sake of the gospel, the importance of tactful and knowledgeable correction, and the power of hospitality and local leadership. The episode closes with practical reflections for contemporary Christians and a promised visual clip from Ephesus to bring the biblical scenes to life.   Duration 42:44

Acts 2:1-41 (ESV) 1Whenthe day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.2And suddenly there came from heaven a sound likea mighty rushing wind, andit filled the entire house where they were sitting.3And divided tonguesas of fire appeared to them and rested[a]on each one of them.4And they were allfilled with the Holy Spirit and beganto speak in other tonguesas the Spirit gave them utterance. 5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.6Andat this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.7Andthey were amazed and astonished, saying, Are not all these who are speakingGalileans?8And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?9Parthians andMedes andElamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome,11both Jews andproselytes, Cretans and Arabianswe hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.12Andall were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean?13But othersmocking said, They are filled with new wine. Peter's Sermon at Pentecost 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.15For these people are not drunk, as you suppose,since it is only the third hour of the day.[b]16But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17And in the last days it shall be, God declares,that I will pour out my Spiriton all flesh,and your sons andyour daughters shall prophesy,and your young men shall see visions,and your old men shall dream dreams;18even on my male servants and female servantsin those days I will pour out my Spirit, andthey shall prophesy.19And I will show wonders in the heavens aboveand signs on the earth below,blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;20the sun shall be turned to darknessand the moon to blood,beforethe day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.21And it shall come to pass thateveryone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth,a man attested to you by Godwithmighty works and wonders and signs thatGod did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know23this Jesus,[c]delivered up according tothe definite plan andforeknowledge of God,you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.24God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, becauseit was not possible for him to be held by it.25For David says concerning him, I saw the Lord always before me,for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;26therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;my flesh also will dwellin hope.27For you will not abandon my soul toHades,or let yourHoly Onesee corruption.28You have made known to me the paths of life;you will make me full of gladness with your presence. 29Brothers, I may say to you with confidence aboutthe patriarch Davidthat he both died andwas buried, andhis tomb is with us to this day.30Being therefore a prophet, and knowing thatGod had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,31he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, thathe was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.32This JesusGod raised up,and of that we all are witnesses.33Being thereforeexalted at the right hand of God, and having received fromthe Fatherthe promise of the Holy Spirit,he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.34ForDavid did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, The Lord said to my Lord,Sit at my right hand,35until I make your enemies your footstool. 36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain thatGod has made himboth Lord and Christ, this Jesuswhom you crucified. 37Now whenthey heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers,what shall we do?38And Peter said to them,Repent andbe baptized every one of youin the name of Jesus Christfor the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receivethe gift of the Holy Spirit.39Forthe promise is for you andfor your children and for allwho are far off, everyonewhom the Lord our God calls to himself.40And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying,Save yourselves from thiscrooked generation.41So those who received his word were baptized, andthere were added that day about three thousand souls.

And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own [c]language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and [d]Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?"

Är det vattnet på Jessicas land som gjort Pontus helt galen – eller var det bara midsommaren som tog honom? Vi pratar om varför unga verkar kunna allt... och samtidigt ingenting. Är dagens generation egentligen smartare än vi var, eller bara bättre på att googla? Jessica har nått bristningsgränsen med psykmottagningen och börjar ifrågasätta om hon själv håller på att bli galen. En person som traumatiserade hela vår uppväxt har dött – och Jessica konstaterar torrt att det nu står 1–1. Malin berättar om en biofilm som gav henne existentiell ångest, Leo bygger hotell, Jessica vill plötsligt starta ett eget hotell i trädgården och vi inser att vårt hyperfokus kanske borde användas till ett helt nytt yrke. Sen var det det där med den nya stressen, lyssna det blir kul! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Da sie nicht in die Ferien fahren können, dürfen Pontus und Lenka den großen Balkon den Sommer über ganz für sich allein haben. Sie mussten Mama und Papa nur versprechen, nicht hinunterzuspringen. Von Rusalka Reh www.kakadu.de, Kakadu

13 And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?Venit autem Jesus in partes Caesareae Philippi : et interrogabat discipulos suos, dicens : Quem dicunt homines esse Filium hominis? 14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.At illi dixerunt : Alii Joannem Baptistam, alii autem Eliam, alii vero Jeremiam, aut unum ex prophetis. 15 Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?Dicit illis Jesus : Vos autem, quem me esse dicitis? 16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.Respondens Simon Petrus dixit : Tu es Christus, Filius Dei vivi. 17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.Respondens autem Jesus, dixit ei : Beatus es Simon Bar Jona : quia caro et sanguis non revelavit tibi, sed Pater meus, qui in caelis est. 18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.Et ego dico tibi, quia tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam, et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversus eam. 19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.Et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum. Et quodcumque ligaveris super terram, erit ligatum et in caelis : et quodcumque solveris super terram, erit solutum et in caelis.[18] "Thou art Peter": As St. Peter, by divine revelation, here made a solemn profession of his faith of the divinity of Christ; so in recompense of this faith and profession, our Lord here declares to him the dignity to which he is pleased to raise him: viz., that he to whom he had already given the name of Peter, signifying a rock, St. John 1. 42, should be a rock indeed, of invincible strength, for the support of the building of the church; in which building he should be, next to Christ himself, the chief foundation stone, in quality of chief pastor, ruler, and governor; and should have accordingly all fulness of ecclesiastical power, signified by the keys of the kingdom of heaven.[18] "Upon this rock": The words of Christ to Peter, spoken in the vulgar language of the Jews which our Lord made use of, were the same as if he had said in English, Thou art a Rock, and upon this rock I will build my church. So that, by the plain course of the words, Peter is here declared to be the rock, upon which the church was to be built: Christ himself being both the principal foundation and founder of the same. Where also note, that Christ, by building his house, that is, his church, upon a rock, has thereby secured it against all storms and floods, like the wise builder, [Matt 7:24-25].[18] "The gates of hell": That is, the powers of darkness, and whatever Satan can do, either by himself, or his agents. For as the church is here likened to a house, or fortress, built on a rock; so the adverse powers are likened to a contrary house or fortress, the gates of which, that is, the whole strength, and all the efforts it can make, will never be able to prevail over the city or church of Christ. By this promise we are fully assured, that neither idolatry, heresy, nor any pernicious error whatsoever shall at any time prevail over the church of Christ.[19] "Loose upon earth": The loosing the bands of temporal punishments due to sins, is called an indulgence; the power of which is here granted.St Silverius was exiled by order of the Empress Theodosia to the Island of Pontus, where he died, after many privations and sufferings, A.D. 538.

ACTS 2:1:17 - FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT - BRIAN SUMNER - 2026"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.The Crowd's Response5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”Peter's Sermon14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,Your young men shall see visions,Your old men shall dream dreams.”To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministryhttps://www.briansumner.net/support/For more on Brianhttp://www.briansumner.nethttps://www.instagram.com/BRIANSUMNER/https://www.facebook.com/BRIANSUMNEROFFICIALTo listen to Brians Podcast, click below.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Purchase Brians Marriage book at https://www.amazon.com/Never-Fails-Da...Brian is a full time "Urban Missionary" both locally and internationally with a focus on MISSIONS - MARRIAGES - MINISTRY. Since coming to faith in 2004 doors continued opening locally and internationally to do more and more ministry with a focus on Evangelism, Outreach Missions, Marriage, Counsel, Schools, Festivals, Conferences and the like.  Everything about this ministry is made possible because of people personally partnering through the non profit. God Bless and thank you. †Support the showSUPPORT THE SHOW

Reading 1Acts 2:1-11When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,they were all in one place together.And suddenly there came from the skya noise like a strong driving wind,and it filled the entire house in which they were.Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,which parted and came to rest on each one of them.And they were all filled with the Holy Spiritand began to speak in different tongues,as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heavenstaying in Jerusalem.At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,but they were confusedbecause each one heard them speaking in his own language.They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,as well as travelers from Rome,both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,yet we hear them speaking in our own tonguesof the mighty acts of God."Reading 21 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13Brothers and sisters:No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;there are different forms of service but the same Lord;there are different workings but the same Godwho produces all of them in everyone.To each individual the manifestation of the Spiritis given for some benefit.As a body is one though it has many parts,and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,so also Christ.For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.GospelJohn 20:19-23On the evening of that first day of the week,when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,for fear of the Jews,Jesus came and stood in their midstand said to them, "Peace be with you."When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.As the Father has sent me, so I send you."And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,"Receive the Holy Spirit.Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,and whose sins you retain are retained."

1 Peter 1:1-4Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,To God's elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:Grace and peace be yours in abundance.3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

Join us as we dig deeper into last Sunday's sermon from Pastor Marcus Lane "The Gospel at Pentecost" and hear from Amy Duncan and Nate Zuellig on "Fullness". Digging Deeper Questions: When you think of the "work of the Holy Spirit," what typically comes to mind? Why do you associate the Spirit with these activities?   How does the work of the Spirit on Pentecost impact how you view the work of the Holy Spirit? Does it change how you view things in any way?   The beginning of Peter's speech emphasizes that the Spirit seeks to work in all people to bring us to faith and empower us to speak God's truth. How does this shape how you understand what the Spirit is doing in your own life? Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-21 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.   5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."   14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:   17 "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,     and your young men shall see visions,     and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants     in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above     and signs on the earth below,     blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness     and the moon to blood,     before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Intro/Outro Song: "Only One" Nate Zuellig ULC Artist In Residence    "Fullness" Elevation Worship CCLI Song # 7067557   CCLI License # 11254293

24 May 2026 | This week on Pentecost Sunday Pastor Evan preaches from Acts 2:1-11. Acts 2:1-11 The Coming of the Holy Spirit 2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Acts 2:1-36 Acts 2:1-36 - The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Peter Addresses the Crowd 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says,     I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,     your young men will see visions,     your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women,     I will pour out my Spirit in those days,     and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above     and signs on the earth below,     blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness     and the moon to blood     before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls     on the name of the Lord will be saved.' 22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me.     Because he is at my right hand,     I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;     my body also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,     you will not let your holy one see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life;     you will fill me with joy in your presence.' 29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord:     “Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies     a footstool for your feet.”' 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

John names the promise of the Spirit; Acts shows the fulfillment. Private fear becomes public witness. John 16:12-15 (ESV)“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.Acts 2:1-11 (ESV)When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Day of Pentecost First Lesson: Numbers 11:24-30 24So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. 25Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. 26Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." 28And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, stop them!" 29But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!" 30And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. Psalm: Psalm 104:25-35,37 25 O Lord, how manifold are your works! *        in wisdom you have made them all;        the earth is full of your creatures. 26 Yonder is the great and wide sea    with its living things too many to number, *        creatures both small and great. 27 There move the ships,    and there is that Leviathan, *        which you have made for the sport of it. 28 All of them look to you *        to give them their food in due season. 29 You give it to them; they gather it; *        you open your hand, and they are filled with good things. 30 You hide your face, and they are terrified; *        you take away their breath,        and they die and return to their dust. 31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *        and so you renew the face of the earth. 32 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; *        may the Lord rejoice in all his works. 33 He looks at the earth and it trembles; *        he touches the mountains and they smoke. 34 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; *        I will praise my God while I have my being. 35 May these words of mine please him; *        I will rejoice in the Lord. 37 Bless the Lord, O my soul. *        Hallelujah! Second Lesson: Acts 2:1-21 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.7Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Gospel: John 7:37-39 37On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" 39Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  

If you enjoy this episode, we're sure you will enjoy more content like this on The Occult Rejects.  In fact, we have curated playlists on occult topics like grimoires, esoteric concepts and phenomena, occult history, analyzing true crime and cults with an occult lens, Para politics, and occultism in music. Whether you enjoy consuming your content visually or via audio, we've got you covered - and it will always be provided free of charge.  So, if you enjoy what we do and want to support our work of providing accessible, free content on various platforms, please consider making a donation to the links provided below.  Thank you and enjoy the episode!Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Cash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsPart 1 — BibliographySecondary worksEncyclopaedia Britannica. “Christianity: The Gentile Mission and St. Paul.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Saint James, the Lord's brother.”Joel Marcus, “Jewish Christianity,” in The Cambridge History of Christianity, ed. Margaret M. Mitchell and Frances M. Young (Cambridge University Press).Carson Bay, “The First Christians of Antioch,” in Antioch on the Orontes, ed. Andrea U. De Giorgi (Cambridge University Press).Clayton N. Jefford, “Didache,” in The Cambridge Companion to the Apostolic Fathers, ed. Michael F. Bird and Scott Harrower (Cambridge University Press).David J. Downs, “Church, Church Ministry, and Church Order,” in The Cambridge Companion to the Apostolic Fathers, ed. Michael F. Bird and Scott Harrower (Cambridge University Press).Janelle Peters, “1 and 2 Clement,” in The Cambridge Companion to the Apostolic Fathers, ed. Michael F. Bird and Scott Harrower (Cambridge University Press).Jonathon Lookadoo, “The Letters of Ignatius,” in The Cambridge Companion to the Apostolic Fathers, ed. Michael F. Bird and Scott Harrower (Cambridge University Press).Dan Batovici, “The Shepherd of Hermas as Early Christian Apocalypse,” in The Cambridge Companion to the Apostolic Fathers, ed. Michael F. Bird and Scott Harrower (Cambridge University Press).Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Ebionites.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Nazarene.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Marcion of Pontus.”Harry Y. Gamble, “Marcion and the ‘canon',” in The Cambridge History of Christianity, ed. Margaret M. Mitchell and Frances M. Young (Cambridge University Press).Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Valentinus.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Valentinian.”Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Gospel of Philip.”Bible Odyssey, “Gnosticism and the Nag Hammadi Library Explained.”Bart D. Ehrman, “The Discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library,” in Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code (Oxford University Press).Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Montanism.”Bible Odyssey, “James.”Bible Odyssey, “James and Paul.”Bible Odyssey, “Priscilla and Aquila.”Bible Odyssey, “Lydia.”Bible Odyssey, “Women's Work in the Greco-Roman World.”Primary texts usedActs 15.Galatians 2:11–14.Romans 16:1–7.1 Corinthians 1:22–24.Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 20.9.1 (20.200).Didache.1 Clement.The Letters of Ignatius.The Shepherd of Hermas.Irenaeus, Against Heresies.Tertullian, Against Marcion.The Gospel of Truth.The Gospel of Philip.Also want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

Send us Fan MailThe devotion for today, Thursday, May 21, 2026 was written by Weber Baker and is narrated by Johnny Engelke. Today's Words of Inspiration come from Acts 2:1-11:When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” Support the show

On Pentecost, the promise Jesus made becomes reality as heaven crashes into earth with violent wind, tongues of fire, and a Word so powerful it overwhelms every other voice. In this episode we explore how the Holy Spirit doesn't arrive as a vague feeling or private experience, but as God's own speaking—creating faith by putting Christ's death and resurrection into human ears in every language. And in true Martin Luther fashion, the first Christian sermon isn't advice or law, but pure Gospel: you crucified Christ, God raised him from the dead, and forgiveness is now proclaimed for all people without distinction. GOSPEL Acts 2:1-21 1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs -- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17  'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18  Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19  And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20  The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21  Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' CARE OF SOULS - ADDICTIONIn Care of Souls, a special mini-series podcast from Luther House of Study, Lutheran pastors and theologians come together to explore the deeply personal and pastoral task of preaching to and caring for those struggling with life's challenging situations: addiction, death, family disharmony, and more. Rooted in the theology of the cross and the Lutheran tradition of radical grace, this series offers both theological depth and practical guidance for pastors, church workers, and lay leaders. With conversations, real-life stories, and reflections from the front lines of ministry, Care of Souls equips listeners to enter the broken places of addiction not with easy answers, but with the crucified and risen Christ. Because in the end, it's not about fixing people—it's about preaching the Gospel. Listen to Care of Souls wherever you listen to podcasts or on the Luther House website: Care of Souls - Addiction Support the showInterested in sponsoring an episode of Scripture First?Email Sarah at sarah@lhos.org or visit our donation page: lutherhouseofstudy.org/donate

To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus  (NOT a Morning Mindset resource)   ⇒ Join the MMM Prayer Team: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/PrayerTeam ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:1–11 - When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. [2] And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. [3] And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. [4] And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. [5] Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. [6] And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. [7] And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? [8] And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? [9] Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, [10] Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, [11] both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (ESV) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Underwrite one daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: Subscribe to the SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish Subscribe to the HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi Subscribe to the CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/   ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate.

Acts 18:1-18 1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 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 see them, 3 and because he was of the […] The post Discouraged and Encouraged in Corinth (Acts 18:1-18) first appeared on Hope of Christ Church.

With this message we are continuing our series on The Risen Christ by again looking at Jesus' first interaction with his disciples following his resurrection from the dead. The first words out his mouth were a proclamation of peace. Then he gave them their purpose. Now, he assures them that they will not be alone. And with this assurance comes the next gift we receive, power. Let's explore that together. The Holy Spirit: Convicts (John 16:8) Regenerates (John 3:5-8) Enables (1 Corinthians 12:3) Justifies (1 Corinthians 6:11) Adopts (Romans 8:15) Indwells (Romans 8:11) Illuminates (John 16:13) Intercedes (Romans 8:26) Leads (Acts 16:6-7) Fills (Ephesians 5:18) Empowers (Acts 1:8) Sanctifies (2 Corinthians 3:18) Speaks (Acts 13:2) Unifies (Ephesians 4:1-3) Cultivates intimacy (John 14:23) Glorifies Christ (John 16:14) Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7) The disciples and their travels: Peter (Simon Peter) – Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Rome Andrew – Scythia, Thrace, Greece (Achaia, Patras) James (son of Zebedee) – Jerusalem, Judea John – Jerusalem, Ephesus, Asia Minor, Patmos Philip – Phrygia (Hierapolis), Greek-speaking communities Bartholomew (Nathanael) – Armenia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Thomas (Didymus) – Parthia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Matthew (Levi) – Judea, Persia, Parthia, Ethiopia James (son of Alphaeus) – Judea, Edessa, Syria, Egypt Jude (Thaddeus/Lebbaeus) – Mesopotamia, Armenia, Persia, Syria Simon the Zealot – Persia, Armenia, Egypt, North Africa (varied traditions) Matthias – Judea, Cappadocia, Caspian Sea coasts, Colchis (Georgia) Speaker: Minister & Lead Pastor, Tom Olsson Passage: John 20:22 This was recorded live in Grand Rapids, MI on April 26, 2026

With this message we are continuing our series on The Risen Christ by again looking at Jesus' first interaction with his disciples following his resurrection from the dead. The first words out his mouth were a proclamation of peace. Then he gave them their purpose. Now, he assures them that they will not be alone. And with this assurance comes the next gift we receive, power. Let's explore that together. The Holy Spirit: Convicts (John 16:8) Regenerates (John 3:5-8) Enables (1 Corinthians 12:3) Justifies (1 Corinthians 6:11) Adopts (Romans 8:15) Indwells (Romans 8:11) Illuminates (John 16:13) Intercedes (Romans 8:26) Leads (Acts 16:6-7) Fills (Ephesians 5:18) Empowers (Acts 1:8) Sanctifies (2 Corinthians 3:18) Speaks (Acts 13:2) Unifies (Ephesians 4:1-3) Cultivates intimacy (John 14:23) Glorifies Christ (John 16:14) Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7) The disciples and their travels: Peter (Simon Peter) – Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Rome Andrew – Scythia, Thrace, Greece (Achaia, Patras) James (son of Zebedee) – Jerusalem, Judea John – Jerusalem, Ephesus, Asia Minor, Patmos Philip – Phrygia (Hierapolis), Greek-speaking communities Bartholomew (Nathanael) – Armenia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Thomas (Didymus) – Parthia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Matthew (Levi) – Judea, Persia, Parthia, Ethiopia James (son of Alphaeus) – Judea, Edessa, Syria, Egypt Jude (Thaddeus/Lebbaeus) – Mesopotamia, Armenia, Persia, Syria Simon the Zealot – Persia, Armenia, Egypt, North Africa (varied traditions) Matthias – Judea, Cappadocia, Caspian Sea coasts, Colchis (Georgia) Speaker: Minister & Lead Pastor, Tom Olsson Passage: John 20:22 This was recorded live in Grand Rapids, MI on April 26, 2026

With this message we are continuing our series on The Risen Christ by again looking at Jesus' first interaction with his disciples following his resurrection from the dead. The first words out his mouth were a proclamation of peace. Then he gave them their purpose. Now, he assures them that they will not be alone. And with this assurance comes the next gift we receive, power. Let's explore that together. The Holy Spirit: Convicts (John 16:8) Regenerates (John 3:5-8) Enables (1 Corinthians 12:3) Justifies (1 Corinthians 6:11) Adopts (Romans 8:15) Indwells (Romans 8:11) Illuminates (John 16:13) Intercedes (Romans 8:26) Leads (Acts 16:6-7) Fills (Ephesians 5:18) Empowers (Acts 1:8) Sanctifies (2 Corinthians 3:18) Speaks (Acts 13:2) Unifies (Ephesians 4:1-3) Cultivates intimacy (John 14:23) Glorifies Christ (John 16:14) Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7) The disciples and their travels: Peter (Simon Peter) – Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Rome Andrew – Scythia, Thrace, Greece (Achaia, Patras) James (son of Zebedee) – Jerusalem, Judea John – Jerusalem, Ephesus, Asia Minor, Patmos Philip – Phrygia (Hierapolis), Greek-speaking communities Bartholomew (Nathanael) – Armenia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Thomas (Didymus) – Parthia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Matthew (Levi) – Judea, Persia, Parthia, Ethiopia James (son of Alphaeus) – Judea, Edessa, Syria, Egypt Jude (Thaddeus/Lebbaeus) – Mesopotamia, Armenia, Persia, Syria Simon the Zealot – Persia, Armenia, Egypt, North Africa (varied traditions) Matthias – Judea, Cappadocia, Caspian Sea coasts, Colchis (Georgia) Speaker: Minister & Lead Pastor, Tom Olsson Passage: John 20:22 This was recorded live in Grand Rapids, MI on April 26, 2026

With this message we are continuing our series on The Risen Christ by again looking at Jesus' first interaction with his disciples following his resurrection from the dead. The first words out his mouth were a proclamation of peace. Then he gave them their purpose. Now, he assures them that they will not be alone. And with this assurance comes the next gift we receive, power. Let's explore that together. The Holy Spirit: Convicts (John 16:8) Regenerates (John 3:5-8) Enables (1 Corinthians 12:3) Justifies (1 Corinthians 6:11) Adopts (Romans 8:15) Indwells (Romans 8:11) Illuminates (John 16:13) Intercedes (Romans 8:26) Leads (Acts 16:6-7) Fills (Ephesians 5:18) Empowers (Acts 1:8) Sanctifies (2 Corinthians 3:18) Speaks (Acts 13:2) Unifies (Ephesians 4:1-3) Cultivates intimacy (John 14:23) Glorifies Christ (John 16:14) Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7) The disciples and their travels: Peter (Simon Peter) – Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Rome Andrew – Scythia, Thrace, Greece (Achaia, Patras) James (son of Zebedee) – Jerusalem, Judea John – Jerusalem, Ephesus, Asia Minor, Patmos Philip – Phrygia (Hierapolis), Greek-speaking communities Bartholomew (Nathanael) – Armenia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Thomas (Didymus) – Parthia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Matthew (Levi) – Judea, Persia, Parthia, Ethiopia James (son of Alphaeus) – Judea, Edessa, Syria, Egypt Jude (Thaddeus/Lebbaeus) – Mesopotamia, Armenia, Persia, Syria Simon the Zealot – Persia, Armenia, Egypt, North Africa (varied traditions) Matthias – Judea, Cappadocia, Caspian Sea coasts, Colchis (Georgia) Speaker: Minister & Lead Pastor, Tom Olsson Passage: John 20:22 This was recorded live in Grand Rapids, MI on April 26, 2026

With this message we are continuing our series on The Risen Christ by again looking at Jesus' first interaction with his disciples following his resurrection from the dead. The first words out his mouth were a proclamation of peace. Then he gave them their purpose. Now, he assures them that they will not be alone. And with this assurance comes the next gift we receive, power. Let's explore that together. The Holy Spirit: Convicts (John 16:8) Regenerates (John 3:5-8) Enables (1 Corinthians 12:3) Justifies (1 Corinthians 6:11) Adopts (Romans 8:15) Indwells (Romans 8:11) Illuminates (John 16:13) Intercedes (Romans 8:26) Leads (Acts 16:6-7) Fills (Ephesians 5:18) Empowers (Acts 1:8) Sanctifies (2 Corinthians 3:18) Speaks (Acts 13:2) Unifies (Ephesians 4:1-3) Cultivates intimacy (John 14:23) Glorifies Christ (John 16:14) Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7) The disciples and their travels: Peter (Simon Peter) – Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Rome Andrew – Scythia, Thrace, Greece (Achaia, Patras) James (son of Zebedee) – Jerusalem, Judea John – Jerusalem, Ephesus, Asia Minor, Patmos Philip – Phrygia (Hierapolis), Greek-speaking communities Bartholomew (Nathanael) – Armenia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Thomas (Didymus) – Parthia, India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia Matthew (Levi) – Judea, Persia, Parthia, Ethiopia James (son of Alphaeus) – Judea, Edessa, Syria, Egypt Jude (Thaddeus/Lebbaeus) – Mesopotamia, Armenia, Persia, Syria Simon the Zealot – Persia, Armenia, Egypt, North Africa (varied traditions) Matthias – Judea, Cappadocia, Caspian Sea coasts, Colchis (Georgia) Speaker: Minister & Lead Pastor, Tom Olsson Passage: John 20:22 This was recorded live in Grand Rapids, MI on April 26, 2026

Lots going on this week! It's European Immunization Week, Pontus went to a spa and got ‘cupped', and we have news about two skeptical events: the launch of Skeptival 2026 in Berlin and tickets for the European Skeptics Congress 2026 in Liverpool (ESC 2026) will be released on 6 May!In TWISH we take a look at the misinformation surrounding the Chernobyl disaster that happened 40 years ago this week. And then of course, we have the news:IRELAND: 12-year-old sex abuse victim locked up and punished for four years in a nunneryIRELAND / UK: UK survivor of Irish mother and baby home can't afford to accept compensationGERMANY: Will homeopathy finally get what it deserves: nothing?SWEDEN: Tough-on-crime sentiments are polarizing SwedesThe Swedish government ignores science and all experts and has decided to push through sending children to prison and for that they are Really Wrong.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-528.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:18:13 TWISH0:30:34 News0:47:46 Really Wrong0:50:13 Quote0:51:44 Outro0:53:07 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A selection of excerpts for prayer/contemplation taken from 'The Book of Mystical Chapters, The Esoteric Spiritual Doctrine of the Early Christian Monks and Ascetical Teachers of the East.' The reading includes teachings from: of Hesychios of Sinai, Aphrahat the Persian, John Klimakos The Ladder, Evagrios of Pontus, John Klimakos, and Theodoros.Translated by Father John Anthony McGuckin. The Book of Mystical Chapters presents the inner spiritual teachings of early Eastern Christian monks, focusing on the path of inner purification, stillness, and direct experience of the divine. It emphasizes detachment from worldly distractions, the transformation of the mind and heart, and the realization of unity with God through contemplative awareness and disciplined practice.

1 Peter 1:1-21Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, andBithynia, 2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit,for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Pontus is back and Brian steps in for András, as we discuss myths and disinformation. In TWISH we hear about three common myths regarding the sinking of Titanic, and then we get into the news:UK: Non-religion is the new normal: six in ten under-35s have no religion, new analysis findsINTERNATIONAL: ‘Stand with Science' – World Health Day: People live longer today than ever before, even after cancer: here are the latest WHO data.UK: Eat tapeworm eggs, lose weight: The terrifying Victorian practice whose myth refuses to dieThe Really Wrong Award goes to the Finnish MP and former Minister of the Interior Päivi Räsänen, who was convicted of hate speech against gay people.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-526.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:56 Greetings0:03:15 TWISH0:16:09 News0:38:24 Really Wrong0:44:04 Quote0:47:02 Outro0:48:24 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They were all soldiers under one general, taken captive in the time of Licinius for their faith in Christ. They were stripped naked and cast onto a frozen lake at Sebastia in Pontus. They endured the entire night, encouraging each other to be patient. Some accounts say that their persecutors placed warm baths in their sight on the shore to entice them to renounce Christ. Finally one of their number, broken by his sufferings, apostatized and left the company. One of the guards, named Aglaius, saw in a vision thirty-nine wreaths descending from heaven onto the heads of the faithful sufferers, and was moved to declare himself a Christian. He was immediately sent to join the martyrs on the frozen lake, keeping the number of forty complete. In the morning all of them, almost dead, were cast into fire, and their remains thrown in the lake. On the third day the martyrs appeared to Peter, the local bishop, and told him to search for them in the lake. The bishop went to the lake on a dark night with his clergy, and one account says that the bones of the martyrs rose to the surface and burned there like a candle. The relics were gathered and given honorable burial.   This is the most common account. The Prologue gives a somewhat different version, in which the martyrs were made to stand, not on the frozen lake, but in the freezing waters.

The Dismantling of the Religious Self Four Lenten Reflections on Delusion, Abandonment, and the Life That Remains in God “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24 The fathers speak very little about religious success. They speak constantly about religious delusion. Not because religion is false, but because the ego can survive inside it indefinitely. It can pray. It can fast. It can obey. It can sacrifice. It can appear humble. It can appear faithful. It can appear entirely given to God. And yet never cease to exist as the center of its own life. The religious self is the final refuge of autonomy. It is the last structure to collapse. Christ did not come merely to forgive sin. He came to destroy the self that lives apart from Him and to raise the person into a life that is no longer his own. This destruction does not occur all at once. It occurs in stages. First, the destruction of false fulfillment. Then, the destruction of false righteousness. Then, the destruction of the self that believed it belonged to God. And finally, the revelation of the life that remains when the self that lived has died. This is not metaphor. It is the path. First Reflection The False Light That Feeds on Devotion On Seeking Fulfillment in Religious Things Instead of God “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” Psalm 41:3 (42:2) Evagrios of Pontus returns again and again to the command of the Lord because he knows the tragedy of the human heart. The command is heard. It is repeated. It is admired. But it is not yet obeyed. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Matthew 6:33 This is not because the man refuses God. It is because he does not yet know how to live from Him. The soul seeks life with a desperation deeper than thought. It cannot endure emptiness. It cannot endure groundlessness. It must drink from something. And until it drinks from God Himself, it will drink from what surrounds Him. This is the beginning of the spiritual life for nearly every man. He turns away from obvious sin. He enters the life of prayer. He begins to fast. He reads the Scriptures. He studies the Fathers. He orders his days toward obedience and repentance. He removes himself from the chaos of the world and places himself among holy things. Everything outwardly moves toward God. But inwardly, something subtle and terrible begins to form. The man begins to live not from God, but from religious life itself. He begins to draw life from proximity. From belonging to the Church. From serving others. From participating in sacred rhythms. From being known as faithful. From being recognized as someone who has given his life to God. These things give him structure. They give him identity. They give him continuity. They give him the sense that his life has weight and meaning. And this feels like life. But it is not yet life in God. Christ did not say blessed are those who surround themselves with religious things. He said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4 The branch may rest against the vine. It may touch the vine. It may appear connected to the vine. But unless the life of the vine flows into it, it remains dead. St. Isaac the Syrian speaks with terrifying clarity about this condition. He writes that the soul seeks rest relentlessly, but until it rests in God, it will rest in created things. Even in holy things. Even in prayer itself. Because prayer can become a place where the ego hides. St. John Climacus warns of this when he writes that vainglory attaches itself to every virtue like a parasite. It feeds on fasting. It feeds on prayer. It feeds on silence. It feeds on obedience. It feeds on tears. It feeds on devotion itself. It is possible to pray constantly and remain centered in oneself. It is possible to serve constantly and remain untouched by God. It is possible to build an entire life around God and never yet have surrendered one's life to Him. Christ speaks of this with devastating simplicity. “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you.” Matthew 7:22–23 He does not deny their works. He denies their communion. They lived around Him. They acted in His name. They built their lives in His presence. But they did not live from Him. This is the great danger of religious life. It offers proximity without union. The ego adapts itself to religious structure because religious structure can sustain its existence indefinitely. The ego does not resist religion. It colonizes it. Abba Macarius the Great said, “The heart itself is but a small vessel, yet dragons are there, and lions are there, and poisonous beasts are there, and all the treasures of wickedness are there. But there too is God.” Both realities coexist for a long time. The man prays, and the ego remains. The man fasts, and the ego remains. The man serves, and the ego remains. The ego does not fear religious activity. It fears death. Because Christ did not come merely to improve the ego. He came to crucify it. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 This is not metaphor. It is ontological violence. The ego can survive prayer. It cannot survive crucifixion. This is why the ego draws life from religious participation rather than from God Himself. Because participation strengthens its continuity. Communion destroys its autonomy. Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou writes that God allows the man to labor in the life of the Church for years while this hidden foundation remains intact. Not because God is absent, but because the man is not yet capable of bearing the loss of himself. So God permits him to live from secondary things. From belonging. From service. From stability. From identity. These things are not evil. They are merciful accommodations to weakness. But they cannot give life. The prophet Jeremiah speaks with words that cut through every illusion. “They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13 The tragedy is not that the cisterns are wicked. It is that they cannot sustain life. They leak. They empty. They must constantly be refilled. The man must constantly reaffirm himself. He must remain useful. He must remain faithful. He must remain visible. He must remain necessary. Because his life depends on these conditions. But life in God does not depend on conditions. Life in God survives abandonment. It survives obscurity. It survives uselessness. It survives the loss of identity itself. This is why God begins, at a certain point, to remove the cisterns. Not as punishment. As mercy. He allows the man to lose what sustained his sense of himself. He allows him to lose position. He allows him to lose recognition. He allows him to lose certainty. He allows him to lose the emotional consolations that once accompanied prayer. Prayer becomes dry. Service becomes empty. The structures that once gave life now give nothing. This is the beginning of truth. St. Silouan the Athonite describes this moment as the withdrawal of grace that reveals to the man the true poverty of his soul. He writes that when grace withdraws, the soul sees its own weakness and learns that it cannot live without God. Not without religious life. Without God. The distinction becomes absolute. The man discovers that he does not yet know how to live from God Himself. He only knows how to live from what surrounds Him. This revelation feels like death. Because something is dying. The false center. The imagined continuity. The self that lived from participation instead of communion. Christ spoke of this death when He said, “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25 This loss is not symbolic. It is experiential. It is terrifying. Because the ego experiences the loss of its foundations as annihilation. Abba Moses said, “Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.” What does the cell teach? It teaches the man that he does not yet live from God. It removes distraction. It removes affirmation. It removes reinforcement. And what remains is his poverty. His inability to give himself life. His inability to sustain himself. His inability to exist without drinking from God. This is the beginning of real prayer. Not prayer that expresses devotion. Prayer that expresses need. Not prayer that affirms identity. Prayer that arises from groundlessness. The publican understood this when he stood at a distance and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Luke 18:13 He had nothing left to sustain himself. And Christ says he went home justified. Because justification begins when illusion ends. God does not remove the false light to harm the man. He removes it to save him. Because whatever the man cannot lose without losing himself has become his god. God removes every false god. Even the religious ones. Until only God remains. St. Isaac the Syrian writes that the man who has learned to live from God alone becomes free from all fear. He can lose everything and remain alive. Because his life no longer depends on created things. It depends on the uncreated God. This is the passage from religious life into real life. The passage from devotion into communion. The passage from illusion into truth. It begins in loss. It ends in God.