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Gluttony Dr. Eric J. Gilchrest | June 21, 2026 Check out the weekly sermon here or on our SRBC podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. While you're at it, check us out on Facebook and Instagram too. Like what you hear? We'd love to know.At South Run, we read every message personally. Whether you have a question, want to share how God is moving in your life, or are thinking about visiting in person, this is the place to start. If you click the link below, Pastor Eric will personally reach out to you. Listening online? Let us know. Sermon Transcript The Good Samaritan and the Age of Life: Love, Eternal Life, and the Narrow Road of Luke 10 — Sermon TranscriptSouth Run Baptist Church | Springfield, VARev. Dr. Eric GilchrestLuke 10:25–37June 14, 2026 This is a full sermon transcript from South Run Baptist Church in Springfield, Virginia. In this message, Rev. Dr. Eric Gilchrest preaches on the Parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10:25–37. This sermon is part of the ongoing "The Jesus Way" transformation series and addresses what eternal life actually means in the original Greek, why love and life are inseparable in Jesus' teaching, and how the Good Samaritan parable reveals that walking the narrow road means active, costly, others-centered love. Opening Prayer: A Church on MissionHeavenly Father, we come today offering you thanksgiving for Ian and for Emma, the great work that they're doing at GW, but also for this church and for the work that those who are in these walls do for those who are outside of these walls. We, Lord, desire to be a church on mission, and we need to keep that front and center. And so, Lord, plant it in each of our hearts that as we go where we go throughout the week on Monday and Thursday and random points on a Saturday afternoon, that we be reminded that we bear your image, we bring your word to the world, and we make new disciples. And so, God, we pray all of this in Christ's holy name. Amen. Where We Are in The Jesus Way SeriesWe are in a series on two ways, right? There is the narrow way that leads to abundant life, and this morning we are talking about that way, and the way that Jesus teaches us to walk — a way that leads to abundance and to life eternal. And then the other way we'll get back to next week, and that's the broad way. It's the easy way, frankly, and it's the way that leads to death and destruction. On Father's Day next week, we will cover the lovely topic of gluttony, so you definitely won't want to miss that, dads. You're welcome. For today, though, we are in a parable that you are probably familiar with. Whether you've been around the church much or not, you definitely know what a Good Samaritan is. We even have like Good Samaritan laws, right? Well, I want to dive down deep, and I'll say this whole framing for me — the whole like two ways, the life, death — has become clarifying, we'll say, in ways that I've not anticipated and I have quite enjoyed as we've gone throughout this series. And I almost think of it as like this lens that I take and then I put it over top of the scripture that we're reading and then I kind of see what pops out, like what's new. And so here we are in a very familiar passage and it is, well, it came as a little bit of a surprise to me, exactly how Jesus frames this. So I hope you have a Bible with you. If you don't, go ahead and grab the one that's in front of you — we definitely want to turn to Luke 10 together. Luke 10:25–28: A Lawyer Asks About Eternal LifeSo again, Luke chapter 10, starting in verse 25. It starts this way as you're turning there. "Behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test." Here we have lawyers doing what lawyers do, right? A lawyer, though, you should know in this day and age is not what you're thinking of as a lawyer. He does not work for the IRS. He does not do like tax law or something like this. He is a lawyer of the Torah, the Jewish law, right? And so this is a man who knows his law well, but very specifically the first five books of our Bible. And this is going to become important because Jesus is going to say to him, like, what does the law say? Like, what does our Bible say, the one you and I share together, right? And so this lawyer, he has spent lots of time in the law, as we'll see, as good lawyers often do. They know the law in order to kind of skirt through it, and he's trying to do this in this passage, but he actually knows what he's talking about. So the passage goes on, and he says, "Teacher" — rabbi, this is Jesus here, our rabbi, the one we should be listening to and following — "what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And as I'm pulling that lens, remember, and I'm putting it on and I see this phrase, eternal life, I think to myself, well, here it is. This is part of what we're trying to do for this season of our church history — looking at ways that lead to life and ways that lead to death. And here Jesus is being asked like the exact question I'm asking you and I'm trying to get us all talking about, and that I think is of utmost importance. We might even say a matter of life and death. And he says, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Now, if you were asked this question, if somebody on the street came to you, it's worth asking, like, what would you say? How would you answer that question? What "Eternal Life" Actually Means in the Greek: The Age of Life vs. The Age of Death Backing up just a minute, this phrase eternal life needs just a little bit of clarification. The word for eternal here is not exactly the platonic, like, eternal sense that you and I often use it. Now, it might mean that to a degree, but only in like a secondary sense. It actually comes from a Greek word, eon — or the English version is eon. Eon is an age, right? There's one eon, and then there's the next eon, there's one age, and then there's the next age. And he's asking him, well, how do I get myself into the age of life? It's important that you know that there is an age of death — or as Paul calls it, the evil age, right? This age actually is that, right? It's the age that ultimately we all know is hovered over by these two things of sin and death and evil, and it lurks about, and none of us get out of here alive, right? That's why this age is the age of death. And this is why the Bible speaks to this matter over and over and over again. And this is the final enemy, death. And so the man is asking a very good question, which is, how do we make it out of the age of death and then make it into the age of life? And he has in mind — he thinks like a good first century Jew — and I need you to think this way for a second so that we can maybe make it a little more complicated. His timeline goes like this. There's the age in which we live, the age of death. There's then an ending to that, and there is a resurrection that happens of all people, good and bad. And then there's a judgment that happens, and the people are either judged good or bad. And then there is the age of life. That might be how you're thinking of things right now, in fact. But here's the important wrinkle. A resurrection has already happened. A resurrection has already happened. And so when Jesus is resurrected, the timeline gets shoved into the present. And then also, with that happening, there is a real sense in which judgment has also happened, and yet is also going to happen. It's a both-and. And Paul, if we had time, he gives us both of these. But the point is actually this — what Jesus does is he drags eternal life and he puts it smack dab into this life. And this life is where eternal life begins. And he'll say things like, "the kingdom of God is in your midst, is among you." He's referring to himself. He's saying, through me starts this eternal life. It's here and it's now. And so when Jesus is being asked this question — what must I do to enter into this age of life? — he doesn't say it out loud, but he is saying, well, it starts right now. It's not something we're pushing off to the future. We don't just kind of do all the right things now and then punch a ticket and then we get into the thing. No, you're in it right now. Jesus Tosses the Question Back: How Do You Read the Law?And so he says to this lawyer — well, he refuses to answer his question, actually. What does he do? He tosses it right back to him. And he says to him, well, you tell me, you lawyer, you know the law. What's written in the law and how do you read it? I actually love that last question — the "how do you read it" — that is so important. I don't have time to dig down deep here, but just know that we should all be asking, like, how do we read this scripture? Like, how do you read it? We all read it slightly differently, but Jesus wants to teach us how we read our scripture. And so the man says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." And Jesus, maybe to his shock, certainly to my shock, says, wow, you're correct. You got it right. Like, that is the answer. And in fact, in the other Gospels, Jesus is the one to say these things. Who knows? Maybe this lawyer got it from Jesus. And he says, you're supposed to love God. And by the way, all of those categories — that just simply means your whole being, everything you are. You're just supposed to love God with like every last ounce of who you are. And then love your neighbor as yourself. And this is the simplification of all things. It's the simplification of the law, the scriptures, what God is trying to do with the world. It is just love, right? Love God, love your neighbor. Now, I'd add this. When we talk about loving our neighbor, the Bible breaks down for us to love God with our souls and our minds and our strength and all these various aspects of who we are. And I would say, well, that's just a description of how to love. And we should do the same with the people in our lives. We should love them in similar kinds of ways, with our whole being. "He said to him, you have answered correctly. Do this and you will live." Again, there's our word — life, right? Well, how do we live a life? And how do we do it right? And how do we stay on that narrow path? He says, well, do this. The guy gets it. "Who Is My Neighbor?" — The Question Jesus Refuses to Answer DirectlyAnd if we stopped there, we would feel really good about this passage and it'd all be done. But the man, remember, he's a lawyer and he knows his law. And the job of the lawyer is to get around the law and to kind of sneak through it. And so he says the follow-up. He wants to justify himself and says to Jesus, well, excuse me, who is my neighbor? Jesus does not answer this question. I'll just go ahead and say that very clearly here. Jesus does not answer who the neighbor is. He pulls up the example of somebody being a good neighbor — that is the Samaritan — treats the robbed man that we're going to meet here as the neighbor, but the Samaritan is not actually technically the neighbor here. He's the one who's doing it right, who is loving his neighbor well. All of this explodes the boxes that this lawyer no doubt has, and it should explode ours too. And I can't go into exactly what a Samaritan is, but I assure you, the lawyer is thinking the Samaritan is not one of us. Whoever the "us" is for you — not one of us. He's over there. He's one of them. And Jesus is saying, well, look at the them. Whoever your "them" is, they're doing it right. They're the one who's loving well. And it should cause us to stop in our tracks and to ask, well, if they're able to love well, and they're finding what Jesus is calling eternal life or abundant life in this life that's leading to this eternal life, well, maybe I've got some work to do. Jesus replies to the question that the lawyer asks. He doesn't answer it. He, of course, does what Jesus does, which is to either ask a question — which is what he did the first time — or to tell a story, which is what he does this time. Luke 10:30–32: The Priest and the Levite Pass ByAnd so he says, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance, there was a priest going down the road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Well then likewise, a Levite came to the place, saw him, passed by on the other side." I assure you, the Levite knows the law too, right? And the priest, well, he knows the law too. And Jesus is saying, do the priest or the Levite do the law? That is, do they love their neighbor? And the answer is very clearly no, right? They do not. Luke 10:33–35: The Samaritan and the Meaning of CompassionNow the Samaritan, whether or not he knows the law is actually not exactly clear, and in some ways not even to the point. The Samaritan does the law. He does the thing that should be done here, which is he sees the man half dead, and he goes to help him. I would stop here for just one minute and point out this word to you — compassion, at the end of verse 33. Compassion. This word shows up only three times in your gospel of Luke. It shows up in the following ways. The widow of Nain — Jesus encounters this woman who already is a widow. She's lost her husband. She then loses her son in the story that is being told. And Jesus looks at this woman who has lost her husband and her son, and he has compassion. Which is to say, the word itself means like his insides are like turning outside, and he's like physically in pain watching this woman and is feeling her pain, right? It also shows up in the passage we're going to talk about next week as you join us for gluttony, which is the story of the prodigal son, actually. When the prodigal son returns home from his gluttonous encounters, the father is there and he looks at him from afar and he has compassion on him. His insides are turned outside. And then here, the Samaritan — he looks at this man and he has compassion on him. I would say if we are going to love at all, we need compassion. If we are going to love our neighbor as ourselves, it is going to require us to put ourselves into the very shoes of the neighbor, to walk the mile with them, to see ourselves as the dead man on the side of the road who needs help, and to ask the question, if I were that dead man, what would I want this priest to do for me? If I were that dead man, what should that Levite do? I'm crying out for him, and he walks right on by. That is not keeping the law. But the Samaritan — the Samaritan sees him and is able to put himself into his place and to see the position that he's in, which is helpless, and he has the ability to do something, and he does. Interestingly, this idea of love is then here for the next few verses explained not as a feeling the Samaritan has — because we all have the feeling when we see something bad happen, and we're like, oh, that's awful, oh man, I feel so bad for this person — love requires action. It requires actually doing something, which is precisely what the Samaritan does in the verses that follow. In verse 34, "He went to him, to the man dying on the side of the road, and he bound up his wounds, he poured on oil and wine to heal them, and then he set him on his own animal, and he brought him to an inn, and he took care of him." This doesn't even account for the fact that he took time out of his own, no doubt, busy schedule to stop and to help this man and to assist him to a place. And he probably missed a really important meeting. And I'm sure some friends and some family were probably upset with the Samaritan who was supposed to be home for dinner. And he missed the kid's soccer game. But he did this very important thing that was in front of him. But it doesn't even stop there. "The next day, he took out two denarii. And he gave it to the innkeeper. And he said, take care of him. And if you spend more, keep track of that, because I will repay you when I come back." This is a man who loves in a way that goes above and beyond, and it is active. It's not just a man who walks and says, oh, there's a person that is almost dead over here, and that's tragic, as he keeps walking on by. This is the kind of love that God is calling us into as well, and this is the narrow road that leads to life. You might understand why now it's a narrow road, because it's difficult to walk. It's the road less traveled. It's the one that requires something of you. "Go and Do Likewise": Love and Life Are InseparableAnd then Jesus finishes up. He says, "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" And the lawyer has to confess, well, I guess it's the one who showed mercy. And then Jesus says again, well, you got it right. "Go and do likewise." Go and do likewise. When I think about this passage and this idea that we are to walk down this narrow road that leads to life — life and love, in my mind, are almost like one in the same. They all come together, these two come together in ways that are almost impossible to pull apart as you dig down deeper and deeper and deeper into what a full life is. I was trying to wrestle with the question, why does this road lead to life? Like, why does loving someone lead to life? And here's what I think Jesus is doing. Remember, Jesus has pulled eternal life into this life. The very one that you're in now, listening to me speak. And love in this life, this eternal life we're hopefully, prayerfully in — it is the substance of it all. Love is the design of humanity. It is what we were made for. In Eden, when we were created, we were created to love God. And then it was not good for man to be alone. So he creates Eve, and we were meant to love one another. And then he looks at the first couple and he says, multiply, make more of you, and then love them too. And this is what it's all for and all about. The God who made us is in himself self-giving love — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If the Trinity means one thing, it means pouring out love one to the other to the other. And we are made in that kind of image, which means the great commandment — love God and love neighbor — this is not a rule that gets bolted onto the side of life, as if it's like some sort of external hope that you might do this at some point. It is the manufacturer's description of how this whole thing runs. Withholding love doesn't keep you safe, and spending love doesn't drain your life. Jesus, in fact, says, do these things and you will have life. Jesus Is the Good Samaritan: He Crosses the Road to Find Us Half DeadWe see this love most clearly in the person of Jesus. When he pours himself out on the cross, he redeems us. He snatches us out of death and delivers us into an age of life, eternal life. If Jesus has done this for me, well, then he must love me, right? And if Jesus has done this for you — and he has — then he must love you. But Jesus has loved the whole world and God has sent his son that we all might have eternal life, that we all might be entered into the age of life. And why love? Because God loves you, and he wants us to love one another and to love him as we were intended to do. Communion: The Table as the Place Where Love and Life MeetAs we come to the table this morning, it is important that we recognize that this two-fold command of love — to love God and love our neighbor — it is kind of one thing. I would suggest to you that when God says to us that we are to love him, what he does not mean is that we have like a really nice worship service together and I have all the feels and it's just me and God and I'm loving every minute of it. And I don't even think he means like, well, I love God and therefore I pray every day and I love God and I'm reading my Bible every day. These are all very good things and they actually do lead you to God. So don't misunderstand me. But what I think he means is he pairs that with love your neighbor, because that is the ultimate understanding of whether or not you love God well. Because every person in this room around you right now and every person you've ever met in your life is bearing the image of God. And if you can't love them well, it is worth asking whether you're loving God. And so this morning as we come to the table, we are reminded that Jesus has poured himself out for us. He has shown us what love looks like. He literally puts his hands on the cross like this, and he opens himself up for humanity. And he takes the penalty that was due to us, and he offers us a way to God. I find Jesus directly in the parable of the Good Samaritan. In fact, many interpreters have. It turns out he's not the priest, he's not the Levite, he is the Samaritan, though. He is the outsider, the despised one, yet the one who actually does the law of love. And he comes to our roads where we are lying half dead and he has compassion on us. He looks at us in our estate and he is moved. His insides turn outside. He says, I want something better for this child of mine. I want them to live a full life now, and eternal life forever. This is what I want for them. And so what does he do? He binds up our wounds. He pours the oil and the wine on them. He pays the price. And he promises he will come back to pay the rest of it. And this is what the table is. On the night before Jesus died, he took bread and a cup and he said, this is my body and this is my blood. And it is poured out for the forgiveness of your sins. We have all been robbed by the age of death. But we have also participated in the age of death. And we need forgiveness from that. So Christ, he crosses the road and he offers us a hand up and out of it. And this morning we get to participate in the forgiveness of sins that he offers to each and to every one of us. Our Call: To Be the Samaritan for OthersHe then expects something of us. As people who are walking down that road with him, the dust of the rabbi getting all over us — you remember that? — as we walk that way of love, we then too must take up the role of the Samaritan for the others who are around us. Our job in this world is to bandage those who are hurt and broken and to pour whatever oil and wine Jesus has given to us onto their wounds too. And we're to lift them up out of their estate. And this, this is what it means to be a follower of Christ. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit, you are self-giving love, perfected. God, we have fallen short of your glory, no doubt. We have sinned and are in need of a Savior. And so, Jesus, this morning, we come asking one more time for your salvation. Some of us, this might be the first time, saying, I need a Savior. I need someone to bandage up the wounds that are just too deep. I can't do it myself. Or somebody is lying there saying, I am half dead. I can't do this by myself. And Jesus, we know you are saying to them right now, I am here for you. I am here to bind those wounds and to raise you back to life again. So God, as we prepare our hearts for the communion table, we ask that we do so with sincerity and with gravity, knowing the cost that you have paid — your very life. And that out of this should flow for all of us gratitude, a thanksgiving. And for all this and more, we give you thanks and praise. In Christ's holy name we pray. Amen.‍ ‍South Run Baptist Church | 8712 Selger Drive, Springfield, VA 22153 | Sunday Worship at 11am Serving Springfield, Burke, West Springfield, Lorton, Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, and Franconia, Virginia. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

A lawyer asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life, and the answer is “love.” Love God and love neighbor. But because the lawyer is practiced in manipulating the law, he follows this up with a question we all secretly ask: who can I exclude from my love? Jesus answers with a story that inverts everything. Not only is the Samaritan the neighbor, he is the very one who does the heart of the law by loving the neighbor, and by virtue of this fact, it is assumed that he is the one to inherit eternal life. Jesus' point is this: if you want to walk the path of abundant life now and eternal life in the future, you must learn to love. Dr. Eric J. Gilchrest | June 14, 2026 The Good Samaritan Download Check out the weekly sermon here or on our SRBC podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. While you're at it, check us out on Facebook and Instagram too. What We'll CoverWhy eternal life begins now, not in the next lifeWhy "Who is my neighbor?" is really a question about exclusion and why Jesus refuses to answer it on those termsHow you can tell whether you actually love God (hint: it's not about your feelings on Sunday morning; its about how you love your neighbor)Why love is a verb, and the difference between the right words and the right worksWhat the Samaritan teaches us about empathy and compassionWhy self-giving love isn't a rule we're forced to keep but the design we were made to live Like what you hear? We'd love to know.At South Run, we read every message personally. Whether you have a question, want to share how God is moving in your life, or are thinking about visiting in person, this is the place to start. If you click the link below, Pastor Eric will personally reach out to you. Listening online? Let us know. Sermon Transcript The Good Samaritan and the Age of Life: Love, Eternal Life, and the Narrow Road of Luke 10 — Sermon TranscriptSouth Run Baptist Church | Springfield, VARev. Dr. Eric GilchrestLuke 10:25–37June 14, 2026 This is a full sermon transcript from South Run Baptist Church in Springfield, Virginia. In this message, Rev. Dr. Eric Gilchrest preaches on the Parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10:25–37. This sermon is part of the ongoing "The Jesus Way" transformation series and addresses what eternal life actually means in the original Greek, why love and life are inseparable in Jesus' teaching, and how the Good Samaritan parable reveals that walking the narrow road means active, costly, others-centered love. Opening Prayer: A Church on MissionHeavenly Father, we come today offering you thanksgiving for Ian and for Emma, the great work that they're doing at GW, but also for this church and for the work that those who are in these walls do for those who are outside of these walls. We, Lord, desire to be a church on mission, and we need to keep that front and center. And so, Lord, plant it in each of our hearts that as we go where we go throughout the week on Monday and Thursday and random points on a Saturday afternoon, that we be reminded that we bear your image, we bring your word to the world, and we make new disciples. And so, God, we pray all of this in Christ's holy name. Amen. Where We Are in The Jesus Way SeriesWe are in a series on two ways, right? There is the narrow way that leads to abundant life, and this morning we are talking about that way, and the way that Jesus teaches us to walk — a way that leads to abundance and to life eternal. And then the other way we'll get back to next week, and that's the broad way. It's the easy way, frankly, and it's the way that leads to death and destruction. On Father's Day next week, we will cover the lovely topic of gluttony, so you definitely won't want to miss that, dads. You're welcome. For today, though, we are in a parable that you are probably familiar with. Whether you've been around the church much or not, you definitely know what a Good Samaritan is. We even have like Good Samaritan laws, right? Well, I want to dive down deep, and I'll say this whole framing for me — the whole like two ways, the life, death — has become clarifying, we'll say, in ways that I've not anticipated and I have quite enjoyed as we've gone throughout this series. And I almost think of it as like this lens that I take and then I put it over top of the scripture that we're reading and then I kind of see what pops out, like what's new. And so here we are in a very familiar passage and it is, well, it came as a little bit of a surprise to me, exactly how Jesus frames this. So I hope you have a Bible with you. If you don't, go ahead and grab the one that's in front of you — we definitely want to turn to Luke 10 together. Luke 10:25–28: A Lawyer Asks About Eternal LifeSo again, Luke chapter 10, starting in verse 25. It starts this way as you're turning there. "Behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test." Here we have lawyers doing what lawyers do, right? A lawyer, though, you should know in this day and age is not what you're thinking of as a lawyer. He does not work for the IRS. He does not do like tax law or something like this. He is a lawyer of the Torah, the Jewish law, right? And so this is a man who knows his law well, but very specifically the first five books of our Bible. And this is going to become important because Jesus is going to say to him, like, what does the law say? Like, what does our Bible say, the one you and I share together, right? And so this lawyer, he has spent lots of time in the law, as we'll see, as good lawyers often do. They know the law in order to kind of skirt through it, and he's trying to do this in this passage, but he actually knows what he's talking about. So the passage goes on, and he says, "Teacher" — rabbi, this is Jesus here, our rabbi, the one we should be listening to and following — "what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And as I'm pulling that lens, remember, and I'm putting it on and I see this phrase, eternal life, I think to myself, well, here it is. This is part of what we're trying to do for this season of our church history — looking at ways that lead to life and ways that lead to death. And here Jesus is being asked like the exact question I'm asking you and I'm trying to get us all talking about, and that I think is of utmost importance. We might even say a matter of life and death. And he says, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Now, if you were asked this question, if somebody on the street came to you, it's worth asking, like, what would you say? How would you answer that question? What "Eternal Life" Actually Means in the Greek: The Age of Life vs. The Age of Death Backing up just a minute, this phrase eternal life needs just a little bit of clarification. The word for eternal here is not exactly the platonic, like, eternal sense that you and I often use it. Now, it might mean that to a degree, but only in like a secondary sense. It actually comes from a Greek word, eon — or the English version is eon. Eon is an age, right? There's one eon, and then there's the next eon, there's one age, and then there's the next age. And he's asking him, well, how do I get myself into the age of life? It's important that you know that there is an age of death — or as Paul calls it, the evil age, right? This age actually is that, right? It's the age that ultimately we all know is hovered over by these two things of sin and death and evil, and it lurks about, and none of us get out of here alive, right? That's why this age is the age of death. And this is why the Bible speaks to this matter over and over and over again. And this is the final enemy, death. And so the man is asking a very good question, which is, how do we make it out of the age of death and then make it into the age of life? And he has in mind — he thinks like a good first century Jew — and I need you to think this way for a second so that we can maybe make it a little more complicated. His timeline goes like this. There's the age in which we live, the age of death. There's then an ending to that, and there is a resurrection that happens of all people, good and bad. And then there's a judgment that happens, and the people are either judged good or bad. And then there is the age of life. That might be how you're thinking of things right now, in fact. But here's the important wrinkle. A resurrection has already happened. A resurrection has already happened. And so when Jesus is resurrected, the timeline gets shoved into the present. And then also, with that happening, there is a real sense in which judgment has also happened, and yet is also going to happen. It's a both-and. And Paul, if we had time, he gives us both of these. But the point is actually this — what Jesus does is he drags eternal life and he puts it smack dab into this life. And this life is where eternal life begins. And he'll say things like, "the kingdom of God is in your midst, is among you." He's referring to himself. He's saying, through me starts this eternal life. It's here and it's now. And so when Jesus is being asked this question — what must I do to enter into this age of life? — he doesn't say it out loud, but he is saying, well, it starts right now. It's not something we're pushing off to the future. We don't just kind of do all the right things now and then punch a ticket and then we get into the thing. No, you're in it right now. Jesus Tosses the Question Back: How Do You Read the Law?And so he says to this lawyer — well, he refuses to answer his question, actually. What does he do? He tosses it right back to him. And he says to him, well, you tell me, you lawyer, you know the law. What's written in the law and how do you read it? I actually love that last question — the "how do you read it" — that is so important. I don't have time to dig down deep here, but just know that we should all be asking, like, how do we read this scripture? Like, how do you read it? We all read it slightly differently, but Jesus wants to teach us how we read our scripture. And so the man says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." And Jesus, maybe to his shock, certainly to my shock, says, wow, you're correct. You got it right. Like, that is the answer. And in fact, in the other Gospels, Jesus is the one to say these things. Who knows? Maybe this lawyer got it from Jesus. And he says, you're supposed to love God. And by the way, all of those categories — that just simply means your whole being, everything you are. You're just supposed to love God with like every last ounce of who you are. And then love your neighbor as yourself. And this is the simplification of all things. It's the simplification of the law, the scriptures, what God is trying to do with the world. It is just love, right? Love God, love your neighbor. Now, I'd add this. When we talk about loving our neighbor, the Bible breaks down for us to love God with our souls and our minds and our strength and all these various aspects of who we are. And I would say, well, that's just a description of how to love. And we should do the same with the people in our lives. We should love them in similar kinds of ways, with our whole being. "He said to him, you have answered correctly. Do this and you will live." Again, there's our word — life, right? Well, how do we live a life? And how do we do it right? And how do we stay on that narrow path? He says, well, do this. The guy gets it. "Who Is My Neighbor?" — The Question Jesus Refuses to Answer DirectlyAnd if we stopped there, we would feel really good about this passage and it'd all be done. But the man, remember, he's a lawyer and he knows his law. And the job of the lawyer is to get around the law and to kind of sneak through it. And so he says the follow-up. He wants to justify himself and says to Jesus, well, excuse me, who is my neighbor? Jesus does not answer this question. I'll just go ahead and say that very clearly here. Jesus does not answer who the neighbor is. He pulls up the example of somebody being a good neighbor — that is the Samaritan — treats the robbed man that we're going to meet here as the neighbor, but the Samaritan is not actually technically the neighbor here. He's the one who's doing it right, who is loving his neighbor well. All of this explodes the boxes that this lawyer no doubt has, and it should explode ours too. And I can't go into exactly what a Samaritan is, but I assure you, the lawyer is thinking the Samaritan is not one of us. Whoever the "us" is for you — not one of us. He's over there. He's one of them. And Jesus is saying, well, look at the them. Whoever your "them" is, they're doing it right. They're the one who's loving well. And it should cause us to stop in our tracks and to ask, well, if they're able to love well, and they're finding what Jesus is calling eternal life or abundant life in this life that's leading to this eternal life, well, maybe I've got some work to do. Jesus replies to the question that the lawyer asks. He doesn't answer it. He, of course, does what Jesus does, which is to either ask a question — which is what he did the first time — or to tell a story, which is what he does this time. Luke 10:30–32: The Priest and the Levite Pass ByAnd so he says, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance, there was a priest going down the road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Well then likewise, a Levite came to the place, saw him, passed by on the other side." I assure you, the Levite knows the law too, right? And the priest, well, he knows the law too. And Jesus is saying, do the priest or the Levite do the law? That is, do they love their neighbor? And the answer is very clearly no, right? They do not. Luke 10:33–35: The Samaritan and the Meaning of CompassionNow the Samaritan, whether or not he knows the law is actually not exactly clear, and in some ways not even to the point. The Samaritan does the law. He does the thing that should be done here, which is he sees the man half dead, and he goes to help him. I would stop here for just one minute and point out this word to you — compassion, at the end of verse 33. Compassion. This word shows up only three times in your gospel of Luke. It shows up in the following ways. The widow of Nain — Jesus encounters this woman who already is a widow. She's lost her husband. She then loses her son in the story that is being told. And Jesus looks at this woman who has lost her husband and her son, and he has compassion. Which is to say, the word itself means like his insides are like turning outside, and he's like physically in pain watching this woman and is feeling her pain, right? It also shows up in the passage we're going to talk about next week as you join us for gluttony, which is the story of the prodigal son, actually. When the prodigal son returns home from his gluttonous encounters, the father is there and he looks at him from afar and he has compassion on him. His insides are turned outside. And then here, the Samaritan — he looks at this man and he has compassion on him. I would say if we are going to love at all, we need compassion. If we are going to love our neighbor as ourselves, it is going to require us to put ourselves into the very shoes of the neighbor, to walk the mile with them, to see ourselves as the dead man on the side of the road who needs help, and to ask the question, if I were that dead man, what would I want this priest to do for me? If I were that dead man, what should that Levite do? I'm crying out for him, and he walks right on by. That is not keeping the law. But the Samaritan — the Samaritan sees him and is able to put himself into his place and to see the position that he's in, which is helpless, and he has the ability to do something, and he does. Interestingly, this idea of love is then here for the next few verses explained not as a feeling the Samaritan has — because we all have the feeling when we see something bad happen, and we're like, oh, that's awful, oh man, I feel so bad for this person — love requires action. It requires actually doing something, which is precisely what the Samaritan does in the verses that follow. In verse 34, "He went to him, to the man dying on the side of the road, and he bound up his wounds, he poured on oil and wine to heal them, and then he set him on his own animal, and he brought him to an inn, and he took care of him." This doesn't even account for the fact that he took time out of his own, no doubt, busy schedule to stop and to help this man and to assist him to a place. And he probably missed a really important meeting. And I'm sure some friends and some family were probably upset with the Samaritan who was supposed to be home for dinner. And he missed the kid's soccer game. But he did this very important thing that was in front of him. But it doesn't even stop there. "The next day, he took out two denarii. And he gave it to the innkeeper. And he said, take care of him. And if you spend more, keep track of that, because I will repay you when I come back." This is a man who loves in a way that goes above and beyond, and it is active. It's not just a man who walks and says, oh, there's a person that is almost dead over here, and that's tragic, as he keeps walking on by. This is the kind of love that God is calling us into as well, and this is the narrow road that leads to life. You might understand why now it's a narrow road, because it's difficult to walk. It's the road less traveled. It's the one that requires something of you. "Go and Do Likewise": Love and Life Are InseparableAnd then Jesus finishes up. He says, "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" And the lawyer has to confess, well, I guess it's the one who showed mercy. And then Jesus says again, well, you got it right. "Go and do likewise." Go and do likewise. When I think about this passage and this idea that we are to walk down this narrow road that leads to life — life and love, in my mind, are almost like one in the same. They all come together, these two come together in ways that are almost impossible to pull apart as you dig down deeper and deeper and deeper into what a full life is. I was trying to wrestle with the question, why does this road lead to life? Like, why does loving someone lead to life? And here's what I think Jesus is doing. Remember, Jesus has pulled eternal life into this life. The very one that you're in now, listening to me speak. And love in this life, this eternal life we're hopefully, prayerfully in — it is the substance of it all. Love is the design of humanity. It is what we were made for. In Eden, when we were created, we were created to love God. And then it was not good for man to be alone. So he creates Eve, and we were meant to love one another. And then he looks at the first couple and he says, multiply, make more of you, and then love them too. And this is what it's all for and all about. The God who made us is in himself self-giving love — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If the Trinity means one thing, it means pouring out love one to the other to the other. And we are made in that kind of image, which means the great commandment — love God and love neighbor — this is not a rule that gets bolted onto the side of life, as if it's like some sort of external hope that you might do this at some point. It is the manufacturer's description of how this whole thing runs. Withholding love doesn't keep you safe, and spending love doesn't drain your life. Jesus, in fact, says, do these things and you will have life. Jesus Is the Good Samaritan: He Crosses the Road to Find Us Half DeadWe see this love most clearly in the person of Jesus. When he pours himself out on the cross, he redeems us. He snatches us out of death and delivers us into an age of life, eternal life. If Jesus has done this for me, well, then he must love me, right? And if Jesus has done this for you — and he has — then he must love you. But Jesus has loved the whole world and God has sent his son that we all might have eternal life, that we all might be entered into the age of life. And why love? Because God loves you, and he wants us to love one another and to love him as we were intended to do. Communion: The Table as the Place Where Love and Life MeetAs we come to the table this morning, it is important that we recognize that this two-fold command of love — to love God and love our neighbor — it is kind of one thing. I would suggest to you that when God says to us that we are to love him, what he does not mean is that we have like a really nice worship service together and I have all the feels and it's just me and God and I'm loving every minute of it. And I don't even think he means like, well, I love God and therefore I pray every day and I love God and I'm reading my Bible every day. These are all very good things and they actually do lead you to God. So don't misunderstand me. But what I think he means is he pairs that with love your neighbor, because that is the ultimate understanding of whether or not you love God well. Because every person in this room around you right now and every person you've ever met in your life is bearing the image of God. And if you can't love them well, it is worth asking whether you're loving God. And so this morning as we come to the table, we are reminded that Jesus has poured himself out for us. He has shown us what love looks like. He literally puts his hands on the cross like this, and he opens himself up for humanity. And he takes the penalty that was due to us, and he offers us a way to God. I find Jesus directly in the parable of the Good Samaritan. In fact, many interpreters have. It turns out he's not the priest, he's not the Levite, he is the Samaritan, though. He is the outsider, the despised one, yet the one who actually does the law of love. And he comes to our roads where we are lying half dead and he has compassion on us. He looks at us in our estate and he is moved. His insides turn outside. He says, I want something better for this child of mine. I want them to live a full life now, and eternal life forever. This is what I want for them. And so what does he do? He binds up our wounds. He pours the oil and the wine on them. He pays the price. And he promises he will come back to pay the rest of it. And this is what the table is. On the night before Jesus died, he took bread and a cup and he said, this is my body and this is my blood. And it is poured out for the forgiveness of your sins. We have all been robbed by the age of death. But we have also participated in the age of death. And we need forgiveness from that. So Christ, he crosses the road and he offers us a hand up and out of it. And this morning we get to participate in the forgiveness of sins that he offers to each and to every one of us. Our Call: To Be the Samaritan for OthersHe then expects something of us. As people who are walking down that road with him, the dust of the rabbi getting all over us — you remember that? — as we walk that way of love, we then too must take up the role of the Samaritan for the others who are around us. Our job in this world is to bandage those who are hurt and broken and to pour whatever oil and wine Jesus has given to us onto their wounds too. And we're to lift them up out of their estate. And this, this is what it means to be a follower of Christ. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit, you are self-giving love, perfected. God, we have fallen short of your glory, no doubt. We have sinned and are in need of a Savior. And so, Jesus, this morning, we come asking one more time for your salvation. Some of us, this might be the first time, saying, I need a Savior. I need someone to bandage up the wounds that are just too deep. I can't do it myself. Or somebody is lying there saying, I am half dead. I can't do this by myself. And Jesus, we know you are saying to them right now, I am here for you. I am here to bind those wounds and to raise you back to life again. So God, as we prepare our hearts for the communion table, we ask that we do so with sincerity and with gravity, knowing the cost that you have paid — your very life. And that out of this should flow for all of us gratitude, a thanksgiving. And for all this and more, we give you thanks and praise. In Christ's holy name we pray. Amen.‍ ‍South Run Baptist Church | 8712 Selger Drive, Springfield, VA 22153 | Sunday Worship at 11am Serving Springfield, Burke, West Springfield, Lorton, Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, and Franconia, Virginia. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

In this profound exploration of Matthew 25:1-13, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb unpack the parable of the ten virgins, revealing it as far more than a simple warning about preparedness. Moving beyond dispensational "rapture ready" interpretations, they demonstrate how this parable addresses the spiritual condition required for entrance into God's consummated kingdom. The discussion centers on the critical distinction between outward religious profession and genuine possession of the Holy Spirit's grace. With pastoral sensitivity and theological depth, the hosts examine the meaning of the oil, the significance of the midnight cry, and the urgency of both evangelism and personal examination. This episode challenges listeners to consider whether they possess not just the lamp of profession, but the oil of saving grace that alone sustains faith through the waiting period before Christ's return. Key Takeaways The oil represents saving grace, not perfect obedience - The critical distinction in the parable is not between those who stayed awake versus those who slept (all ten virgins fell asleep), but between those who possessed oil and those who didn't. The oil symbolizes the indwelling, regenerating, sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit—the grace that comes through effectual calling and genuine conversion. This parable warns against mere outward profession - All ten virgins carried lamps and waited for the bridegroom, representing outward religious activity and profession. The difference lay in the interior spiritual reality—whether that profession was accompanied by the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit or remained empty formalism. The "midnight cry" represents both personal death and Christ's return - Historically, Reformed expositors understood the midnight cry as either the actual cry of Christ's angels at His return or the voice of God in individual death. Each person's death functions as their personal midnight that irrevocably fixes their eternal state. Readiness is not about sinless perfection but possession of grace - The parable is not teaching a fearful "rapture ready" theology where Christians must be perfectly sinless when Christ returns. Rather, it teaches that readiness consists in possessing saving grace through faith in Christ, which sustains believers even when they "sleep" (fall into sin or spiritual drowsiness). There is urgency in the gospel call - The parable emphasizes that the opportunity for salvation has a deadline—"you know neither the day nor the hour." This creates urgency both for unbelievers to trust Christ and for believers to share the gospel, since no one knows when their personal "midnight" will arrive. Calvin's insight: you "buy" oil by receiving it freely through faith - Though the parable speaks of "buying" oil, Calvin notes this doesn't imply paying a price. Just as Isaiah invites people to buy wine and milk without money, we obtain the oil of grace not through merit or payment, but by receiving through faith what Christ freely offers. Key Concepts The Oil as Symbol of the Holy Spirit's Grace The oil in this parable has been consistently interpreted throughout church history as representing the grace of the Holy Spirit—specifically the indwelling, regenerating, and sanctifying presence that comes through genuine conversion. This interpretation aligns with Old Testament symbolism where anointing oil signified the Spirit's presence (as in "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit"). The crucial distinction Jesus makes is not about external religious activity (both groups had lamps and waited), but about internal spiritual reality. Just as a lamp cannot burn without oil, religious profession without the Spirit's grace has no sustaining power. This oil cannot be shared or borrowed; it must be personally possessed. The parable thus exposes the deadly danger of assuming that outward Christian activities—church attendance, biblical knowledge, moral behavior—constitute genuine Christianity when the transforming work of the Spirit is absent. All the Virgins Slept: Grace Overcomes Human Weakness One of the most important details often overlooked is that both the wise and foolish virgins fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom. This demolishes any interpretation suggesting the parable is about maintaining perfect spiritual vigilance or sinless living. The wise virgins' readiness was not based on their superior wakefulness or moral stamina—they fell asleep just like the foolish ones. Their preparedness came from having secured the oil beforehand. This has profound theological implications: our salvation and readiness for Christ's return does not depend on our ability to maintain perfect spiritual alertness or sinless perfection. Even when believers "sleep"—when they fall into sin, experience spiritual dullness, or fail in vigilance—they remain prepared because they possess the oil of the Spirit's grace. The parable thus provides comfort alongside its warning: those who have truly received Christ need not live in constant fear that a moment of weakness will disqualify them when He returns. The Midnight Cry and Personal Eschatology The midnight cry in verse 6 functions on multiple levels theologically. Universally, it points to Christ's unexpected second coming at the end of history. But Reformed interpreters have also recognized its application to individual eschatology—each person's death serves as their personal "midnight cry" that ends all opportunity for preparation. This dual meaning creates urgency both for evangelism and self-examination. The parable warns that whether Christ returns globally or death comes individually, that moment will arrive unexpectedly ("at midnight," the hour of deepest sleep) and irrevocably fix one's eternal state. Once the door is shut, no amount of pleading ("Lord, Lord, open to us") can change one's condition. This underscores a biblical truth often denied in contemporary theology: there is no post-mortem opportunity for salvation, no remedial path after death. The time for obtaining oil is now, in this life, before the cry sounds. Memorable Quotes Every man's death to him is the coming of Christ. That's when our state is irrevocably fixed. And so there's an urgency here—an urgency of evangelism and self-examination because the midnight cry may come at any moment. The difference between the wise and the foolish virgins is not that one of them stays awake and one of them falls asleep. The difference between the wise and the foolish is that the ones that are wise are prepared for when the bridegroom comes, even though they fell asleep. The only way to be prepared for the end is to turn to Jesus. It's not about whether or not you've turned to Jesus and have become perfectly sinless. None of us are like that. It's about trusting Jesus. Full Episode Transcript Welcome to episode 494 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse.  [00:01:10] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother.  [00:01:15] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. Looks like you and I need to get a midnight oil check. That's if you know, you know, that's what's coming up on this episode, and we're headed to Matthew 25 to do that oil check. We're still firmly in all of these beautiful parables that Jesus tells us, and this one goes by various names. You might know it as the parable of the 10 virgins, or if you're Petra. That classic Christian rock group who produced a song called Midnight Oil, which is absolutely a banger that that should be like the the theme song of this episode. If you haven't heard that song, go check out Midnight Oil by Petra and then come back and listen to us. Like, I wish we had the rights to that. We could just drop it in right here. But we're not that cool and we're not gonna edit that. So I'm gonna leave it up to you to craft your own version of this podcast with that great backing track. Have you heard that song?  [00:02:09] Tony Arsenal: I actually haven't. I, I came, uh, came into Christianity sort of at the tail end of Petra's Big Influence. So I know, I knew who Petra is. I've listened to a few of their songs, but they weren't mainstream by any sort, sort of, uh, stretch of the imagination when I was listening to Christian music. So  [00:02:28] Jesse Schwamb: this one's so good. It's so good. And it's right on point for our conversation today. So we're gonna get into all that stuff. The oil check, the midnight nature of it, the 10 virgins. What does it all mean? Of course, Tony and me, we have for you what I believe to be the definitive exegetical and hermeneutical reflection on the parable. So that's what you've come to expect from us and we're happy to deliver, but before we deliver on that, we got all the things we have to deliver to you, and that is affirming with or denying against something that's that point of course in the podcast or our conversation where we choose something they firm with that we think is. Undervalued, something we might recommend or conversely to deny against something that maybe is a little bit too overvalued or just not that great. So Tony, as is our customer, I say to you, sir, what are you doing? Are you affirming with something or are you denying against something?  [00:03:16] Denial Memory Blank [00:03:16] Tony Arsenal: I'm denying something. This is like denial. Ception is what's going on here. So, uh, first of all, thank you, Jesse for, uh, pitch hitting a solo episode at like, literally the last minute, last week. Um, I think we normally record at seven 30 on the Lord's Day, and I think I texted Jesse like 6 45 and was like, I just don't have it in the tank today. Can you do something? And he just hopped behind the mic. So that's a bonus affirmation there. But, uh, Jesse and I were, we're having a little bit of a pregame, uh, today, very much, you know, like five minutes of how you doing and are you ready to go? And, uh, I realized I, I had a really great affirmation last week, all ready to rock. I remember being super excited about it. I remember, uh, when I decided, or when we decided you were gonna do a solo episode thinking, I gotta make sure I remember this for next week. Right? And it has totally left my brain. It's gone. And, uh, it's, it's the worst feeling in the world when that happens. And I remember reading at some point, like, there's a biochemical reason why this happens and why it feels so weird. Like, it, it feels like you should be able to just dive into your mind and like search around enough and find it. And that's just not actually how your, how like your memory works. It's not, um. I think we think of memory as though it's like a big filing cabinet and you can just, like, you can just flip through the CAD catalog like long enough and find it. That's not how it works. Um, it's kind of like more organic network kind of stuff. But yeah, the, the, it's gone. It's just gone and I hate that feeling and it's gone. And that's what I'm denying is that feeling and losing your mind and feeling like you don't remember anything.  [00:04:56] Jesse Schwamb: I'm totally with you because incidentally, as we talked, we discovered we both had that experience because I had something too. And it's not just that, well, you know, we try to set aside or do a little prep on the affirmations and denials because you know, we come across something great in life, or again, the opposite. And you think, I gotta remember this because I wanna talk about this with Tony. And the worst part of that is like twofold. One, it never is great to forget something that you had or you knew you knew at one time, but it's all the less satisfying when it was something that you're super excited about and you're like, this is gonna be great. And it's that thing that you've completely forgotten that's like double the worst. So I'm, I'm totally with you in this denial. [00:05:35] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, it's, it's a really frustrating, terrible feeling. And there's not much you can do about it. And the, the secondary denial to that is it always comes back to you in the worst possible part of whatever conversation you're having. It's like you hem and hover it and you think about it and you, and I'm doing it right now. You, you sit here and you, you continue to try to talk thingy. It's gonna come, it's gonna come. Yes. It's gonna get here.  [00:05:59] Jesse Schwamb: Yep.  [00:06:00] Tony Arsenal: And then just when you finally have resigned yourself and, and the conversation moves on, that's when it comes back around. So I don't know if that's gonna happen or not, Jesse. If it does, I will try my best to ignore it, but I probably won't be able to. So No, I think you probably should get moving. So whatever it was the amazing affirmation, I don't remember. It can come back to us.  [00:06:16] Jesse Schwamb: It can come back. Yeah. I'm hoping that it does. And when it does, you guys just tell us you got, just let it, let it rip. Like even if we're like right in the middle of some deep, heavy, robust, thick theology, I just wanna be like. I, I can't even imagine what your affirmation was. It must have been like something pretty, pretty good.  [00:06:33] Tony Arsenal: I don't know. I don't know. I, I'm sure it was something interesting. I don't even, I'm  [00:06:37] Jesse Schwamb: trying to draw it out of you now.  [00:06:38] Tony Arsenal: Course. I can't even like, think of the ballpark of what part of like, what, what the category even was. It's just totally, it's totally gone. Like it never happened. Yep. It's, it's totally, totally gone. So I keep on saying, and you would think with all of my talk of like note taking apps and how important it's to keep a journal and all the stuff we've talked about that I would finally get around to like just jotting down in Apple Notes what my affirmations are and I just never do it. So. Yeah,  [00:07:05] Jesse Schwamb: I have every intention, but then I think, well, this is the record of them and I'll have it available to me when it comes time. The talk that's, and sometimes it just goes away. Has it happened yet? I'm still trying to draw it out of you by talking.  [00:07:15] Tony Arsenal: No, I'm just gonna give up. It's just gone. It's gone. That's just gone.  [00:07:19] Jesse Schwamb: That's, that's fair enough. Maybe. What do you  [00:07:21] Tony Arsenal: got for us, Jesse?  [00:07:22] Prayer and Anointing [00:07:22] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I was gonna say, maybe I can just help push it along, as it were by my own. So I'm also affirming with something, lemme just read a couple verses from James chapter five. Is anyone Among You Sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and there to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who's sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, they'll be forgiven him. I had really just the profound opportunity and privilege today to participate in this because. My wife at the end of this week, uh, which will be a week past when this is, this airs, is about to go undergo that serious surgery, which she spoke about in an episode, I don't know, maybe several weeks ago. And, uh, my pastor asked if it would, if he'd like us and the elders, um, to come and to pray over my wife. And they did so after our service today. And it was just a really incredible thing. Even I'm still processing it. I don't really know. Like the words to say with what I can bring forward is just like words of gratitude and gratefulness for this kind of living out of the scriptures. What I can say is that the way in which he brought this forward and the elders prayed was just so incredibly loving and genteel and spirit-filled. And I think which is a manifestation of, of God's love for us in this moment as we prepare for this great thing to give us peace, peace, and to increase our faith and to do so by just following what the scriptures say here. So my affirmation is maybe twofold. One, it's for this particular experience, it's certainly for pastors, for elders who make it their objective to care for their flock and to do so under the rubric and the instruction of the scriptures. So I'm grateful, and if you have those kind of pastors and elders in your life, I hope that you'll be grateful to them for them as well, and that you might express that gratefulness. So this was a really incredible and, and lovely thing, and, uh, fills us with a kind of hope and encouragement. And if anything else was a reminder of the feel, there's something different going to experience like this armed fully with the promises of God and asking that he would be glorified, that our testimonies would be strong, and that of course, that he would bring healing through it. So I'm ever so grateful and affirming what this passage and this passage put into practice.  [00:09:51] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And if you are listening to this, when, uh, when it comes out or shortly after, probably not even shortly after, probably for a couple weeks after or months after, um, uh, Jesse's wife Jen did talk about the surgery and the condition she's been suffering under. So, uh, she's part of the Reformed Brotherhood family. She is, uh, just as important to the show, uh, as Jesse and I are in terms of the support that our wives give us and, and the space that we need to do this. So please do pray for Jen. Um, she'll be recovering when you hear this, if it's anywhere near the time that this comes out. Uh, it's a fairly large surgery with a, a, a moderately long recovery time. So please, uh, please do pray for her, uh, and, and make sure that you're lifting her up. Um, we are trusting the Lord for good things, uh, for her. Yes. And uh, we're confident that he, his will will be done 'cause it always is. But yeah, definitely pray for her. [00:10:42] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. Thank you for saying that, Tony. I appreciate that as her husband and. We are encouraged that we've said this before, but this is where our theology matters, isn't it? It's in the times where we come before the Lord in faith and in full trust, because one, there's nowhere else to go. He has the words of life for us. He is our life, but also because. In his son, this beautiful gift of salvation whereby his son is the suffering servant. So he's well acquainted with all of this kind of thing. And so stands with us in every conceivable way to be both so incredibly transcendent and above the nonsense and the noise of our world with full power and sovereignty over all things. And at the same time, to be fully eminent. To be literally with us in all the ways. In all the things. And again, well acquainted with our condition, including the grief and the suffering, the anxiety, the all of this, which we experience as part and parcel of what it means to be human, who is like our God in this way. And so we do sense his great and uncommon care for us, and it would be dishonest of me even in the midst of these difficult and challenging things to say that he doesn't care for us. He has good and he loves us, and he's making a way, even though that way be hired. So we're sensing even from, I think, following that time of prayer, that whether we receive the bread of affliction. Uh, or the, the water of of agony that we hear God's voice behind us saying, this is the way, walk in it, and he's with us. So I hope that's encouragement maybe to others who are also going through their own things and who isn't going through something, right?  [00:12:18] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:12:18] Jesse Schwamb: So we all have this great promise in the gospel that God is for us, and I love that James here gives us some practical instruction to that end. [00:12:29] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, for sure.  [00:12:31] Support the Show [00:12:31] Tony Arsenal: Well, before we move into our topic for the evening, uh, the internet tells me that I'm supposed to do this at this point in the show rather than at the very end like we usually do. Well, let's do it. Um, we are a listener supported episode, not like PBS, uh, not like other things. Uh, maybe kind of a little bit like PBS Yeah, a little bit. Anyway, uh, we have a, a pretty dedicated group of Patreon supporters who, uh, donate a little bit and sometimes some people, a lot, a bit of their discretionary income, uh, to help make the show go. And we've said before, like, we are not interested in providing special content or special gear or swag every once in a while. I think we did it once and we've, we've got plans to do it again sometime in the future. We'll send out a thank you gift to those who are subscribing through Patreon. Um, but we are committed to producing the show and making everything that we put online and everything that we make available, available to everybody. And really the only reason that we can do that, especially in today's economy, is uh, because there are people who support the show. And so we always want to make sure that we're saying we're thank you to those people. Yes. Um, they are a part of this show. I don't know if we are not gonna do like executive producer credits, but they're as close to that as you can get. Since we don't do that, um, we really wouldn't be able to do the show, at least not the way that it is without that supporting group of people. So if that's something that you hear and you no, I kind of think that maybe I wanna be a part of that. We would love for you to go to patreon.com/reform tears. There's no special swag, there's no early releases or anything like that. Um, but we would love if you would partner with us. Um, this is a lowercase m ministry, and if you've listened to the show for a long time, you know what I mean by that. Uh, we, we do consider this to be a calling, something that God has given us and we, we understand there's a responsibility with it, but we also know that we can't do it alone. So if you're interested after you've fulfilled all your personal finance obligations, your obligation to your local church and your immediate area, if there's a little bit left over that you're looking to spend somewhere on something that is valuable, uh, please do consider going to patreon.com/form Brotherhood. [00:14:39] Jesse Schwamb: And if you've been listening for a while and you've thought, you know what, I wonder who else is out there that's like me, that's listening to these guys on the internet. Guess what? You can actually meet some of those people. They have a little spot where they hang out. It's called Telegram. It's just a chat app, and we have our own little section of that app. If you just go to your favorite browser, whatever it is, you can choose and go to wherever you like, just go to t me slash Reform Brotherhood. And that link will take you into kind of a preview land where you can see the space where everybody's talking, and you can peruse some of the different channels, everything from uh, channels just for prayer, for a crusting, prayer to general conversation, talk about the episodes, talk about baptism, all kinds of things. It is, as we always say, one of the kindest, most charitable, most loving corners of the internet. Guaranteed. You can test us on that. So in fact, you should by going to t.me back slash reform Brotherhood, Tony, back to you. [00:15:36] Eschatology Shift [00:15:36] Tony Arsenal: Well, let's just slam it right into gear. We, we, we haven't figured out how to do transitions into or out of, uh, Patreon announcements, uh, or telegram announcements,  [00:15:46] Jesse Schwamb: right?  [00:15:46] Tony Arsenal: So this, I, maybe this is the awkward charm of the show, or maybe it's just the awkwardness of the show. It's just charm, Jesse,  [00:15:53] Jesse Schwamb: all charm. [00:15:53] Tony Arsenal: We need to talk about some things tonight. We need to talk about some oil. Yes. We need to talk about some lamps. Yes. We need talk about some bridegrooms.  [00:16:00] Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  [00:16:00] Tony Arsenal: It's the parable of the 10 virgins or the 10 lamps, or the parable of the oil flasks. Yes. There's lots of different things that it's called. Uh, it's what it isn't, it's not the parable of, uh, the 24 hour Jiffy Lube, which is what it made, what you made it sound like when you talked about the midnight oil check. Um,  [00:16:18] Jesse Schwamb: I  [00:16:18] Tony Arsenal: didn't even think about that. But yeah. This is, this is a good one. And I think we've, we've sort of. I've sort of observed that the parables do tend to clump around systematic theology themes, and they clump within the narrative of the gospel within Matthew itself around themes. So the last three parables that we talked about were all sort of like parables of judgment against the Pharisees and a, a lot of things like unconditional election and reparation were all baked into that pie. You know, we talked about with the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coins and the lost, um, the lost, uh, brother. We talked about how that has a lot to do with like election. It has to do with salvation and what the gospel looks like in terms of justification in the father's initiative. And we're moving into a section of Matthew, um, where Jesus is starting to teach on the last days. And so the parables in this section start to move toward ha to have more of an eschatological bent. Yes. We talked a little bit about some of the eschatology and the parables when we, we went through the, um, through the, the. Um, my brain just left me. It happened again, Jesse. The, the denial thing, uh, when we talked about the parable of the tears and the wind field and the, the, the different kinds of soils back on track, there was an eschatological element to that. But we are in like straight up eschatology Yeah. In these, these sections now. That's right. So we're coming to the end of Matthew, uh, our plan right now and who knows what the Lord has for us. But the plan right now is once we finish Matthew, to go back and visit some of the parables that are present in the other gospels. And there's not too many of 'em, but that are present in the other gospels that aren't necessarily, uh, present in Matthew. So, like you said, there's not a ton of 'em. Uh, we do want to hit all of 'em. And if there's, if there's time, and I say if there's time as though we have some sort of time constraints, um, if there's time we probably will talk a little bit about some of the I am statements and some of the things in John. 'cause John doesn't do parables quite the same way in quite the same fashion, but he does have sort of some of this. Allegorical figurative language baked into some of his, um, some of his writings or some of the accounts of Jesus that he, he, um, captures that are probably worth talking about in the seam light. So right now we're, we're coming up quick on the end of the parables of Matthew. Um, there's not very many left and then we'll, we'll keep moving on. Uh, that said. We are, it's almost unbelievable to say this. We're going to be coming up to the end of the parable series sometime in the next, I dunno, six to 10 months. Uh, if you've got ideas for what you think the next series should be, start thinking about those now. Bring 'em to the telegram chat. Let's start percolating those ideas up, right? And, uh, like a good coffee maker. And we'll, uh, we'll brew some goodness. How many more parables? How many more, uh, metaphors can I throw in there? Puns, can I throw in there? But yeah, Jesse, let's get started. This is a good one.  [00:19:08] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that was a really, I think, fine introduction. I always enjoyed this parable because it has some really fun, dramatic elements, but I think I, I really haven't really appreciated all the eschatological underpinnings that you were just mentioning. And when you think about it as we're, I think we're gonna soon find here. That this is one of the most searching and solemn parables, actually, that Jesus uttered, and you start to get a sense for that as we've just kind of been hitting them, one after the other. As you said, this one belongs to the great olive discourse. It's delivered by Jesus to his disciples on the Mount of Olives just days before his crucifixion. It's in direct response to their questions about the destruction of Jerusalem and the sign of his condiment coming and the end of the age. So you're right. I think this carries like unmistakable eschatological weight because it's not merely this fable about preparedness in general, which sometimes is where we go. Yeah. But it's really more of like a precise theological warning about the spiritual condition required for entrance into the consummated kingdom of God at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  [00:20:11] Tony Arsenal: Yeah,  [00:20:11] Jesse Schwamb: I think that's the full setup.  [00:20:12] Read Matthew 25 [00:20:12] Jesse Schwamb: We, we've gotta go to the scriptures, right?  [00:20:15] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:20:16] Jesse Schwamb: Alright. It's time. You want me to read it? [00:20:17] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, yeah, go ahead.  [00:20:18] Jesse Schwamb: Okay. Here we go. Matthew 25, beginning in verse one, then the kingdom of heaven may be compared to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bride groom. Now, five of them were foolish and five were prudent for when the foolish took their lamps. They took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout. Behold the bridegroom come out to meet him. Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the prudent, give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out. But the prudent answered saying, no, there will not be enough for us and for you too. Go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves. And while they're going away to make the purchase, that bridegroom came and those who already went in with him to the wedding feast and the door was shut. And later the other versions came also saying, Lord, Lord, open for us. But he answered and said, truly, I say to you, I do not know you. Therefore, stay awake for you do not know the day nor the hour.  [00:21:27] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:21:29] Assurance Not Fear [00:21:29] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, this one's heavy. And I just wanna say, kind of coming into this, right, I think a lot of our audience, and I would, I would include myself in this, um, we, we came to sort of like an awareness of faith. And I, I don't say that in a sort of tongue in cheek fashion. What I mean, um. I'll, I'll just speak from my perspective, but I think it's probably one that resonates. I came to faith when I was a, you know, a relatively young teenager, 15 years old, and, um, when you first become a Christian, you're not aware of all the different theological debates or even all of the major implications of the Christian faith. And I think a lot of us and myself, uh, as, as sort of the example when we be started to become aware of the different conversations happening in different dynamics and some of the more, uh, maybe third or fourth tier doctrines that you learn when you're, um, sort of being catechized as a new Christian, uh, catechized in sort of an informal sense, eschatology is probably one of those ones that comes along fairly, fairly late in the game. And I recall, um, when I first became aware of the left behind books, right? And so I, I came to faith in a large Lutheran megachurch, uh, that wasn't really as Lutheran as you would think, cup being a large Lutheran megachurch. It was very dispensational. And I think there is a sense of dread and fear associated with rapture ready theology. And I don't, I don't think all dispensationalist that, um, believe in a, a literal rapture of the church either prior to or following or in the middle of the tribulation. I don't think all dispensationalist fall into this category. But there are definitely dispensationalist out there that would emphasize being rapture ready. And you know, you think of like the song, I wish We'd All Been Ready, you know, and, and this, this sort of existential fear that the Rapture's gonna come and I'm not gonna be ready and I'm gonna be left behind. Right. There's an, the entire book series is about people who thought that they were Christians who thought that they were justified and saved and then weren't. And, and I don't think the book gives all that much explanation other than sort of like a general sense of like, these are sort of nominal fake Christians that maybe some of them think they're saved and some of them don't. I know there were definitely characters in the book who really thought that they were followers of Jesus and then they didn't realize they weren't until they were not raptured with everyone else. The only reason I sort of launch into that progam is I think that the tendency in most circles because of the pervasive. Sort of all expansive influence of dispensationalism in the United States, and particularly sort of this like rapture ready, left behind theology that is a, a major thread within, um, American dispensationalism. There's a tendency to look at this almost exclusively in light of that sort of rapture ready fear that right the end is gonna come and I'm not gonna be ready and. I don't, I'm not a dispensationalist, I don't hold to a rapture in that sense. I don't think you do either. Jesse and I, I think there's an element of this that has that same flavor that we have to acknowledge, but I don't think we should read this in light of like, you think you're gonna be fine, but actually you're not. So you better get it together. I don't think that that's the point of the parable. Um, and I wanna say that upfront because it is easy to read a parable like this and to, to become extremely fearful to the point that it actually shakes whatever assurance you may have had. And I've said it before and, and I, I will say it again, it is not, I am not in the business of robbing the assurance away from Christians. The assurance of faith and the assurance of salvation is the rightful possession and inheritance of all those who are Christ. And so I have no, no desire to shake or rob you of your assurance. That's just not my jam. Um, so I wanted to get that out there. Like I don't think that this parable is here. To scare the daylights out of us and make us question whether or not we actually belong to the bridegroom. I actually think it's here for a different reason.  [00:25:39] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I agree.  [00:25:40] Watch and Be Ready [00:25:40] Jesse Schwamb: I, I think this may have more in common with like the tears in the wheat parable that we've spoken about before versus trying to promulgate a particular understanding of eschatology. There's no doubt that this is calibrated to the period preceding the perusia. At the same time, the parable is a reminder that describes like the visible professing church on earth as it moves toward that consummation. So this is why I think it is important for us to talk about, well, what do we mean by these 10 virgins? What do we mean about the lamps themselves? What is this saying generally about God's church? And again, him addressing the question of what does it mean for that church to be consummated in his kingdom?  [00:26:18] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I, I'm, I'm trying to find the specific passage, but um. We also should not miss the verbal affinity here. Uh, at the end of the parable, when it says truly, I say to you, I do not know you. We should really read this in light of, um, the, um, the statements. You know, I was hungry and you didn't feed me. I was, you know, and you say, Lord, we did these things. He said, away from me. I never knew you. We really should read this parable. I think in light of that passage and that phrasing, I think that's, that's actually the punchline of this  [00:26:54] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. [00:26:55] Tony Arsenal: Punchline. That's, that's the point. Parable is that last phrase, and then the, the extra parable, the outside of the parable, um, payoff or sort of like explanation that Christ gives is watch. Therefore, for you neither know the day nor the hour. The point is not, um, you may think you're a Christian. You may think you're, you're on top of things, but you actually, you might be totally wrong. And so you better get your stuff together. The point is what, what happens? Or the point is the same thing as I think it's the author of Hebrew is like, today is the day of salvation, right? Like, do not wait to turn to Christ. Do not wait. That's right to trust in Jesus. Do not wait to enter the kingdom of heaven until the last minute. Do not wait because you don't actually know when the end is coming. And I, I read this when I, when it's watch, therefore for, you know, neither the day nor the hour. I read this less in light of, um. Like universal eschatology, uh, every single person that, that Jesus was speaking to in this original audience that he actually delivered this parable to, did not see that, like, did not see the last days. Right. Whatever the last days looks like. And I mean, like, yes, the last days is from the resurrection to the end of the age. So some of them saw those last days. But what I mean is none of these people saw the return of Christ, like the second return of Christ and that the last judgment. So he would, it would be sort of meaningless to be delivering this parable to those people. With only whatever the last things are with only the rapture in mind with only Right, exactly. The great judgment. None of that would make any sense. So I read this more in light of you never know when your day and hour is coming. Not, not necessarily like the day, like the day of the Lord, although that's true. Yes. There will be a generation on earth who the last day, the final judgment is also their last day in terms of their ordinary human life. But I think this is more of a general call to all of us, and especially to those, um, out there who are in the orbits of the church who are exposed to the gospel, um, and have not yet trusted Christ. [00:29:09] Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  [00:29:09] Tony Arsenal: Um, there is a call to turn to Jesus and to, uh, to, to come into the kingdom of heaven, to be prepared by coming into the kingdom of heaven here. That's, that's the main point of the peril that we have to land on.  [00:29:21] Bridegroom And Virgins [00:29:21] Jesse Schwamb: I agree with you, and I think all of the imagery here points in that direction. So even starting with this image of these 10 virgins, which of course you've been listening to us talk for long enough, or you've read through the Old Testament, you're gonna quickly, and I think cogently see that this is the Old Testament imagery of Israel as the bride or the covenant community. It's also of course, like the Greco Roman custom in which the bridesmaids attended the bride and accompanied the wedding procession when the bride groom arrived to claim his bride. So to your point, what I think is really interesting about this is that we're basically saying that this parable is not speaking of like strangers or enemies, but those who have made a profession of faith. And so even this like idea of the bridegroom who, who's without a question? Christ here, that's a self-identification that's rooted in like John chapter three, where even John the Baptist calls himself merely the friend of the bridegroom and a revelation where you are going already, where the marriage supper of the lamb consummate, consummate redemptive history. [00:30:19] Lamps And Oil Meaning [00:30:19] Jesse Schwamb: So once we get through the idea of we have those whom Jesus is speaking about, and even those who he's speaking to as those who have made some kind of profession, religious or otherwise, to me, where this hinges is in this idea of the lamps or these torches or or burning lamps, which I take to be like this outward profession. And so the question is you have all of them coming with these lamps. Lambs represent this external common to true or false professors alike. But I think to what you are driving at, it's whether within that profession there is a true and actual reliance on Christ himself for righteousness.  [00:30:57] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, oil, I think the oil is really key here too, right? Oil in the, uh, in the scriptures, particularly in the Old Testament. Um, but also in some places in the New Testament, oil is associated with the Holy Spirit.  [00:31:11] Jesse Schwamb: Yes,  [00:31:11] Tony Arsenal: exactly right. So if, if we wanna sort of take the symbolism here, take, take the, the situation sort of as a mixture of, of different kinds of symbols. We have these folks that have all of the outward things necessary to be able to light the lamps. They have the lamps, the wicks are there. Um, they're, they're sort of ready to go. They're, they're ready and waiting for a time. Uh, but what they don't have is they don't have oil, they don't have the Holy Spirit. So yes, we, we need in some senses about false professors, but I do think it's broader than that.  [00:31:43] Salvation Has A Deadline [00:31:43] Tony Arsenal: I think this is, um, again, is a generalized parable about. The, the fact that the hour of salvation, the day of salvation, the opportunity to turn to God, the opportunity to come into God's kingdom is not an indefinite opportunity. It's not going to be out there as a possibility forever. There is a day and an hour and a minute for every single person where that opportunity is no longer available. And of course we're the reformed brotherhood, not the Armenian Brotherhood, right? We're the reformed brotherhood. So yes, God has ordained who will come and who will not. He's ordained the hour and the minute of those who will, and he's ordained that some will never come. But that all operates on God's God's level in God's knowledge. And that's not something we have access to know down here, right? Deuteronomy 29, 29, the sacred things belong to the Lord, but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever. And one of the things that's revealed is that God calls us to salvation. He calls us to repent and trust in Jesus. And here in this passage, he is cutting us to do that, to not delay doing that.  [00:32:53] Personal Evangelism Story [00:32:53] Tony Arsenal: I think there are a lot of people, um. I can actually think of a couple really specific examples in when I was in high school. Um, I was, I, I don't do as much personal evangelism as I I did when I was, uh, when I was in high school and younger. I, I don't know for sure what the reason is. Some of it's probably my own cowardice, but I think probably just that's normal, that as you grow and you kind of settle into different kinds of relationships, you have a different context. But I remember a, a friend of mine named Dave, I'm not gonna say his last name, I remember his last name, but I'm not gonna say it, but a friend of mine named David, um, who. All of us were coming to faith, like all, all of our friend group were coming to Faith. There was one of my friends, James was sort of like the first guy who, he was raised in a Christian home and he sort of came to faith in a very real faith, real way. And he sort of brought all of us along with him and sort of one by one we, we sort of like, it was like Domino's falling. And we all came to a genuine, true saving faith kind of all right in a row. And then there was Dave and Dave just didn't like he, he with us. He did all the things we were doing. And I remember having a conversation with him where I was like, what are you waiting for? Like, what's, what's the hold up here? And I didn't have any, again, I didn't have any framework for like what apologetics were, I wasn't trying to make an argument or any sort of like, um, any sort of like persuasion. It was just a real raw like we are all loving this. We're all, we're all so joyful and happy. The lives are changing and we. This is real, Dave, what, what are you waiting for? He never had a real answer. He, he didn't ever make an argument against the faith. He was very clear that he believed that God was real. He believed that God existed, that the sort of the facts of the gospel were true. Like he, he, um, to sort of put like theological language on it, um, he had, he had a ticia and a census, right? Right. He, he acknowledged he knew the true facts of the gospel and he acknowledged the reality that, that those facts were true. He just never actually took the step to trust in Jesus. And I don't know what happened to Dave. Uh, there's another friend of mine named Theo that very similar kind of situation. I don't know what happened to Dave and Theo. I have no idea whether they eventually came to faith or not, but, but it was like, you guys never know when the day in the hours. That's the kind of person that I think this is pointing to.  [00:35:15] Against Rapture Ready Fear [00:35:15] Tony Arsenal: Not necessarily the person within the church, um, who has made some sort of credible profession of faith, but thinks, but like, because like they haven't stopped swearing yet, or because they still have lustful thoughts once in a while. Like I think that's the rapture ready theology is like. You better not hope that like that's the day that a pretty girl walks by and you have a lutful thought. 'cause if Jesus comes back right after that, you're really in trouble. Like those are, those are actually, um, again, this is, this is a caricature of dispensationalism, but it's a caricature that I experienced. It's, it was people who were being characters of themselves. Right? This idea that, look, you better, you better not sin ever. You better not be asleep. And being asleep means sinning. You better not ever sin. Because if you happen to sin right before the rapture, then Jesus is gonna leave you behind. Right? You're not gonna fly up in the clouds if you're not perfectly rapture ready. And like, again, not all dispensationalist are like that. I actually think most dispensationalist these days would probably not fit into that category. Right? But when I was coming to faith in the late nineties and early two thousands, that was the real theology being presented. I don't think that's what this is. This is about a life orientation of preparedness. This is about an entire life. Yes. That is prepared for Christ's second coming or for the hour of our death. And that the only way to be prepared for that is to be happy in Christ, is to be blessed, blessed assurance, like to have your blessed assurance because Jesus is mine. Oh, what a, you know, oh, what a happy delight like that is. The only way to be ready for death, to be prepared for the end is to turn to Jesus. It's not about whether or not you've turned to Jesus and have become perfectly sinless. None of us are like that, right? It's not about, I just got done writing this series of articles on John Piper's affectional theology, affectional Justification, like it's not about perfectly treasuring Christ. There are gonna be times where your emotions do not sync up with what you actually believe. It's not about being perfectly obedient or wanting to be perfectly obedient. It's about trusting Jesus. And there's only one day an hour that that opportunity closes, and you never know when that is, when that day an hour is gonna be. [00:37:26] Wise Versus Foolish [00:37:26] Jesse Schwamb: We know that to be true in this particular parable because of what's written for us in verse two, how Jesus himself bifurcates and labels these two groups. He says five of them were foolish and five were wise. So Christ himself introduces the critical distinction, not of course, with reference to whatever the external practice is, because both of these groups are carrying lamps, both weight, both know the bridegroom is coming, but with an interior character judgment one is literally foolish, which is the same contrast that Christ employs actually in the parable of the two builders at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, where the wise man hears and does, while the foolish man hears, but does not translate hearing into obedient transformation. So I'm with you on this. The terms carry, I think, significant Old Testament fruit because in the all the wisdom literature, wisdom is synonymous with the fear of the Lord, that true knowledge of God, right? And that practical orientation, I think as you were saying, of one's entire life toward God. The fool is not like an intellectual simpleton, but it's a world spiritual category. It's one who lives as though God does not exist or God does not matter, or refuses in the light of incontrovertible evidence to come before God and to submit to him In this way. They are foolish or they are wise. And so again, I like what you're saying. It's not as if like they've just exhibited some kind of quick departure or they've fallen into temptation or sinfulness, but instead, rather, there's something way larger at stake here with respect to a spiritual category. And I think that's really what Jesus is after, as he's bringing these two groups apart from each other, explaining that essentially that they access the same things. They heard the same stuff, they had the same on the outward, at least the same priorities, but the true internal character, the interior character of who they were, was not compatible. These are not the the same kind of person.  [00:39:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  [00:39:21] All Virgins Fall Asleep [00:39:21] Tony Arsenal: And this is actually something, um, that I hadn't picked up on before. Right. I think we can get into these ruts when we're reading and understanding, uh, the scripture, especially really familiar passages like this. Um, probably like at some point in the past, someone has taught it to me in this way. I heard a sermon or I heard it at a youth group in a particular way, and I just never really went back. The, the wise virgins also fall asleep.  [00:39:46] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly.  [00:39:46] Tony Arsenal: Like, like that, that's amazing to me, like Right. I've always heard this passage as though like, falling asleep is the equivalent of spiritual death.  [00:39:54] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. [00:39:55] Tony Arsenal: But the reality is, in this passage, the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins is not that they, one of them stays awake and one of them falls asleep. One, the, the, the difference between the wise and the foolish is that the ones that are wise are prepared for when the bride root clump comes, even though they fell asleep and, and actually, uh, they're, they're shown to be even more wise because they all fell asleep. Yes. Right. If they hadn't fallen asleep, then the foolish ones probably would've had time to go get more. But the, the wise virgins in this, uh. And not only were they wise in terms of like they had the stuff they needed, they were ready to go, but so wise that in fact their wisdom overcame sort of this happenstance that they were in a state of, of preparedness being asleep when the comes is a state of Unpreparedness, but they have able to compensate for the ready in every other area. And I think this also kind of like mitigates away away from the idea of like the, um. The, the emphasis of the parable here, the readiness of the par of the virgins is not based on the wakefulness of the virgins, right? Yes. The virgins are ready because they have the supplies they need. Right. They're not Exactly, they're not exactly, they're not un 'cause they fell asleep. They're ready because they've, they've prepared by purchasing the supplies they need, by having the supplies they need when the breadroom comes. That's true. Whether they fall asleep or not. So I think like this whole parable needs to sort of like be reoriented in reference to the way a lot of us have, A lot of us have been taught and understood this parable. I was always taught that the, the foolish virgins were foolish because they fell asleep. Yeah, that's probably partially true in that it's foolish to fall asleep when you're waiting for something, but that can't be the only thing that makes them foolish. 'cause it doesn't make the other virgins foolish. [00:41:51] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, exactly.  [00:41:52] Oil As Saving Grace [00:41:52] Jesse Schwamb: And that's why it's so interesting that Jesus basically doubles down or elaborates in verses three and four by saying for when the foolish took their lamps. They took no oil with them. Yeah, but the wises took flasks of oil with their lambs. I think it's actually, as you're, I think leading us into like the theological height of this whole thing, the foolish virgins took their lambs, but no oil. The wise took lambs and extra oil in vessels. And of course the lambs cannot burn without oil in the same way. I think what we're led to believe here is profession without grace has no sustaining power. So I know like throughout church history, this idea of the oil has been interpreted in various ways, in various forms. I think there's a lot of unification though on the point that the oil is more or less like a representation of the grace of the Holy Spirit. That like specific indwelling regenerating, sanctifying presence of the spirit imparted in effectual calling and genuine conversion. And that's why I think this has a lot in common with both like the tears and the wheat parable. But also what you've been saying about the time that is appointed onto a man to die, either for Christ to return or just for you and I to die. And so this understanding, I think is consistent with the Old Testament symbolic use of, like you said before, anointing oil is a sign of the spirit's presence. Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit. And so I'm seeing here like this oil is, I mean, is it going too far to say almost like a saving grace? It's, it's not common grace, it's not the gifts of the spirit, which the reprobate may possess, but I think we're, we're seeing here like that special sanctifying preserving grace, which is inseparable from true election and calling. [00:43:29] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I mean, I think that's spot on. While you were talking, I was actually just looking up, uh, what Calvin has to say on this. I, I think it's funny because I constantly am saying things that I feel like I'm discovering for myself in real time. But if I actually just took the, a little bit of time to read some of our great sources a little more carefully, I would run into them. This is what he says. He says on, uh, verse five, he says, some interpret this slumbering in a bad sense as if believers along with others abandon themselves sloth. And they were, they were asleep amidst the vanities of the world. This is all together inconsistent with the intention of Christ as structure of the parable. [00:44:05] Slow Down And Read [00:44:05] Tony Arsenal: Like I think it's clear now here as we're working through this and this, and this is the main benefit, um, of taking time to just walk through the parables, any, any text of scripture, but the parables is what we're looking at. Taking time to just actually slow down and read them. I didn't intend to get to like a whole discussion about Bible reading plans, but the typical, I'm gonna read the Bible through, uh, the entire Bible in a year that typically has you reading three to five chapters a day is the average. That's probably too much if you want to be reading for understanding. And there is, there's definitely value. I've, I've commented in the past, there's huge value in reading large tracks of scripture all at the same time. Like if you wanna sit down over 10 chapters of Scripture day and you've got the time and the energy and the discipline to do it, then more power to you. But I think it's not realistic to think you're gonna sit down and read 10 chapters of scripture and have good comprehension and retention of the 10 chapters that you read. This is a really good example of that. If you sit down and you read three chapters, you're gonna be reading this, you're gonna be reading, uh, another parable. The parable of the talents you are gonna be reading. You know, the all of it discourse all at the same time, all in one sitting. Um, it's not until just now when I slowed down to really look at these passages, verse by verse individually and take an hour to discuss 13 verses with my brother-in-law in front of a microphone, right? Then I realized all of the virgins fall asleep. Like that's the kind of stuff that you really only, um, you only overcome. The assumed teaching that you heard when you were in high school, 15, you know, 15, 20 years ago at a summer camp. You really only overcome that when you slow down enough to read things and actually comprehend them. So that's not much of a commentary on the passage, but it is something that I'm learning as we do these parable studies. Just slow down, slow down and read them, read them multiple times, read it over and over again. Um, it is totally fine. The, this is the last, uh, Bible reading soapbox thing I'll say tonight. Um, I think like, because. Of the influence of like expository preaching and like wanting to read things in, in context, and all of those things are good. I think there is this tendency to think that if you sit down and just read a very short portion of scripture, that you're kind of automatically taking that out of context. I don't think that's the case. Like it's totally fine to sit down in the morning and go, you know what? I've got, I've got 10 minutes, I've got five minutes. I've got two minutes before the kids are up. I've got two minutes before the bus stop, you know, before the bus gets here. I'm standing at the bus stop. I've got 30 seconds before the coffee's done. It's totally fine to open your Bible app. And read two or three verses of scripture, that's a totally fine thing to do. It's totally fine because you've got 10 minutes before the kids got up. Oh, and by the way, you've gotta unload the dishwasher before they do. Totally fine to sit down and go, I've got time to read 13 verses of scripture today. So that's what I'm gonna get done. Um, and, and then just think about those things like meditate on those scriptures all day. I just think there's a lot of values to that and that's maybe that's my takeaway from this episode. I know like that's not a takeaway directly related to this passage. That's good. But I think we can oftentimes. Have and understand that isn't right because we've been taught it and we don't ever have the time or space in our life to like realize that what we were taught is maybe exactly right. This is like something so obvious on the surface of the text. It didn't even take any real thought. It just took slowing down and actually reading the words  [00:47:45] Jesse Schwamb: right. It's also a good reminder, like we said from the beginning, that our goal here shouldn't be to torture every detail, to like press it for some kind of allegorical significance.  [00:47:55] Tony Arsenal: Yes.  [00:47:55] Jesse Schwamb: But to take it on the face and to understand in context what's being said. And by context I just mean the context of the story. Of the accounts of the drama that's unfolding. And it is pretty remarkable that all 10 virgins sleep, that maybe even as you start with the details might not be your impression that that was gonna be, was gonna be the difference here, but both the wises and the foolish alike fall asleep. So to me, the parable is not condemning sleep per se, but I think it's the absence of oil which the sleep merely reveals, right? That's the critical detail here. And so Jesus delivers that to us and that's why it's, I think, important to think about these, these variables about what the oil represents and the context in which they're tested with their preparedness. But it's not because like they had it almost times you get the impression, it's like what we're saying here is the wise had more stamina, that they were the ones that were just willing to tough it out, and they knew the bridegroom was coming. And so as a result of that, they decided that they were going to ensure that they stayed awake, even if they had the drink, a couple of extra cups of coffee, just to make sure that was the case. But really their sleepiness, which they both have to endure, is the very context in which proves that they do are not prepared by having sufficient oil, not that they're unprepared by having sufficient energy or stamina.  [00:49:18] Prepared Despite Fatigue [00:49:18] Jesse Schwamb: Well, with all.  [00:49:21] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, that's a good takeaway too, is, is we all, um, we all will succumb to temptation in this life,  [00:49:32] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:49:33] Tony Arsenal: Right. Every single one of us. And even if we think of sleeping in this negative sense, which I think we probably need to move away from it, even if we do, I think the point that you're making is really good, for instance, between the foolish and the wises is not their ability to stay awake. So I do think that, I do think there's a slightly negative connotation to drowsy and slept here. Like I think that, I think it's intended to show some level of fatigue. Fatigue, maybe not like a moral right, maybe not a moral, uh, negativity, but there's a fatigue. There's something that overcomes both wise and foolish virgins in this parable. Fatigue and drowsiness overcomes them and they sleep. And it's because the bridegroom was delayed, right? We wanna talk about eschatology, right? This is probably also more a commentary on the church as a whole. The church becomes drowsy and sleeps right, and then there's the foolish and the wise. The foolish are the ones who are not prepared even though they are drowsy and sleep. And then there's the wise who are foolish, or the wises who are prepared and are drowsy and sleep. But E, either way, if we think of drowsy and sleep, even in moral negative terms, right? All of us will succumb to temptation. All of us will succumb to sin in this life. I would even go so far as to say all of us sin in every moment of our life in that we never love God. Truly. Yes. With our full hearts and souls. You got that right soul the way that we're, we're commanded to. Right. Right. So all of us become drowsy and sleep. The difference is not in those who pull themselves up by their bootstraps and tape their eyelids open so that they don't fall asleep. Right. I don't, I don't know if you ever like had trouble staying awake in school, but I used to, like I used to sit at my desk with my pencil under my chin. Oh my Lord. So if I started to fall asleep, it would like jab me and I would wake up so I could stay awake in school. Oh. It's not about like gimmicks to stay awake.  [00:51:20] Jesse Schwamb: Right, right.  [00:51:21] Tony Arsenal: It's about the fact that those of us who have trusted Christ. Have received the oil. Yes. So even when we sleep, yes. Even when we are drowsy, even when we are overcome by the fatigue that prevents us from, uh, from resisting sin. Right. Even when that happens, we still have the oil. We still have the grace of the Holy Spirit. We still have the empowering presence and the, the, the justifying reality of Christ's death For us, in my mind as I read this parable, that really is what it is, right? Get the oil, go get the stinking oil now, because you never know when the day or hour is coming. Mm-hmm. Whether that's the day or the hour that you fall asleep and you're not prepared, or whether that's the day or the hour that the bridegroom was, even if you're awake. That's the other element of this. Even if the virgins had stayed awake, they didn't have the oil.  [00:52:11] Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  [00:52:12] Tony Arsenal: So it it's not as though, it's not as though had they stayed awake, they would've had time to go get the oil and come back. They, they wake up right away. Like there's nothing in the parable that's like, oh, it took 'em a little while to get up. So that's why they didn't have time to get the oil. They, they didn't have time to get the oil. 'cause there wasn't time to get the oil  [00:52:31] Jesse Schwamb: right.  [00:52:32] Tony Arsenal: So the only way you're going to be properly prepared when the bridegroom comes is if you already have the oil and you're already ready to go. Regardless of whether you fall asleep or not.  [00:52:42] Gospel Call Get Oil [00:52:42] Tony Arsenal: So I, I think, I think we have to kind of close this with like a gospel, a gospel call here. Like we don't do this very often on the show, and I think the vast majority of our show are professed, regenerate Christians. I don't, I don't know anyone who listens to the show that is outwardly not a Christian, but I think this is a time for us to say, listen, if you are hearing the sound of my voice, be diligent to make your calling an election. Sure. And that both takes the form of what Peter talks about, where he talks about growing in graces and walking in, walking in the qualities of holine

Hey y'all ! Welcome to another Friday with CWCOI ! In this week's episode, our host, Ally Yost talks about how the name of Jesus is full of power and authority. Sometimes we can feel like it's up to us to say profound, powerful prayers in order for mountains move but it really is just power in the name of Jesus. He is the one who has set us free.  "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." Galatians 5:1 _____________________________________________ ☆ Give now to end hunger ➤ FeedingAmerica.org ☆ If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started ➤ https://learn.nocd.com/CWCOI ☆ For up to 65% off your order, head to ➤ VeracityHealth.co and use code COFFEE ☆ Get full access to Glorify for $29.99 for the year. Download the Glorify app now ➤ https://glorify-app.com/ALLY ☆ REP CWCOI MERCH ➤ https://allyyost.com  ☆ MY BIBLE (code 'ALLYYOST' at checkout) ➤ https://hosannarevival.com/collections/beautiful-bibles/products/nlt-notetaking-bible-belfast-theme ☆ TUMBLER LINK ➤ https://allyyost.com/products/travel-tumbler _____________________________________________ Connect further with us ! TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@christwithcoffeeonice  Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/christwithcoffeeonice  _____________________________________________ Connect further with Ally ! TikTok (2M) ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@ally_yost  Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/ally_yost/  ShopMy ➤ https://shopmy.us/allyyost  Pinterest ➤ https://www.pinterest.com/ally_yost1/_created/

Series: Galatians 5Sermon Title: Stay FreeMain Scripture: Galatians 5:1 "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law."Synopsis: Jesus didn't set us free so we could run back to sin or try to save ourselves with better behavior. In Galatians 5, Paul reminds us that real freedom is found only in the grace of God, which in turn shapes a new way of living.April 12, 2026 • Kyle Smith• • • • • • • •.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Join us for service in person and online every Sunday at 10am (MST) at the City Life Community Center in Missoula, MT. We believe that you matter. We would love to connect with you and hear your story! https://www.anchorchurchmissoula.com/contactIf you would like to engage financially with Anchor Church you can give by texting any amount to 84321 or by visiting https://www.anchorchurchmissoula.comNeed prayer or have a praise report? https://www.anchorchurchmissoula.com/prayerpraiseFor more information about Anchor Church or ways to get connected visit us at https://www.www.anchorchurchmissoula.com or follow us on our social media platforms below.Instagram - @anchorchurchmissoula - https://www.instagram.com/anchorchurchmissoulaFacebook - @anchorchurchmissoula - https://www.facebook.com/anchorchurchmissoula

Series: Galatians 5Sermon Title: Because of EasterMain Scripture: Galatians 5:1 "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free"Synopsis: Easter is certainly a celebration of Jesus' resurrection, but it is also a celebration of the greatest rescue mission of all time. In this message, we look at why the resurrection is such good news, what it actually saves us from, and how Galatians 5 shows us that because Jesus is alive, we can continue to walk in freedom.April 5, 2026 • Kyle Smith• • • • • • • •.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Join us for service in person and online every Sunday at 10am (MST) at the City Life Community Center in Missoula, MT. We believe that you matter. We would love to connect with you and hear your story! https://www.anchorchurchmissoula.com/contactIf you would like to engage financially with Anchor Church you can give by texting any amount to 84321 or by visiting https://www.anchorchurchmissoula.comNeed prayer or have a praise report? https://www.anchorchurchmissoula.com/prayerpraiseFor more information about Anchor Church or ways to get connected visit us at https://www.www.anchorchurchmissoula.com or follow us on our social media platforms below.Instagram - @anchorchurchmissoula - https://www.instagram.com/anchorchurchmissoulaFacebook - @anchorchurchmissoula - https://www.facebook.com/anchorchurchmissoula

This or That Part 5 - 15 March 2026Presented by Mr. Allen KeysGalatians 5 - So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law…

Welcome back to Gnostic Insights and to the Gnostic Reformation on Substack. First I have to tell you, what was lost has been found. I went back to White City VA yesterday and had an acupuncture treatment. And on my way out of the building, I saw a maintenance man, a custodian at his cart with his broom. I thought to myself, well, if anybody should be able to find something, it would be this guy. I told him I lost a book two weeks ago, somewhere between 201 and 209 in a lady’s room on a windowsill. And he says, “Well, what was the name of the book?” And I said, “Culpability.” And indeed, the recognition went across his face. He said, “I have seen that book. I have dusted that book every day for two weeks.” And I said, “Why didn’t you turn it into lost and found?” He goes, “Well, it’s not my book. It belongs to somebody. So I just left it there.” So then we had to look for the restroom that he had found it in, because he cleans a lot of ladies rooms in that big span of buildings. I told him it was on the second floor, that it was somewhere between 201 and on my way to the chiropractor in building 209. And so we went upstairs together and he took me right to the bathroom. And there was the book where I had laid it down. I was absolutely overjoyed. I thanked him profusely for his assistance. And I asked him if I could give him a hug. And he said, yeah, sure. So I gave him a big hug and it was wonderful. It was just wonderful. We went back downstairs together. I proceeded out the door and he proceeded with his cart down the hall. I was ecstatic. I should mention that his name was Lester. That way we can all give a blessing for Lester. Thank you, Lester! ***************************** Now, the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked about this Gnostic Reformation here at Gnostic Insights. My Gnosticism that I’m sharing with you is not different than classical Gnosticism, but it is a further refinement. It’s a proceeding onward. We don’t go back into history. We go forward into the future. Today, we’re going to talk about the Demiurge and how this view of the Demiurge that I have is slightly different than the view that a lot of people have. See, most people think of the Demiurge as malicious, as an evil being. And when I first was studying Gnosticism, I was pretty much along those lines as well. I thought that the Demiurge was a very bad guy. But over the past few years, I’ve come to see that the Demiurge isn’t a bad guy. That he’s doing his best. He is the, as I like to say, he is the god of this world. So he’s done a pretty darn good job. He’s done better than you and I could do building a world. But how did he do that? Why is he thought to be malicious? I mean, I often speak of him—and again, I say him, but it’s really an it. Because first off, let’s remember, the Demiurge is not a stand-alone entity. The Demiurge is the separated ego or identity—the presenting face of the Aeon known as Logos, the Aeon who fell. And when Logos fell because he overreached, his ego overreached and thought it could become plugged back into the Father the way the Son is plugged into the Father. Logos mistook himself for the Son, you could say. You could also say he mistook himself for the Fullness. Because there he is sitting right there at the very tippy top of the hierarchy of the Fullness of God–the very top. He was the final Aeon to be produced by the commingling of all of the Aeons giving glory to the Father and the Son. Logos mistakes himself for the Fullness. So Logos was sitting way up there at the tippy top. He didn’t have any neighbors to his left and right because he was the capstone. He didn’t have anybody over above him other than the Father. And the rest of the Pleroma was down there beneath him because he’s sitting as a capstone on the hierarchy of the Fullness of God, which looks like a pyramid. So I think that Logos simply mistook himself for the Son or mistook that he could go ahead and plug in to the Father. He’s right there. He’s so close. You know, we have echoes of that same Fall in the story of the Tower of Babel where the humans built this incredibly tall tower reaching to the heavens, reaching to God. And God, [and in this case it was probably Jehovah, probably the Demiurge because we’re downstream here in the cosmos], thought that was not a good idea. And so he cast them into confusion by a proliferation of languages that they couldn’t understand each other and they stopped building and the tower fell. Italian humanist manuscript late 15th century It’s also the story of Icarus where he made wings and he flew too close to the sun, S-U-N in that case. And when he flew too close to the sun, it melted the wax that was holding his wings together and Icarus fell. These are other examples of falling. 18th century engraving by Bernard Picart So in this case with Logos, Logos wanted to go up to the Father with his Pleroma, which was perfect because the Pleroma of Logos is a fractal of the Fullness of God. It’s a fractal copy of the entire hierarchy. Logos had within its Pleroma a fractal, one level down, of all of the other Aeons. He had a full and complete Pleroma. He had the entire plans. He knew everything to put together paradise, to put together the cosmos. But that wasn’t his job and so he overreached. His ego got out of control and it was his ego that impelled him to overreach, which caused the Fall. The Father couldn’t allow Logos to plug back into him because, well, that space is taken by the Son. But not only that, the Father is too immense, is too illimitable, is too powerful for a lowly Aeon to be able to plug directly in. No one can control that much power. No one can hold that much energy except the Son. So Logos was repelled by the Father to save him from becoming cinders in the light of his immensity. And he fell and he broke apart down here outside of the Pleroma of the Fullness. And it was his broken bits that became the quantum foam of this cosmos. Logos couldn’t get it back together. He couldn’t stuff it all back in. He couldn’t contain the chaos that erupted from him once his ego took over. Logos stumbles and Falls while reaching for Glory. And I hope, as I talk about the Demiurge, that you can hear the parallels to our egos when our own egos get out of control. That’s when all hell breaks loose. The Aeons were designed to stay in the glory beam of the Father and the Son. They each had their position, place, duty, name in the hierarchy. And Logos overreached his position, place, duty, name. His ego took over. That’s why he fell. And then it was nothing but ego down here. The best part of Logos, it says in the Tripartite Tractate, was horrified. And it abandoned the chaos below and returned to the Aeons in the Fullness. But he was broken. He left half of himself behind. So let’s look at this Demiurge that was left behind. The Demiurge is not a character that stands alone. The Demiurge is the shadow of the Fallen Aeon. The Demiurge is the shadow of Logos. Because when his ego took over and separated, all that was left was the shadows. So the Pleroma of the Demiurge is a shadow of the Pleroma of Logos. We know that the Pleroma of Logos is a fractal level down from the hierarchy of the Fullness. What does it mean to be the shadow of that Pleroma? That’s what makes up the body and energy of the Demiurge. So there’s two questions that Gnostics have often wrestled with over the years, particularly the Sethians and then the Platonists in the Greek strain of thought. And these were the questions. How can the Demiurge be ignorant without being evil? And how can the cosmos be orderly yet spiritually deficient? This is answered by thinking of the Demiurge as the shadow of the Fallen Aeon. This means that the Demiurge is not malicious; he’s not autonomous either. He is not the source of being. The Demiurge is a distorted reflection of the higher principle that was Logos. When we think of the Demiurge this way, we can preserve the goodness of the Father and the integrity of the Son and the cooperative nature of the Aeons. Evil didn’t fall from the Father. Evil is nothing but another word for chaos and shadow—lack of goodness. So falling out of the pleroma of the hierarchy of the Fullness created our material cosmos as a shadow place. There is a cosmic deficiency hard-baked into this material universe. And that is, by definition, separation from the Father and the hierarchy of the Fullness of God. Ignorance is a shadow. It’s not a substance. It’s a lack. Again, ignorance is part of the shadow. It’s the ignorance of not knowing God. It’s the ignorance of not remembering where you came from. My Gnostic insight is that the role of the Demiurge is to bring order to chaos, bring order to the quantum foam that was bubbling in and out in and out of existence down here. This is a way different place than the ethereal space. And in order to impose control upon the quantum foam, the Demiurge imposes strict physical laws like a puppet master. He controls physics through laws of physics. Strictly, there can be no deviation or there would be no material universe. That’s a principle that comes right out of physics. The laws of our universe are strictly precise and any deviation causes catastrophic failure. So it was necessary for the Demiurge to impose strict physical laws on both physics and then higher up on the chemistry of how things go together. Bonds, chemical bonds. The Demiurge controls through strings of power. And the Demiurge knows how to do this because it is the shadow of all of that fractal knowledge of Logos. So it has the pattern, but it’s a dead pattern. It’s like he has the blueprints but he doesn’t have the life. He has a little small shadowy model of the way things ought to be. So he knows how things go. He creates structure, but doesn’t understand the meaning or the wisdom behind it. Now, after we second order powers came to Earth to try to remind the Demiurge of love and the Father and the Son and the Fullness above and his better half Logos up there with the Aeons begging for him to come home, praying for him to come home, we second order powers were sent down to try to bring that remembrance to the Demiurge. But we have failed because we get caught up in this never-ending war down here. Never-ending War And you know, it’s not just a never-ending war against the other political party. It’s not just a never-ending war against other people that frustrate our desires. It’s a never-ending war between entropy and creation. It’s a never-ending war between life and death, between material and ethereal. We get lost in the battle and we forget to stand within that beam of glory that comes directly down on us from the hierarchy above. So the Demiurge tries to also impose laws and strict order upon us second order creatures, thinking that we are just wayward molecules because it doesn’t remember where we came from. It doesn’t remember where it came from. The Demiurge does not understand free will. Free will is not allowed in the Demiurgic universe because if the Demiurge allowed any free will in the material, things would fly apart. Things would not hold. So the Demiurge is trying to impose order upon us second order creatures and we are very unruly because of the free will that we inherited from the Aeonic realm and we just do not obey. That’s why the laws in the Old Testament and the Quran are so strict. There’s no deviation allowed because the Demiurge is trying its best to impose order upon us, thinking of us as simply disobedient pieces of material. So in this Gnosticism that I am sharing with you, the Demiurge is cut off from the first principle of knowledge, wisdom, love, consciousness, life. And it’s down here all on its own in this dark and dreary place. The Demiurge is competent. He created this world that we live in. He created the stars in the heavens. He’s doing his best. He’s earnest, but he is spiritually amnesiac which limits his power and understanding. He’s not just a tyrant. In the Gnosticism that I’m sharing with you, the goal has always been to restore the Demiurge back to the Pleroma and slap it back onto Logos, restoring his ego and making Logos whole. Because until the Demiurge returns to the hierarchy of God, there is an Aeon in that hierarchy who is not whole. And that diminishes the Fullness of God. We are actually joining in with the prayer of the Aeons to restore the Demiurge back to the Fullness, to restore the Demiurge back to Logos, which will then restore Logos, which then restores the Aeons of the Fullness. The Demiurge cannot bring life and consciousness to the mud. So we don’t discard the Demiurge but seek to heal the Demiurge. We are not merely trying to escape this material cosmos but we are part of the plan of redemption for the cosmos. The Aeons are not isolated from this universe but they become reconciled with the universe when the Demiurge is restored to Logos. And as I was telling you for the last couple of weeks, humanity isn’t divided into those who are elect and therefore saved and those who are not elect in any of the religions that want to say that only their believers are the elect. Everyone is restored when the Demiurge is restored. And when everyone is restored, then the Demiurge is restored. Now we can’t be restored—we second-order powers already fell when our ego is in control and it is usually in control down here. It’s all a fractal system. It’s all resonating downward. So we resemble the Demiurge when our big S Self is not in control, our Self being a fractal representation of the pleroma of Logos. We failed in that and that is the purpose of the third order of powers which is Christ because we can’t do it on our own. We’ve tried. We’ve tried for millennia. We can’t seem to climb out of that egoic trap that we find ourselves in and therefore the Christ came to redeem us and to redeem the Demiurge. The Christ is a later solution to the Fall. Second-order power was not enough.  Send in the third-order powers and the Christ does have all the power necessary. The Christ has all the mojo of the ethereal plane. Nothing’s missing and it has the full blessing of the Father. We are all elect within the pleroma of Christ. So Christ is the restorative agent to the Demiurge, to us, to all of creation. Christ is the harmonizer. Christ is the healer of the Fallen Aeon and the revealer of the Father and the awakener of the Demiurge and the teacher of humanity. Christ didn’t create the cosmos. Christ restores the cosmos. Christ does not impose law. Christ said he came to replace the law. He takes the law away from the hands of the Demiurge and instead rules through meaning and love. The Christ didn’t come to dominate the Demiurge, to kill the Demiurge. Christ came to enlighten the Demiurge. I have come of late to feel more compassion for the Demiurge. The Demiurge is an innocent victim of the Fall. He’s a limited being that can only rule through strict control. He’s redeemable through the power of Christ, who restores the cosmos. So let’s go through this again real quick. The Son is the primal image of the Father, the first expression of the Father, the first emanation of the Father. As soon as the Son was formed, his component parts were identified and those component parts—those are the Totalities, who then became Self-aware and now we call them the Aeons. They express the Fullness of divine life. See, the Son is one big entity, but the Aeons are all of the Son in smaller approachable forms. It’s like thinking of all of the humans on the planet as one giant mass and trying to relate to humanity as one thought, one thing. Well, that’s not true. We’re each individuals. We’re each a part of humanity and it’s that kind of relationship that the Aeons have to the Son. You see, one Aeon falls and in this Gnosticism, we call that Aeon Logos and his shadow emerged, which is the Demiurge. The Demiurge orders chaos through strict laws, but lacks any spiritual memory and the Christ then, formed cooperatively by the Son, Logos and the Aeons, descends into our cosmic space to heal the Fallen Aeon, to enlighten the Demiurge, to awaken humanity and to restore cosmic harmony. Here is a chart that very neatly displays today’s Gnostic Insights. God bless us all and onward and upward.                            THE FATHER         (Transcendent Source • Beyond Being • Silent Origin)                                    │                      Emanation flows downward (pure gift)                                    ▼                                THE SON        (First Emanation • Direct Image • Perfect Intelligible Form)                                    │                      Expression flows outward (intelligibility)                                    ▼                                  LOGOS      (Articulate Intellect • Pattern of Order • Fractal Pleroma)                                    │                      Differentiation flows into multiplicity                                    ▼                          THE FULLNESS OF AEONS    (Harmonic Community • Modalities of Divine Life • Stable Radiance)                                    │                      (One aeon turns inward (self‑regarding Ego) Logos/Sophia)                                    ▼                          THE FALL      SEPARATION FROM THE FATHER AEONIC DEFICIENCY ARISES      (Ignorance • Misalignment • Loss of Orientation toward the Son)                                    │                      Shadow flows from the deficient Aeon Logos                                    ▼                            THE DEMIURGE – EGO PERSONIFIED    (Shadow‑Image • Earnest but Amnesiac • Competent yet Unillumined)                                    │  Hidden influence flows from the LOGOS   (quiet guidance, unrecognized by the Demiurge, shaping his ordering activity)                                    │            Ordering flows from Logos into the pre‑cosmic chaos/quantum foam                                    ▼                    COSMOS ORDERED BY THE DEMIURGE ALONE    (Physical Laws • Chemical Necessity • Biological Imperatives •     Governmental Structures • Order without Meaning)                                    │  Human souls do NOT arise here. They descend from the Aeons above.                                           ▼                      DESCENT OF HUMAN SOULS FROM AEONS (Soul-stream flows downward • Each soul carries a spark of the aeonic harmony • Enters the cosmos under conditions of amnesia due to bonding with the Demiurgic material.)                                     ▼                                HUMANITY    (Divine Origin • Cosmic Conditioning • Spiritual Amnesia • Longing)                                    │                      Compassion flows from the higher Aeons                                    ▼                                 CHRIST    (Restorative Agent • Cooperative Emanation of Son + Logos + Aeons •     Bridge Between Realms • Physician of Ignorance)                                    │                      Healing flows upward and downward                                    ▼                      CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE ACTIVITY    • Heals the fallen Aeon     • Illuminates the Demiurge (reveals the Logos behind his work)     • Reveals the Father to humanity     • Softens strict law with mercy and wisdom     • Restores harmony among the Aeons     • Awakens the soul's memory of its aeonic origin     • Opens the path of universal return                                    │                      Reconciliation flows back toward the Source                                    ▼                          UNIVERSAL RESTORATION    (Demiurge Enlightened • Aeons Reharmonized • Humanity Awakened •     Cosmos Transfigured • All Return Through the Son to the Father)

Welcome back to Gnostic Insights and to the Gnostic Reformation on Substack. First I have to tell you, what was lost has been found. I went back to White City VA yesterday and had an acupuncture treatment. And on my way out of the building, I saw a maintenance man, a custodian at his cart with his broom. I thought to myself, well, if anybody should be able to find something, it would be this guy. I told him I lost a book two weeks ago, somewhere between 201 and 209 in a lady’s room on a windowsill. And he says, “Well, what was the name of the book?” And I said, “Culpability.” And indeed, the recognition went across his face. He said, “I have seen that book. I have dusted that book every day for two weeks.” And I said, “Why didn’t you turn it into lost and found?” He goes, “Well, it’s not my book. It belongs to somebody. So I just left it there.” So then we had to look for the restroom that he had found it in, because he cleans a lot of ladies rooms in that big span of buildings. I told him it was on the second floor, that it was somewhere between 201 and on my way to the chiropractor in building 209. And so we went upstairs together and he took me right to the bathroom. And there was the book where I had laid it down. I was absolutely overjoyed. I thanked him profusely for his assistance. And I asked him if I could give him a hug. And he said, yeah, sure. So I gave him a big hug and it was wonderful. It was just wonderful. We went back downstairs together. I proceeded out the door and he proceeded with his cart down the hall. I was ecstatic. I should mention that his name was Lester. That way we can all give a blessing for Lester. Thank you, Lester! ***************************** Now, the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked about this Gnostic Reformation here at Gnostic Insights. My Gnosticism that I’m sharing with you is not different than classical Gnosticism, but it is a further refinement. It’s a proceeding onward. We don’t go back into history. We go forward into the future. Today, we’re going to talk about the Demiurge and how this view of the Demiurge that I have is slightly different than the view that a lot of people have. See, most people think of the Demiurge as malicious, as an evil being. And when I first was studying Gnosticism, I was pretty much along those lines as well. I thought that the Demiurge was a very bad guy. But over the past few years, I’ve come to see that the Demiurge isn’t a bad guy. That he’s doing his best. He is the, as I like to say, he is the god of this world. So he’s done a pretty darn good job. He’s done better than you and I could do building a world. But how did he do that? Why is he thought to be malicious? I mean, I often speak of him—and again, I say him, but it’s really an it. Because first off, let’s remember, the Demiurge is not a stand-alone entity. The Demiurge is the separated ego or identity—the presenting face of the Aeon known as Logos, the Aeon who fell. And when Logos fell because he overreached, his ego overreached and thought it could become plugged back into the Father the way the Son is plugged into the Father. Logos mistook himself for the Son, you could say. You could also say he mistook himself for the Fullness. Because there he is sitting right there at the very tippy top of the hierarchy of the Fullness of God–the very top. He was the final Aeon to be produced by the commingling of all of the Aeons giving glory to the Father and the Son. Logos mistakes himself for the Fullness. So Logos was sitting way up there at the tippy top. He didn’t have any neighbors to his left and right because he was the capstone. He didn’t have anybody over above him other than the Father. And the rest of the Pleroma was down there beneath him because he’s sitting as a capstone on the hierarchy of the Fullness of God, which looks like a pyramid. So I think that Logos simply mistook himself for the Son or mistook that he could go ahead and plug in to the Father. He’s right there. He’s so close. You know, we have echoes of that same Fall in the story of the Tower of Babel where the humans built this incredibly tall tower reaching to the heavens, reaching to God. And God, [and in this case it was probably Jehovah, probably the Demiurge because we’re downstream here in the cosmos], thought that was not a good idea. And so he cast them into confusion by a proliferation of languages that they couldn’t understand each other and they stopped building and the tower fell. Italian humanist manuscript late 15th century It’s also the story of Icarus where he made wings and he flew too close to the sun, S-U-N in that case. And when he flew too close to the sun, it melted the wax that was holding his wings together and Icarus fell. These are other examples of falling. 18th century engraving by Bernard Picart So in this case with Logos, Logos wanted to go up to the Father with his Pleroma, which was perfect because the Pleroma of Logos is a fractal of the Fullness of God. It’s a fractal copy of the entire hierarchy. Logos had within its Pleroma a fractal, one level down, of all of the other Aeons. He had a full and complete Pleroma. He had the entire plans. He knew everything to put together paradise, to put together the cosmos. But that wasn’t his job and so he overreached. His ego got out of control and it was his ego that impelled him to overreach, which caused the Fall. The Father couldn’t allow Logos to plug back into him because, well, that space is taken by the Son. But not only that, the Father is too immense, is too illimitable, is too powerful for a lowly Aeon to be able to plug directly in. No one can control that much power. No one can hold that much energy except the Son. So Logos was repelled by the Father to save him from becoming cinders in the light of his immensity. And he fell and he broke apart down here outside of the Pleroma of the Fullness. And it was his broken bits that became the quantum foam of this cosmos. Logos couldn’t get it back together. He couldn’t stuff it all back in. He couldn’t contain the chaos that erupted from him once his ego took over. Logos stumbles and Falls while reaching for Glory. And I hope, as I talk about the Demiurge, that you can hear the parallels to our egos when our own egos get out of control. That’s when all hell breaks loose. The Aeons were designed to stay in the glory beam of the Father and the Son. They each had their position, place, duty, name in the hierarchy. And Logos overreached his position, place, duty, name. His ego took over. That’s why he fell. And then it was nothing but ego down here. The best part of Logos, it says in the Tripartite Tractate, was horrified. And it abandoned the chaos below and returned to the Aeons in the Fullness. But he was broken. He left half of himself behind. So let’s look at this Demiurge that was left behind. The Demiurge is not a character that stands alone. The Demiurge is the shadow of the Fallen Aeon. The Demiurge is the shadow of Logos. Because when his ego took over and separated, all that was left was the shadows. So the Pleroma of the Demiurge is a shadow of the Pleroma of Logos. We know that the Pleroma of Logos is a fractal level down from the hierarchy of the Fullness. What does it mean to be the shadow of that Pleroma? That’s what makes up the body and energy of the Demiurge. So there’s two questions that Gnostics have often wrestled with over the years, particularly the Sethians and then the Platonists in the Greek strain of thought. And these were the questions. How can the Demiurge be ignorant without being evil? And how can the cosmos be orderly yet spiritually deficient? This is answered by thinking of the Demiurge as the shadow of the Fallen Aeon. This means that the Demiurge is not malicious; he’s not autonomous either. He is not the source of being. The Demiurge is a distorted reflection of the higher principle that was Logos. When we think of the Demiurge this way, we can preserve the goodness of the Father and the integrity of the Son and the cooperative nature of the Aeons. Evil didn’t fall from the Father. Evil is nothing but another word for chaos and shadow—lack of goodness. So falling out of the pleroma of the hierarchy of the Fullness created our material cosmos as a shadow place. There is a cosmic deficiency hard-baked into this material universe. And that is, by definition, separation from the Father and the hierarchy of the Fullness of God. Ignorance is a shadow. It’s not a substance. It’s a lack. Again, ignorance is part of the shadow. It’s the ignorance of not knowing God. It’s the ignorance of not remembering where you came from. My Gnostic insight is that the role of the Demiurge is to bring order to chaos, bring order to the quantum foam that was bubbling in and out in and out of existence down here. This is a way different place than the ethereal space. And in order to impose control upon the quantum foam, the Demiurge imposes strict physical laws like a puppet master. He controls physics through laws of physics. Strictly, there can be no deviation or there would be no material universe. That’s a principle that comes right out of physics. The laws of our universe are strictly precise and any deviation causes catastrophic failure. So it was necessary for the Demiurge to impose strict physical laws on both physics and then higher up on the chemistry of how things go together. Bonds, chemical bonds. The Demiurge controls through strings of power. And the Demiurge knows how to do this because it is the shadow of all of that fractal knowledge of Logos. So it has the pattern, but it’s a dead pattern. It’s like he has the blueprints but he doesn’t have the life. He has a little small shadowy model of the way things ought to be. So he knows how things go. He creates structure, but doesn’t understand the meaning or the wisdom behind it. Now, after we second order powers came to Earth to try to remind the Demiurge of love and the Father and the Son and the Fullness above and his better half Logos up there with the Aeons begging for him to come home, praying for him to come home, we second order powers were sent down to try to bring that remembrance to the Demiurge. But we have failed because we get caught up in this never-ending war down here. Never-ending War And you know, it’s not just a never-ending war against the other political party. It’s not just a never-ending war against other people that frustrate our desires. It’s a never-ending war between entropy and creation. It’s a never-ending war between life and death, between material and ethereal. We get lost in the battle and we forget to stand within that beam of glory that comes directly down on us from the hierarchy above. So the Demiurge tries to also impose laws and strict order upon us second order creatures, thinking that we are just wayward molecules because it doesn’t remember where we came from. It doesn’t remember where it came from. The Demiurge does not understand free will. Free will is not allowed in the Demiurgic universe because if the Demiurge allowed any free will in the material, things would fly apart. Things would not hold. So the Demiurge is trying to impose order upon us second order creatures and we are very unruly because of the free will that we inherited from the Aeonic realm and we just do not obey. That’s why the laws in the Old Testament and the Quran are so strict. There’s no deviation allowed because the Demiurge is trying its best to impose order upon us, thinking of us as simply disobedient pieces of material. So in this Gnosticism that I am sharing with you, the Demiurge is cut off from the first principle of knowledge, wisdom, love, consciousness, life. And it’s down here all on its own in this dark and dreary place. The Demiurge is competent. He created this world that we live in. He created the stars in the heavens. He’s doing his best. He’s earnest, but he is spiritually amnesiac which limits his power and understanding. He’s not just a tyrant. In the Gnosticism that I’m sharing with you, the goal has always been to restore the Demiurge back to the Pleroma and slap it back onto Logos, restoring his ego and making Logos whole. Because until the Demiurge returns to the hierarchy of God, there is an Aeon in that hierarchy who is not whole. And that diminishes the Fullness of God. We are actually joining in with the prayer of the Aeons to restore the Demiurge back to the Fullness, to restore the Demiurge back to Logos, which will then restore Logos, which then restores the Aeons of the Fullness. The Demiurge cannot bring life and consciousness to the mud. So we don’t discard the Demiurge but seek to heal the Demiurge. We are not merely trying to escape this material cosmos but we are part of the plan of redemption for the cosmos. The Aeons are not isolated from this universe but they become reconciled with the universe when the Demiurge is restored to Logos. And as I was telling you for the last couple of weeks, humanity isn’t divided into those who are elect and therefore saved and those who are not elect in any of the religions that want to say that only their believers are the elect. Everyone is restored when the Demiurge is restored. And when everyone is restored, then the Demiurge is restored. Now we can’t be restored—we second-order powers already fell when our ego is in control and it is usually in control down here. It’s all a fractal system. It’s all resonating downward. So we resemble the Demiurge when our big S Self is not in control, our Self being a fractal representation of the pleroma of Logos. We failed in that and that is the purpose of the third order of powers which is Christ because we can’t do it on our own. We’ve tried. We’ve tried for millennia. We can’t seem to climb out of that egoic trap that we find ourselves in and therefore the Christ came to redeem us and to redeem the Demiurge. The Christ is a later solution to the Fall. Second-order power was not enough.  Send in the third-order powers and the Christ does have all the power necessary. The Christ has all the mojo of the ethereal plane. Nothing’s missing and it has the full blessing of the Father. We are all elect within the pleroma of Christ. So Christ is the restorative agent to the Demiurge, to us, to all of creation. Christ is the harmonizer. Christ is the healer of the Fallen Aeon and the revealer of the Father and the awakener of the Demiurge and the teacher of humanity. Christ didn’t create the cosmos. Christ restores the cosmos. Christ does not impose law. Christ said he came to replace the law. He takes the law away from the hands of the Demiurge and instead rules through meaning and love. The Christ didn’t come to dominate the Demiurge, to kill the Demiurge. Christ came to enlighten the Demiurge. I have come of late to feel more compassion for the Demiurge. The Demiurge is an innocent victim of the Fall. He’s a limited being that can only rule through strict control. He’s redeemable through the power of Christ, who restores the cosmos. So let’s go through this again real quick. The Son is the primal image of the Father, the first expression of the Father, the first emanation of the Father. As soon as the Son was formed, his component parts were identified and those component parts—those are the Totalities, who then became Self-aware and now we call them the Aeons. They express the Fullness of divine life. See, the Son is one big entity, but the Aeons are all of the Son in smaller approachable forms. It’s like thinking of all of the humans on the planet as one giant mass and trying to relate to humanity as one thought, one thing. Well, that’s not true. We’re each individuals. We’re each a part of humanity and it’s that kind of relationship that the Aeons have to the Son. You see, one Aeon falls and in this Gnosticism, we call that Aeon Logos and his shadow emerged, which is the Demiurge. The Demiurge orders chaos through strict laws, but lacks any spiritual memory and the Christ then, formed cooperatively by the Son, Logos and the Aeons, descends into our cosmic space to heal the Fallen Aeon, to enlighten the Demiurge, to awaken humanity and to restore cosmic harmony. Here is a chart that very neatly displays today’s Gnostic Insights. God bless us all and onward and upward.                            THE FATHER         (Transcendent Source • Beyond Being • Silent Origin)                                    │                      Emanation flows downward (pure gift)                                    ▼                                THE SON        (First Emanation • Direct Image • Perfect Intelligible Form)                                    │                      Expression flows outward (intelligibility)                                    ▼                                  LOGOS      (Articulate Intellect • Pattern of Order • Fractal Pleroma)                                    │                      Differentiation flows into multiplicity                                    ▼                          THE FULLNESS OF AEONS    (Harmonic Community • Modalities of Divine Life • Stable Radiance)                                    │                      (One aeon turns inward (self‑regarding Ego) Logos/Sophia)                                    ▼                          THE FALL      SEPARATION FROM THE FATHER AEONIC DEFICIENCY ARISES      (Ignorance • Misalignment • Loss of Orientation toward the Son)                                    │                      Shadow flows from the deficient Aeon Logos                                    ▼                            THE DEMIURGE – EGO PERSONIFIED    (Shadow‑Image • Earnest but Amnesiac • Competent yet Unillumined)                                    │  Hidden influence flows from the LOGOS   (quiet guidance, unrecognized by the Demiurge, shaping his ordering activity)                                    │            Ordering flows from Logos into the pre‑cosmic chaos/quantum foam                                    ▼                    COSMOS ORDERED BY THE DEMIURGE ALONE    (Physical Laws • Chemical Necessity • Biological Imperatives •     Governmental Structures • Order without Meaning)                                    │  Human souls do NOT arise here. They descend from the Aeons above.                                           ▼                      DESCENT OF HUMAN SOULS FROM AEONS (Soul-stream flows downward • Each soul carries a spark of the aeonic harmony • Enters the cosmos under conditions of amnesia due to bonding with the Demiurgic material.)                                     ▼                                HUMANITY    (Divine Origin • Cosmic Conditioning • Spiritual Amnesia • Longing)                                    │                      Compassion flows from the higher Aeons                                    ▼                                 CHRIST    (Restorative Agent • Cooperative Emanation of Son + Logos + Aeons •     Bridge Between Realms • Physician of Ignorance)                                    │                      Healing flows upward and downward                                    ▼                      CHRIST'S RESTORATIVE ACTIVITY    • Heals the fallen Aeon     • Illuminates the Demiurge (reveals the Logos behind his work)     • Reveals the Father to humanity     • Softens strict law with mercy and wisdom     • Restores harmony among the Aeons     • Awakens the soul's memory of its aeonic origin     • Opens the path of universal return                                    │                      Reconciliation flows back toward the Source                                    ▼                          UNIVERSAL RESTORATION    (Demiurge Enlightened • Aeons Reharmonized • Humanity Awakened •     Cosmos Transfigured • All Return Through the Son to the Father)

Ephesians 4:1-16 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people. 9 (What does he ascended mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Preacher: Kathy Maskell 1 Corinthians 12:4-20 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.  Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free —and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.  Ephesians 4:11-16 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  www.giftstest.com  

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 NLT) We’re a month removed from the Christmas season, although you wouldn’t know it from the number of people who still have their decorations up. Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus’ coming. But amidst the traditional readings, carols, and pageants of the season, one question that often gets overlooked is the most basic one of all: Why did Jesus come? Let’s look quickly at five different reasons. First, Jesus came to proclaim Good News to the spiritually hurting. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor” (Luke 4:18 NLT). Not only did He proclaim the Good News, He was the Good News. He was the Messiah, the Savior the world had been waiting for. Second, Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. Medical technology has made stunning advances in pain management, but there is still no cure for a broken heart. People struggle with all kinds of heartbreaking challenges—physical, relational, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Jesus understands. He lived as one of us. He experienced pain and betrayal and grief. He knows what we feel. The psalmist wrote of the Lord, “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 NLT). Third, Jesus came to set people free who are bound by sin. He came to open our spiritual eyes to our spiritual need. One of the greatest tricks the devil ever pulled was convincing people who are slaves to sin that they are free. The apostle Paul wrote, “So Christ has truly set us free” (Galatians 5:1 NLT). Jesus exposed the devil’s lie and shone a spotlight on people’s sin. He then provided a means for their sins to be forgiven forever. Fourth, Jesus came to lift up those who are crushed by life. Jesus said, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT). He came to give us abundant life. Jesus came to show us that there is more to life than this. He came to give us hope. Fifth, Jesus came to give His life for us. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NLT). God is holy and just. He demands punishment for sin. That punishment is death. Only a perfect sacrifice offered in our place could save us from death. Jesus was that perfect sacrifice. He willingly took our punishment for sin. He allowed Himself to be killed so that we might live. Jesus Christ came to this earth to seek and save those of us who are lost, just as a shepherd seeks a lost sheep. Those who trust in Him will enjoy eternal life with Him. Reflection question: Which of these reasons for Jesus’ coming would resonate most powerfully with someone you know? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Law vs. The Label: Staying Free in Christ"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." — Galatians 5:1The Battle for the MindI've been reading and studying the book of Galatians and really thinking about what it means to have complete freedom in Christ. When Paul wrote to the Galatians on Christian liberty, he was addressing a specific crisis: legalism. Judaizers had entered the church teaching Gentile believers that they had to obey the Old Testament Law—specifically circumcision—to be truly saved.Paul wrote to settle the score on:Works vs. God's GraceTrue Freedom vs. Religious SlaveryThe Power of the Holy Spirit vs. The Desires of the FleshNew Life in the Here and NowWhen we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are made free and new. We don't just look forward to an everlasting life in heaven; we get to partake in an abundant life on earth here and now. We are called to walk in the very "newness of life" Paul describes in Romans 6:4:"For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives."This abundant life will have challenges and trials. I bring this up to remind you of your responsibility to develop a total dependence on the Lord. It is through these challenges that we grow and become spiritually mature.From Bondage to VictoryThe word "freedom" means so much to me because I know what it feels like to be trapped in bondage to the attacks of the enemy. But I also know what it's like to see those chains of oppression fall in the name of Jesus, never to return.Your freedom in Christ is secure when you put your faith in Jesus and make Him your Lord and Savior. We await a hopeful future when Christ will return to fully restore all things—a life where every tear is wiped away (Revelation 21:4-5), where sin no longer rules, and every broken Read the rest at: https://open.substack.com/pub/litwithprayer/p/the-law-vs-the-label-staying-free?r=5sajy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28) *1/ They looked for his first coming. 2/ We looked for him to save us. 3/ We look for him to come and take us home to glory.* *Service taken at Milward House Pilgrim home in the lounge with about 15 aged pilgrims present.* **Sermon Summary:** The sermon centers on the biblical call to 'look for Him,' exploring three dimensions of this expectation: the Old Testament saints who anticipated Christ's first coming through faith, prophecy, and types; the personal, ongoing journey of seeking Christ for salvation in the present life; and the hope of His second coming, which shapes the believer's eternal perspective. Drawing from Luke's account of Mary's encounter with Gabriel and Elizabeth's prophetic blessing, it emphasizes God's faithfulness in fulfilling promises across generations. The message underscores that true faith is marked by a continual seeking—both in the past, as the patriarchs and prophets looked forward, and in the present, as individuals turn to Christ through Scripture and prayer, and in the future, as believers long for His return and eternal home. The tone is both pastoral and urgent, calling listeners to examine their hearts and live with the conviction that their ultimate hope is not of this world, but of heaven.

In this theologically rich episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Jesse and Tony delve into the Parable of the Lost Coin from Luke 15:8-10. They explore how this parable reveals God's passionate pursuit of His elect and the divine joy that erupts when they are found. Building on their previous discussion of the Lost Sheep, the brothers examine how Jesus uses this second parable to further emphasize God's sovereign grace in salvation. The conversation highlights the theological implications of God's ownership of His people even before their redemption, the diligent efforts He undertakes to find them, and the heavenly celebration that follows. This episode offers profound insights into God's relentless love and the true nature of divine joy in redemption. Key Takeaways The Parable of the Lost Coin emphasizes that God actively and diligently searches for those who belong to Him, sparing no effort to recover what is rightfully His. Jesus uses three sequential parables in Luke 15 to progressively reveal different aspects of God's heart toward sinners, with escalating emphasis on divine joy. The coin represents something of significant value that already belonged to the woman, illustrating that God's elect belong to Him even before their redemption. Unlike finding something new, the joy depicted is specifically about recovering something that was already yours but had been lost, highlighting God's eternal claim on His people. The spiritual inability of the sinner is represented by the coin's passivity - it cannot find its own way back and must be sought out by its owner. Angels rejoice over salvation not independently but because they share in God's delight at the effectiveness of His saving power. The parable challenges believers to recover their joy in salvation and to share it with others, much like the woman who called her neighbors to celebrate with her. Expanded Insights God's Determined Pursuit of What Already Belongs to Him The Parable of the Lost Coin reveals a profound theological truth about God's relationship to His elect. As Tony and Jesse discuss, this isn't a story about finding something new, but recovering something that already belongs to the owner. The woman in the parable doesn't rejoice because she discovered unexpected treasure; she rejoices because she recovered what was already hers. This illustrates the Reformed understanding that God's people have eternally belonged to Him. While justification occurs in time, there's a real sense in which God has been considering us as His people in eternity past. The parable therefore supports the doctrines of election and particular redemption - God is not creating conditions people can move into or out of, but is zealously reclaiming a specific people who are already His in His eternal decree. The searching, sweeping, and diligent pursuit represent not a general call, but an effectual calling that accomplishes its purpose. The Divine Joy in Recovering Sinners One of the most striking aspects of this parable is the overwhelming joy that accompanies finding the lost coin. The brothers highlight that this joy isn't reluctant or begrudging, but enthusiastic and overflowing. The woman calls her friends and neighbors to celebrate with her - a seemingly excessive response to finding a coin, unless we understand the theological significance. This reveals that God takes genuine delight in the redemption of sinners, to the extent that Jesus describes it as causing joy "in the presence of the angels of God." As Jesse and Tony note, this challenges our perception that God might save us begrudgingly. Instead, the parable teaches us that God's "alien work" is wrath, while His delight is in mercy. This should profoundly impact how believers view their own salvation and should inspire a contagious joy that spreads to others - a joy that many Christians, by Tony's own admission, need to recover in their daily walk. Memorable Quotes "Christ love is an act of love and it's always being acted upon the sinner, the one who has to be redeemed, his child whom he goes after. So in the same way, we have Christ showing the self-denying love." - Jesse Schwamb "The coin doesn't seek the woman. The woman seeks the coin. And in this way, I think we see God's act of searching grace... The reason why I think it leads to joy, why God is so pleased, is because God has this real pleasure to pluck sinners as brands from the burning fire." - Jesse Schwamb "These parables are calling us to rejoice, right? Christ is using these parables to shame the Pharisees and the scribes who refuse to rejoice over the salvation of sinners. How often do we not rejoice over our own salvation sufficiently?" - Tony Arsenal Full Transcript [00:00:08] Jesse Schwamb: There still is like the sovereign grace of God who's initiating the salvation and there is a kind of effect of calling that God doesn't merely invite, he finds, he goes after he affects the very thing. Yeah, and I think we're seeing that here. The sinner, spiritual inability. There's an utter passivity until found. The coin doesn't seek the woman. The woman seeks the coin. And in this way, I think we see God's act of searching grace. It's all there for us. And the reason why I think it leads to joy, why God is so pleased is because God has this real pleasure. To pluck sinners as brands from the burning fire. Welcome to episode 472 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:57] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:01:01] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. [00:01:02] Jesus and the Parable of the Lost Coin [00:01:02] Jesse Schwamb: So there was this time, maybe actually more than one time, but at least this one time that we've been looking at where Jesus is hanging out and the religious incumbents, the Pharisees, they come to him and they say, you are a friend of sinners, and. Instead of taking offense to this, Jesus turns this all around. Uses this as a label, appropriates it for himself and his glorious character. And we know this because he gives us this thrice repeated sense of what it means to see his heart, his volition, his passion, his love, his going after his people, and he does it. Three little parables and we looked at one last time and we're coming up to round two of the same and similar, but also different and interesting. And so today we're looking at the parable of the lost coin or the Lost dma, or I suppose, whatever kind of currency you wanna insert in there. But once again, something's lost and we're gonna see how our savior comes to find it by way of explaining it. In metaphor. So there's more things that are lost and more things to be found on this episode. That's how we do it. It's true. It's true. So that's how Jesus does it. So [00:02:12] Tony Arsenal: yeah. So it should be how we do it. [00:02:14] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. Yeah, exactly. I cut to like Montel Jordan now is the only thing going through my head. Tell Jordan. Yeah. Isn't he the one that's like, this is how we do it, that song, this is [00:02:28] Tony Arsenal: how we do it. I, I don't know who sings it. Apparently it's me right now. That was actually really good. That was fantastic. [00:02:36] Jesse Schwamb: Hopefully never auto tuned. Not even once. I'm sure that'll make an appearance now and the rest, somebody [00:02:42] Tony Arsenal: should take that and auto tune it for me. [00:02:44] Jesse Schwamb: That would be fantastic. Listen, it doesn't need it. That was perfect. That was right off the cuff, right off the top. It was beautiful. It was ous. [00:02:50] Tony Arsenal: Yes. Yes. [00:02:51] Affirmations and Denials [00:02:51] Jesse Schwamb: I'm hoping that appearance, [00:02:53] Tony Arsenal: before we jump into our, our favorite segment here in affirmations of Denials, I just wanted to take a second to, uh, thank all of our listeners. Uh, we have the best listeners in the world. That's true, and we've also got a really great place to get together and chat about things. That's also true. Uh, we have a little telegram chat, which is just a little chat, um, program that run on your phone or in a browser. Really any device you have, you can go to t Me slash Reform Brotherhood and join that, uh, little chat group. And there's lots of stuff going on there. We don't need to get into all the details, but it's a friendly little place. Lots of good people, lots of good conversation. And just lots of good digital fellowship, if that's even a thing. I think it is. So please do join us there. It's a great place to discuss, uh, the episodes or what you're learning or what you'd like to learn. There's all sorts of, uh, little nooks and crannies and things to do in there. [00:03:43] Jesse Schwamb: So if you're looking for a little df and you know that you are coming out, we won't get into details, but you definitely should. Take Tony's advice, please. You, you will not be disappointed. It, it's a fun, fun time together. True. Just like you're about to have with us chatting it up and going through a little affirmations and denials. So, as usual, Tony, what are you, are you affirming with something or are you denying again, something? I'm, I'm on the edge of my seat. I'm ready. [00:04:06] Tony Arsenal: Okay. Uh, it is, I thought that was going somewhere else. Uh, I'm, I'm affirming something. [00:04:13] AI and Problem Solving [00:04:13] Tony Arsenal: People are gonna get so sick of me doing like AI affirmations, but I, it's like I learned a new thing to do with AI every couple of weeks. I ran across an article the other day, uh, that I don't remember where the article was. I didn't save it, but I did read it. And one of the things that pointed out is that a lot of times you're not getting the most out of AI because you don't really know how to ask the questions. True. One of the things it was was getting through is a lot of people will ask, they'll have a problem that they're encountering and they'll just ask AI like, how do I fix this problem? And a lot of times what that yields is like very superficial, basic, uh, generic advice or generic kind of, uh, directions for resolving a problem. And the, I don't remember the exact phrasing, 'cause it was a little while ago since I read it, but it basically said something like, I'm encountering X problem. And despite all efforts to the contrary, I have not been able to resolve it. And by using sort of these extra phrases. What it does is it sort of like pushes the AI to ask you questions about what you've already tried to do, and so it's gonna tailor its advice or its directions to your specific situation a little bit more. So, for example, I was doing this today. We, um, we just had the time change, right? Stupidest thing in the world doesn't make any sense and my kids don't understand that the time has changed and we're now like three or four weeks past the, the time change and their, their schedule still have not adjusted. So my son Augie, who is uh, like three and three quarters, uh, I don't know how many months it is. When do you stop? I don't even know. When you stop counting in months. He's three and a quarter, three quarters. And he will regularly wake up between four 30 and five 30. And when we really, what we really want is for him to be sleeping, uh, from uh, until like six or six 30 at the latest. So he's like a full hour, sometimes two hours ahead of time, which then he wakes up, it's a small house. He's noisy 'cause he's a three and a half year old. So he wakes up the baby. The baby wakes up. My wife, and then we're all awake and then we're cranky and it's miserable. So I, I put that little prompt into, um, into Google Gemini, which is right now is my, um, AI of choice, but works very similar. If you use something like chat, GPT or CLO or whatever, you know, grok, whatever AI tool you have access to, put that little prompt in. You know, something like since the time change, my son has been waking up at four 30 in the morning, despite all efforts to the contrary, I have not been able to, uh, adjust his schedule. And so it started asking me questions like, how much light is in the room? What time does he go to bed? How much does he nap? And it, so it's, it's pulling from the internet. This is why I like Google Geminis. It's actually pulling from the internet to identify like common, common. Related issues. And so it starts to probe and ask questions. And by the time it was done, what it came out with was like a step-by-step two week plan. Basically like, do this tonight, do this tomorrow morning. Um, and it was able to identify what it believes is the problem. We'll see if it actually is, but the beauty now is now that I've got a plan that I've got in this ai, I can start, you know, tomorrow morning I'm gonna try to do what it said and I can tell. The ai, how things went, and it can now adjust the plan based on whether or not, you know, this worked or didn't work. So it's a good way to sort of, um, push an ai, uh, chat bot to probe your situation a little bit more. So you could do this really for anything, right. You could do something like I'm having, I'm having trouble losing weight despite all efforts to the contrary. Um, can you help me identify what the, you know, root problem is? So think about different ways that you can use this. It's a pretty cool way to sort of like, push the, the AI to get a little deeper into the specifics without like a lot of extra heavy lifting. I'm sure there's probably other ways you could drive it to do this, but this was just one clever way that I, that this article pointed out to accomplish this. [00:08:07] Jesse Schwamb: It's a great exercise to have AI optimize itself. Yeah. By you turning your prompts around and asking it to ask you a number of questions, sufficient number, until it can provide an optimize answer for you. So lots, almost every bot has some kind of, you can have it analyze your prompts essentially, but some like copilot actually have a prompt agent, which will help you construct the prompt in an optimal way. Yeah, and that again, is kind of question and answer. So I'm with you. I will often turn it around and say. Here's my goal. Ask me sufficient number of questions so that you can provide the right insight to accomplish said goal. Or like you're saying, if you can create this like, massive conversation that keeps all this history. So I, I've heard of people using this for their exercise or running plans. Famously, somebody a, a, um, journalist, the Wall Street Journal, use it, train for a marathon. You can almost have it do anything for you. Of course, you want to test all of that and interact with it reasonably and ably, right? At the same time, what it does best is respond to like natural language interaction. And so by turning it around and basically saying, help me help you do the best job possible, providing the information, it's like the weirdest way of querying stuff because we're so used to providing explicit direction ourselves, right? So to turn it around, it's kind of a new experience, but it's super fun, really interesting, really effective. [00:09:22] Tony Arsenal: And it because you are allowing, in a certain sense, you're sort of asking the AI to drive the conversation. This, this particular prompt, I know the article I read went into details about why this prompt is powerful and the reason this prompt is powerful is not because of anything the AI's doing necessarily, right. It's because you're basically telling the AI. To find what you've missed. And so it's asking you questions. Like if I was to sit down and go like, all right, what are all the things that's wrong, that's causing my son to be awake? Like obviously I didn't figure it out on my own, so it's asking me what I've already tried and what it found out. And then of course when it tells me what it is, it's like the most obvious thing when it figures out what it is. It's identifying something that I already haven't identified because I've told it. I've already tried everything I can think of, and so it's prompting me to try to figure out what it is that I haven't thought of. So those are, like I said, there's lots of ways to sort of get the ais to do that exercise. Um, it's not, it's not just about prompt engineering, although that there's a lot of science now and a lot of like. Specifics on how you do prompt engineering, um, you know, like building a persona for the ai. Like there's all sorts of things you can do and you can add that, like, I could have said something like, um. Uh, you are a pediatric sleep expert, right? And when you tell it that what it's gonna do is it's gonna start to use more technical language, it's gonna, it's gonna speak to you back as though it's a, and this, this is where AI can get a little bit dangerous and really downright scary in some instances. But with that particular prompt, it's gonna start to speak back to you as though it was a clinician of some sort, diagnosing a medical situation, which again. That is definitely not something I would ever endorse. Like, don't let an AI be your doctor. That's just not, like WebMD was already scary enough when you were just telling you what your symptoms were and it was just cross checking it. Um, but you could do something like, and I use these kinds of prompts for our show notes where I'm like, you're an expert at SEO, like at um, podcast show notes. Utilizing SEO search terms, like that's part of the prompt that I use when I use, um, in, in this case, I use notion to generate most of our show notes. Um, it, it starts to change the way that it looks at things and the way that it, I, it responds to you based on different prompts. So I think it, it's a little bit scary, uh, AI. Can be a strange, strange place. And there's some, they're doing some research that is a little bit frightening. They did a study and actually, like, they, they basically like unlocked an AI and gave it access to a pretend company with emails and stuff and said that a particular employee was gonna shut out, was gonna delete the ai. And the first thing it did was try to like blackmail the employee with like a risk, like a scandalous email. It had. Then after that they, they engineered a scenario where the AI actually had the ability to kill the employee. And despite like explicit instructions not to do anything illegal, it still tried to kill the employee. So there's some scary things that are coming up if we're not, you know, if, if the science is not able to get that under control. But right now it's just a lot of fun. Like it's, we're, we're probably not at the point where it's dangerous yet and hopefully. Hopefully it won't get to that point, but we'll see. We'll see. That got dark real fast, fast, fast. Jesse, you gotta get this. And that was an affirmation. I guess I'm affirming killer murder ais that are gonna kill us all, but uh, we're gonna have fun with it until they do at least. [00:12:52] Jesse Schwamb: Thanks for not making that deny against. 'cause I can only imagine the direction that one to taken. [00:12:57] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. At least when the AI hears this, it's gonna know that I'm on its side, so, oh, for sure. I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords. So as do Iye. [00:13:05] Christmas Hymns and Music Recommendations [00:13:05] Tony Arsenal: But Jesse, what are you affirming or denying today to get me out of this pit here? [00:13:09] Jesse Schwamb: So, lemme start with a question. Do you have a favorite Christmas hymn? And if so, what is it? [00:13:16] Tony Arsenal: Ooh, that's a tough one. Um, I think I've always been really partial to Oh, holy Night. But, uh, there's, there's not anything that really jumps to mind my, as I've become older and crankier and more Scottish in spirit, I just, Christmas hymns just aren't as. If they're not as prominent in my mind, but oh, holy night or come coming, Emanuel is probably a really good one too. [00:13:38] Jesse Schwamb: Wow. Those are the, those are like the top in the top three for me. Yeah. So I think [00:13:42] Tony Arsenal: I know where you're going based on the question. [00:13:44] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, we're very much the same. So, well maybe, so I am affirming with, but it's that time of year and people you, you know and love and maybe yourself, you're gonna listen to Christian music and. That's okay. I put no shade on that, especially because we're talking about the incarnation, celebrate the incarnation. But of course, I think the best version of that is some of these really lovely hymns because they could be sung and worshiped through all year round. We just choose them because they fit in with the calendar particularly well here, and sometimes they're included, their lyrics included in Hallmark cards and, and your local. Cool. Coles. So while that's happening, why not embrace it? But here's my information is why not go with some different versions. I love the hymn as you just said. Oh, come will come Emmanuel. And so I'm gonna give people three versions of it to listen to Now to make my list of this kind of repertoire. The song's gotta maintain that traditional melody. I think to a strong degree, it's gotta be rich and deep and dark, especially Ko Emmanuel. But it's gotta have something in it that's a little bit nuanced. Different creative arrangements, musicality. So let me give two brand new ones that you may not have heard versions and one old one. So the old one is by, these are all Ko Emanuel. So if at some point during this you're like, what song is he talking about? It's Ko. Emmanuel. It's just three times. Th we're keeping it th Rice tonight. So the first is by band called for today. That's gonna be a, a little bit harder if you want something that, uh, gets you kind of pumped up in the midst of this redemption. That's gonna be the version. And then there are two brand new ones. One is by skillet, which is just been making music forever, but the piano melody they bring into this and they do a little something nuanced with the chorus that doesn't pull away too much. From the original, but just gives it a little extra like Tastiness. Yeah. Skill. Great version. And then another one that just came out yesterday. My yesterday, not your yesterday. So actually it doesn't even matter at this point. It's already out is by descriptor. And this would be like the most chill version that is a hardcore band by, I would say tradition, but in this case, their version is very chill. All of them I find are just deeply worshipful. Yeah. And these, the music is very full of impact, but of course the lyrics are glorious. I really love this, this crying out to God for the Savior. This. You know, just, it's really the, the plea that we should have now, which is, you know, maranatha like Lord Jesus, come. And so in some ways we're, we're celebrating that initial plea and cry for redemption as it has been applied onto us by the Holy Spirit. And we're also saying, you know, come and fulfill your kingdom, Lord, come and bring the full promise, which is here, but not yet. So I like all three of these. So for today. Skillet descriptor, which sounds like we're playing like a weird word game when you put those all together. It does, but they're all great bands and their versions I think are, are worthy. So the larger affirmation, I suppose, is like, go out this season and find different versions, like mix it up a little bit. Because it's good to hear this music somewhat afresh, and so I think by coming to it with different versions of it, you'll get a little bit of that sense. It'll make maybe what is, maybe if it's felt rote or mundane or just trivial, like you're saying, kind of revive some of these pieces in our hearts so we can, we, we can really worship through them. We're redeeming them even as they're meant to be expressions of the ultimate redemption. [00:16:55] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I, um, I heard the skillet version and, uh, you know, you know me like I'm not a huge fan of harder music. Yeah. But that, that song Slaps man, it's, yes, [00:17:07] Jesse Schwamb: it does. It's [00:17:07] Tony Arsenal: good. And Al I mean, it, it also ignited this weird firestorm of craziness online. I don't know if you heard anything about this, but Yes, it was, it was, there was like the people who absolutely love it and will. Fight you if you don't. Yes. And then there was like the people who think it's straight from the devil because of somehow demonic rhythms, whatever that means. Um, but yeah, I mean, I'm not a big fan of the heavier music, but there is something about that sort of, uh. I don't know. Is skill, would that be considered like metal at all? [00:17:38] Jesse Schwamb: Oh, that's a loaded question. Probably. [00:17:39] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So like I found, uh, this is, we're gonna go down to Rabbit Trail here. Let's do it. Here we go. I found a version of Africa by Toto that was labeled as metal on YouTube. So I don't know whether it actually is, and this, this version of skill, it strikes me as very similar, where it's, ah, uh, it, it's like, um. The harmonies are slightly different in terms of like how they resonate than Okay. Other harmonies. Like I get [00:18:05] Jesse Schwamb: that [00:18:06] Tony Arsenal: there's a certain, you know, like when you think about like Western music, there's certain right, there's certain harmonies when, you know, think about like piano chords are framed and my understanding at least this could be way off, and I'm sure you're gonna correct me if I'm wrong, is that um, metal music, heavy metal music uses slightly different. Chord formations that it almost leaves you feeling a little unresolved. Yes, but not quite unresolved. Like it's just, it's, it's more the harmonics are different, so that's fair. Skillet. This skillet song is so good, and I think you're right. It, it retains the sort of like. The same basic melody, the same, the same basic harmonies, actually. Right. And it's, it's almost like the harmonies are just close enough to being put into a different key with the harmonies. Yes, [00:18:52] Jesse Schwamb: that's true [00:18:53] Tony Arsenal: than then. Uh, but not quite actually going into another key. So like, sometimes you'll see online, you'll find YouTube videos where they play like pop songs, but they've changed the, the. Chords a little bit. So now it's in a minor key. It's almost like it's there. It's like one more little note shift and it would be there. Um, and then there's some interesting, uh, like repetition and almost some like anal singing going on, that it's very good. Even if you don't like heavier music. Like, like I don't, um, go listen to it and I think you'll find yourself like hitting repeat a couple times. It was very, very good. [00:19:25] Jesse Schwamb: That's a good way of saying it. A lot of times that style is a little bit dissonant, if that's what you mean in the court. Yeah. Formation. So it gives you this unsettledness, this almost unresolvedness, and that's in there. Yeah. And just so everybody knows, actually, if you listen to that version from Skillet, you'll probably listen to most of it. You'll get about two thirds of the way through it and probably be saying, what are those guys talking about? It's the breakdown. Where it amps up. But before that, I think anybody could listen to it and just enjoy it. It's a really beautiful, almost haunting piano melody. They bring into the intro in that, in the interlude. It's very lovely. So it gives you that sense. Again, I love this kind of music because there's almost something, there is something in this song that's longing for something that is wanting and yet left, unresolved and unfulfilled until the savior comes. There's almost a lament in it, so to speak, especially with like the way it's orchestrated. So I love that this hymn is like deep and rich in that way. It's, that's fine. Like if you want to sing deck the Holes, that's totally fine. This is just, I think, better and rich and deeper and more interesting because it does speak to this life of looking for and waiting for anticipating the advent of the savior. So to get me get put back in that place by music, I think is like a net gain this time of year. It's good to have that perspective. I'm, I'm glad you've heard it. We should just open that debate up whether or not we come hang out in the telegram chat. We'll put it in that debate. Is skillet hardcore or metal? We'll just leave it there 'cause I have my opinions, but I'm, well, I'm sure everybody else does. [00:20:48] Tony Arsenal: I don't even know what those words mean, Jesse. Everything is hardcore in metal compared to what I normally listen to. I don't even listen to music anymore usually, so I, I mean, I'm like mostly all podcasts all the time. Anytime I have time, I don't have a ton of time to listen to. Um, audio stuff, but [00:21:06] Jesse Schwamb: that's totally fair. Well now everybody now join us though. [00:21:08] Tony Arsenal: Educate me [00:21:09] Jesse Schwamb: now. Everybody can properly use, IM prompt whatever AI of their choice, and they can listen to at least three different versions of al comical manual. And then they can tell us which one do you like the best? Or maybe you have your own version. That's what she was saying. What's your favorite Christmas in? [00:21:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:21:24] Jesse Schwamb: what version of it do you like? I mean, it'll be like. [00:21:28] Tony Arsenal: It'll be like, despite my best efforts, I've been un unable to understand what hardcore and medical is. Please help me understand. [00:21:37] Jesse Schwamb: Oh, we're gonna have some, some fun with this at some point. We'll have to get into the whole debate, though. I know you and I have talked about it before. We'll put it before the brothers and sisters about a Christmas Carol and what version everybody else likes. That's also seems like, aside from the, the whole eternal debate, which I'm not sure is really serious about whether or not diehard is a Christmas movie, this idea of like, which version of the Christmas Carol do you subscribe to? Yeah. Which one would you watch if you can only watch one? Which one will you watch? That's, we'll have to save that for another time. [00:22:06] Tony Arsenal: We'll save it for another time. And we get a little closer to midwinter. No reason we just can't [00:22:10] Jesse Schwamb: do it right now because we gotta get to Luke 15. [00:22:12] Discussion on the Parable of the Lost Coin [00:22:12] Tony Arsenal: We do. [00:22:13] Jesse Schwamb: We, we've already been in this place of looking at Jesus' response to the Pharisees when they say to him, listen, this man receives sinners and eats with them. And Jesus is basically like, yeah, that's right. And let me tell you three times what the heart of God is like and what my mission in serving him is like, and what I desire to come to do for my children. And so we spoke in the last conversation about the parable lost sheep. Go check that out. Some are saying, I mean, I'm not saying this, but some are saying in the internet, it's the definitive. Congratulation of that parable. I'm, I'm happy to take that if that's true. Um, but we wanna go on to this parable of the lost coin. So let me read, it's just a couple of verses and you're gonna hear in the text that you're going to understand right away. This is being linked because it starts with or, so this is Jesus speaking and this is Luke 15, chapter 15, starting in verse eight. Jesus says, or a what woman? She has 10 D drachmas and loses. One drachma does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it. And when she has found it, she calls together her friend and her neighbors saying, rejoice with me for I found the D Drachma, which I lost in the same way I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. [00:23:27] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. On one level, this is, uh, again, it's not all that complicated of a scenario, right? And we have to kind of go back and relo through some of the stuff we talked about last week because this is a continuation of, you know, when we first talked about the Matthew 13 parables, we commented on like. Christ was coming back to the same themes, right? And in some ways, repeating the parable. This is even stronger than that. It's not just that Christ is teaching the same thing across multiple parables. The sense here, at least the sense I get when I read this parable, the lost sheep, and then the prodigal, um, sun parable or, or the next parable here, um, is actually that Christ is just sort of like hammering home the one point he's making to the tax collectors and or to the tax collectors or to the scribes who are complaining about the fact that Christ was eating with sinners. He's just hammering this point home, right? So it's not, it's not to try to add. A lot of nuance to the point. It's not to try to add a, a shade of meaning. Um. You know, we talked a lot about how parables, um, Christ tells parables in part to condemn the listeners who will not receive him, right? That's right. This is one of those situations where it's not, it's not hiding the meaning of the parable from them. The meaning is so obvious that you couldn't miss it, and he, he appeals, we talked about in the first, in the first part of this, he actually appeals to like what the ordinary response would be. Right? What man of you having a hundred sheep if he loses one, does not. Go and leave the 99. Like it's a scenario that anyone who goes, well, like, I wouldn't do that is, looks like an idiot. Like, that's, that's the point of the why. He phrases it. And so then you're right when he, when he begins with this, he says, or what woman having 10 silver coins if she loses one, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until he, till she finds it. And of course, the, the, the emphasis again is like no one in their right mind would not do this. And I think like we think about a coin and like that's the smallest denomination of money that we have. Like, I wouldn't, like if I lost a, if I had 10 silver coin, 10 coins and I lost one of them, the most that that could be is what? 50 cents? Like the, like if I had a 50 cent piece or a silver dollar, I guess, like I could lose a dollar. We're not really talking about coins the way we think of coins, right? We're talking about, um. Um, you know, like denominations of money that are substantial in that timeframe. Like it, there was, there were small coins, but a silver coin would be a substantial amount of money to lose. So we are not talking about a situation where this is, uh, a trivial kind of thing. She's not looking for, you know, I've, I've heard this parable sort of like unpacked where like, it's almost like a miserly seeking for like this lost coin. Interesting. It's not about, it's not about like. Penny pinching here, right? She's not trying to find a tiny penny that isn't worth anything that's built into the parable, right? It's a silver coin. It's not just any coin. It's a silver coin. So she's, she's looking for this coin, um, because it is a significant amount of money and because she's lost it, she's lost something of her, of her overall wealth. Like there's a real loss. Two, this that needs to be felt before he can really move on with the parable. It's not just like some small piece of property, like there's a [00:26:57] Jesse Schwamb: right. I [00:26:57] Tony Arsenal: don't know if you've ever lost a large amount of money, but I remember one time I was in, um, a. I was like, almost outta high school, and I had taken some money out of, um, out of the bank, some cash to make a purchase. I think I was purchasing a laptop and I don't know why I, I don't, maybe I didn't have a credit card or I didn't have a debit card, but I was purchasing a laptop with cash. Right. And back then, like laptops, like this was not a super expensive laptop, but. It was a substantial amount of cash and I misplaced it and it was like, oh no, like, where is it? And like, I went crazy trying to find it. This is the situation. She's lost a substantial amount of money. Um, this parable, unlike the last one, doesn't give you a relative amount of how many she has. Otherwise. She's just lost a significant amount of money. So she takes all these different steps to try to find it. [00:27:44] Understanding the Parable's Context [00:27:44] Tony Arsenal: We have to feel that loss before we really can grasp what the parable is trying to teach us. [00:27:49] Jesse Schwamb: I like that, so I'm glad you brought that up because I ended up going down a rabbit hole with this whole coined situation. [00:27:56] Tony Arsenal: Well, we're about to, Matt Whitman some of this, aren't we? [00:27:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, I think so. But mainly because, and this is not really my own ideas here, there's, there's a lot I was able to kind of just read and kind. Throw, throw something around this because I think you're absolutely right that Jesus is bringing an ES escalation here and it's almost like a little bit easier for us to understand the whole sheep thing. I think the context of the lost coin, like you're already saying, is a little bit less familiar to us, and so I got into this. Rabbit hole over the question, why would this woman have 10 silver coins? I really got stuck on like, so why does she have these? And Jesus specific about that he's giving a particular context. Presumably those within his hearing in earshot understood this context far better than I did. So what I was surprised to see is that a lot of commentators you probably run into this, have stated or I guess promulgated this idea that the woman is young and unmarried and the 10 silver coins could. Could represent a dowry. So in some way here too, like it's not just a lot of money, it's possible that this was her saving up and it was a witness to her availability for marriage. [00:28:57] The Significance of the Lost Coin [00:28:57] Jesse Schwamb: So e either way, if that's true or not, Jesus is really emphasizing to us there's significant and severe loss here. And so just like you said, it would be a fool who would just like say, oh, well that's too bad. The coin is probably in here somewhere, but eh, I'm just gonna go about my normal business. Yeah. And forsake it. Like, let's, let's not worry about it. So. The emphasis then on this one is not so much like the leaving behind presumably can keep the remaining nine coins somewhere safe if you had them. But this effort and this diligence to, to go after and find this lost one. So again, we know it's all about finding what was lost, but this kind of momentum that Jesus is bringing to this, like the severity of this by saying there was this woman, and of course like here we find that part of this parable isn't just in the, the kingdom of God's like this, like we were talking about before. It's more than that because there's this expression of, again, the situation combined with these active verbs. I think we talked about last time that Christ love is an act of love and it's always being acted upon the sinner, the one who has to be redeemed, his child whom he goes after. So in the same way, we have Christ showing the self-denying love. Like in the first case, the shepherd brought his sheep home on his shoulders rather than leave it in the wilderness. And then here. The woman does like everything. She lights the candle, she sweeps the house. She basically turns the thing, the place upside down, searching diligently and spared no pains with this until she found her lost money. And before we get into the whole rejoicing thing, it just strikes me that, you know, in the same way, I think what we have here is Christ affirming that he didn't spare himself. He's not gonna spare himself. When he undertakes to save sinners, he does all the things. He endures the cross scor in shame. He lays down his life for his friends. There's no greater love than that. It cannot be shown, and so Christ's love is deep and mighty. It's like this woman doing all the things, tearing the place apart to ensure that that which she knew she had misplaced comes back to her. That the full value of everything that she knows is hers. Is safe and secure in her possession and so does the Lord Jesus rejoice the safe sinners in the same way. And that's where this is incredibly powerful. It's not just, Hey, let me just say it to you one more time. There is a reemphasis here, but I like where you're going, this re-escalation. I think the first question is, why do the woman have this money? What purpose is it serving? And I think if we can at least try to appreciate some of that, then we see again how Jesus is going after that, which is that he, he wants to save the sinner. He wants to save the soul. And all of the pleasure, then all of the rejoicing comes because, and, and as a result of that context. [00:31:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. [00:31:23] Theological Implications of God's People [00:31:23] Tony Arsenal: The other thing, um, maybe, and, and I hope I'm not overreading again, we've, we've talked about the dangers of overreading, the parables, but I think there's a, and we'll, we'll come to this too when we get into the, um, prodigal son. Um, there is this sense, I think in some theological traditions that. God is sort of like claiming a people who were not his own. Right. And one of the things that I love about the reform tradition, and, and I love it because this is the picture the Bible teaches, is the emphasis on the fact that God's people have been God's people. As long as God has been pondering and con like contemplating them. So like we deny eternal justification, right? Justification happens in time and there's a real change in our status, in in time when, when the spirit applies, the benefits that Christ has purchased for us in redemption, right? But there's also a very real sense that God has been looking and considering us as his people in eternity past. Like that's always. That's the nature of the Pactum salutes, the, you know, covenant of redemption election. The idea that like God is not saving a nameless, faceless people. He's not creating conditions that people can either move themselves into or take themselves out of. He has a concrete people. Who he is saving, who he has chosen. He, he, you know, prior to our birth, he will redeem us. He now, he has redeemed us and he will preserve us in all of these parables, whether it's the sheep, the coin, or as we'll get to the prodigal sun next week or, or whenever. Um. It's not that God is discovering something new that he didn't have, or it's not that the woman is discovering a coin, right? There's nothing more, uh, I think nothing more like sort of, uh, spontaneously delightful than like when you like buy a, like a jacket at the thrift store. Like you go to Salvation Army and you buy a jacket, you get home, you reach in the pocket and there's like a $10 bill and you're like, oh man, that's so, so great. Or like, you find a, you find a. A $10 bill on the ground, or you find a quarter on the ground, right? Yeah. Or you find your own money. Well, and that that's, there's a different kind of joy, right? That's the point, is like, there's a delight that comes with finding something. And again, like we have to be careful about like, like not stealing, right? But there's a different kind of joy that comes with like finding something that was not yours that now becomes yours. We talked about that with parables a couple weeks ago, right? There's a guy who finds it, he's, he's searching for pearls. He finds a pearl, and so he goes after he sells everything he has and he claims that pearl, but that wasn't his before the delight was in sort of finding something new. These parables. The delight is in reclaiming and refining something that was yours that was once lost. Right? That's a different thing. And it paints a picture, a different picture of God than the other parables where, you know, the man kind of stumbles on treasure in a field or he finds a pearl that he was searching for, but it wasn't his pearl. This is different. This is teaching us that God is, is zealous and jealous to reclaim that which was his, which was lost. Yes. Right. So, you know, we can get, we can, maybe we will next week, maybe we will dig into like super laps area versus infra laps. AIRism probably not, I don't necessarily wanna have that conversation. But there is a reality in the Bible where God has a chosen people and they are his people, even before he redeems them. [00:34:52] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly. [00:34:53] God's Relentless Pursuit of Sinners [00:34:53] Tony Arsenal: These parables all emphasize that in a different way and part of what he's, part of what he's ribbing at with the Pharisees and the, and the scribes, and this is common across all of Christ's teaching in his interactions and we get into true Israel with, with Paul, I mean this is the consistent testimony of the New Testament, is that the people who thought they were God's people. The, the Jewish leaders, especially the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the, the sort of elites of, uh, first century Jewish believers, they really were convinced that they were God's people. And those dirty gentiles out there, they, they're not, and even in certain sense, like even the Jewish people out in the country who don't even, you know, they don't know the scriptures that like, even those people were maybe barely God's people. Christ is coming in here and he is going, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Like you're asking me. You're surprised that I receive sinners and e with them. Well, I'm coming to claim that which is mine, which was lost, and the right response to that is not to turn your nose up at it. The right response is to rejoice with me that I have found my sheep that was lost, that I have reclaimed my coin that was lost. And as we'll see later on, like he really needles them at the end of the, the, uh, parable of the prodigal son. This is something I, I have to be like intentional in my own life because I think sometimes we hear conversion stories and we have this sort of, I, I guess like, we'll call it like the, the Jonah I heresy, I dunno, we won't call it heresy, but like the, the, the like Jonah impulse that we all have to be really thankful for God's mercy in our life. But sort of question whether God is. Merciful or even be a little bit upset when it seems that God is being merciful to those sinners over there. We have to really like, use these parables in our own lives to pound that out of our system because it's, it's ungodly and it's not what God is, is calling us. And these parables really speak against that [00:36:52] Jesse Schwamb: and all of us speak in. In that lost state, but that doesn't, I think like you're saying, mean that we are not God's already. That if he has established that from a trinity past, then we'd expect what others have said about God as the hound of heaven to be true. And that is he comes and he chases down his own. What's interesting to me is exactly what you've said. We often recognize when we do this in reverse and we look at the parable of the lost son, all of these elements, how the father comes after him, how there's a cha singer coming to himself. There's this grand act of repentance. I would argue all of that is in all of these parables. Not, not to a lesser extent, just to a different extent, but it's all there. So in terms of like couching this, and I think what we might use is like traditionally reformed language. And I, I don't want to say I'm overeating this, I hope I'm not at that same risk, but we see some of this like toll depravity and like the sinner is lost, unable to move forward, right? There still is like the sovereign grace of God who's initiating the salvation and there is a kind of effect of calling that God doesn't merely invite, he finds, he goes after he affects the very thing. Yeah, and I think we're seeing that here. There is. The sinner, spiritual inability. There's an utter passivity until found. The coin doesn't seek the woman. The woman seeks the coin. And in this way, I think we see God's act of searching grace. It's all there for us. Yeah, it's in a slightly different way, but I think that's what we're meant to like take away from this. We're meant to lean into that a bit. [00:38:12] Rejoicing in Salvation [00:38:12] Jesse Schwamb: And the reason why I think it leads to joy, why God is so pleased is because God has this real pleasure. Jesus has this real pleasure. The Holy Spirit has this real pleasure. To pluck sinners as brands from the burning fire. You know, it was Jesus, literally his food and drink like not to be too trite, but like his jam went upon the earth to finish the work, which he came to do. And there are many times when he says he ammi of being constrained in the spirit until this was accomplished. And it's still his delight to show mercy like you're saying He is. And even Jonah recognizes that, right. He said like, I knew you were going to be a merciful God. And so he's far more willing to save sinners than sinners are to be saved. But that is the gospel level voice, isn't it? Because we can come kicking and screaming, but in God's great mercy, not because of works and unrighteousness, but because of his great mercy, he comes and he tears everything apart to rescue and to save those whom he's called to himself. [00:39:06] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. I love that old, um, Puritan phrase that wrath is God's alien work. And we, you know, like you gotta be careful when you start to talk that way. And the Puritans were definitely careful about everything. I mean, they were very specific when they spoke, but. When we talk about God's alien work and wrath being God's alien work, what we're saying is not, not that like somehow wrath is external to God. Like that's not what we're getting at of Right. But when you look at scripture and, and here's something that I think, um. I, I don't know how I wanna say this. Like, I think we read that the road is narrow and the the, um, you know, few are those who find it. I think we read that and we somehow think like, yeah, God, God, like, really loves that. Not a lot of people are saved. And I, I actually think that like, when we look at it, um, and, and again, like we have to be careful 'cause God, God. God decreed that which he is delighted by, and also that which glorifies him the most. Right? Right. But the picture that we get in scripture, and we have to take this seriously with all of the caveats that it's accommodated, it's anthropopathism that, you know, all of, all of the stuff we've talked about. We did a whole series on systematic theology. We did like six episodes on Divine Simplicity and immutability. Like we we're, we're right in line with the historic tradition on that. All of those caveats, uh, all of those caveats in place, the Bible pic paints a picture of God such that he grieves over. Those who are lost. Right? Right. He takes no delight in the death of the wicked. That's right. He, he, he seeks after the lost and he rejoices when he finds them. Right. He's, his, his Holy Spirit is grieved when we disobey him, his, his anger is kindled even towards his people in a paternal sense. Right. He disciplines us the way an angry father who loves us, would discipline us when we disobey him. That is a real, that's a real thing. What exactly that means, how we can apply that to God is a very complicated conversation. And maybe sometimes it's more complicated than we, like, we make it more complicated than it needs to be for sure. Um, we wanna be careful to preserve God's changeness, his immutability, his simplicity, all of those things. But at the end of the day, at. God grieves over lost sinners, and he rejoices when they come back. He rejoices when they return to him. Just as the shepherd who finds his lost sheep puts that sheep on his shoulders, right? That's not just because that's an easy way to carry a sheep, right? It's also like this picture of this loving. Intimate situation where God pulls us onto himself and he, he wraps literally like wraps us around himself. Like there are times when, um. You know, I have a toddler and there are times where I have to carry that toddler, and it's, it's a fight, right? And I don't really enjoy doing it. He's squirming, he's fighting. Then there are times where he needs me to hold him tight, and he, he snuggles in. When he falls down and hurts his leg, the first thing he does is he runs and he jumps on me, and he wants to be held tight, and there's a f there's a fatherly embrace there that not only brings comfort to my son. But it brings great joy to me to be able to comfort him that that dynamic in a, uh, a infinitely greater sense is at play here in the lost sheep. And then there's this rejoicing. It's not just rejoicing that God is rejoicing, it's the angels that are rejoicing. [00:42:43] The Joy of Redemption [00:42:43] Tony Arsenal: It's the, it's other Christians. It's the great cloud of witnesses that are rejoicing when Aah sinner is returned to God. All of God's kingdom and everything that that includes, all of that is involved in this rejoicing. That's why I think like in the first parable, in the parable of the lost sheep, it's joy in heaven. Right? It's sort of general joy in heaven. It's not specific. Then this one is even more specific. It's not just general joy in heaven. It's the angels of God. That's right. That are rejoicing. And then I think what we're gonna find, and we'll we'll tease this out when we get to the next par, well the figure in the prodigal son that is rejoicing. The one that is leading the rejoicing, the chief rejoice is the one who's the standin for God in that parable. [00:43:26] Jesse Schwamb: Right, exactly right. So, [00:43:27] Tony Arsenal: so we have to, we have to both recognize that there's a true grief. A true sorrow that is appropriate to speak of God, um, as having when a sinner is lost. And there's also an equally appropriate way to speak about God rejoicing and being pleased and delighted when a sinner returns to him. [00:43:53] Jesse Schwamb: That's the real payoff of this whole parable. I think, uh, maybe all three of them altogether, is that it is shocking how good the gospel is, which we're always saying, yeah, but I'm really always being moved, especially these last couple weeks with what Jesus is saying about how good, how truly unbelievable the gospel is. And again, it draws us to the. Old Testament scriptures when even the Israel saying, who is like this? Who is like our God? So what's remarkable about this is that there's an infinite willingness on God's part to receive sinners. [00:44:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:44:23] Jesse Schwamb: And however wicked a man may have been, and the day that he really turns from his wickedness and comes to God by Christ, God is well pleased and all of heaven with him, and God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, like you said, but God has pleasure and true repentance. If all of that's true, then like day to day, here's what I, I think this means for us. [00:44:41] Applying the Parable to Our Lives [00:44:41] Jesse Schwamb: Is when we come to Christ for mercy and love and help and whatever anguish and perplexity and simpleness that we all have, and we all have it, we are going with the flow. If his own deepest wishes, we're not going against them. And so this means that God has for us when we partake in the toning work of Christ, coming to Christ for forgiveness, communing with him despite our sinfulness, that we are laying hold of Christ's own deepest longing and joy. [00:45:10] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:45:10] Jesse Schwamb: Jesus is comforted when we draw near the riches of his atoning work because as his body, even his own body in a way is being healed in this process. And so we, along with it, that I think is the payoff here. That's what's just so remarkable is that not only, like you're saying, is all heaven kind of paying attention to this. Like they're cognizant of it. It's something worthy of their attention and their energies and their rejoicing. But again, it's showing that God is doing all of this work and so he keeps calling us and calling us and calling us over and over again and just like you said, the elect sinner, those estr belongs to God and his eternal purpose. Even that by itself, we could just say full stop. Shut it down end the podcast. Yeah. That's just worthy to, to rejoice and, and ponder. But this is how strong I think we see like per election in particular, redemption in these passages. Christ died for his chief specifically crisis going after the lost coin, which already belongs to him. So like you were saying, Tony, when you know, or maybe you don't know, but you've misplaced some kind of money and you put your hand in that pocket of that winter coat for the first time that season and out comes the piece of paper, that's whatever, 20 or whatever, you rejoice in that, right. Right. It's like this was mine. I knew it was somewhere, it belonged to me, except that what's even better here is this woman tears her whole place apart to go after this one coin that she knows is hers and yet has been lost. I don't know what more it is to be said. I just cannot under emphasize. Or overemphasize how great God's love is in this like amazing condescension, so that when Jesus describes himself as being gentle and lowly or gentle and humble or gentle and humiliated, that I, I think as we understand the biblical text, it's not necessarily just that he's saying, well, I'm, I'm displaying. Meekness power under control. When he says he's humble, he means put in this incredibly lowly state. Yeah. That the rescue mission, like you're saying, involves not just like, Hey, she lemme call you back. Hey, come over here, says uh. He goes and he picks it up. It's the ultimate rescue, picks it up and takes it back by his own volition, sacrificing everything or to do that and so does this woman in this particular instance, and it should lead us. I think back to there's this virtuous cycle of seeing this, experiencing this. Being compelled by the law of Christ, as Paul says, by the power of the Holy Spirit and being regenerated and then worshiping, and then repenting, and then worshiping, and then repenting, and then worshiping. Because in the midst of that repentance and that beautifulness recognizing, as Isaiah says, all of these idols that we set up, that we run to, the one thing they cannot do for us is they cannot deal with sin. They cannot bring cleanliness and righteousness through confession of sin. They cannot do that. So Christ is saying, come to the one you who are needy, you who have no money. To use another metaphor in the Bible, come and buy. And in doing so, we're saying, Christ, Lord have mercy on me, a sinner. And when he says, come, come, I, I've, I have already run. After you come and be restored, come and be renewed. That which was lost my child. You have been found and I have rescued you. [00:48:04] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And these, these are so, um, these two parables are so. Comfortable. Like, right, like they are there, there are certain passages of scripture that you can just like put on like a big fuzzy warm bathrobe on like sn a cold morning, a snuggy. Yeah. I don't know if I want to go that far, but spirits are snuggy and, and these two are like that, right? Like, I know there are times where I feel like Christ redeemed me sort of begrudgingly, right? Mm-hmm. I think we have, we have this, um, concept in our mind of. Sort of the suffering servant, you know, like he's kind of like, ah, if I have to do it, I will. Right, right. And, and like, I think we, we would, if, if we were the ones who were, were being tasked to redeem something, we might do it. You know, we might do it and we. We might feel a certain sense of satisfaction about it, but I can tell you that if I had a hundred sheep and I had lost one, I would not lay it on my shoulder rejoicing. I would lay it on my shoulder. Frustrated and glad that I finally found it, but like. Right. Right. That's not what Christ did. That's right. Christ lays us on his shoulders rejoicing. Right. I know. Like when you lose something, it's frustrating and it's not just the loss of it that's frustrating. It's the time you have to take to find it. And sometimes like, yeah, you're happy that you found it, but you're like, man, it would've just been nice if I hadn't lost this in [00:49:36] Jesse Schwamb: the That's right. [00:49:37] Tony Arsenal: This woman, there's none of that. There's no, um, there's no regret. There's no. Uh, there's no begrudging this to it. There's nothing. It's just rejoicing. She's so happy. And it's funny, I can imagine, uh, maybe, maybe this is my own, uh, lack of sanctification here. I can imagine being that friend that's like, I gotta come over 'cause you found your coin, right? Like, I can be, I could imagine me that person, but Right. But honestly, like. This is a, this is a situation where she's so overcome with joy. She just has to tell people about it. Yeah. She has to share it with people. It, it reminds me, and I've seen this, I've seen this, um, connection made in the past certainly isn't new to me. I don't, I don't have any specific sorts to say, but like the woman at the well, right. She gets this amazing redemption. She gets this, this Messiah right in front of her. She leaves her buckets at the well, and she goes into a town of people who probably hate her, who think she's just the worst scum of society and she doesn't care. She goes into town to tell everybody about the fact that the Messiah has come, right? And they're so like stunned by the fact that she's doing it. Like they come to see what it is like that's what we need to be like. So there's. There's an element here of not only the rejoicing of God, and again, like, I guess I'm surprised because I've, I've, I've never sort of really read this. Part, I've never read this into it too much or I've never like really pulled this out, but it, now that I'm gonna say it, it just seems logical, like not only is God rejoicing in this, but again, it should be calling us to rejoice, right? Christ is. Christ is using these parables to shame the Pharisees and the scribes who refuse to rejoice over the salvation of sinners. How often do we not rejoice over our own salvation sufficiently? Like when's the last time? And I, I don't want to, this is, this can be a lot of loss. So again, like. God is not calling every single person to stand up on their lunch table at work, or, I don't know if God's calling anybody to stand up on the lunch table at work. Right. To like, like scream about how happy they are that they're sick, happy, happy. But like, when's the last time you were so overcome with joy that in the right opportunity, it just over, like it just overcame you and you had to share it. I don't rem. Putting myself bare here, like I don't remember the last time that happened. I share my faith with people, like my coworkers know that I'm a Christian and, um, my, they know that like, there are gonna be times where like I will bring biblical ethics and biblical concepts into my work. Like I regularly use bible examples to illustrate a principle I'm trying to teach my employees or, or I will regularly sort of. In a meeting where there's some question about what the right, not just like the correct thing to do, but the right thing to do. I will regularly bring biblical morality into those conversations. Nobody is surprised by that. Nobody's really offended by it. 'cause I just do it regularly. But I don't remember the last time where I was so overcome with joy because of my salvation that I just had to tell somebody. Right. And that's a, that's a, that's an indictment on me. That's not an indictment on God. That's not an indictment on anyone else. That's an indictment on me. This parable is calling me to be more joyful about. My salvation. [00:52:52] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. One of the, I think the best and easiest verses from Psalms to memorize is let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Yes. Like, say something, speak up. There's, there's a great truth in what you're saying. Of course. And I think we mentioned this last time. There's a communal delight of redemption. And here we see that played out maybe a little bit more explicitly because the text says that the joy is before the angels, meaning that still God is the source of the joy. In other words, the angels share in God's delight night, vice versa, and not even just in salvation itself, but the fact that God is delighted in this great salvation, that it shows the effectiveness of his saving power. All that he has designed will come to pass because he super intends his will over all things that all things, again are subservient to our salvation. And here, why would that not bring him great joy? Because that's exactly what he intends and is able to do. And the angels rejoice along with him because his glory is revealed in his mighty power. So I'm, I'm with you. I mean, this reminds me. Of what the author of Hebrew says. This is chapter 12, just the first couple of verses. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses in this communal kind of redemption of joy surrounding us. Laying aside every weight and the sin,

Color: Red Old Testament: Ezekiel 2:8—3:11 Psalm: Psalm 119:33–40; antiphon: v. 35 Epistle: Ephesians 4:7–16 Gospel: Matthew 9:9–13 Introit: Psalm 92:1–5; antiphon: Matthew 9:13b, c Gradual: Psalm 119:105, 103; 45:1a, c Verse: Matthew 28:19a, 20b St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist   Our ascended Lord gives “gifts” to His Church. In particular, He gave apostles and evangelists like St. Matthew, prophets like Ezekiel, and still gives pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:8, 11). All are “for the common good … empowered by one and the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:7, 11). They speak Christ's “truth in love” to wind- and wave-tossed children so that the saints may be equipped, served and built up as the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12–15). Christ is not only the head of this body, He is her Good Physician (Matt. 9:9–13). He has come not for the well but for the sick, not for “the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:13) — even notorious tax collectors like Matthew. Christ's team of spiritual physicians must serve faithfully. Their instrument is “thus says the Lord God,” to be spoken “whether they hear or refuse to hear” (Ezek. 3:11). To those stubborn, rebellious patients who believe they need no physician, the word “of lamentation and mourning and woe” must be fearlessly spoken: God's Law calls to repentance (Ezek. 2:10). To those who recognize their trouble and sickness, the salve of the Gospel is to be applied. So Christ works to save us, as Matthew's Gospel records. Lectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Could You Perform Miracles?John 14:12-13 “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  It is one that I read, and when I heard it, I believed it right away.  Some verses are like this in the Bible.  When you read the Bible, some things are easy to take in and others are difficult.  These easy and difficult things are different for everyone.  We all have different experiences when we read the Bible because we have all had different experiences throughout our lives.  There is a quote by Steven R. Covey that I really like.  Steven R. Covey said, “We see the world, not as it is, but as we are.”  This is true for the Bible as well.  We look at and interpret the things we read in the Bible through our own unique lens.  For instance, if we had people letting us down our whole lives, we may read the parts of the Bible that talk about trust and struggle to believe we can trust God because we haven't been able to trust anyone on earth.  If we have grown up in a very unloving environment, we may struggle with the parts of the Bible that talk about unconditional love. Other things may come easier to us.  I instantly loved this verse.  I know the Bible is God's Word and that God chose His words very carefully.  Sometimes, when we are reading the Bible, there may be a question in our minds about why they used this word vs. that word.  One thing I have learned from doing Bible studies is that there is always a reason why certain words were chosen.  Also, if you have done Bible studies, you have had the benefit of hearing all about the original Greek or Hebrew words that were used in the original translation and what those words meant.  Sometimes, when translated, we don't have an exact word to mean what they were saying. I find Bible studies fascinating because you gain so much more insight into what the verses are really saying.  Anyway, back to the verse.  I heard this verse, or read this verse, and I believed Jesus' word to us.  I have never really been one to struggle with trust.  I grew up in a loving family, I had great friends growing up, and I am blessed to be able to say I was not let down by those I know and care about, often growing up.  Therefore, I trust pretty easily.  But what if you don't trust easily?  What if you look at that verse and say there is no way we could perform the works Jesus did, Jesus was God, of course, He performed miracles.  Also, the apostles were right there with Him for 3 years during His ministry; of course, they could do miracles too.  We can all usually agree that Jesus did miracles when He walked the earth, and we can also usually agree that the apostles were sent out and they performed miracles, too.  Where we run into trouble is trying to believe we could do signs and wonders in the world today.  Who are we?  We are not holy enough, we are not worthy of that power and authority.  I agree with both of those statements, and yet Jesus still says we will do the works that He did and even greater works than He did. How is this possible?It is possible through the Holy Spirit.  Did you ever realize or notice that there is not a single miracle recorded in the Gospels before Jesus was baptized?  Jesus was fully human and fully God the entire time He walked the earth.  There was nothing stopping Jesus from performing miracles during the first 30 years of His life.  However, He chose to wait until after He was baptized and received the Holy Spirit to start performing miracles.  This is something I recently found out and found fascinating.  It was not a surprise to me that Jesus did miracles in the Bible; He is God after all.  What I didn't know is that Jesus didn't use his divinity to perform miracles.  He used the Holy Spirit, working through Him, to perform the miracles.  He chose to put his divinity aside and act from his human nature, with the help of the Holy Spirit, because it would be greater glory for God.  St. Lawrence of Brindisi explains it like this:"Christ came into the world to do battle against Satan, to do away with idolatry, and to turn the world to faith and piety and the worship of the true God.  He could have accomplished this by using the weapons of his might and coming as he will come to judge, in glory and majesty… But in order that his victory might be the more glorious, he willed to fight Satan in our weak flesh. It is as if an unarmed man, right hand bound, were to fight with his left hand alone against a powerful enemy; if he emerged victorious, his victory would be regarded as all the more glorious. So Christ conquered Satan with the right hand of his divinity bound, and using against him only the left hand of his weak humanity.”Is this new to you, too?  Did you know that God performed these miracles and defeated satan without using his divinity?  He relied on the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him.  Do you know why this changes everything?  It changes everything because Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us as well.  If you are baptized, then you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you.  If you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, then you have the power to defeat Satan and to perform works like Jesus did.  Another one of my favorite verses is Romans 8:11: “ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you…” I wish we all knew how much power we actually have inside our frail human bodies.This verse can be scary to many people.  Wait, if I can perform works like Jesus did, does that mean I have to travel all over the world and be a missionary like the disciples were?  No, you don't have to travel anywhere if you don't feel called to do that.  What they talked about in my class is ministering to your sphere of influence.  You can start small.  Be an example to your family, your friends, and your coworkers.  Let's read the verse again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”If you were able to believe and adopt this verse as your own personal truth, how much greater would your life be?  How great would it be to do works like Jesus did?  How great would it be to be able to heal a loved one?  Did you know there are people doing this every day?  Did you know there are lots of people who have read this verse, decided to believe it, and are now living out a supernatural lifestyle with the power of the Holy Spirit?  The last line of the verse says, “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”  How awesome a promise is that?  God has so much more for us, and we aren't asking for it.  We aren't going to God to ask Him what He has for us.  Why are we choosing to live a normal life when God is offering us a supernatural one of signs and wonders?  You might be thinking, That is great for you, Catherine.  I am glad you believe this verse and you want that life, but I am happy with mine as is.  If this is what you are thinking I challenge you over this next week or so to bring this to prayer.  I challenge you to be brave enough to just talk to God about it.  Tell Him how you are feeling about this verse and ask Him if He has anything to say to you about it.  When we do signs and wonders, we build up people's faith.  Don't you think this world needs some faith-building right now?  Look at the day of Pentecost, 3,000 were baptized on that day.  I know this verse can be scary.  I know the thought of us healing or performing miracles is strange to most of us.  I know it is way outside of our comfort zone.  I also know God is calling us all to it.  I also know that this world really needs people who are willing to step outside their comfort zone.  God needs people who will step out in faith, knowing they have the Holy Spirit living inside of them and that He will guide them.  If this verse is something that you struggle with, write it down and look at it often over the next month.  Bring it to God and ask Him to show you how this applies to your life.  Ask God what He wants you to do with this verse?  Be brave, be bold. If you ask the Holy Spirit for help, He will help you.  Just start small.  Step out in faith and ask a loved one if they want you to pray for them.  If you spend time with God, He will guide this journey for you.  He will lead you to where you need to go.  We just have to be brave enough to say three small words, “Use me, Lord.”  Can you be brave enough to say those words?  Can we be Christ's hands and feet here on earth?  Remember, we have a good good Father.  He is going to ease you into this lifestyle.  He is going to meet you where you are at and build your faith along the way.  Trust Him and give Him permission to work in your life, give Him permission to use you, and He will.  Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we ask you to send your angels to prepare the way for everyone listening to hear this message today.  We pray you give us the courage to believe this verse and to step out in faith, knowing you have given us the power of the Holy Spirit to help us do your work here on earth.  Lord, the world needs you more than ever, and if we can bring you to others, please show us how.  Show us what you want each of us to do.  Reveal to us what this verse means for each one of us in our individual lives.  We love you, Lord. You are incredible.  We are so grateful you gave us the Holy Spirit.  Lord, you are the almighty one, you are the king of kings and the Lord of Lords.  You are the light of the world.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow.  Remember Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I.  Have a blessed weekend!Today's Word from the Lord was received in May 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My children, hear my whispers of love that I speak to you each day. Take the time to be quiet. Hear them. Hear my whispers of love. I speak with whispers of love throughout the day. You only need to listen. The more you listen, the happier you will be.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Words to Live ByNever short sell an immeasurably more God.Never underestimate the power of a simple prayer offered on behalf of a complex situation.Never dismiss the impact of obedience (or disobedience).This week our word is… Never be afraid of the repercussions of speaking the truth in love; one of those repercussion is freedom.The problem with avoiding conflict is that you actually live longer in the conflict than you need to and you miss what God can do in you and them as a result of a resolution. What I propose to you this morning is…God may have a purpose for your conflict. All of God's purposes are good.God will do something redeeming in your conflict if you trust Him enough to follow Him through it.Conflict can be a path to freedom for both parties if both parties cooperate. Replace “winning or avoiding” with freedom as your new frame for conflict. Never be afraid of the repercussions of speaking the truth in love; one of those repercussion is freedom (redemption). If you just want the conflict to be over you will leave a lot of restoration on the table. Conflict is a freedom opportunity.Changing your perception of conflict will change the way you process conflict.Ephesians 4:1-6, 11-16 (NIV + CAV) As a prisoner for the Lord [bound by His words, way and will], then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love [agape selfless all in love]. 3 Make every effort [implies consistent work] to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. [we are all under this one banner of the Lordship of Christ.] 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. [End goal freedom = fullness. For me to be full of Christ I have to get rid of the stuff that isn't Christ] 14 Then [when we are free and full] we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.Spiritual Unity and Spiritual Maturity are two of God's primary objectives for the Body of Christ. This means they are Word directed and Spirit empowered BUT they are only accomplished with our cooperation. Disunity and Immaturity are opponents to freedom and wholeness in Christ. Satan's objective with conflict is separation and there is no shortage of opportunity for conflict. God's objective is freedom and this verse gives us the way towards conflict redemption… “speak the truth in love”. Truthing isn't the idea of “getting something off my chest” or “telling it like it is”. Truthing's purpose is freedom and its manner is agape love. Are you truthing in love in your conflict? Being a Christian and being a part of a church doesn't mean we have arrived, it means we are arriving – we are walking together. Freedom is the motivation. Truthing is the manner. Face to Face is the Method. Matthew 18:15 (NIV) 15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.The Biblical method to conflict redemption is to go in person. The quicker you GO the quicker the potential is for redemption and restoration. The longer you let it sit, it doesn't sit, it burrows. An early “face to face” short circuits at least 3 things that complicate conflict redemption. Contamination. Infection. Posse building. Winning a conflict is not ending up on top or having the most people on your side, winning is mutual freedom. Matthew 18:16 (NIV) 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'Why the press from Jesus? Jesus understands broken human nature better than anyone. Jesus understands more than we do the value of relationships to our wholeness and maturity. Jesus is more invested in this “freedom outcome” than we are – He died for it.Matthew 18:17 (NIV) 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. It is possible to agree to disagree and still be able to work on the same mission with the same passion… but it's not possible within the Body of Christ to hold animosity towards or withhold forgiveness from someone. If love, humility and unity wasn't such a priority for the Body of Christ, Christ wouldn't confront conflict so boldly. Freedom is the motive. Truthing in love is the manner. Face to Face is the method.Matthew 5:9 (NIV) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.Freedom is the motivation – not avoiding or winning.Truthing in love is the manner – not accusation.Face to Face is the method – not posse building.Your freedom doesn't rest in the outcome (the hands of someone else) your freedom rests in your obedience, faith, trust, movement in the word of God.

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.Support the show, a product of Hope Media: https://hope1032.com.au/donate/2211A-pod/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.Support the show, a product of Hope Media: https://hope1032.com.au/donate/2211A-pod/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.Support the show, a product of Hope Media: https://hope1032.com.au/donate/2211A-pod/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.Support the show, a product of Hope Media: https://hope1032.com.au/donate/2211A-pod/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.Support the show, a product of Hope Media: https://hope1032.com.au/donate/2211A-pod/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back To Basics // Week 5 // The Holy SpiritPastors JF and Ashley WilkersonEphesians 4:1-3 NIV 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.1. Gifts of the SpiritEphesians 4:7-8;11-13 NIV 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people…11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.1 Corinthians 12:1; 4-11 NIV 1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed…4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.1 Corinthians 14:1a NIV 1a Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit…1 Timothy 4:14a & 15 ESV 14a Do not neglect the gift you have...15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.1. Gifts of the Spirit2. Growth in the SpiritEphesians 4:14-16 NIV 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.“Truth and Love” Chart1. Gifts of the Spirit2. Growth in the Spirit3. Grieving the SpiritEphesians 4:17-21 NIV 17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.Ephesians 4:25-32 NIV 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.1. Gifts of the Spirit2. Growth in the Spirit3. Grieving the Spirit

Paul says to the church at Galatia, “So Christ has truly set us free.” What did Jesus set us free from? What put us in bondage to begin with? And the answer to that question is found in Paul's letter to them, “The Law,” and in particular, they have listened to false teachers and have been convinced they, as Gentiles, need to be circumcised and follow the law. Paul makes it clear, if they follow the law, Christ is no effect to them, and they have been cut off from Christ. If you're cut off from something, you have been removed and there is a separation. It goes back to the Garden of Eden, when man chose to sin, they were separated from God, and man has tried to reconcile that relationship ever since but everything we do is not good enough. It can only happen in Jesus!

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28) There are two specific referenc... More...

Introducing Deacons (A Message on Ministry and Methods)Message SlidesChurch Government - SwindollElders - J.I. PackerElders & Deacons - Brian TuckerINTRODUCTION: A Little Bit of History• Fellowship Bible Churches - The 1960s, DTS, Gene Getz & Joe Wall• Fellowship Bible Church - Conway (Little Rock & Northwest Arkansas)A Biblical Philosophy of Church MinistryThe Functions of the Church - Functions Over Forms (Acts 2:42-47)• Worship• Instruction• Fellowship• EvangelismThe Focus of the Church - Making Disciples (Matthew 28:16-20)• The Command - “Make Disciples”• The Context - “As you are going…”• The Method - Evangelism & Discipleship• The Extent - “All Nations”The Pattern of the Church - Equipping the Saints (Ephesians 4:11-16)• Gifted Leaders Equip.• Saints are Involved in Ministry.• Every Part Works in Unity.• The Final Result is Maturity in Christlikeness.A Biblical Philosophy of Church LeadershipPlurality of Leaders (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17; Titus 1:5; James 5:14 )Functions Over Forms (New Testament Epistles)• Jesus is Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22-22; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19)• Gifted Leaders (1 Thess. 5:12–13; Heb. 13:7, 17; Eph. 4:11)• Elders (1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17-19; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; James 5:14)• Deacons and Deaconesses (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:8-13) The church is accomplishing God's purpose wheneveryone is involved in ministry & growing toward maturity! So Christ's immediate purpose in giving pastors and teachers to his church is through their ministry of the word to equip all people for their varied ministries. And the ultimate purpose of this is to build up his body, the church. In other words, the church's goal is not Christ but its own maturity in unity which comes from knowing, trusting and growing up into Christ.Home Church Questions• Read Ephesians 4:11-16.• What is your favorite part of church activities? What is your least favorite part of church? • What is the best thing that has ever happened to you in the church context (This doesn't have to be something that happened on Sunday Morning or even at Fellowship)?• How have you experienced positive church leadership in your life?• How is Fellowship currently “equipping” (repairing or preparing) you for growth and service right now?• What are four key elements of doctrinal stability a church should have?• How does unity result in growth and effectiveness in ministry?Mission Prayer Focus: The Somali in Ethiopia8.2 million primarily speak Somali and identify as Sunni Muslims. Many blend Islamic practices with folk beliefs and traditions. Only 0.22% are evangelicals. Despite having access to the complete Bible and the Jesus Film, they remain largely unreached with the gospel in Ethiopia. Pray for laborers, for the gospel to spread through media, and for disciples to rise up and make more disciples. FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 03/30 18,053Giving For 04/06 41,352YTD Budget 1,411,886Giving 1,388,039 OVER/(UNDER) (23,847)Crucifixion DinnerJoin us Good Friday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. as we remember together what Christ did on the cross through the Crucifixion Dinner (broth and bread). Child care for ages six and under is available by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Please feed the kids before dropping them off in child care. New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Holy Week on HoganThe pastors of several of the churches on Hogan have organized a time of gathering together throughout Holy Week (April 14-18). The gathering will meet each day of Holy Week at Grace Methodist from 12:00-1:00 pm and will include a short service with worship led by members of our worship teams, a short message by one of the pastors, followed by a meal. We all felt this was a great way to show our community that we are united around our risen Savior. Donations to cover the cost of the meal will be given to a local Christian ministry. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORSSeniors 2025, Fellowship wants to honor you for your graduation from High School. We ask all graduating seniors that call Fellowship home to complete a simple form for Senior Sunday on May 18 at fellowshipconway.org/register. Also, please send five pictures of your senior for the slideshow to be shown during both services to Michael Mercer at mmercer@fellowshipconway.org by April 27.Fellowship on the LawnGather together as one united faith family on Sunday, May 4, at 4 PM here at Fellowship. We have completely revamped our church-wide gathering to make it a “can't miss” event. We will have a live band, a DJ, a time of organized games for families with prizes, food trucks, and Kona Ice. We will have Baggo, basketball, and Pickle Ball for the adults. Put this event on your calendar and plan to join us!VBS 2025 | June 23-27 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pmJoin us in ancient Egypt! You'll explore Pharaoh's palace, experience thrilling “real-life” dramas, play high-energy games, sample tasty snacks, and hear unforgettable music. Plus, you'll meet lots of new friends! VBS is for children currently in kindergarten through fourth grade - invite a friend for free! Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. The cost is $5 per child. Imperishable: a 4-Week Study of 1 peterJoin us for Imperishable, a four-week study of 1 Peter led by Heather Harrison. We'll meet Wednesday nights beginning May 28, at 6 p.m., here at Fellowship. Text Shanna at 501-336-0332 to reserve childcare. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.

Be Bold & Do the Works Jesus Did!John 14:12-13 “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  it is one that I read, and when I heard it, I immediately believed it.  Some verses are like this in the Bible.  When you read the Bible, some things are easy to take in, and others are difficult.  These easy and difficult things are different for everyone.  We all have different experiences when we read the Bible because we have all had different experiences throughout our lives.  There is a quote by Steven R. Covey that I really like.  Steven R. Covey said, “We see the world, not as it is, but as we are.”  This is true for the Bible as well.  We look at and interpret the things we read in the Bible with our own unique lens.  For instance, if we had people letting us down our whole lives, we may read the parts of the Bible that talk about trust and struggle to believe we can trust God because we haven't been able to trust anyone on earth.  If we have grown up in a very unloving environment, we may struggle with the parts of the Bible that talk about unconditional love. Other things may come easier to us.  For me, I instantly loved this verse.  I know the Bible is God's Word and that God chose His words very carefully.  Sometimes, when we are reading the Bible, there may be a question in our minds about why they used this word vs. that word.  One thing I have learned from doing Bible studies is that there is always a reason why certain words were chosen.  Also, if you have done Bible studies, you have had the benefit of hearing all about the original Greek or Hebrew words that were used in the original translation and what those words meant.  Sometimes, when translated, we don't have an exact word to mean what they were saying. I find Bible studies fascinating because you gain so much more insight into what the verses are really saying.  Anyway, back to the verse.  I heard this verse or read this verse, and I believed Jesus' word to us.  I have never really been one to struggle with trust.  I grew up in a loving family; I had great friends growing up, I am blessed to be able to say I was not let down by those I know and cared about often growing up.  Therefore, I trust them pretty easily.But what if you don't trust easily?  What if you look at that verse and say there is no way we could perform the works Jesus did? Jesus was God; of course, He performed miracles.  Also, the apostles were right there with Him for 3 years during His ministry. Of course, they could do miracles too.  We can all usually agree that Jesus did miracles when He walked the earth, and we can also usually agree that the apostles were sent out, and they performed miracles, too.  We run into trouble by trying to believe we can do signs and wonders in today's world.  Who are we?  We are not holy enough; we are not worthy of that power and authority.  I agree with both of those statements and yet Jesus still says we will do the works that He did and even greater works than He did. How is this possible?It is possible through the Holy Spirit.  Did you ever realize or notice that no single miracle was recorded in the Gospels before Jesus was baptized?  Jesus was fully human and fully God the entire time He walked the earth.  There was nothing stopping Jesus from performing miracles during the first 30 years of His life.  However, He chose to wait until after He was baptized and received the Holy Spirit to start performing miracles.  This is something I recently found out and found fascinating.  It was unsurprising to me that Jesus did miracles in the Bible; he is God, after all.  I didn't know that Jesus didn't use his divinity to perform miracles.  He used the Holy Spirit, working through Him to perform the miracles.  He chose to put his divinity aside and act from his human nature, with the help of the Holy Spirit, because it would be greater glory for God.  St. Lawrence of Brindisi explains it like this:"Christ came into the world to do battle against Satan, to do away with idolatry, and to turn the world to faith and piety and the worship of the true God.  He could have accomplished this by using the weapons of his might and coming as he will come to judge, in glory and majesty… But in order that his victory might be the more glorious, he willed to fight Satan in our weak flesh. It is as if an unarmed man, right-hand bound, were to fight with his left hand alone against a powerful enemy; if he emerged victorious, his victory would be regarded as all the more glorious. So Christ conquered Satan with the right hand of his divinity bound, and used against him only the left hand of his weak humanity.”Is this new to you, too?  Did you know that God performed these miracles and defeated satan without using his divinity?  He relied on the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him.  Do you know why this changes everything?  It changes everything because Jesus also gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.  If you are baptized, then you will have the Holy Spirit living inside of you.  If you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, then you have the power to defeat Satan and to perform works as Jesus did.  Another one of my favorite verses is Romans 8:11: “ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you…” I wish we all knew how much power we actually have inside our frail human bodies.This verse can be scary to many people.  Wait, if I can perform works like Jesus did, does that mean I have to travel worldwide and be a missionary like the disciples were?  No, you don't have to travel anywhere if you don't feel called to do that.  They talked about ministering to your sphere of influence in my class.  You can start small.  Be an example to your family, your friends, and your co-workers.  Let's read the verse again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”If you could believe and adopt this verse as your own personal truth, how much greater would your life be?  How great would it be to do works like Jesus did?  How great would it be to be able to heal a loved one?  Did you know there are people doing this every day?  Did you know there are lots of people who have read this verse, decided to believe it, and are now living out a supernatural lifestyle with the power of the Holy Spirit?  The last line of the verse says, “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”  How awesome of a promise is that?  God has so much more for us, and we aren't asking for it.  We aren't going to God to ask Him what He has for us.  Why are we choosing to live a normal life when God is offering us a supernatural one of signs and wonders?  You might be thinking, that is great for you, Catherine.  I am glad you believe this verse, and you want that life, but I am happy with mine as is.  If this is what you are thinking, I challenge you over this next week or so to bring this to prayer.  I challenge you to be brave enough to talk to God about it.  Tell Him how you feel about this verse and ask Him if He has anything to say to you about it.  When we do signs and wonders, we build up people's faith.  Don't you think this world needs some faith-building right now?  Look at the day of Pentecost; 3,000 were baptized on that day.  I know this verse can be scary.  I know the thought of us healing or performing miracles is strange to most of us.  I know it is way outside of our comfort zone.  I also know God is calling us all to it.  I also know that this world needs people willing to step outside their comfort zone.  God needs people who will step out in faith, knowing they have the Holy Spirit inside them and that He will guide them.  If this verse is something that you struggle with, write it down and look at it often over the next month.  Bring it to God and ask Him to show you how this applies to your life.  Ask God what He wants you to do with this verse.  Be brave and bold. If you ask the Holy Spirit for help, He will help you.  Just start small.  Step out in faith and ask a loved one if they want you to pray for them.  If you spend time with God, He will guide you on this journey.  He will lead you to where you need to go.  We must be brave enough to say three small words, “Use me, Lord.”  Can you be brave enough to say those words?  Can we be Christ's hands and feet here on earth?  Remember, we have a good, good Father.  He is going to ease you into this lifestyle.  He will meet you where you are and build your faith along the way.  Trust Him and give Him permission to work in your life; give Him permission to use you, and He will.  Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we ask you to send your angels to prepare the way for everyone listening to hear this message today.  We pray you give us the courage to believe this verse and to step out in faith, knowing you have given us the power of the Holy Spirit to help us do your work here on earth.  Lord, the world needs you more than ever, and if we can bring you to others, please show us how.  Show us what you want each of us to do.  Reveal to us what this verse means for each of us in our lives.  We love you, Lord; you are incredible.  We are so grateful you gave us the Holy Spirit.  Lord, you are the almighty one, the king of kings and the Lord of Lords.  You are the light of the world.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name. Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I.  Have a blessed weekend!Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “When I told you to walk the extra mile with the soldiers, their sacred duty was to only have a person walk a mile. If you walk another mile, they don't know what to do. It throws them off their game. Respond in love, and they will not know what to do, except understand where my word is coming and the special gifts that I have given to you.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Message for 01/26/2025 "Freedom, Trees & Hats" by Justin McTeer. *All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted* Romans 12:2 - Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Ephesians 3:17b-19 NIV - And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Galatians 5:1 NIV - It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 (NLT) - So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. Genesis 12:3b - All the families on earth will be blessed through you. Acts 10:9-16 - The next day as Cornelius's messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. 12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” 14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.” 15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” 16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven. Acts 10:28-29 - Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. 29 So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.” Acts 15:4-21 - When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them. 5 But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.” 6 So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. 7 At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. 8 God knows people's hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. 10 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? 11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” 12 Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15 And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written: 16 ‘Afterward I will return and restore the fallen house of David, I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, 17 so that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord, including the Gentiles— all those I have called to be min 3. The Lord has spoken. 18 he who made these things known so long ago.' 19 “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. 21 For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.” Galatians 2:11-16 - But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn't eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter's hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions? 15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners' like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” Galatians 4:9-12 - So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? 10 You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. 11 I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing. 12 Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws. Galatians 5:1-4 - So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I'll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace. Galatians 5:12 NASB - I wish that those who are troubling you would even emasculate themselves. Genesis 2:15-17 - The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Judges 17:6 - In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. Galatians 5:13 - For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. Absolutes Interpretations Convictions Customs Preferences 1 Corinthians 11:7a - A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God's image and reflects God's glory 1 Corinthians 11:13-14 - Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? 14 Isn't it obvious that it's disgraceful for a man to have long hair? 1 Corinthians 11:16 - But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God's other churches. Galatians 5:1 - So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Today's Passage: Ephesians 4:1-16 4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:“When he ascended on high,    he took many captives    and gave gifts to his people.”9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)  11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.Today's Prayer: Lord, we submit today to you once again. We know that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can live our lives in ways that are worthy of all that you have done for us. We ask that you fill us again with your power and that you work in and through us. Help us to be humble and gentle and patiently help one another with our burdens.  We recognize that you have gifted us, and all of your people uniquely and also designed local churches such that we can only function by using our gifts together. Would you give each of us individually a clear view of how you have gifted us and the work that you intend for us to do in your power and in collaboration with your people. We ask that you empower us and give us clear vision to equip your people here in this time at this place we call Fellowship Church to do the work of ministry you intend for us to do together. We ask that you mature us and draw us in to Yourself so that we might know You more and more each day. Help us to reflect your glory in this church; knit us together so that we would grow together and build each other up in your love as we each do the work you have prepared for us to do. In all things, God, let us be for the praise of your glory!  NOTES & LINKS:21 Days of Prayer & Fasting WebsiteSubscribe to the 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting NewsletterPDF Guide to Prayer & FastingAs Part of the 21 Days, we are committing to 24/7 prayer during this time. Sign up for a time slot here.

This painful year has made us clear on what we want for Christmas. Though Lexus and Mercedes-Benz are sure we want a gleaming ride with giant ribbons on the roof, we have no miles we want to drive. The ads all tease us with dark fantasies on Amazon or Netflix, but we still have our darkness to get through. The tech toys that we bought for sport have only one compelling use this year. We want each other more than gifts. We want the long and lingering embrace of two-year olds who won't let go; the bear hug from a distant friend; the real gatherings of real folk around a tree, a table, or a fire. We want the laughter never muted, carols sung by families on nights no longer silent. We want the deep security we find in holding, playing, eating with the ones we love in places we call home. So Christ came down because He couldn't bear the breach of space; the distance numbered in light-years; the loving words half-understood. He came to us in helplessness so we might know He needed love—our love, the warmth for which He fashioned us. He laid aside His rulership so that a two-year old could grip Him tight; a mother's tears could turn to joy, and bitter, broken men could heal. He came to make the lepers dance; to be the face the blind first saw; to hear the deaf sing harmony. His joy is us: we are the only gift He wants. Accept the grip of His embrace. And stay in grace. -Bill Knott

December 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Luke 7:18-28, 29-35Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 30:27-31:9; Revelation 3:1-22…And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Luke 7:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's easy to overlook just how hard it is for most people to come out and say what they're feeling. I hurt. I doubt. I'm dying here. We can bury an awful lot before it finally bubbles over into some kind of truth. “Are you the one who is to come, or should I look for another?”John is in prison, doubting and trying to find the words because Jesus is the one who's supposed to give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, cleanse the lepers, and free the prisoners… and John's in prison, wondering where his help is. He did what he was supposed to. A voice cried in the wilderness to prepare the way of the LORD, but John's still in prison. Is this not the guy? Is any of this stuff even real? More than a prophet, John still struggles. But we're afraid to. I don't know how long it took John to finally send his disciples for an answer to his doubt or how often you grasp for the right words and come up short, but I know why it's happening. Things don't look like they're supposed to here. You're not the only one struggling for the right words.Jesus pierces through what we mean to say and speaks peace—not just with signs and wonders but with the sure and certain word and promise of God. The poor have Good News preached to them. This can endure the poor still being poor, even when some of the blind can't see yet and not all the lame can walk. John isn't called to find comfort in the signs themselves but in the word and promises of God. Jesus saves sinners. He bears the cross for those struggling and doubting and dying. Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me. Not by how He saves. Or who. Or what it looks like while He does it. You're allowed to struggle with it. The poor need the Good News preached to them because they need Good News.  Doubt isn't good, but if we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in this stuff, then this is something that has to be answered. So Christ sends preachers. Even John's doubt in prison prepares the way of the Lord to answer it. This Word of the Lord unites our voices and gives us the words we can't quite find. The Good News preached to you. God became everything we wish we weren't. Lowly. Sinful. Alone. Afraid. Dead. And in doing so, He saved you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh and Bill explore why many ministry leaders struggle to find volunteers and how a lack of preparation might be the hidden reason. Drawing on practical examples and biblical principles, they discuss how building infrastructure today can prepare you for the blessings God wants to send tomorrow. Whether it's creating scalable systems or investing in long-term solutions, this episode equips leaders with actionable insights to future-proof their ministries and ensure they're ready for growth. Key Topics Covered: Preparing for Blessings – How to build the infrastructure your ministry needs before growth arrives. Volunteer Readiness – Why God entrusts resources to leaders who have the systems to support them. Scalability in Ministry – The importance of thinking long-term while meeting current needs. The Arizona City Planner Mindset – A powerful analogy for proactive leadership. Key Quote:“Why would God send you 16 volunteers when your ministry isn't prepared to manage, train, or sustain them?” Scripture References: Ephesians 4:11-12 – “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Proverbs 21:5 – “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Takeaway:Effective ministry leaders prepare today for the blessings of tomorrow. By building scalable systems and investing in infrastructure, they create space for God's provision and future growth. Call to Action:If this episode sparked new ideas for your ministry, subscribe and share it with fellow leaders. Don't miss next week's episode for more tips on leading with purpose and strategy. Stay connected for more resources: Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers  

Dr. Brian Hill (Senior Pastor), "A God-Sized Vision:  A Focused Family", Modern Service Praise Team (11:15 Service).11.  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  12.  to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  13.  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  15.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  16.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.       Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

Dr. Brian Hill (Senior Pastor), "A God-Sized Vision:  A Focused Family", Orchestra, Choir, Blended Worship Praise Team (8:45 Service).11.  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  12.  to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  13.  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  15.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  16.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.       Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

Dr. Brian Hill (Senior Pastor), "A God-Sized Vision:  A Focused Family".11.  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  12.  to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  13.  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  15.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  16.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.       Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

Dr. Brian Hill (Senior Pastor), "A God-Sized Vision:  A Focused Family", Modern Service Praise Team (11:15 Service).11.  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  12.  to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  13.  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  15.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  16.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.       Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

Dr. Brian Hill (Senior Pastor), "A God-Sized Vision:  A Focused Family", Orchestra, Choir, Blended Worship Praise Team (8:45 Service).11.  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  12.  to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  13.  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  15.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  16.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.       Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

Dr. Brian Hill (Senior Pastor), "A God-Sized Vision:  A Focused Family". 11.  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  12.  to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  13.  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  15.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  16.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.       Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

Acts 2:46-47 (NIV)46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.1. We are stronger together1 Corinthians 12:18-20 (NIV)18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.Matthew 18:19-20 (NIV)19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.1. We are stronger together2. The love of God binds us togetherColossians 3:11-14 (NIV)11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.1. We are stronger together2. The love of God binds us together3. Thank God for the local church leadershipEphesians 4:11-13 (NIV)11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.Ephesians 4:14-16 (NIV)14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 3:20-21 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. To See God do Immeasurably More In and Through You   What is My Calling?   Ephesians 4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  God's calling is to Himself. God's calling changes our character.   2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.   7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.  We are called to be uniquely “one.”  “Each one” of you is uniquely graced.   8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” 9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)    11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.    15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.    16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.     You are called to grow, build, and work.     17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.    18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.    19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.   20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.    22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;    24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.    26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.    28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

We have entered this week into the final Days of Awe or the 10 days before Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement which is the Highest Holy Day of the Year on the Hebrew Calendar, October 12, 2024r. It is a solemn assembly where the Jewish people will come before the Lord for 24 hours and will repent of their sins for the last year and ask the Lord for forgiveness. This is the day that the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies and make atonement with the blood of an unblemished lamb for himself and the sins of others. He would put that blood on the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant which sits in the Holy of Holies . Since there is no more an earthly temple to offer sacrifice for sin the Jewish people will simply understand that today is that special day but have no blood sacrifice for sin unless they understand Jesus as their High Priest in the order of Melchesidek who gave His own life for them and all of humanity.For those who believe in Jesus we understand this to be the time that Jesus became our sacrifice for sin and shed his own blood and went into the Heavenly Tabernacle and declared in book of John “ It is Finished”. Jesus' blood atonement was the beginning of a new and living way, a new eternal order. Hebrews 9: 28 says, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”On this day we remember that we have now eternal a new covenant relationship and our hearts and minds are sprinkled clean. We have a relationship with God are AT-ONE-MENT with Him. It is a new beginning of consecration and being set apart for the new year.This week God is working on faith. He is challenging our faith in every way. He is causing us to believe He is greater than. In everything He is asking us to do this week alone He is revealing our faith weakness and encouraging us to believe in Him as the one we can trust for a new life of abundance and grace. What is God stretching you on? Do not become weary in the stretching of your faith as faith pleases God and He is only taking you to next levels of knowing Him as being the faithful one. All faith challenges mean that He is offering us to know Him in a deeper way. He will come through for you! He is calling us to live a life of faith in abundance and move out of making decisions from lack. If your faith is being stretched it is because He is driving you beyond your lack mindset into a place of believing He is good and better and will indeed provide for you! Say YES to the faith challenge and begin to grow into all God has for you this year of Overwhelming Grace- 5785.Hebrews 10: 38 reads, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”Open yourself to the 7 blessings of the Season of Tabernacles from Joel 2:23-32 with financial abundance, double portion, restoration, miracles, God's divine presence, Blessings on sons and daughters, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved or delivered.Watch last week message for more on the 7 blessings of Tabernacles. Sow your seed this week in accordance with Deuteronomy 16:16-7. Three times a year we are to come before the Lord and bless Him and this is one of those times. Maximize Your Prophetic Potential monthly class is Tuesday November 12 at 10 am and 6 pm EST. You can choose which one. Click here https://dream-mentors-transformational-life-coaching.teachable.com/p/maximize-your-prophetic-potential-course1/?preview=logged_outOnly $30 each month no discount code needed and join Candice Live Zoom!

Ephesians 4:11-1611 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Today's episode dives into the significant role of apostles both in the early church and in contemporary Christianity, guided by Ephesians 4:11-12. We'll explore the foundational aspects of apostleship, its enduring responsibilities, and the modern implications of this pivotal ministry.Our springboard for today's discussion is: Ephesians 4:11-12: "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." This passage highlights the diversity of gifts provided for the edification and unity of the church, emphasizing the crucial role of apostles.Apostleship is a gift that carries profound responsibilities and a broad scope of influence, tasked with laying foundations, spreading the gospel, and nurturing the spiritual growth of the church across generations and cultures.The Role and Function of Apostles in the Early Church and Beyond:* Foundation Layers: Apostles were primarily responsible for the foundation of the church, spreading the teachings of Jesus and establishing early Christian communities.* Transmitters of Doctrine: They played a critical role in formulating and disseminating Christian doctrine, ensuring the fidelity of the church's teachings to the truth of the Gospel.The Calling and Responsibilities of Modern Apostles:* Church Planting: Modern apostles often engage in church planting and the development of church networks, extending the reach of the gospel globally.* Mentorship and Governance: They provide mentorship to church leaders and may govern large networks of churches, guiding them in spiritual and practical matters.Unpacking Modern Apostleship:* Continuity with Tradition: Today's apostles connect contemporary Christian practice with its historical roots, adapting ancient principles to modern contexts.* Relevance in Today's Church: The ongoing relevance of apostleship is seen in its capacity to address current challenges within the church and society, promoting growth and unity among believers.ConclusionUnderstanding apostleship enriches our appreciation of the church's structure and governance, providing insights into how strategic leadership and foundational ministries contribute to the overall health and expansion of the church body.A Question of the Day: How does the role of apostleship manifest in your church community, and what impact does it have on growth and spiritual development?Growth Challenge: Reflect on the apostolic influences within your church. Identify ways you can support or learn from apostolic leaders in your community to enhance your spiritual growth and contribute to the church's mission.Let's Pray: Lord, we thank You for the gift of apostleship and the leaders who carry this calling. Bless them with wisdom, strength, and guidance as they work to establish Your kingdom on earth. Help us to recognize and support the apostolic work in our midst, that Your church may be continually built up and strengthened. Amen.As we consider the profound impact of apostleship on the church, let us also contemplate our role in supporting and advancing the apostolic mission. Engage, learn, and contribute to the thriving of God's kingdom on earth. Let's get to work.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

What are we doing with what we've been given for the Kingdom? Let's take some time to reflect on that together. Tune in this Sunday to explore this deeper with Kent. EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins. Interview with Staff What jobs have you held outside of ministry if any? What is the thing you hope for the people who serve in your ministry? What is one helpful thing you wish people knew about what goes on behind the scenes in ministry? Why do you do this? What in the world are you thinking - you could make more money in the business world, you could get insurance paid for you, you could be building up retirement. So, why do ministry? What was it that put the "why" in you? OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Give it up for our team!  Thank you guys for all you do for our church! You know, Ministry is a weird job. I've had calls at 2 in the morning from a kid whose mom just got thrown through a window and he needed me to talk him down from killing his stepdad.  I've woken up to a call to come over to someone's house and counsel them in the most dire of situations. I have sat by the bed of the dying and cared for them and met with countless couples who are considering throwing in the towel on their marriage.  On top of that we have daily concern for the spiritual life of those God has stewarded us with, even when they don't always personally care or think about it themselves. My job specifically I have to be able to lead with the business acumen of a CEO, be available for one-on-one counseling, be able to study like a scholar or professor, be able to get up and speak like a motivational speaker, be a manager and lead meetings, be humble, have a character that matters, be spiritually full to give to others who are spiritually hungry, be able to read a spreadsheet and talk to people who have never seen a spreadsheet. As a pastor, there are very few people you can actually be yourself with - most people feel like they can bear that burden, but the moment they find out their pastor struggles, they walk away.  It's extremely lonely. Why do we do it? Why would anyone choose ministry? ILLUSTRATION: Literally a few years back, before coming to Harmony, my brother called me and told me he was bummed because his Christmas bonus was going to be less that year. When he told me what the bonus would be, it hit me that his bonus was more than my entire salary for the year. Oof, that's tough… So, why would we do this? Why choose it? I chose this because I want to take as many people as I possibly can with me. b I want to see as many people as I can, find Jesus, and become His disciples.  Reminds me of the parable of the talents, you know the parable right? A landowner gives a few of his servants bags of gold, one gets 5, one gets 3, and one gets one bag of gold.  When the master comes back he finds out the guys that got 5 & 3 bags had invested it and doubled their money, but the other guy took his one bag and buried it.  The master berates him for just burying his gold instead of putting it to work for him.   Look, at the end of your life when you stand before Jesus, he's not going to ask you what cars you owned, or how big your house was. He's not going to ask how many subscribers you had to your YouTube channel or TickTock or how many days of vacation you didn't use. He's going to ask you one question, “What did you do with what you had for the Kingdom” You don't need to do what I do or Amber does. What you need to do is look at what you've been given and use it for the Kingdom. CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: My favorite musician of all time was Rich Mullins - he was a Christian artist in the 90s who died tragically.  Rich had a passion for Native Americans and decided at some point to step away from his music career to be a missionary in New Mexico to the Navajo Indians. Rich tried it but was really struggling, it wasn't going like he thought it would.  He called his uncle and was talking to him and his uncle said, “Rich, you're not a very good missionary, but you are really good at making money.  Why aren't you making money and giving it to those who are good at being missionaries”  The reason I like Rich Mullins is not because he was a great musician, although he has some rich lyrics.  The reason I like him is because he decided he would be only be paid the average working man's salary and gave the rest of his money away.  Rich realized his job was to take as many with him as he could - not to hoard it all.  What are you good at you could use for the Kingdom? Are you good with kids? We need people in our kids ministry and student ministry. Are you someone people want to be around? Invite them to church with you. Are you good at making money? Redirect that to the Kingdom. You know, one of the biggest problems I think in Christianity is we professionalized it. Ephesians 4:11-13 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Look, Jesus didn't give me or our staff to do the ministry by ourselves b He gave us -> to equip you -> to do the works of service Today, I want to call you to something practical - we have this board out in the lobby that shows the holes in ministry that need to be filled.  We want you to pray and then go and fill those spots, to find your why, and to give it all for the Kingdom.

Poured Out // Week 7 // Living By The Holy SpiritEphesians 4:1-3 NIV1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.1. Gifts of the SpiritEphesians 4:7-8;11-13 NIV7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.1 Corinthians 12:1; 4-7; 11 ESV1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.1 Corinthians 14:1a NIVFollow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit...1 Timothy 4:14a &15 ESV14 Do not neglect the gift you have, ... 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.1. Gifts of the Spirit   2. Growth in the SpiritEphesians 4:14-16 NIV14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.1. Gifts of the Spirit2. Growth in the Spirit And Finally…3. Grieving the SpiritEphesians 4:17-21 NIV17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.Ephesians 4:25-32 NIV25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.1. Gifts of the Spirit2. Growth in the Spirit3. Grieving the Spirit

Here As In Heaven “Apostles” On EARTH as it is in HEAVEN The Kingdom: God's PEOPLE doing God's WORK by God's POWER. Ephesians 4:11-13 Jesus gifts the church in UNIQUE ways. Jesus EQUIPS the church for the work of ministry. “So Christ himself gave the apostles…” What's an APOSTLE? The word “apostle” means “SENT ONE” […]

Web Description: Christ appeared the first time to bring salvation by being the sacrifice for sin. Then He appeared a second time to men such as Peter and Paul, not for sin but to deliver them from their reliance on themselves into a reliance wholly on God. We also need to reach into the promise that He will appear a second time to those who eagerly await Him. Lord, appear to us! Make us those whose works are one hundred percent from the throne of God and not mixed with human pride.   Show Notes: We read in Hebrews 9:28 that Christ “will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin.” We know that Christ in His first appearing came for salvation with reference to sin. He came at Passover to be the sacrifice for sin, for the forgiveness of our sins. We also know that Yeshua (Jesus) appeared again to His disciples during the fifty days between Passover and Pentecost. This was a time when the Lord was delivering them from the limitations of their flesh.   Peter for example knew what it was to believe in Yeshua as the Christ, the Messiah. But something more had to happen for Peter. He had to be delivered from his own pride. So Christ appeared to Peter a second time for something beyond the revelation that He was the Messiah, beyond the salvation of forgiving sins. He appeared to Peter to break his spirit and bring a level of humility, without which Peter could never have moved in the apostleship that he was to move in.   Like Peter, if we are to walk in the works that God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in, we will have to know that there is nothing of ourselves that comes from ourselves, that everything is from Him and by Him. Yes, we believe in the salvation for forgiveness of sins that Christ accomplished at His first appearing. But we need Him to appear to us a second time, as we eagerly await Him, for a salvation from the mixture of flesh and Spirit in our lives that hinders us from walking in the ministry that the world needs in this hour.   Key Verses:   •       Hebrews 9:28. “Christ … will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin.” •       Luke 22:32–34. “Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times.” •       Matthew 16:16–17. “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” •       1 Corinthians 2:8. “If they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” •       1 Corinthians 15:1–5. “He appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve.” •       Luke 22:61–62. “Peter … went out and wept bitterly.” •       Ephesians 2:4–9. “It is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” •       Ephesians 2:10. “We are … created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand.” •       Philippians 3:4–12. “Not having a righteousness of my own … but … the righteousness which comes from God.”   Quotes:   •       “God is not out of control. God is in absolute control. He knows what He's doing. Listen, He's had this plan for a long time. He's had this plan for so long, He wrote it down in a Book several thousand years ago.” •       “We've had a walk by faith. We've had a walk by revelation. But I think that right now what we have to experience is a walk by grace.” •       “What we've walked in up to this point has been wonderful, especially if you ask us. It's been wonderful because we see the partial as the perfect. And now He's coming to say, “No, it was partial. It was mixed. But now I'm removing the mixture.” What will come will be perfect. And it's going to be a walk of pure grace.”   Takeaways:   1.    During the fifty days between Passover and Pentecost, Christ appeared to Peter to deliver him from the problems of his flesh that would hinder his apostleship. We also have the promise that Christ will appear to us a second time, not to forgive our sins again, but for a salvation from the flesh that is still hindering us. 2.    If satan knew the truth, he would not have crucified Christ. But he is incapable of knowing the truth, and he was so convinced of his own lie and his control of others to carry out his plan that he felt very free to express it. We find this same unrestrained manifestation of satan's lie today. 3.    People can have the same conviction concerning a lie. We have seen Christians with this problem. Are they saved? Yes. Are their sins forgiven? Yes. But are they also arrogant, boastful, and prideful? Yes. We must all admit that we have had this problem at some point in our Christian walk. 4.    The Kingdom of God will not be a mixture of God's works with human fleshly works. Just as Christ appeared to Peter and Paul to deliver them from the proudful reliance on their own flesh, we should have an anticipation that Christ will appear to us to remove that from us once and for all.  

https://www.bible.com/events/49282508 Christ Above All: Hebrews Part 5 – Harrisonburg Hebrews 9:11-15 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own […]

Blessings Follow Sanctification (3)  (audio) David Eells 6/9/24  I'm going to continue to share the great blessings we have to look forward to that follow our sanctification.   I'm going to pick up where we left off in (Isa.14:4) That thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon (DS Babylon is being destroyed.), and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! (5) The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers (This is true in the natural and spiritual.); (6) that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke (He's broken the power of the rulers to rule over their slaves. He's broken the power of the old man over the spiritual man.), that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.   Now I'd like to look at Psalm 125 because it speaks of this scepter. (Psa.125:3) For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous.... In other words, the old man is not going to rule over the spiritual man in the righteous people. And who are they? Well, it says, (1) They that trust in the Lord Are as mount Zion.... This is the Bride! The Bride trusts in the Lord. The people who walk by faith receive power from God to walk after the Lord. (1) They that trust in the Lord Are as mount Zion....   That's the Heavenly Jerusalem Paul spoke about in (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels.. That's the Jerusalem to which the early apostles came to and we are coming back to as we escape Babylon at its destruction which we are watching in the natural.   (Psa.125:1) They that trust in the Lord Are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved.... Zion cannot be moved! (Heb.12:26) Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. …(28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe. What was the kingdom that cannot be shaken? It was the Heavenly Jerusalem, Zion! It cannot be moved as those who are “well pleasing to God.” These are people who have manifested eternal life. (1Jn.5:11) And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. When we come into the Kingdom, we all have eternal life by faith, but the Bible tells us that eternal life is in the Son. He didn't say He gave it to you and put it in your hand; He said that eternal life is in the Son. So where can you get eternal life? You get it by abiding in the Son! When you abide in the Son, you take on His nature, character and authority. In other words, His name is in your forehead and in your hand. He is doing His works through you and your mind is the mind of the Holy Spirit. This is eternal life! Having the nature of Jesus is eternal life manifested; having the old man under your feet is eternal life manifested. Again, we have eternal life by faith, but manifesting it is bearing the fruit.   (Psa.125:2) As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, So the Lord is round about his people (God claims these righteous people; they are manifestly His.) From this time forth and for evermore. (3) For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; That the righteous put not forth their hands unto iniquity. Yes! If the dominion of wickedness is over the righteous, they will sin. The scepter represents dominion. In other words, if the spiritual man is serving the old man, then that's sin.   (Psa.125:4) Do good, O Lord, unto those that are good.... This is a simple but profound statement here, saints. God will do good to those who are good, those who have manifested His righteousness and His holiness. That's something only God can do in you, but He will do it because of your faith. (Psa.125:4) Do good, O Lord, unto those that are good, And to them that are upright in their hearts. (5) But as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. These people will be under the judgment of the Beast.   So the “strangers” and the “foreigners” who serve the spiritual man represent the old man, who once kept the spiritual man in bondage but now is in bondage himself in their land. Also, as we read earlier, (Isa.60:10) And foreigners shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee. God's favor is going to deliver us from being ruled over by the kings of this world and from being ruled over by these “foreigners” who represent the old man who serves the kings of this world. (Isa.60:11) Thy gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night (He's talking about the Bride, Zion. He's calling His people to come within the gates of Zion, to come within salvation.); that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations....   Now we've discovered that this “wealth of the nations” is the gold, silver and precious stones, as opposed to the wood, hay and stubble of the old life. The spiritual man is what is valuable in the Kingdom; nothing physical is valuable in the Kingdom of God. The gold, silver and precious stones represent that new life, which is something that is very valuable. (Isa.60:11) Thy gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive. (12) For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The kingdoms of the world are going to be destroyed because they are going to bring to the cross God's people.   No, they won't be able to persecute the Bride, but they will be able to persecute those who haven't made it behind the broad walls of Zion. But notice this in verse 10, And foreigners shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee. The foreigners who are going to build the walls of Zion is that carnal man who are slaves to the spiritual man in order to do his work. (Isa.60:4) Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. Spiritually-speaking, these foreigners who will bring God's sons and daughters to Zion are the carnal man. In fact, it says the foreigners will carry them. This carnal man carries the spiritual man everywhere he goes!   Now I want to point out Cyrus to you by way of an example. Even though he was a pagan king, he was used by God as a type of Himself coming as a Messiah in a worldly vessel. (Isa.44:28) That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (Isa.45:1) Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus (“Anointed” here is the same word for “Messiah,” or Christos in the New Testament.), whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him.... Notice God is using an anointed Messiah inside this vessel of a lost man because (1Co.15:50) ... flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God....   Even Jesus has a new body, folks. It's not the old body that He inherited through David; it's that new “born from above” body. But when Jesus walked on this earth, He was the son of David according to the flesh. Rom 1:3  concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. But His spiritual man was the Son of God.  4  who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness. So the Son of man served the Son of God as it is with all sons of God. And in this instance, Cyrus was His shepherd and His anointed or Messiah. (Isa.45:13) I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts. In fact, the Scripture goes on to say in, (Isa.45:15) Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. God was hiding in this type and shadow of Cyrus. Cyrus, of course, represented the outer man, who was basically unregenerate, and yet Jesus was on the inside in type as the Messiah.   And what did Cyrus do? (Ezr.1:1) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, (2) Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (3) Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem.... This is our path; we go from Babylon to Jerusalem, the Bride. And let's not stop in the cities of Judah on the way because they were conquered by the Beast, as were the cities of Israel.   The northern 10 tribes were conquered by the Beast every time.  But not Jerusalem when the Assyrians came through, for the Lord protected Jerusalem. (Ezr.1:3) Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem. (4) And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods.... When the Israelites were leaving their “Babylonish” captivity to go through the wilderness to their Promised Land, such a fear of the Israelites fell upon the Egyptians that they actually were plundered by the Israelites.  Now we see Cyrus plundering the beast under him to build the House of God. A foreigner was building the walls. (Exo.12:33) And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We are all dead men. (35) And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment. (36) And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And they despoiled the Egyptians. Even today, the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous (Pro 13:22). Here we see the natural man serving the spiritual man, which is the only way to go to Zion. The wicked's wealth will prepare the righteous for the coming wilderness too. Praise be to God! God is using the old man to help the new man.   Back to (Ezr.1:4) And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill-offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. (5) Then rose up the heads of fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin (Jesus, the Messiah, came and raised up the apostles to be heads of fathers' houses. Praise God! And the Man-child is going to do the same thing: the Man-child is going to raise up the heads of fathers' houses.), and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.   (Ezr.1:6) And all they that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered. (7) Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods.   Yes, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon “took captive” God's people and now God's raising up a Messiah in the likeness of sinful flesh to set God's people free. (Rom.8:3) …God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (4) that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  Who is ruling when you walk after the flesh? How about after the Spirit? (Ezr.1:8) Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. Well, that's a type and shadow of how God can use kings, who once ruled over the people of God, to instead serve the people. And just as your flesh, your worldly, unregenerate self once ruled over you, now that same flesh serves you, carries you, brings you where you want to go, keeps the sheep, plows the field, etc. Now that same flesh serves the spiritual man. From the beginning, this outer man was meant to serve the inner man, which is the right relationship to God. The righteous are priests. The flesh serves them and the flesh is their offering. (Isa.61:7) Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion....   Do you know that God is going to supply their every need for the people who don't walk after the flesh, but walk after the spirit? Those who are in the Bride are going to be blessed, like Esther was in the king's house or like the Shulammite in the Song of Solomon, but notice the only place where they can be blessed is in their land, not in the land of bondage. What's the difference between the land of bondage and their Promised Land? Well, in the land of bondage, the flesh ruled over the spirit man, the Egyptian ruled over the Israelite. In their Promised Land, it's the other way around: the spiritual man rules over the carnal man. That's where the blessings are and that's why it's called the Promised Land, the “land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 33:3; Leviticus 20:24; Numbers 14:8; Deuteronomy 26:9; etc.)   So it doesn't matter if you're going through the tribulation period; what matters is who's ruling whom! (Isa.61:7) Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double (Praise the Lord! There are great benefits for sanctification.); everlasting joy shall be unto them. (Isa.61:8) For I, the Lord, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth.... You know, you don't have to wait to go to Heaven to receive your recompense. We walk in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth and God is going to give you all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28, if you will obey His commandments, which you can do by faith.   (Isa.61:8) For I, the Lord, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And God has made that Covenant, but that Covenant has been broken by the people who are serving the old man. Sin broke the Covenant, so then who is it who can have this Covenant with God? Only those people in whom the old man is serving the spiritual man, they are going to have this everlasting Covenant with God.   (Isa.61:9) And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. Yes! God's people are going to have awesome testimonies of the benefits of the Kingdom! The lost world is going to see great healings, deliverances, miracles of provisions and so on for God's people because God's people are not going to be under the dominion of the Beast.   (Rev.13:10) If any man is for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. In other words, if you need to go into captivity to come to crucifixion, then that's what will happen. The Lord loves us and He's going to do what's necessary to crucify this old man. Jesus made it very, very plain: (Mat.10:39) He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. That's not unconditional eternal security; that is conditional eternal security.   Going back again to (Isa.61:10) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation.... This is the manifestation of eternal life, the manifestation of salvation. We have been planted in this earth for a purpose: we are to bear the fruit of Jesus Christ. Some people think there's no purpose. They think you just “accept” Jesus and you wait for Him to come take you away so you don't go through any trouble whatsoever, you just fly away. These are people who don't read the Bible, so they don't know what it says. We are here to manifest the salvation that He gave us by faith in the beginning. We are here to manifest, (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory.   The manifestation of salvation is Jesus manifested in you 30-, 60- and 100-fold. That can't be anything other than Jesus because He said the seed is the Word of God sown by Jesus Himself. When we submit to the Word of God, the Word manifests Him in us. And we know from the New Testament that the “garments of salvation” are your works. (Rev.19:8) And it was given unto her (the Bride) that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Putting on evil works will not get you in the wedding. (Isa.61:10)…for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.... Their righteous works are their clothing! (Rom.13:14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ (Paul refers to Jesus as a garment), and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. The Bible says to put off the old man. (Eph.4:22) That ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit; (23) and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (24) and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. In other words, don't serve the old man because, if you do, you're putting on something that will not entitle you to the Kingdom.   (Isa.61:10) …, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. And what do the jewels represent? They represent the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ in you! (Isa.61:11) For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Praise be to God!   We've been sown in the earth in order to bear fruit, but the first thing this corrupt flesh does is try to put to death that seed of the Kingdom. (Gen.1:11) And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. Just as each seed brings forth after its own kind, so the Word of God brings forth Jesus Christ; He is the Word of God. The only seed you really want to plant in your heart is the Word of God because only that can bring forth Jesus Christ. And we want to manifest Jesus Christ because (Joh.3:13) ... no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven.   So Christ in you, that spiritual man Who's been recreated in His image, is the only hope of glory. People want to know, “Why do Christians go through so much?” Well, Jesus said, (Joh.12:24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. And glory to God! The Lord has sown the right seed in the earth to bring forth His Son and that seed is His Word. Nothing else can bring forth the Son; anything else would be antichrist. You know, “anti” has two meanings: it has the meaning of “against” and it has the meaning of “in the place of.” There are some things that look to the world to be similar to the Son, yet they're not the Son, and religions do that. They like to have something very similar but that is not so crucifying to their flesh. They like leaven in their bread.  Religion that is made after man's design, religion that doesn't involve obedience to Scripture, that is antichrist. It has taken the place of Christ. (Eze.33:7) So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. (8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. (9) Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. Apostate religion is guilty of the blood of the saints because it doesn't tell the truth which sets free.  Now let's go back to Isaiah 61:10 again and look at it more closely. (Isa.61:10) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.... What are these garments and this robe? I briefly mentioned previously that I believe this speaks about the manifestation of salvation. You know, we all have salvation by faith, but (Heb.11:1 KJV) Faith is the substance of the thing hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is believing for things you don't yet manifest, you don't yet see with your eyes, etc.   One of the best texts about putting on the “garments of salvation” is in Romans. As you read it, notice how the word “salvation” is used. Many people refer to salvation as only something in the past. They don't understand it's in the past because we accept by faith what was accomplished at the cross, but what was accomplished at the cross is being manifested as we walk out that faith. If you're not walking by faith, then salvation is not being manifested; you are not changing day-by-day. If you're not walking by faith, you are not coming into His image. You're not manifesting your salvation 30-, 60- and 100-fold.   (Rom.13:11) And this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep (Oh, if it was true then, it's certainly true today!): for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed. These are Christians here who already have salvation and he's telling them, “Now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed.” So what does he mean by that? He's talking about the fulfillment of salvation, the manifestation of salvation. When we first believed, most of our salvation was by faith and not by manifestation. But the further we go down the road of walking by faith and the more we “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,” the less our salvation is by faith and the more of it is by manifestation.   Most of the Church doesn't understand that the Lord has put us here to lose our life in order to gain our life. As Scripture tells us, we are to be (1Pe.2:1) Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, (2) as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation. That's what we call “bearing fruit.” (Rom.13:12) The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness (These works of darkness are garments, too, but they're not the garments of salvation.), and let us put on the armor of light. This is the “garment of salvation.”   (Rom.13:13) Let us walk becomingly (So many people reject works, but the Christian who walks by faith will have the works of God. God puts His ability in them.), as in the day; not in revelling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. (14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ (So you cast off the “works of darkness” and you “put on the armor of light,” and now he tells you that the “armor of light” is the Lord Jesus Christ.), and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. There you see two garments: the garment of the works of the flesh and a garment of the works of Christ. This “garment of salvation” is very clearly putting on Christ.   I also especially like (1Ti.6:11) But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (12) Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal.... You have to fight! Yes, you have life eternal by faith, but then you have to continue to exercise that faith. You know, life eternal can be found only in the life of Jesus Christ; there's no other eternal life out there. (1Jn.5:11) And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. See, you can't claim the life of Christ without abiding in the Son.   Jesus Himself said, (Joh.15:1) I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. (2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit. (Mat.7:16) By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (20) Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Abiding in the Son is where this life is and you abide in Christ as you follow after these attributes of Christ.   (1Ti.6:12) Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal (You fight by using your faith to lay hold of these attributes of Christ!), whereunto thou wast called.... The word “called” is kaleo and it means “invited.” We've been invited to partake of the nature of Jesus Christ. You were called to lay hold on eternal life, but how do you do that? The first thing you have to do is accept it as a free gift by faith which (Rom.4:17) ... calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Faith is what Jesus said in, (Mar.11:24) ... All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received (Greek) them, and ye shall have them. (Heb.11:1) Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.   When you claim salvation by faith, you're giving God the substance, but you don't have the evidence yet. There's no complete manifestation of it yet. Your faith is accounted as righteousness, but you have to keep walking in that faith to be accounted as righteous. And as you walk this faith out, you manifest more and more of what you're believing for, until you don't need the faith anymore because you have the full manifestation. Faith is a means to an end and the end is Jesus Christ. He is eternal life!   (1Ti.6:12) Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. What is the “good confession”? Well, you confess that you are saved! The Greek word for “salvation” is soteria and it means “all my needs supplied, ‘like a little baby.'” Soteria is salvation for your spirit, soul, body and circumstances; it covers everything. And the word for “confession” there is homologeo, which means “to speak the same thing”; in other words, to agree with what the Word says about you and what God has done for you. In the midst of the trial, you must speak in agreement with what the Word says about you. If you don't, you're not going to receive salvation in that trial.   For example, if you need a healing and you don't agree that (Isa.53:5) ... with his stripes, we are healed, then you're not going to get that healing. If you need salvation for your soul, if you need deliverance from demons, whatever your need may be, you are not going to get that part of salvation unless you come into agreement with what the Word says. Jesus is the Word and Jesus is our high priest. (Heb.4:14) Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. We need to confess Him before men so that He can present that confession as an offering before the Father; the Bible is very clear about this.  (1Ti.6:13) I charge thee in the sight of God, who giveth life to all, and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession.... And what was His confession? (Joh.18:36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (1Ti.6:13) … and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession; (14) that thou keep the commandment, without spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Believe it or not, this has nothing whatsoever to do with Jesus coming in the clouds. It has to do with the coming of Jesus in you! Notice: You keep the commandment until Jesus is manifested in you.   The word “appearing” here is the word Epiphaneia and it means “to shine forth from,” so this is talking about the Lord shining forth from you. You keep the commandment without spot and without reproach until the “appearing,” the Epiphaneia, of the Lord Jesus Christ in you. Jesus had the Epiphaneia. That means the One Who shined out of the son of David was the Son of God. We're going to look at this a little later, but right now I want to point out to you the Epiphaneia, this “shining forth from.” What is it that shines forth from us? Well, we have this blessing of Jesus Christ Who lives in us, but He's not manifested to the world. (2Co.4:7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves. This light that is shining out of darkness is the manifestation of Christ in you, the manifestation of your sanctification, if you will.   (2Co.4:6) Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And the Scripture says about Jesus, (2Ti.1:9) Who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, (10) but hath now been manifested (“Manifested” here is the word phaneroo from the root phaneros, and it means “to render apparent ... as opposed to what is concealed and invisible.”) by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus.... It's as if the light of Jesus Christ that's in you is shining brighter and brighter, as the Bible says. (Pro.4:18) But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.   You know, this light is actually visible in the spirit realm and, even in the physical realm, some people have seen it with their eyes. They don't realize that this glow around people is something that the Spirit is enabling them to see. And this shining becomes brighter as more and more of Jesus is manifested. (2Ti.1:10) But hath now been manifested (In other words, this “shining forth” is becoming visible.) by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus.... The word “appearing” is that same word, Epiphaneia, meaning “to shine forth from.” So Jesus had an Epiphaneia, a “shining forth” from Him when He was on the earth, and we are to keep the commandments without spot and without reproach until our Lord Jesus Christ shines out of us! Awesome! This is sanctification; this is the manifestation of our salvation.  (1Ti.6:18) That they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to communicate (In the Greek, this word means “share.”); (1Ti.6:19) laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed. See, you don't have the manifestation of everything you're going to receive when you first come to Jesus. The manifestation of your salvation is progressive and you “lay hold on the life which is life indeed” as you come into agreement with the Word. The only people who can prove they've walked by faith are those people who have power in their life to walk away from sin. There are people who claim they have faith, but they don't have any works.   Well, James said, (Jas.2:18) Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith. A person who has the works of the Lord Jesus Christ, a person who can keep the commandments as He commanded, the one whom He said loves Him, this person has grace from God to do what they're doing. And you don't receive grace without faith, so the person who has faith is the person who is walking in the steps of Jesus Christ. They are progressing, they are manifesting their salvation, they are growing in the ways of the Lord. Amen!   Before we go on, let me point out that Isaiah was speaking in the first person when he said in (Isa.61:1) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me... And you may be thinking, “Well, he was talking about the coming of Jesus.” That's true, but Who was Jesus? (Rom.1:3) Concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (4) who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness.... Jesus was the Son of God come in a body of the son of David; that's Who Jesus was. Is Jesus coming today in His people? Of course! That's what salvation is: (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is Immanuel, meaning God with us. He is coming as the Word is manifested in you as you abide in Him, so Christ is being manifested in you because He is the Word!   I believe Isaiah is a type of the Man-child here because the One Who was speaking out of Isaiah is Jesus Christ, the same One Who fulfilled the first half of this prophecy 2000 years ago. (Luk.4:18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised, (19) To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (20) And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down: and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. (21)  And he began to say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears.  You know, Isaiah preached just before and during the time when the Assyrian Beast was coming to take God's people into captivity. He preached at a time just like today when, once again, the Beast is coming to bring God's people into captivity.   And probably some of you out there are saying, “But I'm going to escape that!” Well, I pray that you do! But I can tell you it's not going to be the way that's been taught traditionally; we're not going to fly away. What Jesus did say, however, was (Luk.21:36) But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.  Now let's read on in (Isa.61:10) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom.... In what way was Isaiah, or the Man-child, like a bridegroom? We know that Jesus was the Bridegroom, was He not? When John saw the disciples following after Jesus, he said in (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.... The Son of God was manifested in the son of David. He came to minister to the people the Word of God and to raise up the Bride to walk in His steps. This is the same thing that is about to happen today. The Man-child ministry is being raised up as a fulfillment of Revelation 12. They will be the first-fruits of those in whom Jesus lives.   Jesus is going to manifest Himself in all of His holy people, but the first-fruits are going to be the first ones to fully enter into this by the grace of God. (Isa.61:10) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland.... When the Man-child comes, the One living inside of the Man-child, the One Who is here to fellowship with the Bride, is the Bridegroom! There's going to be an exact fulfillment of what happened in Jesus' day. Jesus was Who? He was the Son of God in the Spirit, Who was in the son of David in the flesh. He is coming this time in the same way! He's coming in His people. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.   As you look into the mirror and see Jesus by faith, you'll be transformed from glory to glory into the same image. Paul said, (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. Those are words of faith and words of faith bring to pass the manifestation of that faith. Jesus is coming in His people. The Bridegroom is going to come in the Man-child and, as the Man-child speaks the Word of the Lord which is living in them, the Word of the Lord will raise up the Bride. So what the Scripture is saying here had a fulfillment in Isaiah's day, it had a fulfillment in Jesus' day and it will have a fulfillment in our day.   Let's read it again. (Isa.61:10) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Now in what way could Isaiah, or Jesus, or the Man-child, also be the Bride? Well, according to the Word of the Lord, we're told that the Bride is the Heavenly Jerusalem. (Rev.21:9) And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. (10) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, (11) having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal.... See the glory; the light was shining out of her.  And Paul said, (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest ... (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. The “heavenly Jerusalem” is those people who are obediently walking as disciples of Christ, walking in sanctification and the power of God -- things that most of Christianity has totally forgotten today.   The people who lived in Jerusalem after it was taken from the Jebusites were under the dominion of King David. 2000 years ago, the “King David” of the Heavenly Jerusalem was Jesus. And today “King David” is coming again, manifested in His first-fruits leadership. This first-fruits leadership is also the “Bride” because, if the Bride is Jerusalem, and David sat on the Lord's throne in Jerusalem to rule for Him, as did David's son Solomon (1 Chronicles 29:23; 2 Chronicles 1:11; 2:11; 9:8), then David being in Jerusalem would make him a part of the Bride. Actually, David would be the head of the Bride. However, the Bible speaks of another prophet coming (Acts 3:22; 7:37).   You say, “But that was Jesus!” That's true, Jesus was the Man-child, but there's also another prophet coming to fulfill the exact same prophecy in our day and that prophet is going to be Jesus in His Man-child. Jesus was a part of the Bride; He was the head of the Bride. He's the head of the body, is He not? The Bride is the body who is manifesting Christ because Christ lives in his body and Christ lives in His Bride. Christ lives in anyone in whom the Word of God is manifested and being obeyed. He lives in that person and in that way there is a fulfillment of this.   Continuing on in (Isa.61:11) For as the earth bringeth forth its bud (Now we're talking about the benefits of this sanctification of Christ in you.), and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. In this day, God's people are going to be manifested before the eyes of all the nations. Jesus Christ is coming to walk in all the nations! He's going to do it in His people, beginning with His first-fruits.   They are going to do the works of Jesus Christ of 2000 years ago and they're going to pass this on to apostles, who are going to raise up the five-fold ministry. (Who are apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists.) Jesus Christ is going to walk in those apostles and then He's going to abide in that five-fold ministry, and then in all the people who receive the Word of that ministry. He is coming to manifest Himself in His body. Remember, the One Who lives in the true body of Christ is Jesus Christ! It's His body and He lives in it!   What we call the body of Christ nowadays, we have to call it by faith because we certainly can't call it by manifestation, but the Lord is going to prove the power of His salvation. Before the Tribulation is over, all the nations are going to have seen the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, (Mat.10:40) He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. The nations are going to see Jesus in the body of Christ on this earth again, but they are not necessarily going to like Him; they never liked Him before. Only those who had been given eyes to see and ears to hear liked Jesus in His body. There are many people who claim to be “Christians,” yet they mistreat Christ in His body. They persecute and they crucify Christ in His body, but still they call themselves “Christians.” And what did Jesus have to say about that? (Mat.25:40) … Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.   So now in (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness.... This is that “shining forth from,” this Epiphaneia, this phaneroo, that we were talking about. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth.... Folks, we're not going to have “Christians” in name only. These are going to be Christians whom God is going to raise up! You are either going to come into the Kingdom or you're going to get out and He's not going to rest until it happens. It's going to happen before all the nations, not just up in Heaven somewhere!   There wasn't any chapter break there in the original; it just went right on, so He's talking about doing this before all the nations. People are lying when they tell you you're never going to manifest righteousness until you get to Heaven. If you wait until then, you have waited too late! We are sown in this earth to bear the fruit while we're on this earth. These plants are growing up out of this dirt right here, folks. If all you're doing is just waiting around because you're listening to that apostate doctrine of “accept Jesus and you'll fly away one day,” you've been lied to! Read the Word of God for yourself!   (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. (Glory to God!) (2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness (That doesn't sound like God's going to wait until you fly away to Heaven to save you, for goodness' sake!), and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. He said that this righteousness would “go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth.” What is this “glory,” this “brightness,” this “lamp that burneth”? He said that kings would see “thy glory.” What is this talking about? Well, it's right here: (Col.3:4) When Christ, who is our life.... The life of the Christian is Christ Himself because we're just His body. The life inside of us has to be His life and, if you don't believe you're supposed to have the life of Christ, the very life that we read about in the Scriptures, then you're living in apostate Christianity.   (Col.3:4) When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested (The word here is phaneroo and remember it means “to render apparent ... as opposed to what is concealed and invisible.” This is talking about Christ becoming more and more visible and shining out of you; He is the glory that “all kings” are going to see.), then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. So when Christ is manifested in you, you're going to be manifested in glory! What's shining out of the saints that “all kings” are going to see is the glory of Christ! It is the life of Christ!   Peter also spoke about this “caused to shine” and “made visible.” (2Pe.1:19) And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp (There it is, the “lamp that burneth”.) shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. “Day-star” is an archaic term for the sun, which is also a parable of the Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is the lamp, Christ is the Day-star shining brighter and brighter in the dark places of your heart! (Pro.4:18) But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light.... The dawning light comes up higher and higher until it's straight overhead, until all the shadows have been destroyed and there's nothing but brightness everywhere, and that's what he says happens in your heart.   This is the “shining forth” that Paul's speaking about when he says, (Col.1:27) To whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. There's no other “hope of glory”; Christ in you is the glory. (Col.3:4) When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye (He's talking about you.) also with him be manifested in glory.   (2Co.4:6) Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. “In the face of Jesus Christ” is the only way you can receive it because it's by faith that you behold “in a mirror the glory of the Lord.” (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. You see that by faith with the imagination of your renewed mind (Ephesians 4:23) and, as you do that, you are transformed into that same image! In other words, what you see by faith is going to come to pass “from glory to glory.”   And Paul goes on to say, (2Co.4:7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves. (11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested (That's the word Phaneroo again.) in our mortal flesh. Notice: That is this body, not the new body. Those apostate preachers are lying when they say that you won't be perfected until you get to Heaven. We are bearing the fruit 30-, 60- and 100-fold here, and that's what Jesus said in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8).   So, the manifestation of the life of Christ in our mortal flesh is that light of the Son shining forth out of us, brighter and brighter, until the perfect day! (Pro.4:18) But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. This is God's plan, even though it's been short-circuited by apostate religion teaching doctrines of demons that are not in the Bible. We've been lied to and robbed of God's glory. Many people who think that they're Christians are not growing up in Christ and bringing forth His fruit. But God says He's not going to rest until all of the nation's see Christ manifested in His people. Don't be left out.  Again in (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. (2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory.... Wow! This happened in Jesus' day on a lesser scale, when Jesus was the body of Christ, and He was also a type and shadow for the body of Christ in our day, as we come out of the dark ages of Christianity. The whole world is going to see the power of His salvation in His people and it may make the Pharisees just as angry as when they saw Jesus the first time.  (Isa.62:2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. By what name is this glorious people, in whom Jesus lives, going to be called? It couldn't be anything other than the name of His Son! (Col.3:17) And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Does that mean we just say the name? No. Whatsoever we do, in word or in deed, we are to do it in the nature, character and authority of Christ. The word for “name” is onoma in the New Testament and shem in the Old Testament, but they both have the same meaning, which is the “nature, character and authority” of a person or thing. The people of Shem, the Shemites, were the people of God; they were the people of the name.   Different languages have different names for Jesus, but are you being filled with His name? Is His name being manifested in you? (Rev.2:17) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh (You have to be an overcomer.), to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it. The word for “knoweth” there is ginosko and it means “to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize … or to understand completely.” Ginosko “frequently indicates a relation between the person ‘knowing' and the object known ... hence the establishment of a relationship.” Who knows the name of the Lord? The people who have the name of the Lord, the people who live in the name of the Lord, these are the people who know the name of the Lord.   Jesus knew righteousness. He knew the name of the Lord, but the Pharisees and the Sadducees didn't know the name of the Lord. They could only speak the title given to their Old Testament God because they didn't know His nature, character and authority. They didn't know Him. (Act.13:27) For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled [them] by condemning [him]. Only someone who is living in the name of the Lord, only someone in whom the name of the Lord is being manifested, can know the name of the Lord. In other words, only the “overcomers” can know the name.   (Rev.3:10) Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. We've already seen how God will keep those in the holy city Zion, in Jerusalem, from the “hour of trial,” just as in Esther. In the book of Esther, the bride was safe in the king's house while the rest of God's people were going through great tribulation. (Rev.3:11) I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown. (12) He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more.... I'm afraid a lot of Christian activity is in and out, and in and out. One day you're abiding in Christ, you're abiding in the Temple, and then the next day you're out there in the world, living in the flesh.   But the person who overcomes will live in the Temple of God in God's presence all the time. (Rev.3:12) He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and mine own new name. Now is this someone who has names written all over them? No, it's not meant to be taken literally. This is talking about the Bride taking on the name: the nature, character and authority of the Bridegroom! This is talking about God manifesting the name in them.   Jesus said, (Joh.17:6) I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept thy word. When did Jesus ever mention the Old Testament name or title of God? He never did. He called Him “Father.” His people will call Him “Father.” (Jer.3:4) Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, thou art the guide of my youth? Jesus revealed the name in His actions. (Joh.14:9) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father? The name that He revealed to people was the nature, character and authority of the Father.   And so it is today! We are ambassadors for Christ. We are to represent Him to the world. Revelation speaks about the name of the Beast in (Rev.13:16) And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; (17) and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, even the name of the beast or the number of his name.  And then, right after that, Revelation speaks about the name of the Lord. (Rev.14:1) And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand. (This is the first-fruits Man-child ministry.), having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads. He just got through talking about the name of the Beast being written on the foreheads of the Beast people. I don't think you're ever going to see either mark physically, so you have to take this spiritually. Revelation is not talking about the name of Jesus and the name of His Father written on the forehead, but about the nature, character and authority of the mind and works of Christ being manifested in the mind of God's people.   As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us, (Mat.28:19) Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name.... The numeric pattern and the ancient manuscripts all say “into,” “baptizing them into the name,” although most translations read “baptizing them in the name.” But you see, it's not about speaking a name over somebody. It's not saying any magic words over somebody. (Mat.28:19) Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Did you notice the way the word “name” is being used here? Any English teacher would tell you that this is talking about one name for all three! This has nothing to do with the oneness or twoness or trinity doctrines, but it does have to do with unity. Since the Greek word onoma means “nature, character and authority,” this is the nature, character and authority of “the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”   Jesus said He came in His Father's name and onoma means “nature, character and authority,” not “title”! Therefore, when you're baptized into the name, you're putting on the name: the nature, character and authority of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is also the Name or nature, character, and authority of Jesus. Both of these babtisms are mentioned in the word because it's the same name or nature. (Rom.13:14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. The baptism is for the death of the old man and the resurrection of the new man. When you are baptized, Paul's confession should be your confession: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.   God gave Himself for us. When you're baptized, you don't live anymore; Christ lives in you, so you have His name by faith! You are baptized into His nature, character and authority, which is why Paul tells us that when we look in a mirror, we see Jesus: (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. That's the Gospel! We don't live anymore; Christ lives in us. We accept by faith that His name is manifested in us.   We are warned, (Exo.20:7) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Why did He say that to His people? Was He talking about cursing? No, that has nothing whatsoever to do with using His name in profanity. It has to do with a person taking on His name for nothing, for naught. It has to do with a person taking on His name but not manifesting His name. We, as Christians, take on His name when we're baptized because the old man's dead and the new man lives. And the new man is (Col.1:27) … Christ in you, the hope of glory. Therefore, you are taking on His name, but the Christian who doesn't bear any fruit is taking the name of the Lord in vain. It's talking about you not living up to the name!   What does the Lord say about those who take His name in vain? (Rev.3:1) … I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. This is a person who has taken the name for nothing. His name is not going to be manifested in them because they have no faith. Remember what James said: (Jas.2:18) Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith. Everyone who has faith is going to be manifesting Jesus Christ the further they walk down that road. Everyone! Those who merely say they believe, but who are not manifesting Jesus Christ, are not putting the old man to death so that the new man can come to life. What they have is not faith! They're not beholding in a mirror the glory of the Lord.   They choose to think that they manifested salvation when they stepped into the Kingdom and were given a new spirit. They're not concerned about manifesting that spirit in their soul, which is their mind, will and emotions. God demands that we don't take His name in vain. We have to bear the fruit of Christ. “Christian” means “Christ-like.”   God expects us to walk by faith in Him to manifest Jesus Christ in us, but dead religion and dead preachers of dead religion have been short-circuiting this wonderful thing God wants to do. What does the Lord say He's going to do? It's awesome! In front of all the nations (Isaiah 62:1-2), He's going to manifest the glory of Jesus Christ in His people. All the nations are going to see Jesus walk this earth again in corporate body of flesh. (Rom.8:3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. And God has a people who are doing the same thing; they are condemning sin in the flesh. They are walking in the likeness of sinful flesh, but the One Who's coming to life in them is Jesus Christ. He's shining forth from them brighter and brighter!   These are the people who have faith. They are the ones we call “believers”! Remember, it was the pagans who first called the followers of Christ “Christians” because they did the works of and had the fruit of Jesus Christ. “Christian” was a compliment that they gave to people whom God called “disciples” and “believers.” Believers have fruit! All believers have fruit! Disciples have fruit! All disciples have fruit! But not everybody called “Christian” is a Christian, nor has everybody called “Christian” borne any fruit. A “disciple” is “a learner and a follower,” a mathetes; they follow in the steps of Jesus. And a “believer” is somebody who is going to receive grace because of their faith.   (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them. So we are being created to do the works of Jesus Christ. (Joh.14:12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. That's what Jesus said; therefore, the people who really believe will be seen to be the people who do His works, keep His commandments and so on. Is it by their power? Not at all. It's by His power because God gives grace to those who believe. Grace is God's favor to walk above sin, to be overcomers. All of the promises in the Book of Revelation are only to the overcomers. And how were they able to overcome? They were able to overcome because God gave them grace and faith to believe.