Podcasts about spirit you

Speaker: Adam GodshallSeries: 2 Thessalonians: Be Faithful until Christ ReturnsText: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17Theme: Christians Must Be Confident in the Face of Apostasy. One: Clearly see salvation. (What God has done.) You were loved, chosen, & called You were set apart by the Spirit You believed the gospel You share in Christ's glory Two: Firmly believe truth. (What God has said.) Because of your firm foundation... ...keep on clinging... ...to God's revealed word. Three: Boldy pursue godliness. (What God is doing.) Inwardly rejoice in the kindness of God Outwardly reflect the character of God But we give thanks...because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved... ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Title: Eyes to See and Ears to Hear Text: Acts 28:23-31 FCF: We often struggle humbly heeding the Word of God. Prop: Because God alone acts to save sinners, we must humbly heed the Word of God. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 28. In a moment we will read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 23 and going to the end of the book of Acts. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Today is a bittersweet day. Today we close out our exposition of the text of the book of Acts. Next week we will do one final review sermon as we provide a bird's eye view of the major themes in the book. It will be difficult to move on from this two-year study, but very soon we'll begin our next sermon series on the letters to the Thessalonians. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's be reminded of where we are in the book of Acts today. Paul has just settled in to his situation in Rome. He is under house arrest, guarded constantly by a Roman sentry. He does not have the freedom to leave his home to do any sort of preaching ministry within the city, but he has called the Roman Jewish leaders of the synagogue to come to him in his home. He has explained why he is here so they wouldn't think he was a criminal. Of course, they hadn't heard anything about Paul coming to Rome. But they had heard about the Nazarene Sect and how much trouble it has caused the Jewish communities around the Empire. They are very curious to learn more and understand why there is so much contention. Paul will now have an opportunity to meet with these Jewish leaders at length to speak about the hope of Israel. Which is the gospel of Jesus their Messiah. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Savior God, You are our Redeemer. Father You have planned our redemption within the counsel of Your will since before the dawn of Your creation. Jesus You have been eternally begotten of the Father to go and accomplish this Redemption for a people You have elected before the foundations of the world. Spirit You have proceeded from the Father and the Son and like the Son You raise us up and wash us in the waters of regeneration so that we may be united to the redemption provided to us by the Son. Savior God, You, and You alone, are our Redeemer. Nothing can save us but You. Help us then Lord to hear from Your Word today and believe that You act alone in our salvation, so that we can respond to this great salvation by humbly heeding Your Word. We pray this in Jesus' name… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] Augustine of Hippo: “The grace of God does not find men fit for salvation but makes them so.” Benjamin Beddome “God's grace can save souls without preaching, but all the preaching in the world cannot save souls without God's grace.” W.E. Best “The sinner apart from grace is unable to be willing and unwilling to be able.” These thoughts are fundamental to the message Paul has for the Roman Jews. Let's look at what he says. I.) Mere logic and persuasion cannot move the heart of sinful man to repent and believe the gospel, so we must humbly heed the Word of God. (23-24) a. [Slide 3] 23 - And when they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly bearing witness about the kingdom of God i. So, the Jews return in great numbers to Paul's rented abode. ii. They are highly motivated to learn about the Nazarene sect and why they are hearing reports against it from everywhere. iii. Paul begins by speaking intently with them. The one Greek word translated here “solemnly bearing witness” implies not simply testifying or giving of information but urgent reporting on matters of grave importance. iv. What is so important? v. It is the coming of the Kingdom of God. vi. This eternal Kingdom that is spoken of by their own prophets, greatest of which was John the Baptist – has now come. And they need to respond. This promise IS for the children of Israel. vii. But entry into this Kingdom is not granted based on that status. viii. Being born of Abraham is not enough to inherit this Kingdom. ix. So how do you enter? b. [Slide 4] and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, i. You must be born of the Spirit. You must go through Jesus. ii. As has been a central theme to the book of Acts since the beginning, the Jews have a unique position in the redemptive plan of God, in that Jesus is their Messiah. iii. Jesus is the central and key figure to gain access to God and to this eternal Kingdom. iv. Jesus is Yahweh's Servant who has borne griefs and healed wounds. He has purchased Israel's pardon. v. And they have been granted the Scriptures which contain prophesies concerning this one who will come to redeem not just them, but the whole world. vi. Paul takes them through these books to show them Jesus. c. [Slide 5] from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, i. What do they need to do then? ii. They do not need to join a new religion in order to inherit the Kingdom. iii. No. iv. They need simply to realize that to repent and believe on Jesus as the Christ is what their own law and prophets have told them to do since the beginning. v. If they intend to continue to be Jewish, in the truest sense of the word, they must repent and trust in their own Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. d. [Slide 6] from morning until evening. i. Paul earnestly contended with them on this point for many hours. ii. He probably showed them from their own scriptures how Jesus had fulfilled over 300 prophesies by his birth, life, death, and resurrection. iii. How Jesus becomes our new Adam, our new representative. How Jesus is the new Abraham in establishing a New Covenant. How He is the new Moses, being the Great Prophet. How Jesus is the Great High Priest offering a sacrifice that does not need to be repeated since He was the sacrifice. How Jesus is the Son of David and that human King prophesied to reign over Israel forever… and the whole world. iv. From morning until evening Paul gave it all he had. He preached, he discussed, he debated, he argued, he strove, with all the persuasiveness that he could. v. What were the results? e. [Slide 7] 24 - And some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others were not believing. i. Well, the results were decidedly… mixed. ii. Some of them were being persuaded. Notice the passive voice here. 1. While it largely depends on context, many times in scripture when the passive voice is used, it is what we call a divine passive. 2. This occurs when God does something but does not wish to overtly say He is doing the action in that specific context. 3. We know from the greater context of scripture, and even in this very text, that natural man is spiritually dead and unable to hear and respond to the gospel message unless the Holy Spirit actually enables them to hear it and respond to it. 4. No matter what theological background you come from, everyone prays for the lost the same. We all pray that God would open the eyes of sinners to help them receive the gospel. 5. Christians may define what happens there differently. But the long and the short of it is, that God must move first and God must move in an individual's heart not just in an event for a broader people group. 6. It is not Paul's words that are persuading them… it is God's Spirit opening their eyes to see the truth of what Paul is saying. iii. But the others, the majority, do not believe on Jesus. iv. But how does this happen? v. How can the apostle Paul, a skilled Rhetorician, speak for hours, expounding from the scriptures how Jesus is the Messiah, and yet many do not believe, and the ones that do believe do not do so because of Paul's persuasiveness? vi. If Paul cannot convince his own kinsmen, what hope do we have to convince anyone of the gospel? f. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: In the last episode of Luke's record of the early formation of the church and the Kingdom of God expanding to the uttermost parts of the earth, Luke chooses to conclude on a sermon by Paul. It is a sermon preached over several hours to his own kinsmen, Jews of the city of Rome. Luke says he spoke passionately and urgently to them communicating from the Mosaic law and the prophets how Jesus was the Messiah and the King promised of old who would bring with Him a New Kingdom. Paul preached passionately that this kingdom has come and is here and the evidence that this is so, is the expansion of the church throughout the Roman Empire. But despite all his theological arguments, despite his rhetorical skill, despite his logic, despite his passionate pleas, most of those listening did not believe. Only some were persuaded as God opened their eyes and ears to receive the truth of what Paul spoke. Luke's purpose in this book is to give Theophilus assurances that what he has believed is true. One great assurance to Theophilus is that the wisdom of men in logic and persuasion cannot actually convince sinners to repent and believe the gospel. Theophilus was not conned by skilled speakers to believe a lie. Instead, his eyes were opened to believe the truth by God Himself. This is true of everyone who receives the gospel. God calls and draws. Then and only then do we respond. And so, what is our application to such a point? We must humbly heed the Word of God. We must be the kind of people who are ready to listen and to obey what God reveals. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] Still, our curiosity forces us to ask why don't they believe? Is there something deficient in them? What qualities make up a person who will not believe? And how do we avoid that? II.) God hides the gospel from the arrogant and disobedient, so we must humbly heed the Word of God. (25-27) a. [Slide 10] 25 - And when they disagreed with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one word, i. So, this devolves fairly quickly. ii. We have these once loosely untied Roman Jews, coming to Paul for information on the Nazarene sect of Judaism, and as the hours go on, now they are disagreeing so sharply that those who do not believe Paul abandon him and their fellow Jews and leave the house. iii. Luke records that they did this especially when Paul said one word. iv. Well which word? v. What follows is a sermon from Isaiah 6. vi. So which word makes them leave? vii. Well, the word translated “word” can mean a single word or it can mean a message. viii. In the expression “what's the word?” we are not asking what is the single word. We are asking, what is the news? ix. In a similar way, Luke records this mini-sermon that Paul spoke that turned out to be too much for the unbelieving Jews to handle. x. What did Paul say that chased them away? b. [Slide 11] “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, i. First of all, Paul goes to the prophet Isaiah. ii. Psalms and Isaiah account for half of the citations of the Old Testament in the New Testament. iii. Some commentators refer to the book of Isaiah as the fifth gospel. iv. Secondly, Isaiah's prophesies include both strong warnings and judgment proclamations as well as great and wonderful promises to the children of Israel. v. Paul is probably not going to the promises here. He is responding to the unbelieving Jews and their slowness to receive the message of their own Messiah. vi. In this way, he says that the Spirit of God inspired Isaiah rightly when he spoke to their ancestors. vii. This is a euphemistic way to say, in so many words, you are behaving just like your ancestors… that's good right? WRONG! viii. Notice that Paul does not claim them to be his own ancestors because he does not behave like them. ix. So, what does Paul quote for them? c. [Slide 12] 26 - saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; i. Paul is quoting from Isaiah 6:9-10. This is the initial call of Isaiah to be God's prophet to Judah during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. ii. We'll take a look at this passage in a moment, but why is Paul quoting this passage? iii. Because he feels similar to Isaiah. Isaiah was told that he would proclaim the Lord's message but that Judah as a whole would not listen to him. There would no doubt be some who would and remain faithful to Yahweh, but the majority would not. iv. Paul has experienced the exact same thing as he has traveled through three different missionary journeys across the Roman Empire. Some Jews heard and believed on Jesus… but most did not. And it seems like the same will be true here in the city of Rome. v. So Paul quotes this passage to try to expose why these people are so slow to believe in Jesus. vi. Paul, through quoting Isaiah, gives two interconnected reasons that they do not believe. vii. First, though they will able to hear the truth of the gospel message, they will be unable to understand and perceive it… let alone believe it. viii. If we were to put this in medical terms, we would conclude that something in the brain is broken. ix. All the biological necessities are there for them to hear and see but something is broken to the point that the brain cannot interpret the signals coming from the eyes or the ears. x. They will be rendered unable to believe. xi. Well, why will this be their condition? d. [Slide 13] 27 - FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, i. Now it is interesting here that Paul quotes the Septuagint of this text. ii. Paul would have been familiar with the Hebrew version, but his hearers would not. iii. So, what are the differences between the Hebrew and the Septuagint? iv. [Slide 14] The Hebrew version puts these verbs in the imperative. They are commands of God to the people and to the prophet Isaiah. Let's look at the LSB's translation of Isaiah 6:9-10 to see the difference. 1. God tells Isaiah to tell the people… Keep hearing but do not understand 2. Keep seeing but do not know 3. These commands are given to Isaiah to tell the people. To command them to keep hearing and seeing without understanding or perceiving. 4. The next command seems to be issued to Isaiah with regard to his role in preaching this message. 5. Render the hearts of this people (notice God does not say my people) insensitive (or fat – full to the point of not being able to take any more in) 6. Render their ears dull and their eyes dim. Make them unable to perceive. 7. Lest (to keep them from) seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their hearts, and return and be healed. 8. In other words, this doesn't read like a prediction but a judgment. v. So, does this mean that the Septuagint corrupted the text? No. vi. The translators of the Septuagint were obviously uncomfortable with assigning to God the blame for their condition of not hearing and obeying His Word. vii. Their dynamic interpretation of the Hebrew then, is to assume that God uses these words in hyperbole to get them to respond. viii. By setting the verbs into the indicative mood, the translators place the blame on their ancestors. ix. [Slide 15] But they do not remove God's role in this entirely. 1. Notice that the heart of this people has become dull. 2. Well, who made their heart dull? 3. The subject is not identified. 4. The Septuagint translators softened the text but did not completely change it. 5. They simply inserted a divine passive to take the place of the harshness of God's commands. 6. Meaning that within this last segment of Acts 28 those who are persuaded of the truth of the gospel and those who's hearts have become dull to the gospel are both activities God does but does not overtly say He is doing. x. But we need to understand the WAY Paul is using this. xi. Paul quotes the LXX which changes the commands into future tense verbs. That something WILL happen to the people. And why is he quoting it? He is quoting it because at this moment what WAS said in Isaiah, is being fulfilled. xii. In other words, God commanded Isaiah to render their hearts dull and eyes dim… and now Paul says… that has happened. Their heart has become dull. xiii. Paul uses the intentional softening of the Septuagint to pierce the heart of these Jews… showing them that they have succumbed to what God commanded Isaiah to accomplish by preaching to them. xiv. What Paul is saying is that the blindness of the Jews to the gospel in the 1st century AD is the fulfillment of Isaiah's preaching ministry in the 8th century BC. xv. By extension, of course, the Jews who have believed are also the fulfillment of that same preaching ministry. xvi. Again – Isaiah is the fifth gospel. And the gospel divides. xvii. So, how did they come into the state in which they could not believe? Well, in fulfillment of the preaching ministry of Isaiah, their hearts have become dull. And what else? e. [Slide 16] AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; LEST THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I HEAL THEM.' i. As the quote continues, and as we analyze the context of Isaiah 6 and the whole book itself, we recognize that God has only decreed this end upon them after the people have been continually a people characterized by unbelief and disobedience. ii. There is a necessary correlation here between God making their hearts dull and their rebellion and disobedience. iii. The sun's rays both hardens the clay and causes fertile soil to spring forth vegetation. iv. Already barren and rocky soil will only be baked in the sun's heat while fertile soil will produce crops and a harvest from the same sun's rays. v. In the same way, the Word of God preached, warnings given, commands expressed, to the heart of one who is humble and obedient will produce more of the same. vi. While the same words will produce resentment and disdain from those who are arrogant and rebellious. vii. Again, Isaiah's preaching ministry has two outcomes and both of them are present in this text. The Jews who believed on Jesus inherit the promises of the Servant songs in the latter half of Isaiah. But those who do not believe the gospel inherit the judgments of the same book. viii. So, although the first reason they do not believe is that they are not able to… the second reason is that they are unable because they are also unwilling. They are characterized by continued pride and disobedience. f. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: Through the text of Paul's sermon from Isaiah, Luke stresses the key reason that these Jews, and by extension every other unbeliever, do not believe the gospel when it is preached. Why is it that two people can hear the same message and one believes and the other does not? We've already seen how those who believe do so because God enables them to. What about those who do not believe? Is that God's fault too? The scriptures are quite clear on this. Those who continue in obstinate rebellion and self-determined beliefs and values are not able to understand and perceive the gospel message. God only hides the gospel message from those who are arrogant and disobedient. God does not allow people to understand or perceive the gospel message who continually refuse to be humble and listen to Him. Paul says this is why these Jews today were walking away in disbelief. It is because the Holy Spirit prophesied rightly through Isaiah to their fathers whom they are living like. God has had enough and will not let them see or hear the truth. This is why it is abundantly necessary for all those under the sound of my voice to humbly heed the Word of God. Always. Not just the gospel itself but all that God has said, we must humbly heed it. Transition: [Slide 18 (blank)] So, what is the application of this text from Isaiah 6? How does Paul apply this harsh reality to them? III.) God saves all men by grace through faith in Christ, so we must humbly heed the Word of God. (28-31) a. [Slide 19] 28 - Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God was sent to the Gentiles—they will also hear.” i. Because they have continually closed their eyes to the gospel and shut their ears to scarcely hear… ii. Because the soil of their hearts, the land of their souls has been polluted. iii. Because the hearts of the Jews have become rocky ground where little grows. iv. God has turned aside to shine His gospel light on different fields. v. This is not necessarily God turning his back on the Jews forever. We've seen this in Jeremiah where the Lord continues to call those whom He has divorced, to repentance. vi. But it is God leaving behind the Jews, extending the gospel to the gentiles, to make the Jews jealous. vii. And Paul's final comment is what ultimately forces the unbelieving Jews to walk away in disgust. viii. It isn't necessarily that the gospel will go to the gentiles. ix. But Paul says, they will also hear. 1. The word hear, is the same word used before to communicate their ability to hear even though they didn't understand. 2. But Paul uses the middle voice of this verb. 3. Middle voice is when the subject does the action… to or for themselves. 4. To hear for yourself… implies not just a perception of sound or noise, but to receive or heed it. x. This is quite shocking. xi. It is probably difficult enough for the Jews to accept that God is sending the message of salvation to the Gentiles. xii. But Paul intentionally, by wordplay, makes a direct comparison. xiii. The Jews before him today, what they cannot and will not do, the Gentiles will do. xiv. This last comment is too much for these Roman Jews to take. xv. This is the “word” that forces them to walk out. b. [Slide 20] 29 - [When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.] i. You'll notice that I have this verse in brackets and in yellow on the screen. ii. Many of the oldest, and most reliable manuscript copies of the book of Acts that we have are missing this verse. iii. When the chapter divisions and verse numbers were assigned, we had not yet discovered these manuscripts and therefore had no reason to question the authenticity of this particular verse. iv. Since the KJV was translated we have discovered almost 6,000 manuscripts of the New Testament. Most of which affirm and authenticate the manuscripts that the KJV translators had available to them. v. But occasionally, we find a verse like this where the evidence does not support a verse being included. vi. As to the motive of the addition it is actually fairly obvious. vii. If this verse isn't in the text, we must make an intuitive leap that it was the fact that Paul said the Gentiles would believe the gospel that caused these Roman Jews to leave Paul's residence in frustration. viii. Everything in verse 29 is mentioned earlier which again reinforces the idea that this was probably added as a comment to remind the reader or point out to the reader that this was the real reason the Jews left. c. [Slide 21] 30 - And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, i. Finally, Luke concludes his book with a look to the remaining two years of ministry Paul has in the city of Rome. ii. For the next two years Paul welcomes all who came to him and we should very much see this as Luke's assertion that Jews and gentiles alike were welcomed to come and visit with him. Not just the gentiles. iii. Many of his visitors were his companions visiting with him and ministering to his needs. iv. From his letters we know that Paul had sent many of his visiting companions to relay messages all around the Roman Empire to various churches. v. We are reasonably sure that Paul wrote the letters of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon during this time. d. [Slide 22] 31 - preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, unhindered. i. But Paul was not merely writing letters and entertaining Christian guests. ii. He was also preaching the gospel to all who would hear. iii. He did this boldly and without any restraint on him. iv. And so, the gospel goes to the Jews and the Gentiles of Rome, and Paul ministers to the church there while he awaits his trial. v. This is how Luke's record for Theophilus ends. vi. And we know that Paul will be released and will travel on a 4th missionary journey after this, and possibly even to Spain after that. vii. And so, the promise of Jesus from Acts 1, that His church will take the kingdom of God to the uttermost parts of the earth, has been fulfilled. viii. And with that bookend, the book of Acts is complete. e. [Slide 23] Summary of the Point: Luke finishes his book declaring the wonderful grace of God. Though the soil of the Jews had grown rocky and hard, God is still gathering a people to himself from all nations. Jews and Gentiles will be gathered in by His grace. He will open their eyes and allow them to understand and perceive the truth of the gospel. He will enable them to believe on Jesus of Nazareth as their Lord and Savior. He will graciously create a Kingdom of Priests who are the bride of His dear Son. As John the Baptist said, he could raise up stones to declare His praises to Him if He desired. So, God has determined to raise up a people that were not a people to be His people. A people made of Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, rich and poor, from every tribe, tongue, nation and culture. And Paul spends the next two years in Rome with that application. That God is shining the light of the gospel to the gentiles and that they will hear it. So, what must we do today? Humbly heed the Word of God today my friends. Join this Kingdom that is and will be forever. Conclusion: So, what have we seen here today CBC that corrects and informs our beliefs and shapes and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 24] How fitting it is for Luke to conclude his two-scroll tome to Theophilus with a scene in which Paul continues the same ministry he always had. Preaching the gospel to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. Paul's sermon demonstrates the final word to Theophilus on why he must hold fast to what he has believed. He did not believe because of the persuasive power of those who preached the gospel to him. Instead, he believed because the Lord opened his eyes so he could humbly heed what the Word of God said. He, like all other believers, was saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus of Nazareth. All these points combine together to deliver to us a single message of truth. Theophilus must know the certainty of the gospel because… the gospel is that God alone acts to save sinners. He does so by the washing of regeneration so a sinner can grasp hold of the purchased redemption of Christ by faith. This is all according to the power of God to change people who are dead in their sins and children of wrath by nature… into sons and daughters. Theophilus must know that the gospel is true, because he has been brought to life by the power of God. No man can do what has been done to him. In fact, the litmus test for the true gospel, is how much of man's power is in it. If there is any at all… it is not the gospel. So, we must humbly heed the Word of God. Certainly, we must hear and heed the gospel command to repent and believe on Jesus Christ. But also, in every facet of life, we must humbly heed God's Word. No matter what it says no matter how much we naturally disagree, and no matter how much it means we must change. Let God's Word be true and everything else be a lie. But let me attempt to apply these concepts to our everyday life. 1.) [Slide 25] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that salvation is accomplished in an individual's life by God alone. a. Paul's sermon to the Roman Jews consisted of several hours of preaching the kingdom of God manifested in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, which was predicted in the Mosaic law and the Prophets. b. For hours he reasoned with them passionately. c. In the end some did come to faith in Jesus Christ. But Luke does not give credit to Paul for this. d. God opened their eyes to the truth of what Paul taught. e. We saw this in Acts 16 when Lydia did the same. f. And Paul himself says this in I Corinthians 2, that this was true when he preached in Corinth. g. Paul didn't convince anyone of the gospel. Paul didn't lead anyone to Christ. h. The scriptures teach us that GOD draws sinners to Himself. How? Through the word of God being proclaimed. i. In this the preacher is merely the means God uses to connect those whom He is calling to faith in Jesus Christ. j. You see, not only has the price been paid through the redemption of Jesus Christ, but God even acts to bring sinners to that realization. k. If your view of the gospel has any whiff of man's effort, man's work, man's action, or man's ability… it is not the gospel you are believing. l. If your gospel says that God has done everything except for… you can stop right there… because it isn't the gospel anymore. m. God did not do 99.99% of your salvation and awaits you to contribute your .01%. n. God accomplished EVERYTHING. o. In Romans 8 we see that God foreordained, predestined, called, justified, and glorified His people. p. Paul takes us from before the foundations of the world to the eternal kingdom and shows that in an individual Christian's life… God has done everything. q. When He desires you to be connected by faith to the redemption Jesus has purchased with His blood, He will enable you to believe by opening your eyes to see the truth of the gospel and believe it. r. The scriptures clearly teach us that salvation is not of works, it is all a gift, so much so that even repentance and faith are called gifts of God in the New Testament. s. So, my friends, we must, for the sake of the purity of the gospel, we must eradicate every last shred of human work, no matter how small, from our understanding of the gospel. t. For if we don't… it just isn't the gospel anymore. 2.) [Slide 26] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God resists the proud and disobedient and hides the gospel from them. a. Do you remember the parable of the soils which Jesus taught. b. It is one of the few parables where Jesus actually explains its meaning to His disciples. c. The farmer is the same. The seed is the same. The distribution of that seed is the same. d. The only thing that changes is the soil in which the seed is cast. e. The first soil is soil that is hard. It is a pathway. It is not tilled. It is not soft. It is not open to receiving the seed. f. On this soil the devil comes and snatches away the seed scattered there because it did not penetrate the soil. g. This is essentially what Paul says has happened to the unbelieving Jews. They are so arrogant and so disobedient that though they have eyes, they cannot see, though they have ears they cannot hear… though the soil of their heart has dirt… it is hard, beaten down, and eroded. It is incapable of receiving the seed. h. James says that God resists the proud. i. The fact of the matter is that a heart that is proud, self-focused, self-ruled, disobedient and defiant… such a heart can never receive the gospel message. j. But there is a tension here that we need to recognize. 3.) [Slide 27] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that God has given salvation to only one specific people group. a. As shocking as it was for the Jews to hear that God is giving salvation to the gentiles, so it will be just as shocking for us to hear that God is not giving salvation to one kind of people. b. God is giving salvation to Muslims, Mormons, Buddhists, Atheists, Agnostics, Hindus, and even Satanists. c. God is giving salvation to homosexuals, pedophiles, transgenders, murderers, adulterers, thieves, traitors and liars. d. God is giving salvation to Democrats, Republicans, Rich people, poor people, black people, red people. e. As long as the heart of that person is soft to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ… they will receive it. f. But all these labels along with their beliefs, allegiances, and practices, all bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ when one truly receives the gospel. g. Gentiles will hear the gospel… but that doesn't mean they can keep worshipping their pagan gods. h. But God is not just saving those who attend church all their lives. i. His people are scattered throughout the world. j. They could be your neighbors, your co-workers, your family, your friends, your nurses, doctors, lawyers, financial advisors. k. They may have a different political party than you. They may currently be practicing a different religion. l. We don't know who they are. So we preach Christ crucified and rely on God's power to change them. m. It is a lie for us to believe that anyone is beyond the reach of the gospel. n. Look at Paul… how many times has he preached to the Jews in various cities and how many times has the result been the same? Very few believe. Many do not… And then they oppose the gospel. o. Yet here he is again… preaching to Jews in Rome. p. May we have the same drive of Paul to preach the gospel to any and all we come into contact with. 4.) [Slide 28] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must humbly heed the Word of the Lord. a. Generally speaking, God resists the proud but exalts the humble. b. True and humble belief in His Word is always accompanied by obedience. c. James says we must be doers of the word and not hearers only. d. The Jews had a long history of struggling with this as a nation. e. There were always those who did humbly heed the Word of the Lord. f. They were the remnant. True Israel. g. If we are God's children, we too must humbly hear and heed the Word of God. h. Do you have that view of God's Word? Or do you find yourself always interpreting the of the Word of God to make it fit what you already believe or what you are already doing? i. When is the last time you had to crucify something you believed or practiced because of what God's Word said? j. If you can't think of a time that that has ever happened… or if that has rarely happened in your life…you may want to search your heart. Is it too hard to be molded by God's Word? 5.) [Slide 29] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Will you humble yourself and obey the gospel? a. The book of Acts really is part two of the gospel of Luke. b. It is a gospel. It makes much of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It does so by way of seeing His followers forever changed by His saving power in their lives. c. This rag tag group of 20 somethings, nothings from nowhere, had suddenly turned the world upside down with the message of the gospel. d. My friends… what will you do with this Jesus? e. He is not a great prophet who spoke many wise words. He is not an example for us to show kindness and love to all people. He is not someone we can quote to support this political position or that… f. He is the Son of God, the Lord of all, and He will come to judge the living and the dead. g. He will judge them according to their works. h. All those who are judged by the books which record their works will be cast into the lake of fire which is the second death. i. Only those who are not judged by those books but by the book of life… only they will enter into His Kingdom. j. So I ask again… what will you do with Jesus Christ? k. What should be done with Him? l. If all that Jesus said, did, and claimed of Himself, the world, and The Kingdom of God is true.. then you must humble yourself before His Lordship… beg for His mercy… and place all your hope in His death and resurrection to be your death and resurrection. m. Jesus Christ should become your… EVERYTHING. That is what it means to obey the gospel. n. It doesn't matter who you are, what you've done, what you have believed up to this point, or where you think you are going… o. Humble yourself, repent and believe on Jesus and you will have life in Him. p. If this is you today – don't leave without talking to an Elder. We'd love to hear and help in any way we can. [Slide 30 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs. Lord, today you have set before me out of your word a glorious mystery—a righteousness of your Son that I did not know or care about before. I see now my happiness lies there. No matter what happens to me in the world, and no matter what happens to my name or my worldly possessions, I am forever secure if I have Christ to clothe me. Lord, if righteousness did prevail, then you would be honored more than ever. We would have the joy of our hearts, we would be delivered from the temptations we encounter, and your saints would not suffer as they do. We pray that you would make righteousness prevail in our hearts, in Jesus' name, Amen. Benediction: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Until we meet again, go in peace.

Crystal Rivers | Open Book | Aug 5, 2025 As a believer, you have been called to a priesthood - a sacred role where you offer sacrifices pleasing to God. Yet you may find yourself experiencing a frustrating contradiction: inwardly, you desire to serve God and walk in righteousness, but outwardly, you struggle with patterns of the flesh that seem to persist despite your best intentions. This internal conflict is not your permanent reality. You must understand a fundamental truth: you are no longer bound by the old nature. Through Christ, you have died to the law of sin and have been married to Him, raised in newness of life. The Holy Spirit dwells within you, making you one spirit with the Lord. **The Impossibility of Flesh Pleasing God** Recognize that your carnal mind - your natural way of thinking and reasoning - cannot please God. It is literally impossible. No amount of effort in the flesh, no upgrading of your natural abilities, will ever satisfy God's requirements. The carnal mind interprets circumstances through the five senses, leading to worry when bills are due, anxiety about the future, and attachment to temporary things. But this mindset is enmity against God and can never submit to His ways. **The Solution: Walking in the Spirit** You have been empowered by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which has set you free from the law of sin and death. This is not merely positional truth - it's your operational reality. When you walk in the spirit, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. The key is understanding that you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, because God's Spirit dwells in you. **Practical Steps to Spiritual Consistency** Your victory requires intentional spiritual disciplines: **Watch and Pray**: Just as Christ instructed His disciples, you must maintain vigilance. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Consistent prayer and watchfulness provide strength for times of temptation and adversity. **Intimate Fellowship**: There is a direct correlation between your intimacy with God and your ability to walk in the spirit. When your secret place becomes inconsistent, you'll notice increased irritability, impatience, and other expressions of the flesh. Quality time in God's presence is not optional - it's essential for spiritual victory. **Renew Your Mind**: You must be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This happens as you consistently study God's word and allow spiritual wisdom and understanding to govern your thoughts rather than carnal reasoning. **Set Your Affections Above**: Fix your heart and mind on things above where Christ sits, not on earthly things. You cannot serve two masters or look up and down simultaneously. Everything you're attached to that is not eternal will hinder your spiritual progress. **Your Identity as a Priest** You are a priest of the Most High God, called to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Him. This requires you to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. As you grow in this knowledge, you'll walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him and becoming fruitful in every good work. **Overcoming Through Divine Strength** You have been made into a threshing instrument with sharp teeth, capable of beating down every mountain of flesh - whether pride, lust, anxiety, or any other expression of the old nature. These things that once contended with you can be overcome through the Spirit's power. Remember: you are not struggling against an equal opponent. The enemy has been disarmed, and his only remaining weapon is deception. When you cooperate with the flesh, you're essentially cooperating with his defeated schemes. But you have the power to choose differently. **Living the Reality** Your new creation reality is not something you're trying to attain - it's who you already are. You possess the spirit of life, you are seated with Christ in heavenly places, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Walk in this truth consistently, and you'll experience the victory that's already yours. This is not about perfecting yourself through effort, but about stewarding the divine life already within you. Through continuous fellowship, prayer, and setting your heart on eternal things, you'll naturally express the righteousness of Christ and fulfill your calling as a priest in His kingdom. Zoom every weekday : http://www.caveadullam.org/zoom Instagram Cave Adullam: https://www.instagram.com/caveadullam/ #STNG : https://www.instagram.com/securingthenextgeneration/ Learn more : http://caveadullam.org/ Subscribe to our Podcast on iTunes : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cave-adullam/id1473967577 Check us out on Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/02wUJ3WYccOFWDtQq486EJ or download the Podcast episodes for free : https://hearthis.at/caveadullam-hl/#tracks Follow us on Facebook & Instagram Facebook Cave Adullam : https://www.facebook.com/caveadullam.org Ministers Rest : https://www.facebook.com/ministersrest/ Preparing His bride : https://web.facebook.com/phbfellowship/ #STNG : https://www.facebook.com/securingthenextgeneration/ Instagram Cave Adullam: https://www.instagram.com/caveadullam/ #STNG : https://www.instagram.com/securingthenextgeneration/

You've felt it before… That strange moment where everything aligns and you KNOW Spirit is orchestrating something bigger. You don't know what's coming next… but you know you're not walking alone. In this episode, I sit down with Phil Warder for a raw, real conversation about what happens when Spirit completely blows up your plans and delivers something better. Phil shares the wild, unexpected signs he experienced in November 2023 and again in November 2024, the unexpected teacher who showed up, and the undeniable lessons about surrender, trust, and divine timing. Inside this episode: [00:00] How Spirit connected me + Phil for this conversation [04:15] The November 2023 spiritual experience that cracked everything wide open [10:20] Why the second confirmation in 2024 couldn't be coincidence [15:35] The crazy story of how Phil met his shaman teacher [20:45] Learning to stop forcing and start allowing [28:00] The spiritual lessons Phil received (and how they hit differently than he expected) [35:10] How to know if what you're seeing really IS a sign [39:30] Why surrender is the real path to co-creating with Spirit You'll leave this episode thinking:

Luke 24:36-53 “Luke's Gospel is not just a biography—it's a theological narrative of God's redemptive plan unfolding from beginning to end. The story opens in Luke 1 with prophetic anticipation and closes in Luke 24 with resurrection fulfillment.” Luke 1 – The Opening Notes of Redemption In Zechariah's Spirit-filled prophecy (Luke 1:68–79), we hear promises that will echo all the way to the end of the Gospel: Peace: “to guide our feet into the path of peace” (v. 79) Salvation: “He has raised up a horn of salvation… to rescue us” (vv. 69, 71) Spirit: “You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High” (v. 76), anticipating the Spirit-filled ministry to come Luke 24 – The Fulfillment Arrives In the final scene of Luke's Gospel, the themes Zechariah longed for have now been realized: Peace is given: “Peace be with you” (24:36) — spoken by the risen Christ Himself Salvation is accomplished: “The Messiah will suffer and rise… and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached” (vv. 46–47) The Spirit is promised: “I am going to send you what my Father has promised” (v. 49) By Luke 24, these very promises are not just words—they are realities, lived out in the resurrected Jesus, empowering the disciples for the mission ahead. 

Highlights:

Ancient warfare was fierce. It was close, it was personal, it was dirty, it was aggressive, it was violent, and it was in your face. In preparation for battle, soldiers lined up in tight formation side by side with about three feet separating each soldier so that they could move freely. Every piece of the armor was critically important: The belt kept everything he was wearing in its rightful place, the breastplate protected his vital organs, his shoes were designed so that he could stand his ground and maintain his footing, his shield helped protected him from any weapon that would pierce such as arrows or spears, and his helmet kept his head on his shoulders, protected his mind, line of sight, and neck. The part of his armor that was designed to defend and to harm was his sword. The sword used by Romes soldiers between 3BC and 3AD was a double-edged short sword known as the Gladius. Roman legionaries whose shield defended them from the fiery arrows of the enemy received advanced training in using the Gladius to slash the exposed kneecaps or throat of their enemies while in formation and carried their Gladius sword on their belt, or sometimes on a shoulder strap. It was impossible to forget your belt, breastplate, and shoes when marching into battle because those pieces of the soldiers armor were attached to his person. However, it was possible to leave you shield, helmet, and even your sword back in the camp where it was safe and comfortable, but no skilled and experienced soldier would dare enter battle without those parts of his armor he was required to take up and put on, such as his shield, helmet, and sword. A modern equivalent to just how foolish it would be for a Roman soldier to forget any part of his armor is a Russian soldier who became the 2022 winner of the Darwin Awards. The Darwin Awards are those awards given to honor Charles Darwin by commemorating those who improve the gene pool by removing themselves from it in the most spectacular way possible. Here is the description of the unnamed Russian soldier who won this award: You are wearing body armor in a warzone. You spot abandoned Macbook. You want Macbook. Where to hide it? With quick reflexes a Russian soldier slid that Macbook into his chest armor pocket, replacing a ballistic plate designed to save his life. He was killed in Irpin, and his body was retrieved, providing a hearty laugh for all of Ukraine. 'Instant Karma' They reportedly found a stolen iPad as well. Wonder where the iPad was hidden? I am no soldier, and although I love my Macbook Pro and have a great deal of respect for the way it is designed, even I know enough that in a warzone it is best to keep the ballistic plate in the chest armor pocket because a Macbook was never designed to stop a bullet. Yet, when it comes to the armor of God, how often do we intentionally or unintentionally replace that which is designed to protect with philosophies, ideologies, feelings, and practices that serve the enemy rather than our own protection? What is the Sword of the Spirit We are told what the Sword of the Spirit is in the very same verse: It is the word of God. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible claims at least 3,000 times to be The Word of the Lord. In 2 Timothy 3:16 we are told: All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness... We are told in the Old Testament book, Deuteronomy: ...man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord (8:3), which is a verse Jesus used against the devil when He was being tempted in the wilderness (see Matt. 4:1-11). In the Psalms, we learn of the written word of God: The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes (Ps. 19:7-8). As it relates to the authority of Gods word, we are instructed through the prophet Isaiah: This is what the Lord says: Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, so all these things came into being, declares the Lord. But I will look to this one, at one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word (Isa. 66:12). From Genesis to Revelation the Bible claims at least 3,000 times to be The Word of the Lord. The word of God in written form is contained in the 66 books that make up our Bible. When Paul wrote that all Scripture is inspired by God..., we believe that it is a reference to all of the Old Testament and New Testament books that make up the Bible that were written over a period of hundreds of years with many different contributors who were all guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that what you have before you is a supernatural book unlike any other book, that is without error. It is upon the word of God, both Old Testament (the prophets) and the New Testament (the apostles) that Jesus Church is being built upon (see Eph. 2:19-22). It is the written word of God that has supernatural and transformative power to shape and transform Gods people, for from the imagery of the Roman Gladius the author of Hebrews wrote: For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). Regarding the Word of God, Jesus prayed to the Father for His church: I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth (John 17:1417). In just one chapter earlier, Paul said that the way Jesus is purifying and sanctifying His church is, by the washing of the water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (Eph. 5:26-27). So, we know what the word of God is; the question we must answer is how do we use it as the Sword of the Spirit? How Do We Use the Sword of the Spirit To answer that question, you need to know something about the two words that are used in reference to the word of God, and they are logos and rhēma. Logos is often translated as word or message. Rhēma is often translated word, saying, or statement. In Hebrews 4:12 and Isaiah 66:2 (in the Greek Septuagint) the word logos is used in reference to the Word of God. In Deuteronomy 8:3 (in the Greek Septuagint) and Ephesians 6:17, the word rhēma is used. So, whats the point? Both words are used in reference to the written and spoken word of God and its authority is based on the fact that it has come from God. Listen, every word in the Bible is authoritative because it is the Word of God and is used by the Holy Spirit of God to transform and shape the people of God. When you read or speak out loud the Word of God, as it is given within all 66 books of the Holy Bible, the voice of God is heard through His word. Pauls words in Ephesians 6:17 are calculated and carefully crafted through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; do not miss what is written: Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. God always uses the authority of His own words with the power of His Holy Spirit to transform, change, and divinely challenge! So, how does one use the Word of God as the offensive sword of the Spirit? Jesus showed us how to use it as an offensive weapon when he was approached three times by the devil. In Matthew 4:1-17 and Luke 4:1-13 we are given the details of Jesus 40 days of fasting in the same wilderness that Israel wondered for 40 years because of their failure to believe and obey the word of God. Each of the temptations Jesus faced was like one of the temptations Israel faced and failed, by sinning. When Israel was in the wilderness, they complained about their lack of food (see Exod. 16). The devil came to Jesus and tempted Him with these words: If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. Jesus answered with the word of God from Deuteronomy 8:3, It is written: Man Shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:3-4). In the wilderness, Israel frequently put God to the test, so with the second temptation Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple and said, If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning You; and On their hands they will lift You up, so that You do not strike Your foot against a stone. The devil even quoted and twisted Psalm 91 to try to get Jesus to fall into the same sin Israel fell into in the wilderness. Again, Jesus responded rightly and skillfully with the word of God: You shall not put the Lord Your God to the Test. (Matt. 4:5-7). In the wilderness and throughout Israels history, they were frequently guilty of false worship. In an effort to get Jesus to fall into the same sin, Satan tried to get Jesus to avoid the cross by worshiping him, to which Jesus responded with the sword of the Spirit: You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only (Matt. 4:8-11). Jesus used the sword of the Spirit to counter the Devils temptations. Did you ever notice that two of the three temptations Jesus faced were not inherently evil; it is not wrong to eat when you are hungry nor is it wrong to expect God to save you from harm. However, the scheming of the Devil was to try and get the Son of God to not trust the Fathers plan but to use a different plan that would have avoided the cross. We often counter our temptation to sin with human reason by believing another way is better than Gods way. Think about the way we reason our way out of obedience to God: I know Gods word says sex is a gift to be enjoyed within the covenant of marriage, but were in love and were going to get married anyway; or Its only a little lie. Sometimes it is more subtle: I know Gods word says, there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking..., but at least it is not a 4-letter word, its not gossip if it is a prayer request, its just an innocent joke... I know that Gods word says that, sexual immorality or impurity is sinful, but its only a few scenes in the movie. Or... It only happens once a month... What if we learned from the way Jesus responded to temptation by countering our own with the Word of God? Imagine what would have happened if, in the Garden, Adam responded to the serpents temptation with the Word of God? You can take up the word of God as the sword of the Spirit or you can leave it in its sheath. Here is the thing though, just as handling a sword effectively takes some skill that can only come if you take it out of its sheath, to handle the sword of the Spirit with skill you must take it out and use it. To handle the Word of God with skill, you need to use it by reading it, studying it, memorizing it, and immerse yourself into it so that it can do what God designed it to do, which is to change you, mold you, cleanse you, and guide you. Just as you will never improve your shooting skills if you do not get out to a range and shoot, or a martial artist will only be as skilled as his time in the dojo practicing his techniques, so it is true with handling the word of God with skill. Just as there are resources to improve your aim, or your skills as a martial artist, so there are resources that God has provided through pastors, theologians, scholars, and Christian publishers to improve your skills in handling the word of God. In his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Some think that this verse is only applicable to pastors, but do you know why we know that is not true? How do we know that every Christian needs to strive to be able to accurately handle the word of truth? Because of what Jesus commanded every Christian: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matt. 28:1920). Conclusion Remember that the schemes belong to the devil, but the armor of God belongs to God! The sword of the Spirit is no exception! The list of Gods armor begins with the belt of truth, and it concludes with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. What we have discovered about the armor of God is that the belt of truth is our identity in Jesus, the breastplate of righteousness is our righteousness in Jesus, the shoes of the gospel of peace is our redemption that Jesus has made possible, the shield of faith is provided through Jesus, the helmet of salvation is the hope of our salvation in Jesus, and the sword of the Spirit is the word of God that points us back to... Jesus! We learn from the Bible that all the promises of God through His word find their yes and Amen in and through Jesus Christ (see 2 Cor. 19-22). In fact, Jesus is not only Gods Yes to all of His promises, Jesus is Gods most perfect revelation of Himself because He is the living Word of God! In the opening verses of the Gospel of John, we learn that as the Word of God, All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.And as the Word of God, He, became flesh, and dwelt among us... (John 1:1-14). Not only is Jesus your belt, not only is He your breastplate, not only is He your peace, not only is He your shield and your helmet... Jesus is your sword! How do you remain strong in the Lord? You must find Him to be your life! In closing, I read something in Iain Duguids little book, titled, The Whole Armor of God, what I am about to read to you is the essence of the Christmas message: As the Word of God, he [Jesus] spoke the world into existence. As the Word of God, he uniquely reveals to us the Father. As the Word of God, he is Gods final communication to this broken and now redeemed world, come to heal the sick, rescue the lost, restore the broken, and lift up the downcast.... The Word of God in its cleansing work serves as a set of shears, a scalpel, and a sword. Ask God to equip you with these three different tools, each one uniquely crafted to help us in the fight against temptation by the world, the flesh, and the devil. All that sanctifying power flows into your life through the work of the Holy Spirit applying his Word. And when you fail and fall, as you often will, the Sword of the Spirit points you back again to the fact that the gospel is still true and Christs power is still sufficient to keep you safe and bring you at last into your heavenly inheritance.[1] [1] Iain M. Duguid, The Whole Armor of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2019), pp. 101-02.

Ancient warfare was fierce. It was close, it was personal, it was dirty, it was aggressive, it was violent, and it was in your face. In preparation for battle, soldiers lined up in tight formation side by side with about three feet separating each soldier so that they could move freely. Every piece of the armor was critically important: The belt kept everything he was wearing in its rightful place, the breastplate protected his vital organs, his shoes were designed so that he could stand his ground and maintain his footing, his shield helped protected him from any weapon that would pierce such as arrows or spears, and his helmet kept his head on his shoulders, protected his mind, line of sight, and neck. The part of his armor that was designed to defend and to harm was his sword. The sword used by Romes soldiers between 3BC and 3AD was a double-edged short sword known as the Gladius. Roman legionaries whose shield defended them from the fiery arrows of the enemy received advanced training in using the Gladius to slash the exposed kneecaps or throat of their enemies while in formation and carried their Gladius sword on their belt, or sometimes on a shoulder strap. It was impossible to forget your belt, breastplate, and shoes when marching into battle because those pieces of the soldiers armor were attached to his person. However, it was possible to leave you shield, helmet, and even your sword back in the camp where it was safe and comfortable, but no skilled and experienced soldier would dare enter battle without those parts of his armor he was required to take up and put on, such as his shield, helmet, and sword. A modern equivalent to just how foolish it would be for a Roman soldier to forget any part of his armor is a Russian soldier who became the 2022 winner of the Darwin Awards. The Darwin Awards are those awards given to honor Charles Darwin by commemorating those who improve the gene pool by removing themselves from it in the most spectacular way possible. Here is the description of the unnamed Russian soldier who won this award: You are wearing body armor in a warzone. You spot abandoned Macbook. You want Macbook. Where to hide it? With quick reflexes a Russian soldier slid that Macbook into his chest armor pocket, replacing a ballistic plate designed to save his life. He was killed in Irpin, and his body was retrieved, providing a hearty laugh for all of Ukraine. 'Instant Karma' They reportedly found a stolen iPad as well. Wonder where the iPad was hidden? I am no soldier, and although I love my Macbook Pro and have a great deal of respect for the way it is designed, even I know enough that in a warzone it is best to keep the ballistic plate in the chest armor pocket because a Macbook was never designed to stop a bullet. Yet, when it comes to the armor of God, how often do we intentionally or unintentionally replace that which is designed to protect with philosophies, ideologies, feelings, and practices that serve the enemy rather than our own protection? What is the Sword of the Spirit We are told what the Sword of the Spirit is in the very same verse: It is the word of God. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible claims at least 3,000 times to be The Word of the Lord. In 2 Timothy 3:16 we are told: All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness... We are told in the Old Testament book, Deuteronomy: ...man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord (8:3), which is a verse Jesus used against the devil when He was being tempted in the wilderness (see Matt. 4:1-11). In the Psalms, we learn of the written word of God: The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes (Ps. 19:7-8). As it relates to the authority of Gods word, we are instructed through the prophet Isaiah: This is what the Lord says: Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, so all these things came into being, declares the Lord. But I will look to this one, at one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word (Isa. 66:12). From Genesis to Revelation the Bible claims at least 3,000 times to be The Word of the Lord. The word of God in written form is contained in the 66 books that make up our Bible. When Paul wrote that all Scripture is inspired by God..., we believe that it is a reference to all of the Old Testament and New Testament books that make up the Bible that were written over a period of hundreds of years with many different contributors who were all guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that what you have before you is a supernatural book unlike any other book, that is without error. It is upon the word of God, both Old Testament (the prophets) and the New Testament (the apostles) that Jesus Church is being built upon (see Eph. 2:19-22). It is the written word of God that has supernatural and transformative power to shape and transform Gods people, for from the imagery of the Roman Gladius the author of Hebrews wrote: For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). Regarding the Word of God, Jesus prayed to the Father for His church: I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth (John 17:1417). In just one chapter earlier, Paul said that the way Jesus is purifying and sanctifying His church is, by the washing of the water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (Eph. 5:26-27). So, we know what the word of God is; the question we must answer is how do we use it as the Sword of the Spirit? How Do We Use the Sword of the Spirit To answer that question, you need to know something about the two words that are used in reference to the word of God, and they are logos and rhēma. Logos is often translated as word or message. Rhēma is often translated word, saying, or statement. In Hebrews 4:12 and Isaiah 66:2 (in the Greek Septuagint) the word logos is used in reference to the Word of God. In Deuteronomy 8:3 (in the Greek Septuagint) and Ephesians 6:17, the word rhēma is used. So, whats the point? Both words are used in reference to the written and spoken word of God and its authority is based on the fact that it has come from God. Listen, every word in the Bible is authoritative because it is the Word of God and is used by the Holy Spirit of God to transform and shape the people of God. When you read or speak out loud the Word of God, as it is given within all 66 books of the Holy Bible, the voice of God is heard through His word. Pauls words in Ephesians 6:17 are calculated and carefully crafted through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; do not miss what is written: Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. God always uses the authority of His own words with the power of His Holy Spirit to transform, change, and divinely challenge! So, how does one use the Word of God as the offensive sword of the Spirit? Jesus showed us how to use it as an offensive weapon when he was approached three times by the devil. In Matthew 4:1-17 and Luke 4:1-13 we are given the details of Jesus 40 days of fasting in the same wilderness that Israel wondered for 40 years because of their failure to believe and obey the word of God. Each of the temptations Jesus faced was like one of the temptations Israel faced and failed, by sinning. When Israel was in the wilderness, they complained about their lack of food (see Exod. 16). The devil came to Jesus and tempted Him with these words: If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. Jesus answered with the word of God from Deuteronomy 8:3, It is written: Man Shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:3-4). In the wilderness, Israel frequently put God to the test, so with the second temptation Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple and said, If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning You; and On their hands they will lift You up, so that You do not strike Your foot against a stone. The devil even quoted and twisted Psalm 91 to try to get Jesus to fall into the same sin Israel fell into in the wilderness. Again, Jesus responded rightly and skillfully with the word of God: You shall not put the Lord Your God to the Test. (Matt. 4:5-7). In the wilderness and throughout Israels history, they were frequently guilty of false worship. In an effort to get Jesus to fall into the same sin, Satan tried to get Jesus to avoid the cross by worshiping him, to which Jesus responded with the sword of the Spirit: You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only (Matt. 4:8-11). Jesus used the sword of the Spirit to counter the Devils temptations. Did you ever notice that two of the three temptations Jesus faced were not inherently evil; it is not wrong to eat when you are hungry nor is it wrong to expect God to save you from harm. However, the scheming of the Devil was to try and get the Son of God to not trust the Fathers plan but to use a different plan that would have avoided the cross. We often counter our temptation to sin with human reason by believing another way is better than Gods way. Think about the way we reason our way out of obedience to God: I know Gods word says sex is a gift to be enjoyed within the covenant of marriage, but were in love and were going to get married anyway; or Its only a little lie. Sometimes it is more subtle: I know Gods word says, there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking..., but at least it is not a 4-letter word, its not gossip if it is a prayer request, its just an innocent joke... I know that Gods word says that, sexual immorality or impurity is sinful, but its only a few scenes in the movie. Or... It only happens once a month... What if we learned from the way Jesus responded to temptation by countering our own with the Word of God? Imagine what would have happened if, in the Garden, Adam responded to the serpents temptation with the Word of God? You can take up the word of God as the sword of the Spirit or you can leave it in its sheath. Here is the thing though, just as handling a sword effectively takes some skill that can only come if you take it out of its sheath, to handle the sword of the Spirit with skill you must take it out and use it. To handle the Word of God with skill, you need to use it by reading it, studying it, memorizing it, and immerse yourself into it so that it can do what God designed it to do, which is to change you, mold you, cleanse you, and guide you. Just as you will never improve your shooting skills if you do not get out to a range and shoot, or a martial artist will only be as skilled as his time in the dojo practicing his techniques, so it is true with handling the word of God with skill. Just as there are resources to improve your aim, or your skills as a martial artist, so there are resources that God has provided through pastors, theologians, scholars, and Christian publishers to improve your skills in handling the word of God. In his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Some think that this verse is only applicable to pastors, but do you know why we know that is not true? How do we know that every Christian needs to strive to be able to accurately handle the word of truth? Because of what Jesus commanded every Christian: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matt. 28:1920). Conclusion Remember that the schemes belong to the devil, but the armor of God belongs to God! The sword of the Spirit is no exception! The list of Gods armor begins with the belt of truth, and it concludes with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. What we have discovered about the armor of God is that the belt of truth is our identity in Jesus, the breastplate of righteousness is our righteousness in Jesus, the shoes of the gospel of peace is our redemption that Jesus has made possible, the shield of faith is provided through Jesus, the helmet of salvation is the hope of our salvation in Jesus, and the sword of the Spirit is the word of God that points us back to... Jesus! We learn from the Bible that all the promises of God through His word find their yes and Amen in and through Jesus Christ (see 2 Cor. 19-22). In fact, Jesus is not only Gods Yes to all of His promises, Jesus is Gods most perfect revelation of Himself because He is the living Word of God! In the opening verses of the Gospel of John, we learn that as the Word of God, All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.And as the Word of God, He, became flesh, and dwelt among us... (John 1:1-14). Not only is Jesus your belt, not only is He your breastplate, not only is He your peace, not only is He your shield and your helmet... Jesus is your sword! How do you remain strong in the Lord? You must find Him to be your life! In closing, I read something in Iain Duguids little book, titled, The Whole Armor of God, what I am about to read to you is the essence of the Christmas message: As the Word of God, he [Jesus] spoke the world into existence. As the Word of God, he uniquely reveals to us the Father. As the Word of God, he is Gods final communication to this broken and now redeemed world, come to heal the sick, rescue the lost, restore the broken, and lift up the downcast.... The Word of God in its cleansing work serves as a set of shears, a scalpel, and a sword. Ask God to equip you with these three different tools, each one uniquely crafted to help us in the fight against temptation by the world, the flesh, and the devil. All that sanctifying power flows into your life through the work of the Holy Spirit applying his Word. And when you fail and fall, as you often will, the Sword of the Spirit points you back again to the fact that the gospel is still true and Christs power is still sufficient to keep you safe and bring you at last into your heavenly inheritance.[1] [1] Iain M. Duguid, The Whole Armor of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2019), pp. 101-02.

Join us for a spiritually revealing conversation with renowned Intuitive Medium, Inspirational Speaker, Hayhouse Author, and TV Personality Susan Grau.In this episode, Susan delves into her wild journey as an intuitive, shares her profound near-death experience, and provides unique glimpses into the world of mediumship, grief, and spiritual connection.We also dive into topics like...✨ Susan's Harrowing Childhood Experience: The incredible story of Susan being locked in a freezer at a young age and how it shaped her path as an intuitive medium.✨ The Life of an Intuitive Medium: Learn what it truly means to be an intuitive medium and how Susan navigates her abilities.✨ Near-Death Experiences: Explore Susan's insights on near-death experiences.✨ Grief and Healing from Trauma: Gain valuable advice on coping with grief and trauma, and how connecting with spirit can aid in the healing process.✨ Connecting with Spirit: You can enhance your ability to connect with the spiritual realm and seek guidance from spirit.✨ Forensic Mediumship: Susan assists in locating missing persons and solving mysteries!✨ And SO Much More: Tune in for a deep dive into the realities of being highly in tune with the other side, accompanied by remarkable stories from Susan's experiences.Listen now to gain a deeper understanding of mediumship, hear Susan's incredible stories, and learn how you too can connect more profoundly with spirit, even if you're not a medium!In the extended version of this episode, exclusively on our Patreon, we continue the conversation for an extra hour and Susan tells some crazy forensic mediumship stories!Join our Patreon to support the show, get access to extended episodes, special bonuses, and more!PERKS & HELPFUL RESOURCES:Susan's Website: susangrau.comPre-Order Susan's New Book Infinite Life Infinite Lessons and get all the bonuses here!Connect with Susan on Social: @susangrauofficial Connect with Lynnsey & Kelsey on Social: @lynnseyrobinson @kelseyaidaGet the FREE Money Magnetics Guided Meditation from Kelsey: kelseyaida.com/mmfreebieJoin the next Radical Self-Love RETREAT in Spring of 2025: kelseyaida.com/retreatGet 10% off Lynnsey's Hypnotherapy Membership every month: tinyurl.com/pod-loveApply to work with Lynnsey in 2024: lynnseyrobinson.com/apply-now

Pastor Dale Benson Last week Pastor David spoke powerfully on how we need to nail the Acts of the Flesh to the Cross if we want a chance at living a life filled with the Fruit of the Spirit. The Acts of the Flesh need to be crucified, but that is only part of the solution. Growing up, I heard plenty about what | was NOT supposed to do as a Christian and not enough about what my life should look like. Even the things I was supposed to do seemed like work... Or a task list of to-dos or Christian chores. The Fruit of the Spirit: - Love - Joy - Peace - Patience - Kindness - Goodness - Faithfulness - Gentleness - Self-Control These are not multiple choice... But they also are not necessarily grown overnight, or in an instant. - What do I do to live in the Fruit of the Spirit? - Invite the Holy Spirit to lead. - Investigate my relationships. - Initiate proper boundaries. The way we abide in Christ is by spending time with the Holy Spirit. - Spending Time Reading the Bible - Listening to the Holy Spirit or giving the Holy Spirit content to bring back to your memory later. - Spending Time in Prayer - Speaking to a friend who understands your language, but you can't always necessarily understand theirs. - Serving Others - Whenever you have done it for the least of these, you have done it for Me. - Practicing Generosity - When we are generous, we are living the heart of God. - Building Relationships with Others Who Reflect the Fruit of the Spirit - You become like your 5 closest friends. Does the Holy Spirit make your Top 5? - The Fruit of the Spirit needs to be cultivated.

Finding and knowing this Love ends your worries, ends your suffering… ends the limited and distorted concept of 'you'.  And in its place, the Grace of felt-Oneness... Wisdom... Purpose.. Joy... I Am.    I Love you and I'm with you,   Nik nikki@curlynikki.com Support the show! ▶▶https://www.patreon.com/goodmornings Today's Quotes: "Remember that finding God will be the funeral of all sorrows."  - Sri Yukteswar Giri via Autobiography of a Yogi “Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” -Chinese Proverb  “St. Teresa of Avila wrote: 'All difficulties in prayer can be traced to one cause: praying as if God were absent.' This is the conviction that we bring with us from early childhood and apply to everyday life and to our lives in general. It gets stronger as we grow up, unless we are touched by the Gospel and begin the spiritual journey. This journey is a process of dismantling the monumental illusion that God is distant or absent.” -Thomas Keating, Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit "You are so near that I cannot see You.  Like a fool I keep looking around."  -Rumi

The focus of our ministry is to help Christians understand what they have in Christ. Along the way, many unbelievers might hear the good news of the gospel and be saved. Praise God when that happens. In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul's desire is to tell Christans what they have in Christ and at the same time tell lost people what they do not have. Here's a recap: For Born Again Christians: God lives in you You are in the realm of the Spirit  God has given life to your mortal body You will live forever with God You are a child of God You have been adopted into God with full legal standing You are an heir of God and co heirs with Christ You have the first fruits of the Spirit God works all things together for your good God foreknew you You have been conformed into the image and likeness of God For People Without Christ: You do not have the Spirit  You can never please God You are hostile to God You are in the realm of the flesh  You do not belong to Christ The Spirit does not live in you You will die not only physically but die a second death, only to be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15) You remain in the image and likeness of Adam Listen in to our podcast on Romans 8:12-30. We hope you enjoy it.

The Beauty in Being Broken is an Autobiography now available now on amazon, barnes and noble and other book stores written and spoken by Author Deborah Marie Rodriguez. Deborah Marie Rodriguez is The Author of Love the Spirit You're In, The Covenant: Based on the Covenant Series and the Torch Opportunity. This book takes you through a journey through brokenness and overwhelming hardship while telling a beautiful story of hope and triumph. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deborahmarierodriguez/message

Amy Sikarskie, LVN, CHt, Author of The Ultimate Guide to Channeling shares a channeled message from The Council of Light. The Council of Light are a collective of high-vibrational star beings that assist starseeds and those that are creating a positive change on earth. They are dedicate to the health and success of the planet and currently come to us from the 16th dimension.Topics Include:Love & peaceful vibrationsCurrent Energies Preparing for an upheaval of energy We are at an influx of frequencies Being aware, present, groundedYour connection & being guided by Spirit You are guiding others, as a channel, a bridge where the new energy can reach the oldYour soul vibrational frequency Acceleration of energyBeing in flow and in lockstep with the team of LightCreating a network of LightGrounded connection to your spiritual team Past Life and Soul ExperiencesEmbody of Light codesLike and subscribe to be notified of future episodes. Monthly WinnerCongrats listener Tanya Brodie! Thank you for your review on Apple Podcast. You are the winner of January's drawing for a 30 minute reading or healing session. Please contact me to schedule.To enter next month's drawing take a screenshot of your review and 5 star like and email it to SpiritAndSoulHealingPodcast@gmail.com ResourcesAmy's website with links to all services, books, resources and offerings. AmySikarskie.comCourses, channeled messages, FREE, guided meditations SpiritSchoolOnline.com+*+*+*+*+*Connect on Instagram @SpiritAndSoulHealing.Podcast@AmySikarskie @Raise.The.Vibe.Tribe Books Authored by Amy SikarskieThe Ultimate Guide to ChannelingActivating the Starseed Messages from The Councils 7 Personal Chakras For questions, requested topics and suggested guests please email me at SpiritAndSoulHealingPodcast@gmail.com Or visit SpiritAndSoulHealingPodcast.comAmy Sikarskie is an internationally recognized energy therapist, intuitive channel, healer's healer and mentor. She is a Licensed Vocational Nurse, Master Energy Therapist, Clairvoyant Spirit Communicator, Physical Channel, and Certified Past Life Hypnotherapist.Amy became interested in healing modalities at the age of seventeen and began her professional training in 2001. She is certified as a Reiki Master Teacher and in Pranic Healing, Earth-Based Transpersonal Healing, The Reconnection, Vogel Crystal Healing, Intuitive Communication and additional energy and past life healing modalities.Amy is the host of the Spirit & Soul Healing Podcast. She is the founder of Spirit School where she offers channeled messages, meditations, courses, and certifications in intuitive communication and...

Brian D. Smith is a certified life coach, a grief partner, and a small business consultant. He became what he calls “well acquainted with grief” in 2015, after the sudden passing of his younger daughter, fifteen-year-old Shayna. He wanted to stop living, but he had to learn to survive for the sake of his wife and their older daughter. Out of necessity, Brian dove deep into studying the nature of life, death, and how to survive grief, and now he uses all that he has learned to help others. Brian is the author of “Grief 2 Growth: Planted. Not Buried.” Its subtitle is “How to Survive and Thrive After Life's Greatest Challenges.” He is also the host of the Grief 2 Growth podcast.    I provide a safe space where you can safely share what you are experiencing. I share techniques that I discovered and developed after my devastating loss. Perhaps most importantly, I can help you understand that death is not goodbye and that your relationship with your loved one can continue. Any ending is a new beginning. My understanding is not a religious-based belief, but a position arrived at based on reason and evidence. Shortly after Shayna transitioned, I discovered Helping Parents Heal, a non-profit peer-to-peer support group for parents of children who have passed. I volunteer with Helping Parents Heal and I am on the Board of Directors. I have worked with hundreds of parents who have lost children. I am also a volunteer and Vice President of the SoulPhone Foundation. I am the author of “Grief 2 Growth: Planted. Not Buried.” I am the host and creator of the Grief 2 Growth podcast. I am on the Board of Helping Parents Heal. I am the Vice President of The SoulPhone Foundation.   What you'll learn in this episode: Why we grieve What is grief How to best cope with loss Signs from his daughter Shayna And, so much more!   WEBSITE  IG  PODCAST  BOOK YOUTUBE VIDEO Shauna's interview on Grief 2 Growth - Connecting Mothers with Their Children in Spirit   You can learn more or schedule a session at www.livealifeyoulove.org or email shauna@livealifeyoulove.org The Growing Up in Heaven Program is now available at www.livealifeyoulove.org where you'll learn a proven, step-by-step process to connect with, and experience your child as they grow up in Heaven. With love and blessings, Shauna xo © 2022 Shauna Domalain  

When you became Born Again, Born from Above, Born of The Spirit, Holy Spirit actually came into you and you actually became ONE with Holy Spirit! This according to 1 Corinthians 6:17 and John 17:20-23. The key to living a victorious Life here on this earth is by understanding that you can have the creative Power of God, the very power which created everything and holds it together, come out of you and begin change everything that is contrary to God's Dream for your life! How do you do that?! Simple! The answer is found in Galatians 5:25, “If you live in the Spirit… You should also walk in the Spirit! So to live in the Spirit is you are Born Again, but when you are walking in the Spirit means that the Holy Spirit begins to flow out of you and into the physical and soulish realm. When that happens you are both living in the Spirit and are now walking in the Spirit in the soulish and physical realm and that my friend is when you begin to operate in the, “All things are possible Zone”! Jump on this podcast and receive some more tools to bring you into your victorious life! Much Love, Barry C Maracle

Join Pastor Stuart in the third lesson in our sermon series Pray. This week, we will turn to Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 6:16-20 to see that God calls us to pray... "In the Spirit" You can learn more about Westminster Presbyterian Church at https://www.westminsterpca.net.

MAN ON THREE DIMENSIONS 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. SPIRIT You the real you is your spirit man. SOUL Mind, your will and your emotions. BODY This […] The post Not in My House first appeared on Covenant Life Church.

Romans 8 - The indwelling of the Spirit: You stand in Him, you are resurrected in Him, you put your flesh to death in Him, and you cry out “Abba Father.”

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim.  In our study of the book of Acts last week we talked about the outbreaking of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, where the disciples of Christ were anointed with His presence and given the gift to speak in other known languages so that ALL might understand the Gospel and have it speak through their own mother-tongues (their heart languages) so that it might touch and resonate with them at the deepest possible level. And we will continue speaking about the giving of the Holy Spirit today. Now this event naturally drew a crowd, many of which immediately recognized that something supernatural was taking place. And so naturally they wanted an explanation. And some hecklers try to write off this phenomenon as being the drunken ravings of these supposedly intoxicated disciples. It says in… Acts 2:13 (ESV)— 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” Divine Inebriation— Now it is ironic that the mockers of the crowd should accuse the believers of being drunk, because of how completely opposite being drunk is from the filling of the Holy Spirit. During ancient times people saw drunkenness as a way of connecting with the spiritual world. We remember from our study of the book of Esther how much alcohol permeated the culture and dramatically affected countless people. The king banished Vashti while in a drunken stupor. And that was because [{as} The Greek historian Herodotus explained…the Persians drank as they deliberated matters of state (cf. 3:15 ), believing that intoxication put them in closer touch with the spiritual world.] And that is likely what King Ahasuerus was doing with his leadership as they were preparing to march against Greece. They thought you could be more spiritual by being drunk. And when we look at many of the [ancient writers, especially the Jewish philosopher Philo, {we find that they in fact} depicted divine inspiration as a form of spiritual inebriation.] Now I want to stress this to you because there is a tendency (even today) to see being filled with the Holy Spirit to be kind of like getting high. Rather than a focusing of the mind on God; an engagement of your mental faculties on Him and His truth, it is sometimes seen as an emptying of the mind (like pagan meditation) in order to connect yourself with the spiritual flow of the universe, as in many of the religions of the Orient. Now I'm not saying that alcohol is always involved, but the reason it sometimes is is because it supposedly gets the mind out of the way so that your spirit can more easily connect with the flow of the universe. That is what eastern meditation is largely about. Yoga is an excellent example of this. Emptying the mind and putting your body in pagan positions of worship to allow the flow of the universe to flow through your body more easily. In China, there is the art of Feng-Shue, which is all about ordering everything (your life, your home, your country) in such a way so as to allow the Chi of the universe to flow through it most easily. Buildings are often constructed with Chi in mind. In fact (I kid you not) there are buildings in China with holes in the middle of them as part of their construction that were designed with Chi in mind, so that the Chi could more easily flow through the building.  Star Wars Theology— George Lucas, in creating Star Wars, drew heavily from these eastern pagan religions when developing his concept of the force. In the very first Star Wars film, there is a famous conversation between the Old Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi and the young Luke Skywalker. And Luke asks Obi-wan about the force. And Obi-wan says, “The force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” Now that is eastern pagan philosophy. That's why Darth Vader's helmet (if you notice) is shaped exactly like the headdress of a Samurai. George Lucas admitted that this is because he is a Samurai; obviously one who has embraced the dark side of the Chi (the “yin” vs. the “yang”).  Full-Mindedness— But all this is deeply pagan and at complete odds with what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Aside from the fact that the Holy Spirit is a person; not an impersonal force, rather than an emptying of the mind, Christians are to fill their minds with God's Word and to meditate on what it says about God. It is an active thoughtfulness. And drunkenness (and any supposed enlightenment that drunkenness might produce) is part of a larger system that is at odds with Christianity to the core. This is why Paul places the two in contrast in… Ephesians 5:18 (ESV)— 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, Self-Control— When a person is inebriated, he/she loses control and ends up doing things they would normally be ashamed of doing. Think of Noah; how he became uncovered in his tent after becoming drunk. Think of Lot's daughters, who made their father drunk and committed incest with him; and they became pregnant with Moab (father of the Moabites) and Ben-ammi (father of the Ammonites). Interesting to think how two of the greatest persecutors of Israel came out of a man's decision to allow himself to become drunk. However, a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit of God is characterized by self-control; a self-control that brings glory to God (Galatians 5:23). And though alcohol may give you a temporary exhilaration, the Holy Spirit can give you lasting joy; lasting fulfillment. Now at the suggestion of the gift of tongues being an alcohol-induced thing, Peter immediately stands up and denounces this false judgement. It says… Acts 2:14-15 (ESV)— 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.  9:00am— Now the Jewish day starts at 6:00am, so it was only 9:00am. People don't usually drink at that hour and [Orthodox Jews did not eat or drink before nine a.m. on the Sabbath or on a holy day, nor did they usually drink wine except with meals.] So Peter immediately shows how that explanation does not make sense. Plus drunken people babble, a word that comes from Babel, where language was initially confused. But here (as we mentioned last week) we see a reversal of Babel. There is understanding; there's coherence (nothing like a drunken stupor). And so Peter says in… Acts 2:16-21 (ESV)— 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Joel Not Fulfilled— Now it is important to note that Peter was not saying that Pentecost was a fulfillment of this prophecy given in Joel, at least in its entirety. The signs and wonders Joel here describes have not yet come about. We see in its original context that Joel was not writing about Pentecost but rather the nation of Israel in the end times, in connection with “the day of the Lord.” Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit has led Peter to see in this prophecy a present application for the Church. Peter said, “This is that same Holy Spirit that Joel wrote about. He is here!” Now that would have been astonishing for these Jews to hear because they had been under the impression that God's Spirit was only for a select and privileged few. And yet here they were witnessing  [120 of their fellow Jews, men and women, enjoying the blessing of the same Holy Spirit that had empowered Moses, David, and the prophets.] The Desire of Moses— You will remember that when Israel set out from Mount Sinai to go to the promised land, the people started to complain about the manna they were tired of eating and began hungering for the food of Egypt; and God became angry with them. And Moses also was tired of their grumbling and complained to God about his having to care for all these grumblers. And so God tells Moses what to do. It says in…  Numbers 11:24-29 (ESV)— 24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. 26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”  A New Age of The Spirit— You see, Moses had a dream; and that dream (which was also God's dream), was to see a people (a community) anointed by the Spirit of God and being used by God as His instruments to reach a lost and broken world. You see Moses saw the power of what was happening. And His heart began crying out for that reality to be experienced by all of God's people. And then later down the road comes this incredible prophecy from Joel about the Spirit of God being poured out on all flesh. Moses' dream would be fulfilled! Now while the full prophecy of Joel is yet to be fulfilled, we see that the arrival of the Holy Spirit has come. [It was indeed the dawning of a new age, the “last days”] in which God has put His Spirit upon men and women to minister to them, to prepare them for the coming of the Kingdom of God (which means enabling them to live lives like Christ; lives of victory over sin), and also empowering them to complete Jesus' commission of reaching the world with the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. And that presence of the Holy Spirit of God is available to all who come to faith in Jesus Christ. When we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and frees us from all worldly entanglements so that we can be like Jesus. Do you want to be like Jesus today. Well that begins by our saying yes to Him and allowing the Holy Spirit into our lives. If you haven't done that, do so today. Amen.

Hi this is Christine Tyler Christian Artist and Author living in Texas. this is the podcast Speaking God's Word where you are blessed by listening to scriptures. I will also post this to YouTube to bless more people and include my art. In the description below are the links to contact me. My book BECOME FEARLESS https://www.amazon.com/Become-Fearless-Power-Christine-Tyler-ebook/dp/B08FRPBQX4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=christine+tyler+become+fearless&qid=1597417176&sr=8-2 YouTube https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCKmREdXZolVwlrVrmBhCrqw https://m.facebook.com/OmgOrganicHawaii/ My Website for viewing ART https://sistersfinearts.com Instagram Instagram › christinetyler_txWeb resultsChristine Tyler (@christinetyler_tx) • Instagram photos and videos Spiritual Battles. I feel warn down at times during the week. I've been in a spiritual battle. The darkness fights before my eyes like people arguing on FB and about politics. I remind myself of keeping my armor of faith close at hand. “Wear the full armor of God. Wear God's armor so that you can fight against the devil's evil tricks. Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. That is why you need to get God's full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist. And on your chest wear the protection of right living. And on your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. And also use the shield of faith. With that you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One. Accept God's salvation to be your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:11-17‬ ‭ICB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/1359/eph.6.11-17.icb —————————- Walking by The Holy Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:13-26‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/111/gal.5.13-26.niv --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Brother David Steindl-Rast, the author of Gratefulness: The Heart of Prayer and a practicing Benedictine monk for over half a century, discusses why a new understanding of God is needed to carry spirituality into the future. “There are at least three ways of talking about Spirit: You can say what Spirit is like, you can say what Spirit is not, or you can have a direct experience of Spirit. And the best way to say what Spirit is like in today’s world, is evolutionary panentheism….” Brother David begins by telling Ken about his website, Gratefulness.org. He touches on its role as a forum for what The New York Times refers to as the “2nd Superpower,” or those people across the globe committed to peace, and how something as simple as the act of lighting a candle can be a powerful expression of gratefulness in an agitated and agitating world. Ken discusses religion on the world scene, pointing out that there are actually levels, or stages of spirituality. What this means in practical terms is that each higher stage of spirituality is capable of and committed to more inclusive understandings of love, care, and compassion. The great irony is that while the lower levels of spirituality lead human beings into war, the higher levels lead them into peace. It is here that Brother David introduces what he calls the Godview. The Godview refers to the way a person conceives of God, just as their worldview refers to the way they conceive of the world. In lower levels of spiritual development, the Godview is comprised of “unexamined assumptions,” whereas in higher levels the Godview is born of a direct experience of the numinous. Like the worldview, the Godview is not merely an intellectual construct but an organizing principle for the way life is lived. Explaining further, Brother David goes on to contrast theism (positing a transcendent God, whom one may know on personal terms) with panentheism (literally, “all in God,” or the divine as both transcendent and immanent). It is the latter Godview, Brother David suggests, that will carry spirituality into the future and that has far-reaching implications for inter-religious dialogue. Ken agrees, and goes on to explain that even though God is unfathomable, there are better and worse ways of conceiving that which is ultimately inconceivable, and that if individuals must have a “positive” image for God, that evolutionary-informed panentheism is the most accurate expression. Only through panentheism, affirms Ken, is science and spirituality reconcilable as an evolutionarily unfolding of Spirit-in-action, and only through such a Godview can religion shake off its pre-modern, pre-rational, superstitious roots that have been erroneously elevated to post-rational glory. In closing, Brother David and Ken discuss the significant implications of evolutionary panentheism for inter-religious dialogue, particularly as related to the Christian tradition, the world’s largest organized religion. Until we find ways of presenting our common religious roots in postmodern packaging, concur Ken and Brother David, we are in trouble. We invite you to explore with us the ancient roots of the spiritual quest, and the new branches that are growing to support this endeavor in today’s world….

Three results of the baptism of the Spirit: You are a prophet (17-18) You are saved from God's wrath (19-20) You can call others into salvation (21)

Original Broadcast: January 2010 Monthly Theme: First Commandment, Graven Images Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware let you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves. (Deuteronomy 4:15-16) "You Saw No Form" Moses gives the all important understanding for the prohibition against worshipping graven images. On the top of Mount Sinai, what did the Israelites see? They saw smoke. They saw fire. They heard thunder. That's the image the Israelites were given as they were told, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 20:2). How do you worship the one true God? The way He tells you: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). How do you visualize the Spirit? You can't. Worship is spiritual because faith is spiritual. You cannot visualize faith. Therefore you cannot visualize God, the object of our faith. May you continue to worship God in Spirit and truth as He desires. Amen.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to say to a deceased loved one, “I really need to know you’re with me right now; will you please appear before me so I know you are here?” — and then watch as he or she materializes before your very eyes? Psychic Medium Bill Philipps is the author of Signs from the Other Side and Expect the Unexpected. His life’s mission is to help people deal with the grief of losing loved ones by bringing through validations, evidential information, and beautiful messages from Spirit, which heal and bring a sense of peace. He conducts individual and small- and large-group readings and has appeared on high-profile television programs like Dr. Phil and Access Hollywood. Today on the Life, Death, and the Space Between Podcast, we dive right into it. We discuss… What is evidential mediumship The different types of signs that are most common from Spirit “You need to believe it to see it” - his chicken or the egg argument Why some people might not see anyone after a loss You can find Bill here: https://www.billphillips.com https://www.instagram.com/billphilipps/ https://www.facebook.com/psychicmediumbill/   FOLLOW DR AMY ROBBINS https://dramyrobbins.com http://www.instagram.com/dramyrobbins http://www.twitter.com/dramyrobbins     Don’t forget to leave a review on iTunes if you loved this episode!

Find out WHAT you came 'here' to do. Advanced Spirit Communicator, Alicia has a message for you DIRECT from SPIRIT: You are not who you think you are! This episode is brought to you by The Alicia Power Show Alicia is a Master Energy Healer, an advanced intuitive, an author of numerous online courses, books, and audio products. She has a popular YouTube channel, is a passionate transformational speaker, and is regularly invited to speak on international spiritual Tele-Summits. Alicia has trained directly under Senior Levels of the Spirit World for 30 years. This intensive soul mastery development has led her to train thousands around the world in the process of spiritual awakening and enlightenment. www.soulmentoring.com JOIN ALICIA POWER'S MAILING LIST: CLICK HERE LEARN MORE Check out more of Alicia Power's videos, podcast episodes, and courses on this website: www.soulmentoring.com Join thousands of Alicia's followers and subscribers receiving daily inspiration: Twitter (51,000 followers) Facebook Youtube (Over 1 Million Views!) DID YOU KNOW? You are NOT alone in this life. Your Spirit Guides are working hard to support you, LOVE you, and ENGAGE with you. So that you feel happier and more fulfilled. This life CAN be a miracle IF you let THEM guide you! #AliciaPowerShow --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thealiciapowershow/message

Cheza Roho is a Dance Meditation. On this segment i share music straight from the studio RAW, UNCUT, UNMIXED AUDIO to inspire movement of the MIND, BODY & SPIRIT *You will need some headphones for this* ; )

'But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'" ' Luke 14:16-24 To the audience who heard this parable, the meaning was that the Jews had rejected Jesus’ teaching so He was calling upon the Gentiles to come and receive the promises of God. Today, another layer of meaning has developed - so many people have things they would simply rather do other than serve God. “I Wish I Could…” is a phrase we use a lot. But we don’t really mean it. The true statement is, “I would like to get there, but without any effort on my part.” To get where you “wish you were,” usually all it takes is the investment of time and effort. Luke 18:18 - The Rich Young Ruler This young man is essentially saying, “I wish I could follow you, Jesus.” But he didn’t really want to because Jesus cut straight to the heart of the matter - just sell your possessions, the thing you truly cherish, and then you could follow Me. The rich young ruler serves as an example to us because we are not so different. There are a number of “I wish I could…” statements that we find ourselves saying today. “I wish I could… know more about the Bible.” You have a Bible, so all you have to do is pick it up and read it. If you feel as though you can’t understand it on your own, there is a weekly Bible study meeting at the church and lots of other resources, too. “I wish I could… find more time to pray.” What you’re really saying is, “I know prayer is important, but it’s just not a priority for me.” You have the time if you choose to use it that way. “I wish I could...be more involved in church ministry/outreach.” What you’re really saying is “I would rather do other things with my time.” “I wish I could… tithe.” What you’re really saying is, “It’s my money and I’ll spend it how I want to.” The truth is that tithing is a gift (to God, yes) - a gift to us. It teaches us to love God more than our money. Love for Him is so much more rewarding than what we can get from our money. “I wish I could… have more of the Holy Spirit.” We need the Holy Spirit steering the wheel of our life. In order to be filled with more of the Spirit: You cannot be filled until you are still. You have to slow down and not be on-the-go all the time! It’s virtually impossible to fill a cup when it’s constantly moving. Wait. Jesus told the disciples “Wait until you are filled with power from on high.” Open up; don’t be closed-minded. Take off your self-imposed limitations. It’s impossible to fill a cup that has a lid on it. Get pointed in the right direction. You have to be moving in the direction of God’s will to find His Spirit. It’s impossible to fill a cup that is turned upside-down. None of these issues we have will be fixed by “playing church” for an hour a week. It’s going to take the investment of time and effort.

What happens when you merge your life skills and talents with your God given gifts as Spirit? You rise into an audacious life of Full Spectrum Living. Are you brave enough break down the divide between these two worlds, these already present aspects of yourself? Are you ready to infuse your total life with the magic of Soul? Tune-in to the conversation with Dr. Pat and Lynn

The state of things for the Savage Worlds edition of Fringeworthy. Spoilers, contest announcement, and just straight up goodies. Come and get some! Under the break are the new Skills and Edges for Fringeworthy. New Skills: Craft (Agility, Smarts. or Spirit) You are skilled at one of several crafts. Depending on the craft, this skill is based on Agility, Smarts, or Spirit. Some example craft focuses: Craft (Writing) Smarts, Craft (Carpentry) Agility, Craft (Painting) Spirit, or Craft (Demolitions) Smarts. You can use this skill to create something of value or for use by yourself or other people, or build an item for a specific purpose and quality. The GM decides how many rolls and how many successes you will need to complete the creation of the object and how long it will take. Depending on the number of successes you roll, the value or the quality of the item will increase or decrease. Raises count as extra successes. The GM can also set the difficulty for creating the item, starting with a target number of 4 and going up beyond that. For example: You decide to create a table using your Craft (Carpentry) d6 skill and then sell it. The GM decides that you need four successes on four rolls to build a table worth $50 and that it will take you a day to do build it. Every success above these 4 will increases the value by $10. For every each failure under four successes, the value drops by $10, and to zero dollars if you roll four failures in a row. Your target number is 4. You roll the following: 11, 1, 5, 9. You get 5 successes, increasing the value of the table by $10, for a total value of $60. Now you have to use either your Persuasion skill or Streetwise skill to sell that table. Performance (Spirit) Performance is a catchall skill for the various types of entertainment. This skill must have a focus, such as Performance (Singing) or Performance (Newsreader). The skill can be taken multiple times for different focuses. You can use your Charisma bonus when rolling this skill. Use this skill to entertain, inform, or mimic another person. New Edges: Actor Requirements:Novice, Spirit d6 You are a natural entertainer. You thrill the audience and make strong men weep. You gain a +2 to the Performance skill. Fringeworthy Requirements: Novice, Free to Player Characters. You are Fringeworthy. You have the rare ability to use the Tehrmelern portals that lead to the Fringepaths. All player characters get this edge for free. It can be acquired by a other characters only by handling a crystal key over time. Although it will rarely come into play in regard to Earth born player characters, it should be noted that traveling the Fringepaths over an extended period of time imparts Fringe Vigor, slowing the aging process and even partially reversing the debilities of old age. Humans of 500 years or older are not unheard of on the 'Paths. In addition, you've now have a connection to the crystal keys that the Tehrmelern created to control the portals and with that connection, you can now call on different crystal key powers from these crystals. You've gained a new skill, Crystal Key Use, at d4, and two powers: Locate Portal and Find Fringeworthy. You have to take the New Power Edge to gain access to more crystal powers. You also receive an initial 10 Crystal Power Points to use these powers. You can gain more power points by taking the edge Power Points. Crystal Power Points regenerate at the same rate as normal Power Points. You can only use a single Tehrmelern crystal and command one crystal power at a time. Crystals are rated from 1-11. Types 8 to 11 have a defensive power. Types 9-11 have an offensive power. All crystals act as key at varying security levels for the portals and other Tehrmelern technology. (See Crystal Keys for more information.) Handy Man Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6 When it comes to working with your hands, you're second to none. You can make just about any object or device, given the right resources and sufficient time. You gain a +2 to the Repair skill and to all Craft skills.

2010-08-01-1800 Pastor Loran Livingston is the speaker this evening August 1st, 2010 in the 6:00 service. Scripture: Judges 6; Psalm 34:4-7 Topic: Salvation Notes: - Every time Israel compromised the world befriended them, took from them and overtook them- If you're always teetering, wishing you could fit in yet be safe...- You cannot run with wrong crowd and live an abundant life in Jesus- Serve with fervor and gladness and know the fullness of the Spirit- You cannot have the best of both worlds- Israel cried out to God; we aren’t desperate enough to cry out- When you seek God you come out with assurance, without fear- Compromising is a gradual thing, comes when you stop seeking- Peter walking on water, gradually sinking, called on Jesus- He will put you back in the boat- We sink because we don’t seek