Podcasts about thessalonica

1 Thessalonians 1: Dr. Batson begins a Sunday Night Sermon Series over Paul's letter to the church at Thessalonica.

Series: N/AService: Sun PM WorshipType: SermonSpeaker: Marty BroadwellSummary of the Last Day

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. - Acts 17:11

Paul reminds the Thessalonian believers how he, Silas, and Timothy first came to them. Even though they had faced opposition and suffering in Philippi, they boldly preached the gospel in Thessalonica with sincerity and without selfish motives. They did not seek praise, wealth, or power, but instead cared for the believers gently, like a mother caring for her children and like a father encouraging them to live worthy lives before God.Paul thanks God that the Thessalonians received the gospel not as human words, but as God's Word, which was actively working in them. He acknowledges their suffering at the hands of their own people, similar to how Jewish believers suffered from their countrymen.He also explains that though he longed to visit them again, Satan hindered him. Still, he expresses that the Thessalonians are his joy, glory, and crown in the presence of Christ when He returns.Key Themes:The integrity and sincerity of true gospel ministry.The tender, parental care of spiritual leaders.The reality of suffering for faith in Christ.Believers as a source of joy and reward at Christ's coming.

Paul reminds the Thessalonian believers how he, Silas, and Timothy first came to them. Even though they had faced opposition and suffering in Philippi, they boldly preached the gospel in Thessalonica with sincerity and without selfish motives. They did not seek praise, wealth, or power, but instead cared for the believers gently, like a mother caring for her children and like a father encouraging them to live worthy lives before God.Paul thanks God that the Thessalonians received the gospel not as human words, but as God's Word, which was actively working in them. He acknowledges their suffering at the hands of their own people, similar to how Jewish believers suffered from their countrymen.He also explains that though he longed to visit them again, Satan hindered him. Still, he expresses that the Thessalonians are his joy, glory, and crown in the presence of Christ when He returns.Key Themes:The integrity and sincerity of true gospel ministry.The tender, parental care of spiritual leaders.The reality of suffering for faith in Christ.Believers as a source of joy and reward at Christ's coming.

Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy greet the church in Thessalonica, thanking God for them and constantly remembering their faith, love, and hope in Christ. Paul notes that the gospel came to them not only with words but also with power, the Holy Spirit, and deep conviction. Despite persecution, the Thessalonians received the message with joy and became examples to believers throughout Macedonia and Achaia. Their faith in God spread widely, so much so that Paul did not need to say much; others testified about how they turned from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son, Jesus, who rescues them from the coming wrath.

Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy greet the church in Thessalonica, thanking God for them and constantly remembering their faith, love, and hope in Christ. Paul notes that the gospel came to them not only with words but also with power, the Holy Spirit, and deep conviction. Despite persecution, the Thessalonians received the message with joy and became examples to believers throughout Macedonia and Achaia. Their faith in God spread widely, so much so that Paul did not need to say much; others testified about how they turned from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son, Jesus, who rescues them from the coming wrath.

The apostle Paul speaks highly of the church at Thessalonica. ******* By the way, if you haven't bought a copy of my new book yet, check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Visions-Stories-Faith-Pastor/dp/161493536X

We're so glad you're here. Our prayer is that this series through the book of 1 Thessalonians stirs up passion and authenticity in your walk with Christ.In this early letter from Paul, his words of affirmation to the church in Thessalonica reveal the genuine purpose and heart of God's people. What he wrote to encourage them still speaks powerfully to us today—reminding us what it means to live out a real faith within a real faith family.Thanks again for joining us as we spend time together in God's Word.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptGood morning. My name is Spencer. I am one of the pastors here. So we, as I said last week, we are taking a break. We just finished up First Samuel and we are not going to jump straight into Second Samuel. We're going to do that in the new year. We're going to do a series called re member series called Remember. We'll do that through the fall and then we'll do give series and we'll come back to Second Samuel. We're excited about this series. This is an opportunity for us to revisit and remember what it means to be a member of this church. See how clever we are with titles, you guys. There you go. One clap. It's an opportunity for us to revisit what it means to be a member of this church. So we're going to over the next few months walk through our membership commitments and revisit the things that bind us together as beliefs and practices. And then if you are a member of this church, we'll have the opportunity this fall to actually recommit to membership. We're excited about that and we're going to have more information about that at our upcoming family meeting. So make sure that you are there if you're a committed member of our church, to be at family meeting. But we're thankful that we get to walk through this over the next couple months. These 14 different membership commitments that we have before we jump into those commitments today, I want to look at the why and the what of membership. We need to look at the why and the what of membership before we jump into what we actually commit to as a church. Because some folks will pose the question, why membership in the first place? Why do you have membership? Why belong to a church? Some people ask, is church membership even biblical? Like, where do you get this idea? So we're going to examine that idea while also being clear about what it means to be a member of this church. Like what is our membership commitment all about? And there's some language that we use that is going to sound very familiar, that if you ask what does it mean to be a member of of Mill City Church of Cayce, There's a phrase that will show up as we walk through this today. I know it's going to blow your mind like you've never heard it before. But we are a gospel centered community on mission. It's the language we use over and over again. I'm pretty sure it's on the wall somewhere in the lobby. But there's a reason we are that and there is a Reason why that really defines who we are as a church. And we're going to see that as we walk through why membership, but also what it means to be a member of this church. So I want to pray for us and then we will walk through this together.Heavenly Father, I pray that you might help us have ears to hear this morning. I pray that you might help us see why it is good to belong, why it is good to commit to following you, to delighting in you, to loving one another, to being obedient, to take the gospel to our city. God, I pray you'd help us be present and we'd be not just hearers of the Word, but we would be doers of the Word. As we trust you, we ask this in Jesus name. Amen.All right, so why do we practice church membership? Someone will ask, where in the Bible do you find the command to be a member of a local church? Now, this may come as a shock to some of you, but you're not going to find any one verse in the Bible that commands for you to be a part of a church through church membership. There's no Third Corinthians that shows up and says, and be a member of a local church and submit to the elders of that local church. There's not any one verse that really makes this crystal clear, which is if there was, it might make the conversation about membership a little bit easier over the years as we've had it. But what you will see is as you look through the Scriptures, you'll see that God is doing something in setting up his church. And that's what I want to do. For the first part in answering why membership? I want to do what's I want to do a biblical theology of church membership, which is going from the Old Testament to the New Testament to see how God is developing this people that is going to belong to him, with him at the center to declare His Excellencies to a lost world. So that's what I want to do, starting off in the Old Testament, in the book of Genesis. So God chooses in the Book of Genesis, Abraham that he's going to form a people through. He promises Abraham he's going to have a great nation that's made through him. And in this selection of Abraham, we see that God is going to have a unique, special relationship with him and his people, unlike the rest of humanity. And there's this promise of this great nation, this great people that he's going to bless the nations through. And then when you get to the next Book of The Bible, the second book, the book of Exodus. You see that God takes his descendants, the twelve tribes of Israel who have been slaves in Egypt. He brings them out of Egypt. And when they're wandering in the wilderness in Exodus 19, you see really the formation and the formal covenant relationship that God establishes with his people. And in Exodus 19 he tells his people in verse 5,> Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.These are the words he shall speak to the people of Israel. Then he tells them that you are my treasured possession. And as this is going to play out, he's going to take this people, his treasured possession to the promised land. He's going to set himself up in the center of his people to be a God centered people that are uniquely his, unlike any other aspect of creation, unlike any other people. And that this people is going to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This people was meant to be separate from the nations that look different, that proclaim the excellencies of God as a light to the surrounding nations. And then this is Exodus 19, right before Moses goes up to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. When he gets the Ten Commandments, you see the first four commandments and the Ten Commandments are God centered commandments. This is how to have right relationship with God and worshiping God alone. And then the next six are how to live in good community with one another, how to love one another, how to trust one another, don't lie, don't murder, don't steal. And then the rest of the Old Testament law is really expounding upon those 10 Commandments. It's helping them see in their context, in their time, this is what it means to be a people who has God at the center, who loves one another fiercely in a community that takes care of one another, that looks separate from the nations, that declares how good our God is. And when you read the rest of the Old Testament, you see a people that most of the time falls on their face in trying to live that out, that over and over again. They don't put God at the center, they worship other gods, they don't love each other, they don't serve each other, they take advantage of one another. And instead of looking separate than the nations in order to show how good their God is, they look just like the nations. And that is the reason that they need a Savior and there's this hope from the prophets proclaiming this Savior is going to come. And then Jesus comes.Flip to the New Testament. When Jesus comes, he begins to develop this with new and better language. You see, if you just take the Gospel of Matthew, just start there. When you start reading the Gospel of Matthew, you're going to see what God is doing. In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus begins His ministry by preaching the gospel, proclaiming the gospel of his kingdom that is coming, and declaring the good news. And then he also chooses a people. He chooses the 12 disciples, these disciples whom he's going to build his church through. He begins teaching them. You keep flipping. Go to Matthew chapter five through Matthew chapter seven. You read the Sermon on the Mount. This is a retelling of the law and new and really better language, showing the heart of God all along for his people. What it looks like to put God at the center, what it looks like to take sin seriously, to live in community. We see some of this and more teaching, more of his ministry. When you get to Matthew chapter 11, you see that he commissions out his disciples. He puts them on a mission trip to begin to declare the good news of the Gospel to the people in the surrounding areas. You keep reading the Gospel of Matthew, you see more teaching, you see more of his work and his ministry. And then you get to Matthew chapter 18. And then Jesus begins to use a word to describe what this people is going to be, that he's making this new covenant people, and that is the church. The Greek word for that is ekklesia. It means church or assembly. And it shows up in Matthew 18. And Jesus begins to describe what this church is going to look like. It's going to be a people who take sin seriously, who hold each other accountable, who practice radical forgiveness. That is unlike the rest of the world. Jesus continues to teach. He continues to form his people. He continues to disciple his disciples. And then it is time for him to do the work that no one can do. He does the work of salvation. He takes his perfect record of righteousness with him to the cross. He dies on the cross for our sins because we were unable to to obey the law. He dies on the cross, taking judgment upon himself. He conquers death at the resurrection, removing the power of death over his people. And then he looks at his disciples at the end of Matthew and he tells them,> Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.He tells them, you're going to take everything that you've learned from me over the last three years. This message of the gospel that I came to redeem you and save you. This message of what it looks like to be a people that are committed to having God at the center and loving one another. Well, you're going to take that to the nations where they're going to hear the gospel and believe and you can read Mark and Luke and John and you're going to see this story over and over again. Then you get the book of Acts where Jesus ascends to the right hand of God the Father being king over all creation. And then the Holy Spirit descends upon his people and the church begins in Acts 2. You read that Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit stands up, preaches the first sermon at Pentecost and 3,000 people, people place plus people place their faith in Jesus and are baptized. And then we see some of the very first acts of this church and responding to Christ in faith and baptism. It says in verse 42. We'll have more time to study this exact passage in community group this week. I just want to hit some of the highlights to help us see what God is doing here. In verse 42 he says,> And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.That's the teachings of Christ. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. They were a gospel centered people. And it continues into the fellowship and the breaking of bread and prayers. You go to verse 44.> And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.That they were a people that believed the gospel, devoted themselves to that teaching, but they devoted themselves to one another. They fellowshiped together, they broke bread together, they took care of each other's needs. They saw their brothers and sisters in Christ as more important than money and material things. And they're selling their stuff so that they can take care of one another. And then it goes in verse 47 and finishes.> And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.That this message continues to be introduced to people who hear and believe and are brought into the church to continue to be a gospel centered community on mission to take the gospel to the world that desperately needed it. The church in Jerusalem continues to expand as you follow the story. Keep flipping through Acts. All of a sudden God has a plan to see scatter his people and involves the death of one of his servants, Stephen. He ordains the death of Stephen who's proclaiming the Good news of Jesus Christ and he's murdered for it. And in Acts chapter eight, after he's martyred, it says, and Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And now we see that the plan is spreading, that it's not just a church in Jerusalem now, it's in Judea and it's in Samaria. And the church is going global. One of the ways this has been described is that the church globally is the big sea church in creeds. That's called the Catholic Church. It's not referring to the Catholic denomination, but the Catholic meaning universal. That there's this global, universal church bound together by Christ. But it's not just in Jerusalem, it's in Judea, it's in Samaria. It's scattered in communities across the world in local churches. That's usually called the little C church. But there are little C churches who are forming together with Christ at the center, seeking to be what God has called them. Now the church is spreading past Jerusalem. And then that man who was involved in the killing of Stephen Saul in Acts chapter nine is on his way to persecute more Christians. And then Jesus blinds him, converts him. And then we know him mostly as Paul. And then Paul is set apart to take this even further. And he plants churches all over Asia Minor, all over Europe. And the church begins to spread and expand. As you continue to read the Book of Acts, you see the gospel spreading all over that region. But as these churches are getting established and they're seeking to be a gospel centered people that are taking the gospel to the nations as they're seeking to be this, they start to run into problems. They start to run into different things, different sins, different struggles. There's a bunch of people who the thing that the. The central binding idea that holds them together is Christ. But they're very, very different. Different ethnicities, different cultures, different classes. And as you continue to read the rest of the New Testament, you see that God had a plan for this, that he starts to write letters, inspired scripture through servants like Paul to these churches to help them see what it means to be a gospel centered people. How to fight for what is good, how to repent of sin, how to live in community, how to still have some missional hustle to take the gospel to the nations. But when you read the beginnings of these letters, you see very clearly that these are individual churches. I'll run through a Bunch of them. Really quickly. The letter to the Corinthians, in First Corinthians, Chapter one, it says, to the church of God that is in Corinth, that is that church in that city with their unique issues. This is a letter to that church. Not all the churches, though all the churches, will eventually benefit from this, helping us see now it's not just one global church. There's individual churches where these people belong to one another and have their own leaders and their own issues they're facing. It continues to the churches of Galatia, that's a whole region of different churches that Paul planted in his first missionary journey. To the saints who are in Ephesus, that's the book of Ephesians. To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, that's the book of Philippians. To the church of Thessalonians and God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, that's the church in Thessalonica. You start to see that there is one global church made up of individuals, communities of Christians who are seeking to be centered in Christ, loving one another fiercely and taking the Gospel to their friends and their neighbors. And you follow that thread all the way through the letters and you'll get to the end. The Book of Revelation, which we did last year. And as we saw the Book of Revelation, it's not just apocalyptic literature. It's not just proclaiming what's going to happen. It is also a letter written to seven churches. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and as we saw last year, all churches with different problems, with different sins, some needing encouragement, all of them mostly needing a smack across the face from Jesus. But those are all individual churches where those people belong to Christ and. And one another seeking to be obedient in following him and taking the Gospel to those who needed it. So that's Genesis to Revelation. While you're not going to find one specific verse that makes this so clear, what you can see from start to finish is that God had a plan to form a people. And that plan was to be localized in churches where there were people that were so deeply committed to following Christ and having a zeal and a desire to worship and delight in him over all things, to be a people, a community that so deeply loved one another and cared for one another, that looked radically different than the rest of the world. So much so that historians at the time were looking at these Christians and saying there's something different about them. And to be a people who are not so self focused that they were going to use their energy and their effort and their time and their money and their lives lives to proclaim the good news to those who didn't know. That is God's plan for redemption. One global church working through individual local churches all around the world. That is God's plan for the church. So when someone says I don't see membership in the Bible, I just want to say it's, you got to read the whole story. You need to see what God is doing. You need to see God's plan for redemption that is through the local church.I was talking to a pastor a few weeks back and he was telling me a story about a guy who had been coming to their church and he said, did this guy come? And he was kind of coming for weeks and they started to introduce the idea, maybe you should think about committing here. And he said, oh no, I don't believe membership is biblical. He's like, I'm a part of the big C church, we're all a part of the same church, but I'm not going to commit to membership here. And he was kind of taken aback and he engaged with the conversation. He said, okay, take what you're saying, so you're a member of the big sea, the, the big church universal. He said, yeah. He said, okay, well am I like a pastor in this big old church in the world? And he said, yeah. He said okay, so does it make me like your pastor? He said, yeah. He said, alright, let me share with you Hebrews chapter 13. He said,> Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.He said, do you believe that's true? He said, yeah. He said, okay, so if I'm your pastor and you're gonna submit to me, you should go through the membership process at our church. He just laid it out for him and the guy said no and he left and he never came back. And I thought that was quite the clever way to be able to explain and poke holes in the guy's argument. But that passage is incredibly helpful. You read the New Testament letters and you see that God has structured for these local communities that he has pastors, elders that are overseeing the church. So when I look at that passage, obey your leaders and submit to them. It's helpful for me when I'm talking to people about membership. It's like, I belong to this church, I'M one of the pastors of this church. I belong to them, they belong to me. My people aren't down the road. They're the brothers and sisters. They're not across town, they're not across the world. I don't pastor them, I don't oversee their souls. I don't answer for their souls. No, it's this people. And you see that God has a plan and even the oversight of his church. And I think this is important, especially in Southern culture. And here's why. In Southern culture, pretty much still everyone, if you ask them, are you a Christian? They're gonna say, yeah. The overwhelming majority of people in the south are still gonna say, yeah, I'm a Christian. And if you begin to press into that, a lot of times it's, well, I'm Methodist or I'm Presbyterian or Episcopalian, or I'm Baptist or I'm Catholic. And it's like, what does that mean? I was just born Christian, I was born a Methodist. And as you look at the scriptures, you're not born a Christian. And if you continue to press into this, what you also see is there are a lot of people that claim the name of Christ that don't really belong anywhere. They don't commit to any people, don't commit to the Lord locally anywhere. They're just free floating in a way that is so foreign to the scriptures. And then what you'll also see is you'll see people that go, yeah, I mean, I don't really, not really. I don't really, I'm not a member anywhere. I, I like this church for the worship. I like this church for the teaching. I like this church for their Bible studies, like this church for their small groups. I like this church for their outreach. And I kind of just, you know, take everywhere like it's a buffet. And it's like, man, to make the church of Jesus Christ for your own benefit is so foreign to what the scriptures teach about the church that is not the church that Jesus bled and died for. You should be committed to God and his people somewhere. And my hope is that as you look at the grand story, you'll see, yes, you should belong. You should be a member of a church somewhere. Christians are not designed to be outside of the church or just not. And over the next couple months, I hope we continue to see that over and over again as we walk through this.Now that's the why of why we should belong to a church. Now I just want to, as we end look at the what, what does it mean to belong to this church? And it's gonna sound like a broken record, but it's a good one. It's a record we spend every Sunday. It's what Chet Phillips calls the bee's knees of belonging, which I don't know why he calls it that, but it's really important to us. And that is being a gospel centered community on mission. And that's what you're going to see over the next two months. Walking through this, you're going to see 14 different commitments that highlight that. So let's start with that first part. What does it mean to be gospel centered? It means that we are a church that is bound together by. By one shared story. And that story is the message of the gospel. We are bound together by this one shared story in a way that not just defines us at the beginning in belief, but defines us in belief and practice the rest of our lives. If you look at the American story, okay, if you look at the American story at the beginning, you see that it's a group of people that are anti tyranny. Okay? No taxation without representation. No king's going to tell us what to do. You'll see that it's a people that love freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of worship, freedom of speech. Don't step on my freedoms. You'll see that it's a people that have some hustle, some dogged determination to exist. That's how America began. But that's also the story that permeates through its people throughout time, that even today, Americans don't like kings. Don't tell me what I can and cannot do. We like freedom and there's still some dogged determination to exist. That's the American spirit and it still flows through its people. And we as Christians have a much better story. We as Christians have a much better story. That's not just our origin story, but it permeates through us in our lives. It is the story of Jesus Christ. It is the story of a God who looked on humanity, that rejected him, that spit upon his goodwill, that decided that they wanted to worship what they wanted to worship and find what they thought fulfilling and rejected him over and over again. And God and His mercy does not give us judgment. He sends His Son that Christ comes and he dies on the cross for sinners. And he conquers death at the resurrection. And he gives us grace that we don't deserve to be in relationship with Him. And he forms us more into his image through his work, through his will and desire and good pleasure and that story continues to work within his people. It is the story that saves us, but it's the story that sustains us. In the same way that as foreigners come to America and they become American citizens and in a lot of ways embody the American spirit in beautiful ways, they start loving freedom. They start. They have this dogged determination within them. We do not belong to this world as Christians. Scriptures say that we have. Our citizenship is in heaven. From we have with a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are part of the world that is to come. And as citizens of that kingdom here on this earth, as sojourners and strangers and foreigners, that we embody what it means to belong to him more than anything else. So what we'll see over the next coming weeks as we walk through these commitments, we'll see what it means to be a gospel centered people bound together by that story. But we will also see what it means to be a community. What it means to be a gospel centered community. One of the metaphors that we see in the New Testament for the church, for the this community is the body. So Romans 12, we'll talk about one body, many members. So one body, different body parts, different members of the body in a way that each person is doing their gift to be able to serve one another well. And man, when you see that actually in practice, when you experience what it means to belong to the church of Jesus Christ and have different members of the body who, who love and serve you, it is a glorious story. I mean, if you ever see someone who loses their job, which is a massive loss, and they're crushed, and then someone in their group finds out, and all of a sudden their whole group is messaging them saying, hey, we love you, like we're praying for you. You need to know that your identity is not in the work that you do. Your identity is in the God who loves you, who sustains you. God's going to provide for you. He's going to take care of you, we're going to take care of you. But you need to remember the gospel. And then all of a sudden, they're behind the scenes organizing things. By the time he gets home, there's already been a meal delivered and there's meals to be delivered the next few days. All of a sudden someone else in the church hears about this and they put $1,000 in an envelope and drop it on the doorstep. And all of a sudden he's being provided for, his family's being loved. And then more people in the church find out all of A sudden they ask, can we be praying about this? That you would find a new job that ends up in our prayer message that goes out to our members. Now the whole church is praying and then someone else in the church hears about that and says, wait a second, I know what he does for a living. I got a friend who's hiring for that position right now. They reach out and say, hey, hey, can you talk to this, Talk to my friend. He's hiring. And then within a week, he's already got a job lined up. When you see the church respond like that over and over and over and over again, it makes me so thankful for the church of Jesus Christ and how his church responds over and over again. We've seen this over and over again in our church and it's wonderful. And I wish in some ways more of those stories were told. I know why we don't. Because we don't let the left hand know what the right is doing. I get that. But the stories that go viral are the church hurt stories. And yes, those stories exist. They're real stories with real pain. I'm not denying the existence of them. But boy, oh boy, the amount of church help stories where people rally around one another, it's like 100 to 1 to 1 compared to that. The church is a wonderful people to belong to, to see them in action over and over and over again because they're centered in Christ in a way that helps us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, see something beyond our own interest. And when you see it in action, it's beautiful. It's a family. And that's the language of the New Testament. Often when it talks about the church and is family. When you start learning New Testament Greek, one of the first, you start with the vocabulary words that are the most, most used in the New Testament. And one of the first words you learn in Greek is adelphoi, it's the word for brothers and sisters. Because it shows up over and over and over again in the scriptures to talk about God's people, that we are a family, that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul, when he's making converts, talks about his converts like spiritual children. That we are a family, that we love one another, that we belong to one another. And when you study the Book of Acts, you see this. The church functions like a family. I was trying to explain this to someone recently. I was trying to explain this concept and I was just saying, listen, I'm close with my earthly family. I'm close with my parents, my brothers, and my sisters, like we are, we're close, but boy, oh boy, there's some eternal depth that I have with brothers and sisters in this church that when crap hits the fan in my life, the first few messages are not to family. And that's not to lower my earthly family. I'm real close with them. It's to elevate what the importance of church family is here. And when it hits the fan, I'm messaging people in this church and I got people in this church who rally around in wonderful ways. To belong to a family that fiercely loves God and one another is beautiful, it's compelling, it's wonderful. It is so good to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ. And as you walk through the membership commitment with us over the next couple of months, you're going to see this. You're going to see how we fight for this, how this is so unbelievably important to us. We want to be a gospel centered people. We want to be a community that's like a family, but we also want to take this thing that we hold dear to those who don't believe. We're a gospel centered community on mission. And that's what we're also going to see in our membership commitment. We do not exist to be a holy huddle. We do not exist to be inwardly focused. We exist to take this wonderful news that brought us from death to life, to people, to friends, to neighbors, to co workers so that they might taste and see that the Lord is good and be brought into the family of God. We care deeply about this.Now, one of the downsides to you using the word membership is because sometimes the word membership in our culture has a consumeristic bent. I mean, you could be a member of Costco. It's a pretty low commitment. You pay, what is it, 80 bucks a year? You know, and then you get to go and buy all sorts of bulk goods that certainly will, certainly some of it will spoil in your cabinets because it's just hard to use up all that stuff before it goes bad. Maybe your family's better than ours. We couldn't do it. Or Walmart. Plus, that's not important. There's a consumeristic nature sometimes to the word membership that makes it about self, that makes it about our interest. And I still think the word membership is worth fighting for. I still think it's worth reclaiming from our culture to help us see that it is not about self, that membership is about something bigger than us. It's about a people who leverage their time and their Talents and their energy and their money and their efforts and their lives so that others who do not know Christ, others who are sprinting towards an eternity apart from God under his wrath, who desperately need to know the love of a savior who bled and died for them, that it's worth our energy and our hustle and our grit to take that. To those who don't believe. It's not a country club. It's more like a military outpost. The membership we have here, we don't want to be a country club. Country club is low commitment. You pay your fee, you get to go play golf, get to enjoy the pool, but you don't keep the greens and you don't scrub the pool. We don't want to be that. We want to be more like a military outpost. Our country has military outposts all over the world. And the members of the US Military who are at those outposts, they are there to serve the interest of America. They. They're there to serve the interests of their commander in chief. They are there bound together, laser focused, whether it's promoting the values of America in that area of the world or at times, whether it's fighting a war, but they are laser focused, committed to the mission of America. And we have something so much better than that. We are citizens of a kingdom that is not of this world. And we serve a king who. Who reigns for eternity. And we get to serve him in a land that we do not belong to, that is foreign to us. And we get to serve his interests taking the gospel to people who do not know him, making enemies, friends, making the lost found, making the dead alive in Christ. That's what we want to be. The church is supposed to be. And I'll be honest, we've had folks in the past who came to our church looking for a country club and they just didn't stick. And we're not perfect. We got our flaws. You've been here long enough, you go learn them. But that's not what we want to be. But we've also had folks who've been there and done some of the Southern consumeristic Christianity. And they see the things that we're fighting for and they love it and they jump on and they see I do. I want to be a people that loves one another fiercely, that chases after Jesus together. That is taking the gospel to those who don't believe. I want to be a part of that. And they jump in and we hustle and we fight to be the church of the New Testament and the scriptures that we see that hustled and fought and was missional and had some dog in it. Like we want to be that type of church to missionaries, be everyday missionaries here in this city, in Columbia. So we want to be. And as we walk through the membership commitment over the next few months, this is something that is going to show up. And at times it's hard. I'm not going to lie. At times living out the ideals and the practices and the beliefs of our commitments is difficult. And what's helpful for my soul, maybe it'll be helpful for you, is I like to take the 10,000 year perspective when I think about all this stuff. 10,000 years from now, are you going to regret when you look back at this life not picking up more hobbies, not being the best pickleball player in the world, not using all your money to level up to the next part of society, to the next class, Are you going to regret not fulfilling the American dream and all of its trappings? Or are you going to be so insanely thankful that the work of the Spirit went to work in your heart in a way that helped you leverage your time and your energy and your heart's desire to be a people so deeply centered on the gospel, so deeply, fiercely loving one another and so outwardly focused that you took the gospel to some of your co workers who currently right now are walking as enemies of the cross of Christ because you love them, because you served them, because you stood in the way between them and hell and said Jesus is better than everything else. And they placed their faith in Jesus and they got baptized and they joined a group and they kept fighting to believe all the way to 10,000 years from now. They are standing in the presence of their Savior, worshiping him with you because you gave your life away to something that matters. That is what our commitment is all about. And that's what we're gonna look at the next couple of months. My hope is that for the members of this church, you'd be so deeply excited that you be so thankful for the work of Christ in our lives that we get to do this together. But if you're not new and you're checking us out, I hope you stick around. I hope my yelling didn't run you off. It's just, I'm just excited, you guys.

Paul told the church in Thessalonica that he was encouraged how they received the words they spoke as the word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us be a church, let us be followers of Christ, that live our lives standing firm in the truth of the word and living in the power of His Spirit.

What is a Church?ist Thessalonians 1:1When Paul greeted the congregation at Thessalonica, he began the letter with a recognition that he was writing to a really good church. We cannot attain perfection, but Paul's letter to the Thessalonians can help our local assembly to be a great church too! A church that is singleminded in pursuing its goal, to love and serve the Lord. In Paul's greeting we see four simple observations:-A church is a Partnership of Ministry.A church is a local assembly, in the place where God has placed it.The church is a congregation of God's people.The church has a particular declaration.Any local assembly of believers can be as great in God's sight as the Thessalonians obviously were, if we make sure that the work of the church is done on the basis of PARTNERSHIP, that we are in the PLACE that God wants us to be, both geographically and spiritually, BUILDING ourselves up in the Lord, and making sure that every activity in the church has the common purpose of boldly and loudly PROCLAIMING the grace and peace of God to sinners.Read the NOTES here.The sermon was recorded live at Ballymacashon, - apologies for the background noise and echo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul calls the church in Thessalonica a "Model" Church. And then he gives us three reasons why it is a model church and how we too can become a model church.

Season 5, Episode 1 | Kicking off Season 5, Pastor Chad and August Huckabee revisit Acts 17:1–9 to explore how Paul's brief but bold ministry in Thessalonica led to both belief and backlash. They reflect on faithfulness in the face of uncertainty and how true success in ministry is measured by obedience, not outcomes.

Continuing our study through the Letters to Thessalonica, we observe 3 things Paul and his friends did as they made disciples in Thessalonica.

We're so glad you're here. Our prayer is that this series through the book of 1 Thessalonians stirs up passion and authenticity in your walk with Christ.In this early letter from Paul, his words of affirmation to the church in Thessalonica reveal the genuine purpose and heart of God's people. What he wrote to encourage them still speaks powerfully to us today—reminding us what it means to live out a real faith within a real faith family.Thanks again for joining us as we spend time together in God's Word.

Send us a textThis season, we begin our exploration of 2 Thessalonians. We provide background information about Paul, Silas, and Timothy—and the nature of Paul's second missionary journey. The discussion covers the significance of Thessalonica's geographical and economic status, why Paul decided to write this letter, and the challenges the early Christian church faced, including persecution and false prophets. The episode highlights the detailed approach Paul takes in this epistle, incorporating Jesus's teachings and providing specific markers to watch for the second coming of Christ.The sermon for this episode is titled "Define Soon" and can be found at pondergmc.org/ministries/sermonsNEW!: Rate us at Podchaser Find us at www.pondergmc.org. Feedback is welcome: PonderMethodist@gmail.com Music performed by the Ponder GMC worship team. Cover Art: Joe Wagner Recorded, edited and mixed by Snikrock

Church Life “Trial Separation” (Acts 15:36-41) Next Journey (v.36)Next Conflict (vv. 37-41)1 Cor. 7:5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.1 Cor. 13:4-7 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[a] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.2 Tim. 4:10-11 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia,[a] Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.  Three Warning Signs - that you're not loving and not interested in peacemaking:Number one: When the issue becomes a controlling passion of your life. Number two: When you start thinking about revenge against those who have hurt you. Number three: When you begin to attack the person and not the problem.2 Tim. 2:23-26a 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant[e] must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil

In this sermon from Newbury Park First Christian Church, Pastor Juan explores Acts 17, focusing on the Apostle Paul's missionary journey and his encounters in Thessalonica and Athens. The message emphasizes the importance of dedicating our lives and ministries to the principles found in the Bible, meeting people where they are to share the Gospel, and the necessity of repentance. Pastor Juan challenges listeners to be like the Bereans, who eagerly examined the Scriptures, and to stand firm in their faith despite opposition. He highlights the relevance of the Gospel in overcoming modern-day idolatry and calls for a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Join us as we delve into the transformative power of the Gospel and its call to turn from idols to the one true God. For more information about our church, visit npfcc.org To help support the ongoing work of NPFCC and our mission partners around the globe, you can make a donation at npfcc.org/give

This is a message brought by Gary Neal, the father of Pastor Nevin Neal. He takes a look at the church of Thessalonica, a baby church, but a model church, and yet Paul continues to tell them that they need to do more and more. What a great truth to be learned! Please tune in.

✨ Episode DescriptionToday's passages weave together themes of justice, truth, and the transforming power of God's Word.

This week Pastor Jared discusses a passage from the Bible, specifically Acts 17:1-4, which tells the story of Paul's ministry in Thessalonica. He draws parallels between the challenges faced by the early church in Thessalonica and the experiences of the congregation, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and staying true to one's faith amidst opposition. Jared also shares personal anecdotes and reflections on the application of biblical principles in everyday life.

Philippians 4:10-23 NLT10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn't have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. 15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don't say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. 18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. 20 Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. 21 Give my greetings to each of God's holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. 22 And all the rest of God's people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar's household. 23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. • • •1. Look Inward • • •Philippians 4:10 NLT10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn't have the chance to help me. • • •Romans 8:28 NLT28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. • • •2. Look Upward • • •Philippians 4:11-13 NLT11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. • • •John 15:5 NLT5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. • • •3. Look Outward • • •Philippians 4:14-20 NLT14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. 15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don't say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. 18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. 20 Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. • • •Philippians 2:3-4 NLT3 Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. • • •2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. • • •Application:Growing up in Christ should result in a life of contentment and generosity towards others.

We're so glad you're here. Our prayer is that this series through the book of 1 Thessalonians stirs up passion and authenticity in your walk with Christ.In this early letter from Paul, his words of affirmation to the church in Thessalonica reveal the genuine purpose and heart of God's people. What he wrote to encourage them still speaks powerfully to us today—reminding us what it means to live out a real faith within a real faith family.Thanks again for joining us as we spend time together in God's Word.

God doesn't give revelation to rebels except His gracious call to repentance and restoration. A right relationship with the risen Messiah will cause you to become more and more like Jesus every day.When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. Acts 27:1-6 ESVWe struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship's officers about it. “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on, shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” Acts 27:8-10 NLTWhen a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. Acts 27:13 NLTWisdom isn't determined by the direction of the wind!  But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. The sailors couldn't turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale. Acts 27:14-15 NLTDon't let a moment of favor or desire determine your direction or destiny. The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. The following day they even took some of the ship's tackle and threw it overboard. The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. Acts 27:18-20 NLTIn a severe storm, earthly possessions and navigation systems can become of little or no value. No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. Acts 27:21 NLTA tactical “I told you so” can be a blessing if you receive it as an encouragement to listen next time. - But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.' So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island.” Acts 27:22-26 NLT God will always prioritize the condition of your soul and salvation over any temporal success or solution.Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven't touched food for two weeks,” he said. “Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.” Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat, all 276 of us who were on board. Acts 27:33-37 NLTOften it's our response to the problems we face that is the real problem, and what causes us to lose our way.The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming, but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely. Acts 27:42-44 MSGBut Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn't harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god. Acts 28:5-6 NLT For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him. Acts 28:30-31 NLTThe faith and faithfulness of Paul was only outmatched by the faithfulness of our loving, living God.

Jesus Delivers Us (12) (audio) David Eells – 8/24/25 Saints, I'm going to continue with our teaching on how Jesus delivers us and gives us authority over the demons.  Today, we're going to review what the true and false manifestations of the Spirit are, which are all for the purpose of destroying the kingdom of darkness. We have to have respect for the Word. It will get and keep the mixture out of the Church. Only the Word manifested in the flesh is from God; the rest is from the devil. (Mat.12:30) He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Some of it is truth, and some of it is Babylonish religion. The Bible says, (1Pe.5:8) Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Pray for God to help us be sober and watchful because, in different ways, people are giving the devil permission. Remember, the Word says, “whom he may devour.” They're giving the devil permission to devour them by not putting on the true armor, which is all related to the Word (Romans 13:12,14; 2 Corinthians 10:3-4; Ephesians 6:11-17). Sometimes deception comes little by little. An uneven or weak foundation makes an uneven and weak building (Psalm 11:3; Matthew 7:24-27). Little deceptions that have been laid by false prophets and false teachers lead to ever bigger deceptions. The devil is out to make Christians look foolish so that the Gospel has no credibility. You'll swallow deceptions, too, unless you have a real respect for the Word. You can be “denying … the Master” even while you are saying that you believe in Jesus. (2Pe.2:1) But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them (You deny the Master by following false teachings and false ways, rather than following the Lord.), bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2) And many shall follow their lascivious doings (The word “lascivious” basically means “wanton” or “excess, an excuse for excess.”); by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. These lascivious doings in the churches, passed on by false teachers, cause the “way of the truth” to “be evil spoken of.” (2Pe.2:3) And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not. God is going to destroy those people who deceive His people and lead them astray. Most haven't recognized that that's what's happening, but you can see these false prophets being destroyed. The Bible says the pleasures of sin are only for a season (Hebrews 11:25). The devil deceives you and bribes you with them, and you may go after them, but they won't last, and then what happens? Then you start reaping what you've sown. The devil is bringing some of this lasciviousness into the church so that “the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.” I'm speaking here particularly of what some call “manifestations of the spirit.” When the world looks upon these manifestations, they see them as something evil. For example, you're trying to talk to someone about the Lord, and they counter by pointing to some preacher who fell, becoming a fornicator while preaching righteousness. The world uses that as an excuse not to pay attention to you. These ministers, and many others who have fallen away, are causing the way of truth to be evil spoken of. I once went into a church where a lot of people off to one side looked as if they had nervous disorders. They were jerking and twitching. Some were on the floor. Some were throwing their hands up over their heads. I had seen this kind of thing before, and I thought, “Well, that's nice. I hope they get prayed for tonight.” It wasn't long after the service got started when I realized that those were the people they had already prayed for, and that's why they were in that condition. Through prayer, they had received this thing that people call a “manifestation of the spirit,” and now they were acting like people who had a spirit of infirmity. Then the preacher got up and talked about how the principal at the local school had called and told him that he was sending students home who were jerking, twitching, rolling, and so forth. The principal had asked the preacher what he thought about it, and foolishly, the preacher seemed proud of what was happening. I felt bad when I heard this report. These students were obviously in school to give a testimony for the Lord, but the devil had been able to destroy their testimony. That wasn't the Lord, regardless of what they were thinking. It is not the Lord's way to cause foolishness or confusion to destroy His testimony. Here is an example as proof for you. (1Co.14:23) If therefore the whole church be assembled together and all speak with tongues… Now we know that “tongues” is a true manifestation of the Spirit of God, and there's a good reason for tongues. When you pray in tongues, you can pray according to the Will of God because your carnal understanding doesn't get involved. There's no foolishness in tongues, but even tongues have had rules set upon it. This is to make sure that we as Christians don't lose our testimony before the world. (1Co.14:23) If therefore the whole church be assembled together and all speak with tongues, and there come in men unlearned or unbelieving, will they not say that ye are mad? (24) But if all prophesy, and there come in one unbelieving or unlearned, he is reproved by all, he is judged by all; (25) the secrets of his heart are made manifest; and so he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed. They'll say you're “mad,” i.e., insane, from a genuine manifestation of the Spirit. This means that you don't want even a true manifestation in front of unbelievers because you may destroy your testimony and cause “the way of the truth” to “be evil spoken of.” Since this is the case for genuine manifestations of the Spirit, then it is certainly true of some of these manifestations that can't be found at all in the Bible. These students were going to school twitching and jerking and flailing their arms. That's not the Word of God. It is not God's way to destroy testimonies. Manifestations are meant to edify the people around you. Paul exhorted the people who speak in tongues not to get up and address the assembly in tongues because without interpretation it wasn't edifying the people around them. Now, if that's true for a true gift of speaking in tongues, it is certainly true for all these other manifestations. If they don't edify the people around you, then God says not to do it. People with a religious spirit may think they are being spiritual to go out among the heathen and do these old “holy roller” things, but that wasn't Paul's opinion or method. (1Co.9:19) For though I was free from all [men,] I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. (Paul brought himself under submission to the people around him so that he could gain them.) (20) And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; (21) to them that are without law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. (22) To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. (23) And I do all things for the gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof. This idea is diametrically opposed to the idea of engaging in questionable manifestations among the lost. Paul was talking about being all things to all people so that he might save some, and so he was weak to the weak by meeting them where they were. His teaching was opposed to doing foolish things in front of them, destroying the testimony of God. [“Holy roller” is considered to be a derogatory term and may be applied to any out-of-control or bizarre behavior during worship services. From Wikipedia.org: The Oxford English Dictionary cites an 1893 memoir by Charles Godfrey Leland, in which he says, “When the Holy Spirit seized them ... the Holy Rollers ... rolled over and over on the floor.”]  The Bible doesn't speak of such a habit. Paul said, 1Co 11:1  Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ. A Baptist preacher in that assembly got up and testified about how he had real questions in his heart when he had left there. He admitted that he hadn't felt good in himself, and he questioned God about it. He asked God to please tell him what was right or wrong. God spoke to him with this verse (1Co.14:33) for God is not [a God] of confusion, but of peace. The other verse he got was (Pro.3:5) … And lean not upon thine own understanding. If we study and respect the Scriptures, then we're not leaning on our own understanding; we're leaning on God's understanding. It's important that we study Scripture to find our answers. You can't find answers through your feelings. You can't find answers through your wisdom or emotions. You can't get answers from men because you might respect a man too much. He might say something unscriptural and lead you astray. (1Co.14:32) And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; (33) for God is not [a God] of confusion, but of peace. There is a difference between manifestations of the Holy Spirit and manifestations of demon spirits. Manifestations of demon spirits may start out needing your permission, but the more they continue, the less they're interested in your permission. The manifestations will become involuntary and possessive. You may begin to jerk and twitch and do things that you're not at all meaning to do, but that this religious spirit is doing through you. There was a time when I was traveling to different groups among Pentecostals, and I had noticed that there were different manifestations in each group. I began to meditate on this, asking, “If this is the Holy Spirit, why isn't the Holy Spirit manifesting His gifts everywhere?” The conclusion I came to is that not everything the Pentecostals are calling a “manifestation of the Holy Spirit” is a true manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Since each particular religious group had its own particular manifestation, it had to be a religious spirit that was manifesting in that group. This is just part of the great mixture out there, and the devil has a reason for manifesting these things. He wants Christians to look silly to the world because that destroys their testimony. (1Co.14:32) And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. That means if it's a gift from the Lord, then that prophet can stop the manifestation, and that prophet can start the manifestation. Did you know that? Let's go back and read about the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Let's see if jerking, twitching, and rolling are listed in there. And as we read, let's also look to see if these manifestations are involuntary or voluntary. (1Co.12:4) Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. (5) And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. (6) And there are diversities of workings (Notice that these gifts may manifest differently in different Christians.), but the same God, who worketh all things in all. (7) But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. The Holy Spirit isn't forcing you to do anything; the Holy Spirit is guiding you. The Bible says, (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. The Holy Spirit moves through our will. He doesn't work against our will. The Holy Spirit doesn't do things without our will. You may say, “Well, when He moves on you with a prophecy, that didn't come from your will.” That's right, but your will has to agree with it. The Lord is not pushing prophecy on you. People who don't want that gift don't manifest it. Paul goes on to list the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and many of these were ones that Jesus manifested, so we have good examples of them in the Scriptures. Some of these manifestations that we've been seeing are not mentioned in the Bible. They're excluded from this list because, in this list, all the manifestations are voluntary. (1Co.12:8) For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit: (9) to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; (10) and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; to another [divers] kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues: (11) but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will. These are the common gifts promised to believers. Are there some listed in scripture that are not given commonly?  1Co 5:3  For I verily, being absent in body but present in spirit, have already as though I were present judged him that hath so wrought this thing… I was once given a gift to listen to a factious group across town as they plotted to destroy us. I then made comments about their false assertions that they heard. One of them said in reply, “We know who you are David.” We have a witness who was there in spirit listening and agreed. Jesus and Phillip were translated by the Spirit from place to place, as was I also. These could be included in workings of miracles or discernings of spirits because I have had both of these?  God tells us in His Word what are manifestations of His Spirit because He doesn't want us to accept the devil's counterfeit manifestations. True gifts will destroy the works of the devil and promote the Kingdom. They are not to put on a show but they can confirm the Word. (1Co.14:32) And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; (33) for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. God gave us those verses for our protection. We are not supposed to have people in the church whose spirit is not subject to them, people who are doing things over which they have no control. According to these verses, being out of control does not sound like the Holy Spirit. Many have been witnesses to people falling, twitching, rolling around, and flailing their arms over their heads, etc.. One of the girls who testified on the platform had to have somebody on each arm holding her up. When the pastor came and stood next to her, talking in regard to this twitching movement that she was manifesting, something hit him in the stomach. I saw him double over with a look of pain on his face. Two men went up and got him, as he was looking kind of drunk, and they took him aside and set him down. Everybody was praising the Lord, like it was another move of the Spirit. Well, it was a move of a spirit. It was a move of that fellowship's religious spirit. These spirits like to manifest supernatural signs because people respect them, but not every supernatural sign is from the Lord. Lately, if people see something supernatural coming from a church or a preacher, they think that it's God, but God works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). If He is going to use our will, we have to submit our will to Him, and we should be inviting the Lord to use us in these gifts. It's through these gifts that He's going to manifest Himself in supernatural power in His Church, and so we're commanded to seek out these spiritual gifts that are given to us by the Holy Spirit. (1Co.14:12) So also ye, since ye are zealous of spiritual [gifts,] seek that you may abound, unto the edifying of the church. Be suspicious of preachers who are busy imparting other kinds of “gifts,” laughing gifts, rolling gifts, twitching gifts, etc. The Lord moves in supernatural things that edify the spirit, not cater to the flesh, of man. Some of these manifestations of the so-called “Spirit” give people “ecstasies,” feelings of rapture or bliss in their flesh. People have asked, even begged me, to pray over them so that they could have this feeling of euphoria. People have told me, “Oh, Brother David, I really need to go ‘out in the Spirit,'” but that's not what anyone really needs. What we really need is more of God. We don't need some tantalizing feeling in the flesh. God wants us to come away from being moved by our feelings and by our emotions. When a person is weaned from being dependent upon their emotions, then they are stable. Then they can be moved only by the Word. I've seen people claim that a move of the Spirit is upon them, yet their emotions are bouncing back and forth from one extreme to another. For instance, one moment they're crying and then the next they're laughing, the whole time saying that it's a move of the Spirit, but it's a move of demons. These spirits want to have you dependent upon your emotions. If people are moved by their emotions or feelings, they are untrustworthy because they can always be manipulated by the devil. The Bible says, (2Co.11:14) And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel (That's the Greek word angelon and it means “a messenger, {generally} a supernatural messenger from God.) of light. Satan comes as a “messenger of light.” The devil is not so stupid as to come with his pitchfork. We are going to see messengers of light. (2Co.11:15) It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. Satan's going to come as a preacher of the “truth,” as a preacher of the “Word,” otherwise the church wouldn't listen to him. That is how the devil is going to come, and yes, he has been and is doing it all along. We are warned, (2Pe.2:1) As among you also there shall be false teachers… Look around you. If you can't see these false teachers, then you have a problem. You're not respecting the Word of God enough, and are respecting the traditions of men too much. (Col.3:17) And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. No matter what we do, in word or in deed, we have to do it in the “Name,” which means “nature and character,” of Jesus. Nowhere in Scripture do we see Jesus jerking and twitching and rolling on the ground and preaching, but we do see Him manifesting the gifts we read listed in 1 Corinthians 12. We can manifest those things because we can do those in the Name of Jesus Christ. If your words or deeds don't agree with what He said or did, don't say or do them. You don't have permission from the Scriptures to disagree in word or deed. Your deeds represent Him. You are an ambassador of Christ. You have gone into a foreign country, i.e. this earth, to represent Him, so your words and actions have to represent Him. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. Your words and actions have to be a reflection of Him, but we see no reflection of the Life of Jesus in these false manifestations we're seeing in the churches. We see no foundation for us to accept them. There's a mixture. It's true that most of these manifestations are spiritual experiences, but they're spiritual experiences for the flesh. You may have heard about a manifestation called “being drunk in the spirit,” but the Scriptures tell us instead to be sober (Romans 12:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:6,8; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; etc.) There's no place where the Bible says to be drunk and sober at the same time, because God isn't going to make you drunk and then tell you to be sober. I was thinking about this manifestation when the Lord told me to go back and read this passage in Acts to see if the disciples were “drunk in the spirit.” (Act.2:4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (5) Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. (6) And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. (7) And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galilaeans? (8) And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born? (9) Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, (10) in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, (11) Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God. (12) And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this? (13) But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine. Mocking they said this. People have to come up with some explanation in order to disprove a miracle of God, and the easiest explanation here is to say that they were drunk. I've run across some nutty explanations of how God parted the Red Sea, too. That's what people do when they don't want to accept the truth; they fight against it with some goofy theory. The Jews fought against Jesus. They fought against the disciples. (Act.2:13) But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine. (New wine couldn't explain what these people were doing. The naysayers were trying to come up with an explanation.) (14) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, [saying,] Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words. (15) For these are not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day; (16) but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: (17) And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams: (18) Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. These disciples were prophesying and speaking in the Holy Spirit. We know they weren't staggering around, being drunk in the spirit, especially since God says, “Be sober.” God is not schizophrenic. Why would He make people drunk when He's telling them to be sober? If a person is drunk, they're not in control of their faculties. When a person is not in control of their faculties, deception and demon-possession are enabled. If you give yourself to some gift of the devil, you did it through your passivity, but we're not supposed to become passive towards the devil. (Jas.4:7) Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Those who administer the devil's gifts in séances, teaching people among the lost to be “prophets,” instruct them to be passive, to be blank in their minds. That's exactly how this spirit comes upon people; it comes upon people when they're not in control, when they're not able to say, “No!” Those mockers in Acts were accusing the disciples of not being in control, but the disciples weren't drunk. Whatever it was that they were speaking in other languages, it was just so convicting to those who were listening that they couldn't stand it. At that meeting I mentioned earlier, people “drunk in the spirit” were staggering all over and falling down. Had any lost person come in, they would have spoken evil of the way of the truth. Those people and preachers who were behaving drunkenly were representing Christ. They were confessing they believed the Bible, but it was confusion from the devil, who takes unfair advantage of people. It's the devil who possesses people and takes away their ability to make voluntary decisions. He's out to make fools of us before the world. The spirits of these prophets were not subject to them. When a person allows some other spirit to come in, it's because they are being passive in mind; then they become subject to that spirit. God doesn't give a person a gift to make him a robot. As the Bible says, (1Co.14:32) And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. They are always in control. They can stop a gift or a manifestation, when they want to stop it. It's always been that way when I speak in tongues; I can start it and stop it. Paul said, (1Co.14:15) I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. “I will…,” he said. Paul used his will. The Holy Spirit does the same thing. (Act.2:4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave the utterance. They did it. They spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. God is not going to take away our will. He's going to use our will. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. You may open your mouth in an act of faith that God would fill it, but you do have to open your mouth. After the outpouring of the Spirit in the early part of the twentieth century, Jessie Penn-Lewis traveled the country, looking in on a lot of different Christian groups. Penn-Lewis had discernment and saw a lot of abuse of the supernatural. When God starts something, there is always an opportunity for the devil to come in, too, once God opens the door to the supernatural. Now, as long as churches don't believe in the supernatural, they won't accept it, and so they can't be deceived by it. At the time of Penn-Lewis' travels, many denominations didn't want any supernatural manifestations in their churches; therefore, they didn't have any deceptions from the devil in that regard. However, they did have a lot of deception in that they were neglecting the Scriptural supernatural and neglecting the clear command to receive the gifts and power of Christ. It was when God opened the door by the outpouring of His Spirit that the devil came in to lead people astray with manifestations that are not in the Bible. When a person gets baptized in the Spirit, their eyes are opened to the supernatural, but they are also in a more vulnerable position in that regard. Unless they love the truth, they won't be able to discern and catch the devil when he comes, bringing his supernatural copies. This is like what Jannes and Jambres did with Moses (Exodus 7:8-12,20-22; Exodus 8:5-7; 2 Timothy 3:8-9). They copied almost everything that Moses did, but there came an end to their power (Exodus 8:18-19). The same thing is happening today in the church. “Jannes” and “Jambres” are loose and manifesting their supernatural gifts in the church. These manifestations are not of God because they are not listed among the Holy Spirit's manifestations in the Scriptures, and that alone should make us suspect them. Manifestations that do not destroy the devil's kingdom but merely appease man's appetite for the supernatural are usually not from God. Even as true ministers speak truth which are confirmed with signs and wonders, false ministers speak lies that are confirmed with what the Bible calls “lying signs and wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Is it possible for a person to have a mixture, to be manifesting the Word one moment and some religious spirit the next moment? Yes, it's possible that this can happen. We've all manifested a mixture in our own lives until we learned better, haven't we? So a mixture is also possible among other believers or ministers. Let's read a few things that Jessie Penn-Lewis, with Evan Roberts, reported in the book War on the Saints, 1912 edition. I am not regarding Penn-Lewis as a teacher, and I don't agree with everything in this book, but Penn-Lewis's witness and discernment of the spirits involved is good. [Note: All passages of War on the Saints are taken from Chapter Five, “Deception and Possession”; Chapter Six, “Counterfeits of the Divine”; or the Appendix, unless otherwise stated. Underlining has been added for emphasis and is not found in the original.]   War on the Saints, Dual Streams of Power (David's notes in red) Under the heading “Dual Streams of Power,” War on the Saints states: From such possessed believers… (If you don't accept that believers can be possessed, go back and study the Word. Jesus called deliverance “the children's bread” {Matthew 15:26; Mark 7:27}. Only the children of God have a legal right to deliverance, and that right is based only on their faith in the New Testament.) …there can proceed, at intervals, streams from the two sources of power, one from the Spirit of God in the centre, and the other from an evil spirit in the outer man; and with the two parallel results to those who come in contact with the two streams of power. In preaching, all the truth spoken by such a believer may be of God, and according to the Scriptures, correct and full of light—the spirit of the man right—whilst evil spirits working in mind or body, make use of the cover of the truth to insert their manifestations… Why would God permit such a thing? Where there is truth spoken, why would God permit, in the same service, false manifestations to deceive people into receiving some false gift? God permits this for the reason of weeding out those from among His people who don't love the truth. Those who love the truth are not going to swallow a lie from the devil for long. They're going to respect the Word too much. They're going to look in there to see “if these things be so,” like the Bereans. (Act.17:11) Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so. If a person has a noble spirit, they'll search the Word to see if these things are so. If they're not of that spirit, they'll swallow anything just because it's supernatural. They respect the man, so they think, “It's got to be good.” Don't get your eyes on men. The words of men should be under our feet. Now I don't care anything about the game of baseball, but in a dream I once had, I was the first batter up in a baseball game. I stepped up to the home base mound, looked down, and saw a hole in the ground where the base was supposed to be. I was standing there with my bat, and everyone had their eyes on me. I said, “We're going to have to fill up this hole.” I directed everybody to get newspapers to fill the hole, so that we could stand on these newspapers. You may think, “Well, that sounds nutty.” I thought so, too, until I started meditating on the meaning. We have to get the news, the words of man, in total submission under our feet. It's the Good News that's going to make the difference. Man is giving you his news, his word the way he sees it, but we have to overcome the word of man to be able to run the race and to win. Paul talked about this in his letters (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Galatians 5:7). So that wad of newspapers filled up that hole. I stood on it, and looking towards first base, I saw chairs for people to sit in, but some of those chairs were obstructing my view of first base. I stopped right there, put my bat down, walked over and started kicking those chairs out of the way so that I could get a good view of first base. We have to get our eyes on where we're going. We have to see the end from the beginning, and we can't let anything get in the way of where we're going. The only way you can get your eyes on where you're going is to pay attention to the Good News. You can look in the Word and see that the true Church and its order are strangely different from the organization that men have been calling the “Church.” That's because people have their eyes on men, and the bad news of men has convinced them that it's right. Get your eyes on the Word, or you'll be deceived. That's what that dream was about. “Dual Streams of Power” continued: In preaching, all the truth spoken by such a believer may be of God, and according to the Scriptures, correct and full of light—the spirit of the man right—whilst evil spirits working in mind or body, make use of the cover of the truth to insert their manifestations, so as to find acceptance with both speaker and hearers. That is to say, there may pour through a believer at one moment, a stream of truth from the Word, giving light and love and blessing to receptive ones among the listeners; and the next moment, a foreign spirit, hidden in mind or body, may send forth a streamlet through the soulish or physical part of the man, producing corresponding effects in soul or body among the listeners… A man doesn't have to lay hands on you to impart his spirit to you. Jesus said, (Joh.6:63) It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life. The words of a man that are spoken through him by an evil spirit are passed on the same way Jesus' words were passed on, but that man's words “are spirit, and are death.” Those words go into you and recreate that spirit's nature in you and make it possible for that spirit to possess you. “Dual Streams of Power” continued: That is to say, there may pour through a believer at one moment, a stream of truth from the Word, giving light and love and blessing to receptive ones among the listeners; and the next moment, a foreign spirit, hidden in mind or body, may send forth a streamlet through the soulish or physical part of the man, producing corresponding effects in soul or body among the listeners, who respond in their soulish or physical part to the Satanic stream, either by emotional or physical manifestations, (Notice that the response is emotional or fleshly. These manifestations are to titillate your emotions or your physical man, rather than your spiritual man. That's the difference between the manifestations of religious spirits and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Also Paul said, we “prophesy in part” which could be part our doctrine and part God.) continued: physical manifestations, or in nervous or muscular actions. In another passage, Penn-Lewis documented that “nerves and muscles are twisted in contortions, and convulsions, such as are described in the Scripture records.” In the Bible these “Scripture records” describe the demon-possessed, but Lewis was witnessing church people with these descriptions. One or the other of the “streams” of power from the Holy Spirit in his spirit, or from the deceiving spirit in mind or body, may predominate at different times, thus making the same man appear dual in character, with short intervals, at different periods of time. “See how he speaks! How he seeks to glorify God! How sane and reasonable he is! What a passion he has for souls!” may be said with truth of a worker, until some moments later some peculiar change is seen in him, and in the meeting. A strange element comes in, possibly only recognizable to some with keen spiritual vision, or else plainly obvious to all. Perhaps the speaker begins to pray quietly, and calmly, with a pure spirit, but suddenly the voice is raised, it sounds “hollow,” or has a metallic tone; the tension of the meeting increases; an overwhelming, overmastering “power” falls upon it; and no one thinks of “resisting” what appears to be such a “manifestation of God!” Under the heading “Mixed Manifestations,” their book states: The majority of those present may have no idea of the mixture which has crept in. Some fall upon the ground unable to bear the strained emotion, or effect upon the mind; and some are thrown down by some supernatural power; others cry out in ecstasy; the speaker leaves the platform, passes by a young man, who becomes conscious of a feeling of intoxication upon him, which does not leave his senses for some time. Others laugh with the exuberance of the intoxicating joy. Some have had real spiritual help and blessing through the Word of God being expounded ere this climax came, and during the pure outflow of the Holy Spirit; consequently they accept these strange workings as from God, because in the first stage of the meeting, their needs have been truly met by Him; and they cannot discern the two separate “manifestations” coming through the same channel! If they doubt the latter part of the meeting, they fear they are untrue to their inner conviction that the earlier part was “of God.” Others are conscious that the “manifestations” are contrary to their spiritual vision and judgment, but on account of the blessing of the earlier part, they stifle their doubts, and say, “We cannot understand the physical manifestations, but we must not expect to understand all that God does.” The most common statement I have heard out of the mouth of those who escaped demon manifestations is, “When I went in there, I told God, ‘If this isn't of You, I don't want it.'” On the other hand, people who want something because everyone else is getting it and who just assume it must be of God, these people get caught. (1Co.4:6) Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not [to go] beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other. When churches have goofy manifestations, I hear the same justification today that Penn-Lewis reported. People tell me, “We don't understand everything He does or why He does it.” Well, that's what Scripture has been given to us for! God warned us ahead of time and gave us a list of the manifestations of the Spirit. He doesn't list the manifestations described earlier in the chapter, and they're not manifested in Jesus' ministry or the disciples' ministry. Is God doing something new? No, religious spirits are doing something new, but it's not really new, is it? (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. “Mixed Manifestations” continued: We only know that the wonderful outpouring of truth and love and light at the beginning of the meeting was from God, and met our need. No one can mistake the sincerity, the pure motive of the speaker. Therefore, although I cannot understand, or say I “like” the physical manifestations, yet, it must be all of God. Briefly put, this is a glimpse into the mixed “manifestations” which have come upon the Church of God, since the Revival in Wales; for, almost without exception, in every land where revival has since broken forth, within a very brief period of time the counterfeit stream has mingled with the true; and almost without exception, true and false have been accepted together, because of the workers being ignorant of the possibility of concurrent streams; or else have been rejected together by those who could not detect the one from the other; or it has been believed that there was no “true” at all, because the majority of believers fail to understand that there can be mixed workings of the (1) Divine and Satanic, (Some of them wouldn't believe any of it was true because of what they saw. They don't believe in the mixture of divine and satanic, but there's divine in the human and satanic in the human.) (2) Divine and human, (3) Satanic and human, (4) soul and spirit, (5) soul and body, (6) body and spirit; the three latter in the way of feelings and consciousness, and the three former in the way of source and power. There must be more than one quantity to make a mixture, at least two. The devil mixes his lies with the truth, for he must use a truth to carry his lies. Otherwise, the believer won't accept it. The believer must therefore discriminate and judge all things. He must be able to see so much to be impure, and so much that he can accept. Satan is a “mixer.” If in anything he finds ninety-nine percent pure, he tries to insert one percent of his poisonous stream, and this grows, if undetected, until the proportions are reversed. Where there is mixture acknowledged to be in meetings where supernatural manifestations take place, if believers are unable to discriminate, they should keep away from these “mixtures” until they are able to discern... Under the subheading “Counterfeit Manifestations of Divine Workings in the Body,” we read: Counterfeit manifestations of the Divine life in various ways now follow quickly; movements in the body, pleasant thrills, touches, a glow as of fire in different parts of the body; or sensations of cold, or shakings, and tremblings; all accepted by the believer as from God, but showing what a full entry the deceiving spirit has obtained to the bodily frame; for there is a distinction between the manifestations of evil spirits “with” and “in” the body and mind of the believer; although when they are really inside, they can also make it appear as if they were outside, both in influence and action. When evil spirits are really outside, and desirous of entry, they work by sudden suggestion, which is not the ordinary working of the mind, but suggestions which come from without; “flashes of memory,” again not the ordinary working of the memory, but coming from without; touches and twitches of the nerves; feelings of draught [“Draught” is the British spelling for “draft.”] and sensations of wind blowing on the circumference, etc. Under the subheading “Effects of Evil Spirit Entry to the Bodily Frame,” we read: When the evil spirits are inside, the whole frame is affected, at times with the pleasant sensations referred to, (The “pleasures of sin” are “for a season” {Hebrews 11:25} but then the devil starts taking advantage of ways to bring sickness and destruction to them and their families.) but at others with pains in the head and body which have no physical cause, or else so working with the “natural” that the supernatural cannot easily be distinguished from it; such as accelerating the heartbeat so as to appear palpitation, and in other ways working with the physical causes, so that part has natural ground, and part is from the accentuating force of evil. Depression then ensues in proportion to the previous exhilaration… Many of us have seen people when the “spirit” came on them. They were swinging up and down in their emotions, elated and depressed, laughing and crying. That is what the devil does to people. He wants them to pay attention to, and become dependent on, their feelings and emotions rather than the Word of God, but we have to be weaned away from emotions and feelings. We have to pay attention to the Word and walk by faith, not by sight and not by feelings. The Lord will do this for us if we will let Him. False manifestations try to lead us back to walking by sight, to being dependent on emotions and feelings. Finishing the report from “Effects of Evil Spirit Entry to the Bodily Frame,” we read: Depression then ensues in proportion to the previous exhilaration; exhaustion and fatigue in reaction from the demand upon the nervous system in the hours of ecstasy; or else a sense of drainage of strength without any visible cause; grief and joy, heat and cold, laughter and tears, all succeed each other in rapid changes, and varied degrees--in brief, the emotional sensibilities seem to have full play. The problem is that emotional sensibilities have full play when the devil is in it. And from a chart titled “The True Workings of God, and Counterfeits of Satan,” we read: (2) The counterfeit of the Presence of God is mainly felt upon the body, and by the physical senses, in conscious “fire,” “thrills,” etc. The counterfeit of the “Presence” in the atmosphere is felt by the senses of the body, as “breath,” “wind,” etc., whilst the mind is passive or inactive. The person affected by this counterfeit “presence” will be moved almost automatically to actions he would not perform of his own will (Recall what I have already shown you about the will: God can move through your will, but the devil will move without it.) and with all his faculties in operation. He may not even remember what he has done when under the “power” of this “presence,” just as a sleepwalker knows nothing of his actions when in that state. The inaction of the mind can often be seen by the vacant look in the eyes. (I've also seen this vacant look in the eyes.) In the Appendix under “The Working of Evil Spirits in Christian Gatherings, Section 3, Supposed Manifestations of the Holy Spirit,” it says: From a book recently published, said to contain the very words of the Lord Jesus, spoken through some of His children, and written down as spoken in the first person, the following brief extract is taken, showing the extent of the mediumistic control by deceiving spirits, which by some are believed to be the work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus is supposed to have said, “The manifestations of the Spirit, in some things, are very strange. Sometimes He will twist the body this way, and that, and the meaning is dark to you. I want you to know some things about this part of the Spirit's work. I want you to see that they are not useless. If you had spoken in your own tongue, when the Spirit came in, it would have graciously blessed you; but perhaps you might have thought it was yourself, as many have. So the Spirit comes in and speaks in an unknown tongue to you, that you might know that it was not yourself speaking… Whomever is being quoted here, it is not the Lord. This is someone possessed by a religious spirit who is comparing tongues, which is a real manifestation of the Spirit, with twistings and jerkings. These manifestations cannot be compared. They are not the same thing. The false Jesus: Your hands He has often lifted up, and again He has raised your fingers in various ways. Your eyes open and shut by the Spirit now, as they did not before. People's eyes were opening and closing, not at their will, but at the will of this spirit. The false Jesus: Your very head has been shaken by the Spirit, and you have not known why He did this. You have thought sometimes, it was just to show He was living there, and that is true, but there is more in it than that, and He will show you as well as He can, in a few words, what some of these things are… Some things in the manifestations are very peculiar to you. You have gone on wondering about them. Don't think it strange that the Spirit works in you in many ways. His work is more than a two-fold work. It is manifold. This is puzzling many minds. They see the Spirit shaking. They hear Him singing. They feel him laughing, and they are sometimes tried with His various twistings and jerkings, as though He would tear them to pieces. Sometimes it seems He is imitating the animals in various sounds and doings. The false revival, or false prophetic movement, is full of these kinds of Eastern religious spirit manifestations, but these movements have had a strange lack of those manifestations that destroy the works of the devil, as seen in the Gospels and Acts. Satan doesn't cast out Satan. (Mat.12:26) And if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? The false Jesus: This has been all a mystery to the saints. His work, I say, is manifold. He seeks, in some, to show them that they are all one with each other, in the whole creation… If He shows you, by making a noise as of some wild animal, and that you are like that, you must not despise His way of working, for the Holy Spirit knows why He does it. He makes these noises in the animals, can't He make them in you?” This is the reasoning of some kind of religious spirit. It is Satan who turns men into beasts. This is a sign of the false revival spirits of Eastern religions. (Ecc.3:17) I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. (18) I said in my heart, [It is] because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are [but as] beasts. (19) For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath (This is ruach, which is the same Hebrew word for “spirit.”); and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity. The beasts of Revelation and Daniel are wicked, lost men, who are moved by their flesh. We must love the Word so much that we won't add to it or take away from it (Deuteronomy 4:2,12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19; etc.) People who don't love the Word are going to add to it. I've made this mistake in my youth because I listened to Pentecostal people. Satan's deception didn't start with us; it started way back before us. When the supernatural from God comes, the supernatural from the devil comes in right behind it to deceive. This is just as we saw happening back with Moses and Jannes and Jambres. When the Lord moves, the devil is going to move to stop it. We thank God that He has given us examples of those supernatural manifestations spoken in His Word. The manifestations of spirits detailed in this chapter help us to pay attention to our senses and to our emotions which cater to the flesh. People are getting a thrill in the flesh, but they're not getting an understanding of what's happening. When the lost of the world look at what's going on, it makes them think little of the Word of God and little of the testimony of the people who are manifesting these things. All this is the devil seeking to destroy our witness and seeking to make the things of God look foolish in the eyes of the world. In the false revival or false prophetic movement, they were making all kinds of beast noises, barking, roaring, howling, and so on, which is what demon spirits do. These people are possessed by Eastern religious spirits, Kundalini sspirits, who usually kill them before their time. A lot of these manifestations, like twistings and jerkings, also happen in Buddhism, yet these uninformed people wrongly think they are peculiar manifestations of the Holy Spirit. If you do follow this kind of thing, you'll lose interest in the Word and will not be able to follow the Spirit of God. To follow the Spirit of God you have to be weaned away from following feelings and emotions. To follow the Spirit of God, you can't go against Scripture which He wrote. Now let me share this testimony:   Delivered from False Revival Spirits and Religion by R.C. When I was twenty-two years old and just married, I was very hungry for God and trying to draw near Him the best I knew how. And the Lord was revealing Himself. I was beginning to have dreams and visions, and experiencing the Lord drawing me, speaking to me, and teaching me. In my hunger for more of God, I began to attend revival meetings for about three or four years with many speakers associated with Toronto, Brownsville, the Kansas City prophetic movement, and even Fresh Fire Ministries. (Many who associated with the false revival or false prophetic movement fell away from the Lord and many marriages failed. Besides the Kundalini eastern spirits, Jezebel spirits were imparted causing women to feel independent of their husbands and even domineering towards them and some become ministers. Amany men and women died early.) My wife and I were happy at first, but after a while I got so minded toward pursuing the Lord, I left her in the dust. (People did warn me many times.) I came across a prophetic power minister from the Toronto movement and got to know him pretty well. In his meetings he had all sorts of manifestations, like the laughter. After people would get prayer, oftentimes, visitations would occur. You would see all sorts of strange signs and wonders. (They lay hands on as many as possible to impart these spirits.) You would smell frankincense and different fragrances. Sometimes in his meetings people would begin to feel fire come on them. (Some of the counselors of this would advise the people to stop calling on Jesus but to just chant, “fire, fire, fire”.)  During one meeting people would begin to see streams of gold in visionary experiences. Our pastor even opened our church to this ministry. (A huge mistake.) We had meetings with a lot of these strange manifestations. The focus was completely on experiencing manifestations, rather than loving Jesus and becoming more like Him, manifesting Him. It was like a meeting was a big show. I was always hoping to experience something new. We went to a retreat with our worship leader and some of our youth. There a prophetic pastor laid hands on me and prophesied to me. I went to the floor and experienced the laughter manifestation. I was not faking it. I felt someone literally laughing through me. (A demon of Kundalini) My wife and I got in an argument about me going to meetings. She wanted me to spend time with her and my son. That night at the meeting a prophet came and prophesied to me, saying, I see you had trouble coming to the meeting tonight. The Lord says, “This is the time I want you to be coming to meetings and getting filled up.” Looking back, that was definitely not a word from God. I told my wife what the prophet had prophesied, and I could tell she got upset. I now know that God would not have put a knife in our relationship like that. At first she was coming near to the Lord, and her heart was softening. But after a time she began to resent the LORD and me due to my lack of attention to her. At times I would get a vision where the “Lord” was telling me to fast, so I would end up fasting. My wife would get really angry. And it was my fault. I began to fast maybe two or three days a week. I went from 140 to 123 pounds, and stayed that weight for about two years. Our marriage was going downhill. When I began to fast more, the prophetic began to increase in my life. I began to listen to teachings from Fresh Fire Ministries about “soaking,” meditative or contemplative prayer. This is described as a practice of meditating on Jesus, while being still for long periods of time. I began to listen to an offshoot ministry from Fresh Fire Ministries, called Abiding Glory Ministries. I listened to the prophetic school they offered, then I began to increase in visions. (This movement became known as the false prophetic movement for good reason.) The enemy was sending new friends from the Bahai faith into my wife's life. She began to come to me with a lot of questions. I remembered hearing the testimony of Sadhu Sundar Singh, an Indian Apostle in the early 1900s. (A man of God.) Satan had come to him and tried to get him to leave the Lord and become a prophet of a new religion that would join religions together. He had refused the devil's offer. But my wife was being deceived into the Bahai faith. I agreed to speak with these people. One of them talked about Isaiah 61 being about Mohammed coming from Bosrah. He said the prophecy there was referring to Mohammed. Then he went on to talk about Revelation 19 when the Lord had a name written on Him that no man knew but Himself. Then he proceeded to say that this was Mohammed. Christianity to him is what going back to the Jewish Law would be to us. (Both the faction movement and this false prophetic movement cause many to fall away in foolish deceptions.) They began to talk with me about the two witnesses. Their point was: How could I believe that these two prophets were going to really breathe fire out of their mouth? They ended with Revelation 19—riding on a white horse, the man with a double-edged sword coming from his mouth. According to these people, I was wrong. Both texts were spiritual, not literal, incidents. They truly had more understanding of Revelation than I did. As I was really humbled, I tried to avoid them for a while. My wife kept asking, “Why can't any Christians disprove these things? Why can't they truly explain Isaiah 61 and Revelation 19 to other Christians to stop them from converting to the Bahai faith?” Many times the Bahai leaders would go to PhD professors of theology and ask them to disprove their interpretation. One of the guys in the room I met was a former Christian. I went home and fasted and prayed for a day. I wondered, Why was the Holy Spirit not with me like He was with Stephen in the book of Acts, helping him to be able to refute them with the spirit of Wisdom. I asked the Lord for the truth. I told Him that if Bahai were truth, I would convert. But I didn't believe it was true. A couple of months later, on the Prophecy Club website, the Lord led me to UBM. Then I began to hear the book of Revelation explained and I knew the Lord was showing me truth. The Lord has been really gracious to bring me out of this deception. It truly has been just His mercy. Here's one example: When my old mp3 player broke (on which I listened to all the false prophetic ministries' messages), my wife got me a new player. But it got stolen. At the time I couldn't understand why … now I know the LORD was keeping me from listening to those messages. Another example is: I would have dreams in which I was under the influence of marijuana. I dismissed these dreams as demonic. I now realize that the LORD was telling me I was “under the influence…” My mother (who prayed for me constantly) and my pastor began to recognize the deception I was in. But I wouldn't listen. If anyone were to start talking about the revival manifestations being false, I would just “label” them as having an unreceptive religious spirit. They were missing this “new thing” GOD was doing. I heard a UBM broadcast where a man was talking about coming out of the prophetic movement. Then UBM talked about deception pertaining to what was going on in Lakeland, FL. At first I was thinking, “Religious spirit?” and then, “What if I'm wrong?” Slowly the LORD began to open my eyes and show me I was in serious deception. Then my wife wanted to separate. She pretty much left the LORD. At this time my wife put our house on the market. I began to fast and cry for my marriage and pray that our house would not sell. But it sold, resulting in me not knowing where to go. The Lord kept telling me to go home. But the false prophetic spirits were leading me to stay and get my family together. Eventually I had no options, so I moved back to Texas with my son. I didn't understand why God had neither stopped the house from selling, nor put our marriage back together. When I got to Texas, I didn't take seriously my mother telling me that I was being deceived under a false prophetic spirit. But one night I was praying for a friend, receiving “words of knowledge” that he was out drinking that night. The next day I asked him about this “revelation.” He replied that he'd been home sleeping. Then I knew I was under falsehood of the devil. I got news that my wife was coming down to bring my daughter for a visit. It seemed, again, like the “Lord” was saying, “Fast.” I began to see how this thing was operating on me…. The Lord gave me a dream that, while watching Christian TV, I was high on marijuana. Two individuals, a lady and my cousin M., were with me. When he went to the kitchen, I got up and could feel unclean spirits all over and inside of me. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Then I woke up…. Through this dream the Lord was telling me that two spirits were controlling me, using the things of God to distract and keep me under their influence. In the dream I got up and went to the bathroom. This represented a place to clean up and get rid of waste. In another dream I was committing adultery with a lady with short hair (Jezebel). It ended the same as the first one: I got up to go to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and woke up. I was trying to get delivered, but my faith was not what it once was. A spirit of unbelief had gotten into my life somewhere. No matter how much I remembered what the LORD did for me, there was an invisible wall of unbelief. I just couldn't break through. During this process, the Lord began to tell me to stop pursuing the prophetic gifts and stop asking for a visitation from the Lord. But the Word says, (Psa.37:4) Delight thyself also in the Lord; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart. So I thought, “No way that I am going to stop.” But when I would start praying, I kept feeling uncleanness in my heart. After the Lord had told me to stop, one night I was praying for the prophetic. The next morning my son said he had this dream: He saw Jesus, but in his heart he knew it wasn't really Jesus. Satan, dressed like Jesus, had asked him what he wanted for a gift. My son replied, “A pony.” Then he opened the gift. Instead there was a demon in the box! NOW I understand that GOD didn't save my marriage (like I thought He would) for a reason—to bring me here to get delivered and restored to Him. God wanted me to stop my pursuit of the prophetic because this was doing nothing but feeding the spirit of falsehood controlling me. The Lord began to reveal to me that I'm not a prophet. I had wanted to be one, but that was not my calling. I'm not saying “don't earnestly desire the gifts,” but rather, make sure your heart is right. I don't know when or how it's going to look, but our marriage is restored by God's grace. (Praise to the Lord!)  I have gone through severe chastening from the Lord, but I thank Him. What I was seeing in the movement was not right, but I ignored that voice. Even when I was in the false revival meetings, I always internally felt the wrongness of it. I'm just constantly crying out to our merciful Lord now for grace. He has shown me that the most awesome possession on the face of this earth is Himself. He is the prize—to fully gain Him and have Him gain us. It was His grace to even open my eyes to see the truth. Else I would have had Him say to me on that day, (Mat.7:21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The church in Thessalonica was barely out of diapers when Paul wrote to them — and they were already getting mobbed for ‘turning the world upside down.' Funny how the Gospel always does that. Disrupts. Offends. Wrecks people's comfort zones. They were newbies but they seemed to be rockin' it. Meanwhile, we lose our religion if Chick-fil-A runs out of Avocado Ranch. Paul told the Thessalonians: ‘This is the will of God, your sanctification.' Translation: God cares about how you live. Holiness matters. Purity matters. Love matters. And let's be honest — we don't exactly nail that every day. But here's the good news: ‘He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.' That's the mic drop. Jesus finishes what we can't. So if you've ever wondered how to hold on to your faith when the world feels upside down — this one's for you. Watch or listen now. Join us: https://www.NewChurch.Love Please Help support more content like this by texting the word “Give” to 832-400-5299.

Welcome back to the podcast! In today's episode, we unpack why God allows suffering and how it can actually open the door to His justice, His rest, and His glory in our lives.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --The Theology of Suffering (2 Thessalonians 1:1-12)IntroductionWhy does God allow suffering? This is one of the most difficult and important questions Christians face. Our culture is obsessed with avoiding pain—seeking comfort, health, and wealth at all costs. But the Bible presents a radically different picture: suffering is not an accident or a sign of failure in the Christian life. Instead, it is often the very means by which God works in and through His people.The Thessalonian church knew this firsthand. They faced persecution and hostility because of their faith in Jesus. Paul wrote this letter to encourage them, reminding them that God had a bigger plan for their hardship.The Context of SufferingPaul, Silas, and Timothy had planted the church in Thessalonica during their missionary journey (Acts 17). But almost immediately, opposition arose. A mob accused the believers of treason for declaring Jesus as King, and persecution broke out. Far from being surprised by this, Paul reminded them that Jesus Himself warned His followers: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first” (John 15:18).Suffering for the faith was not a detour—it was part of the journey. And it still is today. Christians around the world face hostility, pressure, and even violence because of their allegiance to Jesus. But as Paul explained, these hardships open doors for God to accomplish His purposes.Three Doors Opened by Suffering1. Suffering opens the door for God's justice.Paul assures the believers that God sees their persecution and will make things right. True justice is not defined by cultural trends but by God's eternal truth. Even when it feels like evil is winning, God promises to hold oppressors accountable. Ultimately, when Christ returns, He will bring judgment on those who reject Him and relief for those who trust Him (2 Thessalonians 1:5-9).This truth should encourage us when we feel the sting of injustice. God's justice may not come on our timeline, but it will come.2. Suffering opens the door for God's rest.In verse 7, Paul promises that God will provide rest for those who are suffering. While that rest may not always come in this life, it is guaranteed when Jesus appears again. Just as hunger makes food taste better and exhaustion makes sleep sweeter, our present trials make the promise of eternal rest more precious.This hope sustains us when we feel overwhelmed. The suffering of today cannot compare with the glory to come.3. Suffering opens the door for God's praise.Finally, Paul explains that hardship results in greater worship. When Christ returns, He will be glorified among His people (2...

We're so glad you're here. Our prayer is that this series through the book of 1 Thessalonians stirs up passion and authenticity in your walk with Christ.In this early letter from Paul, his words of affirmation to the church in Thessalonica reveal the genuine purpose and heart of God's people. What he wrote to encourage them still speaks powerfully to us today—reminding us what it means to live out a real faith within a real faith family.Thanks again for joining us as we spend time together in God's Word.

The key to finishing your faith-marathon in victory is endurance. The secret ingredient to your endurance is to keep your eyes on the finish line. Every day could potentially be the day we run our final leg of this race for Christ. Living in a commitment to honor Him in every way reveals that we are truly His own. In Paul's closing words to the church at Thessalonica, we find an apostolic exhortation that equips us to win the race set before us. Casual runners will fail. Distracted runners will stumble. Lazy runners will quit. For those who live as determined runners, however, these traits charged to us by Paul will empower us to cross the finish line in utter victory for the glory of Christ. 

Intuition vs. Discernment (New Age to Jesus) Ep 37Are you trying to blend Christianity and intuitive practices? In this episode, former new age teachers  @Expsychicsaved   @Doreen_Virtue  and  @JacMarinoChen  explain the critical difference between intuition and biblical discernment. Learn why relying on your heart can be dangerous and how to embrace the Holy Spirit's guidance.Discover the truth about women's intuition, psychic abilities, and third eye downloads. The Bible teaches that our hearts are deceitful; true wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit and God's Word, not personal feelings or impressions.This video is a must-watch for anyone seeking to grow in their faith. Learn to test the spirits and stand on the objective truth of Scripture for true spiritual discernment.#newagetoJesus #intuition #discernment---Follow the hosts!Jenn: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Expsychicsaved?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠Jac: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@JacMarinoChen?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠Doreen: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Doreen_Virtue?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠--CHURCH FINDER: https://michellelesley.com/searching-for-a-new-church/-- Videos Referenced:Signs and Omens - New Age to New Heart: https://youtu.be/nMCjxIe8uS0?feature=sharedLong Island Medium Christian warnings: https://youtu.be/WlvX2ju5fx4?feature=sharedPsychic Claims and Christian Confusion: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychic-claims-and-christian-confusion-the-truth/id1663474669?i=1000717950547Twin Flames and Soul Mates: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe5hnxsSAxTjnSNIQUvQnvBNTRAat6ahY&feature=shared--Bible Verses ReferencedJeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" 1 John 4:1: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."Hebrews 5:14: "But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."Acts 17:11: "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." John 14:15-17: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." 2 Corinthians 10:5: "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ." Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Hebrews 9:14: "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."---We are thankful to be part of the B.A.R. Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can also watch New Age to New Heart on AGTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://

THIS EPISODE In this episode, Rob and Vinnie discuss the Roman background for Paul's exhortations that "If a man will not work, he shall not eat" (2 Thess 3:10). Rob explains that Paul is addressing some in the Church of Thessalonica who were attaching themselves to Patron--wealth elites in the city--in order that they didn't have to do manual labor. These Patrons provided for the Clients' well-being, but it came with strings. For Paul, the strings, which included supporting the Patron's social and political actions, as well as their religious convictions, undermined their confession of Jesus as Lord.    FOLLOW THE PODCAST Subscribe to be notified of our new episodes (each Monday).  Want to help us expand the Gospel of the Kingdom? Leave a review, “like” the podcast, or share it with others.   CONNECT WITH DETERMINETRUTH MINISTRIES The Determinetruth Podcast is a ministry of Determinetruth Ministries. We offer free resources to equip pastors, leaders, and the body of Christ in the US and worldwide for service in the kingdom of God. You can visit us online at www.determinetruth.com Check out our YouTube Library, where we have even more content!   SUPPORT DETERMINETRUTH MINISTRIES Determinetruth is a non-profit 501(c)(3), and relies completely on the financial support of our partners around the world.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation and help partner with us, please VISIT US HERE  

A LOST ROMAN CITIES special episode on Roman Thessalonica. Founded by Cassander, named after the younger sister of Alexander the Great, this city would go on to become the second city of the Roman Empire, and just perhaps, after the city of Rome herself, the longest held of Rome's possessions. What we can say for certain, is that without Roman Thessalonica (Greek Thessaloniki), Rome's history would look very different indeed.

Paul continues to pour praise on Thessalonica.#bible #study #chronlogical #jesus #acts #apostles #paul email: attbpodcast@theadventure.orgLike us on Facebook: fb.me/adventurethroughthebiblePhoto by Stenbakken MediaEpic Dramatic Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Welcome back to the podcast! In today's episode, we explore Paul's blueprint in 1 Thessalonians 5 for how a church can move from good to great by honoring leaders, living out core values, and relying on God's grace.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --Good to Great: How the Church Moves Forward(1 Thessalonians 5:12-28)When business leaders talk about going from “good to great,” they're usually talking about workplace culture. But the Apostle Paul wrote about the same concept nearly 2,000 years ago—not for a corporation, but for a small, young church in Thessalonica. His closing words in this letter give us a clear, practical picture of what a healthy church culture looks like and how it can grow stronger over time.Paul's wisdom here applies to any church in any generation. The principles he gives—about leadership, community life, personal habits, and spiritual discernment—are just as relevant today as they were in the first century. Let's walk through them.1. Honoring Spiritual Leaders (vv. 12-13)Paul begins with a call to recognize and honor those who lead in the Lord's work. At this point, he doesn't use titles like “pastor” or “elder.” Instead, he describes leaders as those who:Work hard among the people.Provide spiritual guidance.Lead with care and concern.In the Roman world, leaders often came from wealth or high social standing—people like Jason in Acts 17, who may have hosted and supported the early church in his home. But Paul tells believers to honor leaders not for their status, but for their work and faithfulness.Honoring leaders means showing respect, supporting them in prayer, and helping them fulfill their calling. When leaders are supported and appreciated, the church thrives.2. Living Out External Core Values (vv. 14-15)Paul then moves from leadership to the congregation as a whole. He gives five key values every church member should embrace:Diligence – “Warn those who are lazy.” This promotes a culture of responsibility and avoids unhealthy dependence.Boldness – “Encourage those who are timid.” Every believer can contribute; no one is too shy or unqualified to serve.Compassion – “Take tender care of those who are weak.” We must balance strength with empathy.Patience – “Be patient with everyone.” People grow at different speeds; grace allows room for mistakes.Love – “Do good to each other and to all people.” The church's kindness should extend beyond its walls.These aren't optional qualities. They are the visible signs of a healthy church culture that looks different from the world.3. Practicing Internal Core Values (vv. 16-18)Healthy churches are made up of healthy believers. That's why Paul gives three personal...

THIS EPISODE In this episode, Rob and Vinnie get off to a rough start (two ADD guys), but rebound to discuss Paul's encouragement to the Thessalonians in light of their suffering. Then they address suffering and persecution in the life of the believer. As well as global persecution and the lack of it in much of Western Christianity. Why don't we suffer? Or, do we?  FOLLOW THE PODCAST Subscribe to be notified of our new episodes (each Monday).  Want to help us expand the Gospel of the Kingdom? Leave a review, “like” the podcast, or share it with others. CONNECT WITH DETERMINETRUTH MINISTRIES The Determinetruth Podcast is a ministry of Determinetruth Ministries. We offer free resources to equip pastors, leaders, and the body of Christ in the US and worldwide for service in the kingdom of God. You can visit us online at www.determinetruth.com Check out our YouTube Library, where we have even more content! SUPPORT DETERMINETRUTH MINISTRIES Determinetruth is a non-profit 501(c)(3), and relies completely on the financial support of our partners around the world.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation and help partner with us, please VISIT US HERE  

Acts 17:1-9  View this week’s sermon outline

In our exploration of Acts 17, we discover powerful lessons on resilience and faith. The story of Paul's journey through Thessalonica teaches us about staying true to our spiritual foundations when faced with adversity. We're reminded that our work can be a form of worship, and how we conduct ourselves in our daily lives speaks volumes about our faith. The message emphasizes the importance of not just sharing the gospel, but also sharing our lives with others. It challenges us to keep our hearts open, even when we face opposition or hurt. This passage encourages us to view difficulties as opportunities for growth, rather than setbacks. As we reflect on Paul's experiences, we're prompted to consider how we can maintain our spiritual focus and continue to spread God's love, even in challenging circumstances.

In our exploration of Acts 17, we discover powerful lessons on resilience and faith. The story of Paul's journey through Thessalonica teaches us about staying true to our spiritual foundations when faced with adversity. We're reminded that our work can be a form of worship, and how we conduct ourselves in our daily lives speaks volumes about our faith. The message emphasizes the importance of not just sharing the gospel, but also sharing our lives with others. It challenges us to keep our hearts open, even when we face opposition or hurt. This passage encourages us to view difficulties as opportunities for growth, rather than setbacks. As we reflect on Paul's experiences, we're prompted to consider how we can maintain our spiritual focus and continue to spread God's love, even in challenging circumstances.

Paul encourages the church at Thessalonica and praises them for their good example.#bible #study #chronlogical #jesus #acts #apostles #paul email: attbpodcast@theadventure.orgLike us on Facebook: fb.me/adventurethroughthebiblePhoto by Stenbakken MediaEpic Dramatic Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Paul ends his letter like he started it, by telling the church, “May the God of grace give you peace...at all times...in every situation. The church at Thessalonica has gone through severe persecution since it started and they have lost loved ones because of it. They have to wonder what is coming next...Will they make it through the next day? Will they make it through the night? Are they going to get beaten before they get home from work or while they are out shopping? We may not be undergoing persecution like the church at Thessalonica, but we all face something in life that is difficult. As we do, our prayer is the same as Paul's...may the God of grace give you peace at all times, in every situation.

Have you ever felt like you've just plain run out of juice? The book you've been reading seems pointless halfway through. That new sofa or lawnmower or set of wheels was pretty exciting last month, but now you're not sure what the big deal was. Even your relationships feel lackluster.Human beings aren't like cell phones or toy robots. We can't rev up with a fresh set of batteries...we need other, more meaningful fuel to refill our tanks, and the energy we seek can't be found at any store.1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray continually.”One of the shortest verses in God's Word, the Bible, this pithy reminder was written by the Apostle Paul to believers in Thessalonica, an ancient city in what is now Northern Greece. These new converts to Christianity faced persecution, but Paul's colleague Timothy reported that they were persevering in the face of challenges.Paul's letter, recorded as the biblical book of First Thessalonians, is written to inspire renewed energy in these early followers of Jesus. They were looked down upon, their motives and actions were questioned, they sometimes struggled with doubt about the outcome of their faith — and Paul wisely encouraged them to keep on praying, just as the Lord wants us to do today.Let's pray.Heavenly Father, sometimes we feel exhausted by our struggles, and sometimes we feel alone. Remind us that the greatest power in the universe — You, our Creator God, are just a prayer away. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

THIS EPISODE In this episode, Rob and Vinnie give an introduction to Paul's letters to the church in Thessalonica. These letters were written around 50 CE and address the relationship between the Christians and the wealthy elite in Thessalonica, the persecution of the Church in Thessalonica, and the end times.    FOLLOW THE PODCAST Subscribe to be notified of our new episodes (each Monday).  Want to help us expand the Gospel of the Kingdom? Leave a review, “like” the podcast, or share it with others.   CONNECT WITH DETERMINETRUTH MINISTRIES The Determinetruth Podcast is a ministry of Determinetruth Ministries. We offer free resources to equip pastors, leaders, and the body of Christ in the US and worldwide for service in the kingdom of God. You can visit us online at www.determinetruth.com Check out our YouTube Library, where we have even more content!   SUPPORT DETERMINETRUTH MINISTRIES Determinetruth is a non-profit 501(c)(3), and relies completely on the financial support of our partners around the world.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation and help partner with us, please VISIT US HERE  

Paul is going to give some final thoughts to the church at Thessalonica as he wraps up this short letter in chapter 3. He tells them to avoid any brother or sister in Jesus who doesn't live according to his rules and the example that he set before them. What rules? What example did he set? He tells them he could have eaten their food for free but they all worked hard day and night and paid for everything they received. Paul says if there is a brother or sister that wants to be a freeloader and not work, make plans to avoid them at all costs!

Thessalonica was a major city in Macedonia. It had a huge harbor and was situated on a major trade route. It had been established by a Macedonian king named Cassander in 315 B.C., who named it after his wife Thessalonike. Paul was supported financially in his mission here by the saints in Philippi, the city he had just come from (Phil. 4:16).

Welcome back to the podcast! What really happens at the end of the world? In this episode, we explore Paul's powerful vision of hope and reunion found in the Bible's most foundational passage on the rapture.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --What Happens at the End of the World?From movies to memes, people are obsessed with the end of the world. But while Hollywood gives us dramatic survival stories, the Bible gives us something far more powerful: a message of hope. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, the Apostle Paul writes to encourage Christians who were grieving the loss of fellow believers—and to clarify what happens when Jesus comes back.The Rapture: What It Is and What It Isn'tThe word "rapture" doesn't appear in most English Bibles, but it's rooted in the original Greek and Latin translations of the New Testament.Greek word: harpazō — to seize, snatch, or carry off suddenly.Latin translation: rapio — from which we get the English word rapture.Biblical reference: “We who are still alive… will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).This isn't about random vanishing or fear-based mythology. Paul reframes ancient stories of divine abduction into a clear Christian truth: Jesus will personally gather all believers—living and dead—into eternal relationship with Him.What Was the Church Concerned About?The early Christians in Thessalonica were grieving. Some believers had died, and the church feared they would miss out on Jesus' return.Paul offers reassurance:Death is described as "sleep." For Christians, death is temporary and peaceful (John 11:11-14, Acts 7:60).Grief is not forbidden—but it's filled with hope. We mourn differently because our hope is based on Jesus' resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).No one gets left behind. The dead in Christ will rise first, and the living will join them (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).What Will It Be Like When Jesus Returns?Paul gives a vivid picture of Jesus' return:A loud command — likely from God Himself (1 Thessalonians 4:16)The voice of the archangel — echoing Jesus' words in Matthew 24:31The trumpet of God — a signal of action, judgment, and victory (Isaiah 27:13, 1 Corinthians 15:52)The dead in Christ rise first — proving that no believer is forgottenThe living are “caught up together” with them — not isolated, but unitedWe meet the Lord in the air — signifying a royal welcomeWe will always be with the Lord — eternal, unbroken relationship with JesusWhy This Matters TodayPaul's...

“‘Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,’ they shouted, ‘and now they are here disturbing our city, too.’” (Acts 17:6 NLT) The Christian life is more than just saying a prayer, walking down an aisle, and receiving “fire insurance,” as it were. The Christian life is meant to be dynamic. It’s meant to be exciting. It’s meant to have a radical effect on the way you live, because Jesus Christ not only wants to be your Savior, but He also wants to be your Lord. He not only wants to be your friend, but He also wants to be your God. In Acts 17, we see just how dynamic Christianity can be. When Paul and Silas arrived in Thessalonica, their reputations preceded them. The Jewish religious leaders had heard of the impact the two missionaries had had on other cities, and they determined (too late) not to let them have the same impact in Thessalonica. Their call to arms is the perfect description of dynamic Christianity. “‘Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,’ they shouted, ‘and now they are here disturbing our city, too’” (verse 6 NLT). Christianity isn’t a quiet belief system that we keep compartmentalized and bring out only on Sundays and holidays. Christianity shakes people to the core. It upends social norms. It doesn’t settle for the status quo. Christianity is a very real threat to darkness and evil. It changes the world one life at a time. That’s the Christian experience that God desires for us. But I’m afraid that many people today are settling for a substandard Christian experience. They’re failing to receive all that God has for them. They’re failing to make the impact that He intends for them. They’re failing to carry out the Great Commission that fueled the spiritual intensity of the earliest Christians. How did a handful of ordinary people living in the first century turn their world, as they knew it, upside down? They did it without television, without social media, without megachurches, and without all the resources that we think are so important today in reaching the goal of world evangelism. How is it that they were able to do it? I think you could sum it up in one word: discipleship. They were disciples of Jesus Christ—not fair-weather followers, but true disciples. They weren’t living an anemic, watered-down, ineffective version of the Christian life. They were living the Christian life as it was meant to be lived—as Christ Himself offered it. If we want to impact our culture today, then we, too, must be disciples. On the road to discipleship, there are many inviting detours that lead to dead ends. There are many rugged, difficult paths. There are many lonely stretches. It’s tempting to take an easier route, one that isn’t so narrow and challenging. It’s easy to lose our way and become wanderers. If that’s happened to you, now is the time to return. The world is waiting to be changed. And you’re just the person God can use to change it. Reflection question: How can you make an impact as a disciple of Christ? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 4:9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. 4:12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. 4:13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: 4:15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. 4:16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 4:17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 4:19 Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 4:20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. 4:21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. 4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.