Podcasts about thus paul

BE PRAYERFUL (VV. 2–4) PRAYER AND THE BELIEVER (VV. 2) NEW MANS MOUTH IS SHOWN BY PRAYER PROCLAMATION, PERFORMANCE –RIGHT LIVING, PERFECTION –SEASONED WITH SALT Does God really answer prayer? If so, God's Children need to ‘continue [persevere] earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving'. Prayer prevails with God because we are his adopted Children (Gal. 4:6). These words echo the words of our Saviour who taught that ‘men always ought to pray and not lose heart' (Luke 18:1). Time must be set aside for prayer. Jesus told the parables of the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5–8) and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1–8) to encourage us to intercede until the answers come. PRAYER IS A BATTLE: ‘continue earnestly in prayer'. Mental, emotional and physical effort is involved in prayer, and one can feel exhausted by it all. This is because it has to do with the whole person. Thus when we pray the mind is engaged (1 Cor. 14:15), the will is involved (Acts 12:5) and the heart is burdened (James 5:16). This is illustrated both by our Saviour in Gethsemane, where he was ‘exceedingly sorrowful, even to death' (Matt. 26:38– 44), and by Jacob, when he wrestled in prayer at Peniel and would not let Jehovah go until he was blessed by him (Gen. 32:24–31). PRAYER IS A MINISTRY: ‘being vigilant in it'. Prayer is vital if the ‘spoilers' are not to corrupt the minds and hearts of the believing members. Satan wants to irritate and distract with disputes, problems, etc., but it is a saint's duty to bring all these issues to God in prayer. When this is done, Satan will fail and the ‘spoilers' will not succeed (James 4:8). Prayer cannot be made if you are asleep, as it is wakeful fellowship and communion with the Father through the Son by the help of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 26:40–41a). PRAYER BRINGS VICTORY: ‘with thanksgiving'. Prayer brings victory when it is full of thanksgiving. Paul adds the element of thanksgiving deliberately, because praise of this sort ‘imparts spiritual freshness to prayer' (Carson). Let every Christian be grateful for grace, happy about holiness and delighted with so great a salvation (1 Thess. 5:18). The Fatherhood of God is evident here, and the spiritual relationship which believers have with Christ is emphasized. The best types of prayers are those ‘according to his will' (1 John 5:14–15). Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to say ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' (Matt. 6:10). Faith tells us that God's good pleasure is best for us because his wisdom is to be preferred to ours. We need therefore to submit to his will with meekness, while putting away self-will and pride. Paul says we need Strong prayer, consistent, watchful, and thankful Prayer and intercession (vv. 3–4) Paul, as a missionary pastor and preacher, felt the need for prayers of intercession on behalf of himself and the team he worked with. What does he request? THAT HE WILL PREACH CHRIST FREELY (V. 3A): Prayers are requested so that all obstacles hindering the work are removed and a door opened which will give Paul opportunity for the preaching and teaching of the gospel (Rev. 3:8). This, however, does not guarantee that Paul will not have opposition or trouble as he does the will of Christ (1 Cor. 16:9). Pastors and all engaged in evangelism and church planting need prayer support. This is an act of fellowship in the gospel, and Paul requested this fellowship on several occasions (2 Cor. 1:11; 1 Thes. 5:25; 2 Thes. 3:1–2). THAT HE WILL PREACH CHRIST TRULY (V. 3B): Who and what Jesus Christ is must be faithfully and consistently made known when Paul and his team preach the gospel, for it reveals the incarnate Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of the world (Eph 6:19–20). Jesus Christ is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit and this is the ‘mystery' Paul preaches (1:26–27; 2:2; Eph. 3:3–4, 9). There is no other Saviour (John 14:6). THAT HE WILL PREACH CHRIST CLEARLY (V. 4): He requests that he and his team will be able to speak clearly and boldly to sinners about the glories and love of Christ. He wishes to make the gospel ‘manifest', ‘to make clear by uncovering'. He wants to speak plainly and not incomprehensibly, in order that others can share in the joy of eternal life (Rom. 15:13; 1 John 1:4). He wants to be able to discern when to speak and how much to say, and how to share the message so that it is not misunderstood. Be wise (vv. 5–6) ‘Walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time' (v. 5). Paul uses this term ‘outside' in other epistles to distinguish between the members and non-members of the local churches (1 Cor. 5:12–13; 1 Thess. 4:12). Our actions towards non-Christians must be controlled, with God's grace shining through our words and works. Respect must be shown for all those who are made in the image of God. This exhortation is to ‘walk' and ‘talk' wisely, and emphasizes the correct use of available time. We get wisdom by worship, prayer, studying and instruction from Godly teachers Time management (v. 5b) Christians are to make the most of all the opportunities that God gives to them. Thus Paul calls upon them to ‘redeem the time'. Although this is, as Thayer says, ‘an obscure phrase', it implies that believers should ‘make time your own property' (NIV) by being diligent in the use of it. Christ is drawing the world and its powers to his judgement seat at his Second Coming (Rom. 8:19), when there will be no more time to evangelize or preach; the days of mercy will then be over and the longed-for ‘not yet' will become a reality. Paul uses the same phrase, ‘redeeming the time', in Ephesians, but adds, ‘because the days are evil' (Eph. 5:15–16). Thus everything is to be done for the glory of God and in the light of eternity, remembering that we live in a fallen universe. Don't put off until tomorrow what should be done today, because procrastination is the thief of time. ‘Redeeming the time' is about making the best use of time, making time your own property, but this will prove impossible unless one is ‘filled with the Spirit' (Eph. 5:18). There is need for the household of God to: REDEEM THE TIME LOST. We cannot turn the clock back—yesterday is lost forever— but today and tomorrow are ours! God said to the prophet Joel, ‘I will restore … the years that the swarming locust has eaten' (Joel 2:25). Time has been lost by procrastination, pleasure, laziness, disobedience, etc.; so let us put these aside and make the most of what time is left. REDEEM THE TIME LEFT. Jesus said, ‘The night is coming when no one can work' (John 9:4). Thus we are reminded that our days are numbered and our time is short. How long do we have left here on earth? How long will the door be opened still? Do we understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5:17)? REDEEM THE TIME LOANED. We can miss opportunities; we can fail to act when opportunity comes; we can be too late and the door can shut. Yet we depend on heaven for the time that we are allowed. Time is loaned to us and, as stewards of Christ, we must use it wisely and grasp it fully with zeal, while we have strength and opportunity. Word management (v. 6) When speaking, care must be taken to be gracious and wise: ‘Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt.' To speak well of Christ, local churches and pastors is the height of wisdom. People are more inclined to ‘read' believers' actions rather than the Bible. Wise words from believers will prevent outsiders slandering the local church, and will help to advance the kingdom of Christ. Christians are to let God's grace teach them how to handle others well. Paul's use of the word ‘always' alerts us to the need to show grace even when provoked (1:11; Eph. 4:29). Because of this, the believer's conversations and retorts need to be ‘seasoned with salt'. Paul is reminding them that the tongue is the most difficult member of the body to control (James 3:1–10). His illustration is apt, as Christian conversation should be both appetizing (tasty) and beneficial (nutritious), thus leaving the outsiders wanting more (1 Tim. 3:7). Put your own name in this verse: ‘Let …'s speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt.' Let this be so when you are with your friends and the tendency is to be unguarded and crude, or when confronted by your enemies and the tendency is to be rude and harsh. Rather let there be a gracious habit of speech, not abusive, not vindictive, but truthful and loving (Eph. 4:15a; 1 Peter 2:23; Prov. 10:32; Eccles. 10:12). Paul is encouraging us to speak the right word to the right person at the right time.          Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

INTRODUCTION Paul next applied the implication of this exhortation to various groups of Christians. "What is beyond question is that the three paragraphs which follow are given as examples of Christian submission, and that the emphasis throughout is on submission." He addressed six groups: wives and husbands (3:18-19), children and FATHERS (20-21) and slaves and masters (3:22-4:1). In each of the three pairings, the first partner is responsible to be submissive or obedient However the second partner is also to show a submissive spirit. All are to relate to one another as unto the Lord. This is one of several "house-rule" lists in the New Testament (cf. Eph. 5:22—6:9; 1 timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:1-10; 1 Pet. 2:18—3:7). The writings of some Apostolic Fathers also contain such lists. "Too much so-called 'holiness teaching' emphasizes a personal relationship to Jesus Christ without any attempt to indicate its consequences in terms of relationships with the people we live and work with. In contrast to such holiness-in-a-vacuum, which magnifies experiences and minimizes ethics, the apostles spelled out Christian duty in the concrete situations of everyday life and work." When God controls us, we experience harmony in the home and in the workplace, in spite of possible friction, tension, and opposition there. Up to this point Paul has been describing how we ought to live In what might appear at first to be an abrupt change of direction, Paul begins to describe how various family members are to conduct themselves The responsibilities of wives The responsibilities of husbands The responsibilities of children The responsibilities of fathers The responsibilities of servants or employees The responsibilities of masters or employers 3. But the subject matter is really not so abrupt as it may appear, for Paul mentioned earlier... How the church is to treat each other How we are to put on certain attributes which show we love Christ...and it is through family relationships that we can often do this more successfully than in any other way! 4. How can this be? It is through our families that we interact so much with the society in which we live... Thus it is through our families we have great potential to demonstrate the wisdom of God... The same principles that underlie the gospel message (submission, love, sacrifice, obedience, honesty, fairness) are to be displayed in our family relationships By example, then, we can demonstrate in our families what is truly good and right (i.e., God's will), and prepare others to be receptive to the gospel message!   Thus Paul is not abruptly changing direction, but continues to talk about those sort of things which are crucial to having a "walk worthy of the calling with which you were called". The root problem is pride and wanting first place in everything Satan: Is 12 Submission involves voluntarily putting oneself under another's authority              The idea implicit in the term is “to place under” (in the active voice).  As it is found in our text, the idea would be, “to subordinate oneself” or “to place oneself under.” In general terms, submission is the placing of oneself under the one to whom we submit. Since we are commanded to submit ourselves one to another, we are to place all others above ourselves. This idea is certainly not foreign to the New Testament, nor is it found only where the term “submit” is employed:             It is the love of our Lord which prompted Him to subordinate His own rights and privileges, and to humiliate Himself by taking on human flesh, and then by death on Calvary. In His first coming, Jesus not only submitted Himself to the will of the Father (see Matthew 26:39), He also submitted His interests to the interests of lost sinners, whom He would save by His death, burial, and resurrection:             Phil. 2:3-8 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.            I doubt that any one word can sum up the heart of what the Scriptures mean by submission. Let me suggest several words, each of which identifies a certain element of submission. The first word is “surrender.” Submission is a voluntary act or surrendering one's rights or will. The second word is” sacrifice.”  The third is “service.” The service which is rendered those to whom we submit often involves a sacrifice. It costs us something to render service to the other person. A fourth term is “authority,” while a fifth is “obedience.” When we submit to one who has authority over us, we should evidence this submission, in part, by our obedience. On the other hand, when we submit to those under our authority, we evidence this with sacrificial service. The final term is “priority.” Those to who we submit have, in some manner, priority over us, our rights, our pleasure, or our will.   Mt 8:5-10 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." 7 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! Submission involves Sacrifice and Responsibility Jesus gave up His rights yet maintained His responsibilities. The biblical concept of authority emphasizes responsibility, not tyranny Responsible authority does not wield power; it serves with it." The writer to the Hebrews has much to say about the sacrificial aspects of our Lord's earthly ministry (see chapter 9). We must distinguish between what we are as a person in Christ and what role we are to portray about Christ and His church. We are all given a role to play, but a subordinate role does not imply an inferior relationship to Christ. If someone were to protest that the role they have been given to play is beneath them, Let's remind ourselves that we are not worthy of any role. We were, as sinners, worthy only of Christ's eternal wrath. Any role is a privilege. And, also, that in order to achieve our salvation at Calvary, Jesus took on a role which was beneath Him. Finally, I would say that the values assigned to our roles by our culture are opposite to those assigned by God. Do you think it demeaning to hold a position of service? Our Lord has taught us that to be the greatest is to serve, and not to be served (Matthew 20:20-28,           Mr 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.").    Why, then, should we agonize about any role which God has graciously given to us? A CALL TO WALK IN MATRIMONIAL HARMONY (18-19) DUTIES OF WIVES (18) Submit to their own husbands, as to the Lord (18) DUTIES OF HUSBANDS (19) Love their wives Don”t be bitter towards them FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES THE DUTY OF CHILDREN... (20) Children are to obey their parents in a way that honors them But there are also spiritual repercussions - cf. Co 3:20 ("for this is well pleasing to the Lord") THE DUTY OF FATHERS... (21) Fathers are charged negatively.. DON'T provoke children (i.e., put unreasonable demands on them, exasperate them) Lest they be discouraged THE DUTY OF SERVANTS OR EMPLOYEES... (22) In the First Century A.D., servants or slaves were an intricate part of many households, which may explain Paul including instructions to them and masters in this and parallel passages - cf. Eph 5:22-6:9 Christians who were servants or employees we could say in today's setting were expected to demonstrate the proper kind of obedience required of all Christians... Obedience in sincerity of heart, as to Christ Himself, not with eye service, as men-pleasers Obedience with fear of God, Holy and reverential fear of God[i] - cf. Ph 2:10 Obedience with good will, as to the Lord Obedience with an understanding that the Lord is an impartial Judge In this way even slaves or employees in today's setting could demonstrate by example what true obedience was according to the Will of God Col 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Paul reminds the believers that there are rewards to come for the good and faithful servants of Christ. Christians are to work as if they are in God's service: they ‘serve the Lord Christ'. This is their calling, so they are to do the best they can and pray for grace and protection (Matt. 6:13). Whatever believers do for their Savior here on earth it will not be regretted; in fact, when they reach heaven they will wish that they had given more to him who gave everything for them (John 21:15–17). Ultimately, we do not work for our employer but for the Lord Jesus Christ. Understanding this principle will help produce a better and healthier attitude to work and allow us to do the unpleasant tasks with patience. There are rewards promised and waiting for believers in heaven after a lifetime of faithful service[ii] Col 3:25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. THE DUTY OF MASTERS OR EMPLOYERS... (4:1) Those Christians who had slaves (like Philemon) were charged to treat their servants in very special ways: " give your bondservants what is just and fair", i.e., their treatment of slaves should be governed by the same sort of principles given to the servants...             1) "with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ"             2) "not with eyeservice...but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart"            3) "with good will...as to the Lord, and not to men" By their example, masters could demonstrate the proper exercise of authority, and reveal much about how our Master in heaven rules over us in the kingdom of God! This series of warnings is actually a practical application of Colossians 3:17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” It is by His power and authority that we should live in our daily relationships. If He is the preeminent One in our lives, then we will love each other, submit to each other, obey, and treat one another fairly in the Lord.[iii] Our Lord Jesus became a slave in order to bring about our salvation (Mark 10:45), and thus also became an example of submission for slaves (1 Peter 2:18-25). Paul often referred to himself as the Lord's slave (see Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 9:19). Beyond this, every Christian has been delivered from slavery to sin, and has become a slave of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:16-20; 14:4; 1 Corinthians 7:22). And so the instructions which Paul gives to “slaves” applies to every Christian, as Christ's slave. Paul contrasted masters according to the flesh with the Master of the human spirit, namely, Jesus Christ. Christian slaves owed their earthly masters obedience. Obedience demonstrated their submission to Christ. "Christianity does not offer us escape from circumstances; it offers us conquest of circumstances." Earthly rank has no relevance in heaven As we review this section of duties, we need to remind ourselves that only a WORD filled or Spirit-filled believer will be able to fulfill them (3:16-17). Essentially what Paul urged was humility that expresses itself in loving submissiveness to others rather than arrogant self-assertiveness. CONCLUSION It would be well for us to review Ephesians 5:18–6:9 and note the parallels between that passage and the one we have just studied. This section of Ephesians emphasizes being filled with the Spirit, while the Letter to the Colossians emphasizes being filled with the Word; but the evidences are the same: joyful, thankful, and submissive living. To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Word. The fullness of the Spirit and the fullness of the Word are needed in the home. If family members are controlled by the Spirit of God and the Word of God, they will be joyful, thankful, and submissive—and they will have little trouble getting along with each other. Christian employers and employees will treat each other fairly if they are filled with the Spirit and the Word. The heart of every problem is the problem of the heart, and only God's Spirit and God's Word can change and control the heart. Can the people who live around you detect that you are filled with the Spirit and the Word?[iv]   [i] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 78). Day One Publications. [ii] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 79). Day One Publications. [iii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 145). Victor Books. [iv] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 145). Victor Books.          Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Do we think about what we are thinking? Our lives follow our thoughts. Thus Paul says to direct our thoughts where we want to go. And we can ask God to help us with our thoughts in prayer and thanksgiving. Joy and gratitude and peace result from letting God renew our thinking by thinking on … Continue reading Thoughts and Prayers →

We are familiar with the bread and wine as symbols of Christ's physical body and blood, but the bread also represent Christ's body as the ecclesia, and the cup represents our commitment to service. Thus Paul exhorts the Corinthians to discern the body when gathered together, caring for one another rather than selfishly satisfying themselves.

Text: Romans Rom 6:15-20 ESV 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. -Rom 6:15-20 ESV WHOSE SLAVES ARE WE? We are not under the law but under God's grace through faith in Christ. So Paul asks, “What then? Are we to sin? By no means. On the contrary, our freedom from the authority of sin should cause us to resist and reject our sinful desires. Definitely, we are not to take God's grace and forgiveness lightly by indulging in them. We should decide who to obey and become the slave of him. Paul pointed out that we are in an ongoing battle to serve Jesus, the right master. Sin isn't our master anymore. But, one could be a slave to sin by choice not by default. We don't need to but we can choose to be a slave to sin. Our slavery to sin is a thing of the past.[v.17] Thanks to God. It's manifested in our obedience from the ‘heart' as we are taught. We've become slaves to righteousness. By this, Paul means that as Christians living in this present world, we should be presenting ourselves, our bodies, and minds to God to accomplish His righteous purposes. It sounds odd to the modern mind, that Paul would describe this commitment to be used by God for righteous purposes as "slavery." Thus Paul, said, “Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this.”[v.19]Paul has emphasized that Christians are absolutely under the full authority of God to be used for His purposes. However, God, as our master, is not a tyrant, is He? He is always a loving Father and does not compel us to act against our will. As the eternal good father, He is ever calling us to obey Him out of love not by compulsion. Man could not be morally independent or neutral, could he be? There are only two choices, either serving sin or serving righteousness. This depends on what kind of heart does a person has, either from an unregenerated heart or a new heart.[2 Cor 5:17] An unrenewed heart loves to sin. While a renewed heart desires to live godly. ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

God's Word for Today 23 Nov 2023 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. -Rom 4:9-12 ESV FAITH COUNTED AS RIGHTEOUSNESS The blessing of righteousness obtained by faith is for both the circumcised [Jews] and the uncircumcised[Gentiles] alike, is it not? As a note, Paul's Jewish readers have always thought that circumcision makes one righteous for Abraham was circumcised. They got it wrong. How did Abraham obtain his righteous standing before God? It is by faith alone apart from works, which include circumcision. Thus Paul asked, “Was it before or after he had been circumcised? Paul answered his own question saying, “It was not after, but before he was circumcised.”[v.10]. In other words, Abraham was an uncircumcised Gentile when he was declared righteous by faith. What is the purpose of his circumcision then?  Paul said, “He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised so that righteousness would be counted to them as well.”[v.11] Circumcision does not make one righteous but it serves as a mark that one is already declared righteous.  Abraham, hence, became the father of faith to all who believe  ‘without circumcision'. This means that circumcision is ruled out as a requirement for the uncircumcised. On the other hand, to the Jews [circumcised], Abraham could only be their father if they ‘walk in his footsteps of faith' before he was circumcised. This means, their faith will be counted as righteousness and sealed with circumcision. Circumcision without a preceding faith is just a wound at the foreskin, having no spiritual significance at all. Today, some would believe that they are Christian for they are born and are baptized in a Christian family. The rites of water baptism are nothing but just like bathing without the reality of genuine belief in the gospel. Like circumcision, water baptism is a seal of righteousness that is received by faith in Christ. In other words, it's a picture of the reality of who we are in Christ. Listen and FOLLOW us on our podcast  Spotify: http://bit.ly/glccfil_spotify  Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-applepcast  Google Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-googlepcast Audible Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-audible Follow us on various media platforms: https://gospellightfilipino.contactin.bio #gospellightfilipino #godswordfortoday #bookofRomans

Text: Romans 2:1-3 ESV 1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? -Rom 2:1-3 ESV YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE Evidently, Paul has addressed his Jewish readers, who religiously followed the law of Moses. They may have imagined Paul's description in Romans 1 to have been directed to Gentile—non-Jewish—pagans and those they considered "sinners." There may even be Gentiles, who followed moral philosophies and imagined Paul's words as being meant for other ears. Moralists may protest that they are not bad sinners as they pass judgment upon others. But Paul said, “For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.”[v.1b] These Jewish people think that following the law of Moses has made them right with God, and therefore free from His judgment. Paul anticipated this mindset. He knew many of his Jewish readers assumed that the list of sins and the resulting judgment of God did not apply to them. After all, they were God's special people. He would not condemn them. But they were wrong.[v.2] They should not assume they are immune from God's judgment. Thus Paul asked, “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?”[v.3] For having been self-righteous, they are presuming on or showing contempt for the riches of God's kindness, forbearance, and patience. Aware of God's vast kindness, they have miscalculated that God won't ever judge their sin, even though He may judge the sins of others. ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Text: James 3:3-12 ESV 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. -James 3:3-12 ESV SMALL BUT TERRIBLE The tongue is a small organ yet we have to handle it seriously. It can either encourage or disparage a person. Solomon said that death and life is in the power of the tongue. It has neither head nor feet but it can travel fast. It has no bones but could break the lives of people. Its power should not be taken for granted. Its power is illustrated in three powerful objects, namely, the rudder of the ship, the bit of a horse, and fire. The ship's direction is controlled by the small rudder. The wild horse could be controlled by a small bit. These two are the positive aspects of the use of tongue. As the rudder can direct ships, so we can help a needy and confused person to go the right path and make the right decisions by the words we say. Or, as the bit can control wild horses, so we could nurture an immature person by the words we teach unto them. However, if misused, a tongue can devour like a small spark of fire that could wipe out forests. Such is the evil power of the tongue. It depends upon the state of our hearts. As Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Most people reason out that they often have a slip of the tongue. Why? It is wet, it's slippery. Wild animals can be tamed but not the tongue. It's a restless evil. An outburst of wrath and anger is like volcanoes spewing lava destroying the life and vegetation around. James argued the absurdity of the duality of the tongue – to bless and curse God. It's impossible to have both salty and freshwater flowing from the same spring simultaneously. Is it possible that a tree can bear olive and fig trees at the same time? It's against the norm. Similarly, from the same mouth should not be blessing and cursing happen simultaneously. James pleaded, “My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” It's time to check our hearts. Such duality should not be in the believer's heart. The key is to tame the heart by the Spirit's control. Without the power of the Spirit, it's impossible to control the tongue. One of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. We ought to live and speak as we ought to. Otherwise, our flesh or self would be out of control. Thus Paul admonished, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”[Gal 5:25,26] ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

We are reading Paul's intro to Romans where he declared himself a bond-servant of Christ. Speaking of the gospel of God which is concerning Jesus Christ, God's son, he wrote in Romans 1:4 “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Yesterday we were encouraged by the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Today let's focus on the phrase “according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ, our Lord.” The power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is none other than the Spirit of holiness. It helps me to think of holiness as referring to oneness. Jesus was one with the Father and one with the Holy Spirit and one with us. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and of the Son, so it makes sense that Jesus was resurrected according to the spirit of holiness. We were raised with Him by the “sanctifying work of the Spirit (1 Peter 1:2). We have been united with Jesus by the same power that raised Jesus. Hallelujah! Having been united with Him is what makes us holy. Thus Paul declared Jesus to be our Lord. Where the Spirit is Lord, there is freedom to love in His name. I hope you will enjoy the Spirit of holiness as you surrender to the lordship of Christ today. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

Acts 26:27-32 ESV 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” 30 Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. 31 And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ALMOST PERSUADED TO BE A CHRISTIAN Paul knew that King Agrippa was familiar with the Old Testament prophecies. King Agrippa was born around AD 27 and he didn't move to Judea until around AD 50. As the great-grandson of Herod the Great (see Mat 2:1–4), he had some Jewish blood, and he knew the Jewish culture and religion (Acts 26:2–3). During his defense, Paul has quoted Jesus saying that he needs to go to the Gentiles, "to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26:18). This has reference to Isaiah's prophecy describing Jesus as a light to the nations found in Isaiah 42:6 and 60:3, but especially 49:6: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Sadly, Agrippa slammed the door within his reach. Sadly, many people like him today choose to ignore the thug in their hearts. Should they continue to resist, they would miss heaven by the skin of their teeth. They stepped back from the opportunity of knowing Jesus. Why? Like Agrippa, to many in this world today, the glitters of world's power, prestige and possession are too strong to ignore. Either we love God or the world. John warned us of the futility of loving this world. He writes, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”[1 John 2:15-17] What is at stake in rejecting Jesus? Through a rhetorical question, Jesus asks, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? “[Mark 8:36,37] Gaining this world is of no value to our souls at all. Thus Paul did everything to convince Agrippa and all. He said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” Paul's zeal for him and everyone to believe Jesus was manifested by his persuasive testimony. In great irony, Paul's imprisonment wasn't the case he has in his mind. But, it was their imprisonment or slavery from sin. However, they thought that Paul could be free if he did not appeal his case to be brought up to Caesar. Unbeknownst to them, this was the way God would further the message of the gospel into the heart of the Roman Empire. Thus, we ask, “Who's miserable after all – Paul or Agrippa?” ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Listen along as we continue our journey through the story of scripture. Notes//Quotes: 2 Peter 1:3-11 The important point to keep in mind is that love is a virtue, not an emotion. Christians are not encouraged to feel warmly about each other or even to like one another; they are instructed to act lovingly toward one another. Thus Paul's description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 speaks about what love does, how it acts, not how it feels - Peter Davids “If we aren't careful we live with a gospel that leaves our inner life untouched and merely makes sure we have the right marking somehow, the right brand so it will be clear that we belong to the right herd…But Christ comes to us and says to us “Let me transform you inside, let me take all of those fears, all of those angers, all of that contempt, all of that lust that eats at your soul and replace it with a worship of God and a love of others that will make your entire life sweet and strong because you'll be standing with me in the kingdom of God.”” - Dallas Willard Gospel + safety + time. It's what everyone needs. A lot of gospel + a lot of safety + a lot of time. Gospel: good news for broken people through the finished work of Christ on the cross and the endless power of the Holy Spirit. Multiple exposures. Constant immersion. Wave upon wave of grace and truth, according to the Bible. Safety: a non-accusing environment. No embarrassing anyone. No cornering anyone. No shaming. But respect and sympathy and listening and understanding, so that people can exhale and open up and unburden their souls. A church environment where no one seeking the Lord has anything to fear. Time: no pressure. Not even self-imposed pressure. No deadlines on growth. Urgency, but not hurry, because no one changes quickly. A lot of “space” for complicated people to rethink their lives at a deep level. God is patient. This is what our churches must be: gentle environments of gospel + safety + time. It's where we're finally free to grow. - Ray Ortlund 2 Peter 2:1-3 2 Peter 2:22  Psalm 19:7-11 2 Peter 3:1-13 Acts 1:6-8,  1 Cor 15:50-58,  Titus 2:11-14 2 Peter 3:14-18 An Eschatological grid  (A modest proposal) Emphasize salvation, minimize speculation Eschatology is meant to provide clarity and eliminate confusion. The triumphant return is a catalyst for fully following Christ today 

Sunday Service "Finishing Well" To contact, tithe, or inquire...please go to www.ToddCoconato.com Finishing well: Notes for this Sunday's service. (2 Timothy 4 6-8 verses for this teaching) Let's face it: starting well is relatively easy. Finishing well is a different matter! Starting that new diet or exercise program is kind of fun, but hanging in over the long haul is the real test. Getting married is exciting and relatively easy. Staying married through struggles, adjustments, and trials is not always an easy matter. The same is true of the Christian life. Becoming a Christian is relatively easy: acknowledge to God that you are a sinner and receive by faith the free gift of eternal life that Christ provided by His shed blood. You cannot work for salvation nor do anything to qualify for it. God gives it freely to all that recognize their need and trust in Christ alone. But then comes the hard part—hanging in there as a Christian in a world that is hostile towards God and His people. The world constantly dangles in front of you all that it has to offer in opposition to the things of God. From within, the flesh entices you to forsake Christ and gratify your sinful desires. The enemy hits you with temptation after temptation. The real test of your faith is, will you endure? Genuine faith in Christ perseveres to the finish line. The Christian life is a marathon, not a 100-yard dash. Since finishing a marathon well is not easy, when you see a man who sprints across the finish line, you ought to try to find out his secret. The apostle Paul was such a man. It's as if he has crossed the finish line with energy to spare. He jogs back to where Timothy seems to be losing steam and exhorts him to keep running well. In the Bible, it is clear that Paul is looking death in the face. His words must have caused Timothy to burst into tears when he first read them. And, these words must have sobered Timothy with the reality that Paul had handed off the baton to him. Now, he had to finish well. Paul's words are not those of a discouraged, broken old man. There is no despair, no defeat, no cynicism, and no fear as he faces imminent execution. His calm assurance is all the more startling when you consider his circumstances. He was in the Mamertine Prison in Rome. Even the worst of our prisons today would be like the Hilton in comparison to the Mamertine. Paul's cell was a dark, damp dungeon, reached only by a rope or ladder from a hole in the floor above. He had no windows, no lights, no toilet, no furniture, and no running water. As Paul sat on the hard floor in the cold darkness, enduring the stench of his own urine and excrement, the circumstances outside were not encouraging. Many seemed to be turning away from the aged apostle, and even from the faith, following false teachers. Paul had labored for the past thirty years or more to preach the gospel around the Roman Empire, but at this point, it was at best a tiny sect, scattered here and there. Paul was not the world-famous apostle, appearing on TV talk shows, and autographing books, with invitations pouring in from around the world for him to speak. And yet, the man was clearly at rest, confident in the way he has spent his life, and calmly assured as he faces death by decapitation. What does the apostle have to teach us about finishing well? Note that verse 6 speaks about Paul's present: “I am.” Verse 7 refers to his past: “I have.” Verse 8 begins, “In the future…” To finish well, keep in focus Paul's view of the present, the past, and the future. 1. To finish well, keep in focus Paul's view of the present (4:6). Three key words here will help us finish well: reproduction, sacrifice, and departure. A. REPRODUCTION: PAUL COULD FINISH WELL BECAUSE HE HAD REPRODUCED HIMSELF IN OTHERS. In the Greek text, verse 6 begins with the emphatic pronoun “I,” which contrasts with the “you” of verse 5, along with the connective “for.” The flow of thought is this: “Timothy, you preach the Word even in the face of opposition because I am about to die. I'm handing you the torch to carry!” Dying is easier when you know that you're leaving behind a number of people who can carry on with Christ because of your influence. Each of us needs to ask ourselves, “Am I working on that task?” I am talking about obeying Jesus' Great Commission, to make disciples of others. That Commission applies to every Christian at some level. If you know Christ as Savior and are walking with Him, then He calls you to make disciples of others. You can begin at home. Every Christian parent ought to be waging an all-out campaign to train up his or her children to know Christ and walk with Him. It doesn't happen by accident. It begins by setting the example: you must walk in reality with Jesus Christ if you want to impart that to your kids. Beyond that, dads, are you taking the time to read the Bible and pray with your family? Are you making sure that your family gathers with the Lord's people on the Lord's day for worship and teaching? Do you talk openly at home about spiritual things? Do you apply God's Word when there are tensions or trials on the home front? Beyond your immediate family, you ought to have a vision for reproducing yourself in the lives of others. Godly men should be handing off the faith to younger men in the faith (2 Tim. 2:2). Godly women should be training younger women in the things of God (Titus 2:3-5). When you're gone, there should be others who will carry on with Christ because of your influence. B. SACRIFICE: PAUL COULD FINISH WELL BECAUSE HE VIEWED HIS LIFE AS AN OFFERING TO GOD. Paul did not view his execution as a cruel tragedy or as unfair treatment in view of his many years of dedicated service. Rather, he saw it as the culminating offering of a sacrificial life. After the sacrificial lamb had been placed on the altar, and just before it was lit on fire, the priest poured out on it about a quart of wine (Num. 28:7). It was the final sacrifice poured out on the existing sacrifice. That was how Paul viewed his own death. His whole life had been a living sacrifice presented unto God. Now, his death would be the drink offering poured on top of that (Phil. 2:17). This means that to finish well, you need to view all of your life as an act of sacrificial worship to God. As Paul put it (Rom. 12:1), “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” You don't serve Christ in order to get praise and acclaim from others. You serve Christ as an act of worship towards Him. If others turn away from you or badmouth you (as they were doing toward Paul), or if your earthly reward for a lifetime of dedicated service is to get your head cut off, it's okay, because all of your life has been an offering to God. This also means that to finish well, you view yourself as expendable in God's service. Here is the great apostle to the Gentiles, the man who did more for the spread of the gospel than any other man in church history. His influence was incalculable. Yet he could finish well because he saw himself as expendable, a drink offering. In language similar to our text, Paul told the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:24), “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” If you have inflated notions of your own importance, you will not finish well. All of us should view ourselves and all of our service as a sacrificial offering to God. C. DEPARTURE: PAUL COULD FINISH WELL BECAUSE HE VIEWED HIS IMPENDING DEATH AS A DEPARTURE. “The time of my departure has come” (4:6). In the Bible, death is never cessation of existence, but rather, a separation of the soul from the body. It is departure. The Greek word that Paul used was a vivid one. It was used to describe the unyoking of an animal from a plow or cart. Death means the end of our labors and toils in this life. It was also used for loosening the bonds of a prisoner. Death is a release from the bonds of this corruptible body. It was also used for loosening the ropes of a soldier's tent. This suggests that at death, the battle is over, victory is won, and we are headed home. The word was also used for loosening the mooring ropes of a ship. At death our earthly ship leaves the shores of this stormy earth and puts in at the always-calm port of heaven. (These examples are in William Barclay, The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon [Westminster Press], revised edition, p. 209.) If you have Paul's view of death as departure, you will be able to finish without fear and even with anticipation, knowing that to depart and be with Christ is much better (Phil. 1:23). You will be able to say with him (Phil. 1:21), “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” So to finish well, keep in focus Paul's view of the present: present ministry is reproduction; present life is a sacrifice to God; and, impending death is a departure to be with Christ. 2. To finish well, keep in focus Paul's view of the past (4:7). Paul was able to look back on his past in Christ and say confidently that he had done well. He is not implying that there had not been mistakes or times of discouragement—of course there had been. But through all of the problems and trials, Paul had stayed in the race. He could say, “I've done what God called me to do!” To be able to join Paul in saying that at the end of our lives, we must be able to make his three statements in verse 7: A. “I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT” (4:7A). When you come to the end of your life, will you be able to look back and say, “I have been involved in the struggle for the cause of Christ”? Paul is using an athletic metaphor, either of a wrestling match or a race. It conveys that the Christian life is not a Sunday School picnic, but rather, a struggle against the forces of evil. It is not just any fight, but the good fight, the fight of the gospel of Jesus Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Can you say, “I am currently involved in the struggle for the cause of Christ?” Let me help you answer that question. You cannot say so if you are living primarily for your own comfort and affluence, spending your time and money on your pursuit of the American dream. You may attend church every week. You may profess to know Christ as your Savior. But if your purpose in life is to be as comfortable and affluent as you can be, then you are not seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. You're not involved in the struggle for the cause of Christ. If, on the other hand, you live for the purpose of building up the body of Christ and extending His kingdom through your labors, your time, and your money, in accordance with the gifts and opportunities that God has given you, then you are involved in that struggle. What a fulfilling thing when it comes time to die, to look back on your past and be able to say, “I've been involved in that great struggle for the cause of Christ!” B. “I HAVE FINISHED THE COURSE” (4:7B). “I have not dropped out of the race.” Paul is referring to a long race. The word “marathon” comes from a geographic place where a decisive battle took place between Greece and Persia in 490 B.C. If the Persians had won, world history would have been much different. The glories of ancient Greece would not have happened. The legend is that after the battle, a Greek soldier ran the distance from Marathon to Athens (21-25 miles, depending on his route) with the news of the victory, and then fell dead. Based on that legend, the modern marathon race began between Marathon and Athens in the 1896 Olympics, and was lengthened to the present 26.2 miles in the 1908 Olympics. We all know those who began the Christian life with a flourish of activity and enthusiasm. Maybe they even went into full-time ministry. But when trials and disappointments hit, they dropped out. Sometimes, we need to take a break from serving to be refreshed and renewed. But then we need to get back in the race. Of course, we never should take a break from walking with the Lord. I've never ran a marathon, but I know that there's no such thing as an easy marathon. We need to get out of our heads that the Christian life is all glory and effortless bliss. There is joy, but there also are many trials that require endurance (Acts 14:22). So make up your mind to hang in with the Lord through the tough times, so that you can look back at the end and say with Paul, “I have finished the course.” C. “I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH” (4:7C). “I have guarded the truth about Christ.” Several times in these letters to Timothy, Paul has talked about “the deposit” that Timothy is to guard (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:12, 14). He was referring to the truth of the gospel, the core doctrines of the Christian faith. When Paul says that he has kept the faith, he means that he has carefully guarded the truth about Jesus Christ that God had entrusted to him. He had not bought into any of the many errors about Christ that were circulating in his day. His life and his teaching had held to sound doctrine. You can't keep a faith that you are unclear about. To be able to look back on your life and echo Paul's words, “I have kept the faith,” you need to be clear on the essentials of that faith. It is just as much under attack in our day as it was in Paul's day. So sink down some roots in sound doctrine. Know what you believe so that you are not tossed around by all of the winds of false doctrine. Thus Paul could finish well because he could look at his present: he saw his present ministry as reproduction, his present life as a sacrifice, and his impending death as departure. He could look at his past: he saw that he had been involved in the struggle for the cause of Christ, he had not dropped out of the race, and he had guarded the truth of the gospel. But he also looked to the future: 3. To finish well, keep in focus Paul's view of the future (4:8). Paul could finish well in spite of his dismal circumstances because he had secure hope for the future. There are two aspects of Paul's future hope: A. PAUL COULD FINISH WELL BECAUSE HE HOPED TO MEET THE LORD, THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE. You may think that that sounds more like dread than hope! While there ought to be an element of awe and fear when we think of standing before the Lord, the prevailing emotion that we should have is expectant hope. The world, if they even think about standing before the righteous Judge, should be filled with dread. But Christians should love His appearing. Here's why: Paul wrote (Rom. 8:1), “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Jesus said (John 5:24) that the one who believes in Him “does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” Salvation is God's free gift given by His grace apart from any merit on our part. If your trust is in Jesus Christ as Savior, you do not need to fear the final judgment. The reason that you will not be condemned on judgment day is not because you have earned it by being a good person. Rather, it is that by His death on the cross, Jesus Christ satisfied God's perfect righteousness. When you trusted in Him, God imputed Christ's righteousness to your account (Rom. 3:21-26). That hope of meeting the Lord, the righteous Judge, who will welcome us into heaven on the basis of His perfect righteousness, should help us now to run the race with endurance. B. PAUL COULD FINISH WELL BECAUSE HE LIVED IN VIEW OF THAT DAY. It is difficult to interpret what Paul means by “the crown of righteousness.” Is this a special reward given only to some believers who have lived especially righteous lives, but not to all? Or, is it the reward of eternal righteousness, given to all believers, who have already been justified by faith? In favor of the view that it is a special reward is that the word “crown” refers to the wreath that was given to the victor in the games. Not all received this crown, but only those who won (1 Cor. 9:24-25; 2 Tim. 2:5). The Bible teaches that while salvation is a free gift, God will reward us on the basis of our service for Him (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10), and these rewards will differ among believers. Some will have their works burned up, because they were not founded upon Christ, but they will be saved yet so as through fire. Others will receive a reward for their works (1 Cor.3: 10-15). In favor of the view that the crown of righteousness is given to all believers is that the phrase, “all who have loved His appearing,” seems to be a description of all believers. In this sense, it would be parallel to the crown of life that is given to all who love Christ (James 1:12). If Christ has saved you by shedding His blood for your sins, you long for the day when you will see Him. Perhaps Paul's meaning here is simply that even though his earthly judge (the evil Nero) had wrongly condemned him, he knew that the righteous Judge would vindicate him when he stood before Him. This is the third time that Paul has used “that day” in this letter (1:12, 18). Clearly, he lived in view of that day, when he would stand before Christ. So should we. The fact that we will stand before the Lord, the righteous Judge, on that day should motivate us to live righteously on this day. I read of a journalist who was in charge of the obituaries. One day when he didn't have any deaths to record, he put a sheet of blank paper in his typewriter and wrote his own name at the top. He then found himself writing his own obituary: “I have been a good husband and a fine father. I have contributed to a number of worthy causes. I have left a reputation of absolute integrity. My friends are many.” By the time he had finished the page, he had already committed himself to the task of living up to his own obituary (told by Robert Mounce, Pass it On [Regal Books], p. 153). Conclusion Perhaps your circumstances seem pretty dismal today. Maybe you're considering dropping out of the Christian race. From his dungeon, the aged apostle calls out to you: “Don't quit! Keep going! You can finish well! “Keep in focus my view of the present: You can reproduce yourself in others to carry the torch after you. View your life as a sacrifice to God. Your death will be a departure to be with Christ. “Keep in focus my view of the past, so that one day it will be your past. You will be able to look back and say that you engaged in the struggle for the cause of Christ. You didn't drop out of the race! You guarded the truth of the gospel. “Keep in focus my view of the future. Soon you will stand before the Lord, the righteous Judge, vindicated by His grace. Live in view of that day!” If you live with Paul's focus, you will finish well!

Acts 7:39-43 ESV 39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' 41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: “‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 43 You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.' MAKE FOR US GODS The 40 days and nights of waiting for Moses to come down from Mt. Sinai had revealed not only their impatience but insubordination to God. They demanded to a weak and pacifying Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' Once again, they rejected Moses[and God] and decided to turn back to Egypt. They made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. Similarly, people today want a god who permits them to indulge in their flesh. Thus Paul had equated idolatry with covetousness. A sad reality as the psalmist writes; “ How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert! They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.”[Psa 78:40-43] But, God is a jealous God. There is only one God and there is none other.[Deut 6:4] God gave them up unto their lust. For 40 years, they didn't offer to God the animal sacrifices according to the law of Moses. The next generation continued to pursue the worship of pagan gods like Moloch and Rephan [Saturn or Kiyun], according to the prophet Amos [Amos 5:6]. As a result, God pronounced that He would exile them even beyond Babylon. Man may get what he wanted but he couldn't get away from the sad consequence. He who chooses his life for himself would lose it eventually. -------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

This Sunday we have a guest speaker, Leo Klus, who is a good friend of Pastor Todd and has served our church well as a consultant in the past. Leo has also served as an executive pastor in three churches in Chicago and London. On Sunday we will look deeper into Mark 4:35-5:20 as we continue our series “Means of Grace”. This is a good time to read through these Bible chapters and become familiar with this Scripture as you prepare for Sunday. Leo expresses that “The Other Side” is central to the heart of Jesus. Series: Means of Grace (Summer series) Message: 8 - The other side Text: Mark 4:35 - 5:20 Leo Klus Harvest Bible Chapel August 21, 2022 The other side… Is central to Jesus' heart Is the “realm of hopelessness” In the lives of Christians, the emphasis of the NT is not on the influence of demons but on the sin that remains in the believers life. Nevertheless, we should recognize that sinning does give a foothold for some kind of demonic influence in our lives. Thus Paul could say, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph 4:26). If we have areas of continuing sin in our lives, then there are weaknesses and holes in our ‘breastplate of righteousness', and these are areas in which we are vulnerable. Wayne Grudem Reveals the power and majesty of Jesus Will respond…one way or the other

This Sunday we have a guest speaker, Leo Klus, who is a good friend of Pastor Todd and has served our church well as a consultant in the past. Leo has also served as an executive pastor in three churches in Chicago and London. On Sunday we will look deeper into Mark 4:35-5:20 as we continue our series “Means of Grace”. This is a good time to read through these Bible chapters and become familiar with this Scripture as you prepare for Sunday. Leo expresses that “The Other Side” is central to the heart of Jesus. Series: Means of Grace (Summer series) Message: 8 - The other side Text: Mark 4:35 - 5:20 Leo Klus Harvest Bible Chapel August 21, 2022 The other side… Is central to Jesus' heart Is the “realm of hopelessness” In the lives of Christians, the emphasis of the NT is not on the influence of demons but on the sin that remains in the believers life. Nevertheless, we should recognize that sinning does give a foothold for some kind of demonic influence in our lives. Thus Paul could say, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph 4:26). If we have areas of continuing sin in our lives, then there are weaknesses and holes in our ‘breastplate of righteousness', and these are areas in which we are vulnerable. Wayne Grudem Reveals the power and majesty of Jesus Will respond…one way or the other

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Unfortunately, the apostle Paul did not write dates on the letters that he wrote. That would have saved some people a lot of trouble. Big books have been written to defend one person or another's dating and ordering of his letters. Although he didn't write dates on his letters, sometimes there are statements or clues within the letter that make it clear when Paul wrote it. Paul's letter to the Philippians is one of those letters that we can be sure about when it was written. Paul mentions in this letter that he is chains. The reason why he is in chains is because he has been taken prisoner by the Roman government. We know about that from the book of Acts. Since Paul is a prisoner who is in chains while he writes this letter we can be sure that he wrote this during the last years of his life. Eventually Paul would be put to death after having been a prisoner and after having been shipped to Rome. Knowing the times and circumstances of Paul's writing of this letter throws a different light on many of the things that he writes. For example, he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again, rejoice!” Rejoice always; not rejoice occasionally. And when Paul says this he is not sipping piña coladas on the beach in Acapulco. No. He is in chains. He is on his way to his death. That's another thing that's helpful to keep in mind. Death is coming for Paul. He can see it. What, then, is on his mind? Is he thinking back on all the good memories? Is he wishing that he had taken a little more time for himself? Does he wish that he had taken that trip to Acapulco? No, it's just the opposite. He is not looking backwards and admiring himself as though he were looking in a mirror. He is looking forward to the things that are ahead. The portion of his letter that was read for our Epistle reading today speaks about this. He is not looking back. He is looking forward. There are dark clouds on the horizon for him, but he is not deterred. It is almost as though the dark clouds don't affect him, or perhaps that the anticipated trouble makes him even bolder. Thus Paul has something to teach us. Some of you have somewhat of an idea of what those dark clouds might be for you. Others can't be sure what dark clouds might be in store for them. One thing we can be certain of, is that the dark clouds are bound to come eventually, even if we don't like thinking about that. In light of this prospect are we going to look backward to earthly things or are we going to look forward to heavenly things? Paul would have us look forward. Although Paul would have us look forward, it was not as though he was ignorant of what can be achieved with earthly things. At the beginning of our reading Paul says, “But even more than that, I consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.” We are jumping into the middle of an argument that Paul is making. What is Paul referring to when he says, “I consider everything to be a loss”? Paul had just gotten done talking about how his former life was, frankly speaking, excellent. Paul had excellent credentials. He was a man who was going places. He could have risen high in the ranks of Judaism. He had the right education. He knew the right people. He was a go-getter. Whatever he might have wanted to achieve, he had the talent and the energy to accomplish it. This is what people want. But these are the things that he is referring to when he says, “I consider everything to be a loss for the sake of knowing Christ.” Let's put what Paul says into more modern day terms. Paul possessed and was in the process of possessing the best Jewish life of his times. What Paul had, other people really wanted. We live in quite different times, and so people's idea of what makes for a good life is also different. Just so we can understand the significance of what he means when he says that he considers everything to be loss, let's put it into today's terms. Sometimes folks' idea of a good life gets put onto decorations. I've seen decorations that say, “Faith, Family, Fun.” If we can check those boxes, then it is quite probable that our life is quite nice. Advertisements are always trying to sell us things that are supposed to make us happy. So in order to sell things advertisements will paint an idyllic picture of life for us. Good looking people having good times with good families and good friends. You can paint as idyllic of a picture as you might want. This is what Paul says he considers to be loss. Why and for what? He considers all these excellencies to be loss because of what is worth far more: Knowing Christ Jesus, his Lord. His answer for why and for what he considers other things to be a loss contains few words, but the words are very important: “Knowing Christ Jesus, our Lord.” We might think that knowing isn't that big of a deal. We know lots of things about lots of things. But it's different when you know someone with power, resources, and authority. When people say that they know the owner, or the governor, or the president, the implication is that such a one can give special treatment. Knowing someone carries with it the connotation that the one saying it is known and (this is important) liked by that person in charge. There's something similar with knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. Along with Paul's knowing of Christ is also his belief in being justified in him, of being right and approved in him. Paul goes on to say that being in Christ means that he does not have a righteousness of his own (which would be rather flabby, hit and miss). He doesn't have a righteousness that comes from him, which comes from the Law, but that in Christ he has a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. This is not his own righteousness, but through faith he is given the very righteousness of God. (God's righteousness is not flabby, but perfect.) So not only does Paul know the One who sits at the right hand of God the Father, with all power and authority, but he also knows according to God's promises that he is known and liked by that powerful one. That is of great advantage. If we know the president or the governor, that's one thing. Knowing Christ is more advantageous by orders of magnitude. But this is where this analogy of knowing someone in the halls of power falls a little flat. When you know powerful people, that might be of great advantage to you, but you might not actually care that much about the person in power. Knowing the governor or the president might just be for the purpose of squeezing something out of that relationship. Knowing the powers that be is for the purpose of getting beyond them—using them—perhaps for wealth or prestige or some other advantage for yourself. That is not how it is with knowing Christ. With knowing Christ there is nothing beyond him. When you know Christ, you know God. There is no wealth or advantage that is beyond God. Jesus says in John 17: “This is eternal life, knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom God has sent.” Knowing God by knowing Jesus is the end point and the goal. It is eternal life. Knowing God is beyond our comprehension and imagination, but it is the reason why Jesus was sent. It was so that we sinners, having attained a righteousness that is not our own, may know God. Here we should address a common defect in the way that people look at Jesus. A lot of Christians do not think about knowing Jesus as the goal or the endpoint of their life as a Christian. They consider Jesus to be a means to an end. It's like he's someone in high places that you can use toward your own advantage. And so their thinking is like this: All their love, all their energy is in accumulating and enjoying the earthly pleasures of life. Jesus, for them, is just a handy way to have the slate wiped clean when they die. They get their sins forgiven and they don't end up in hell. This makes Jesus of great advantage to them according to their way of thinking. However, all their love, all their zest, all their interest has nothing to do with God. They love the things of this earth. They want to suck all the marrow out of life so that they are left with nothing but a dry bone when they are through with it. Knowing Jesus, believing in Jesus, just for the sake of staying out of hell is a very deficient way of thinking. It paints God as being only a judge, only someone who needs to be appeased, so that the good times can keep rolling. What is loved is what has come before—what is loved are the things of this earth. There is no striving and straining for the future. There is no desire to know God, the Creator. What is loved are all the created things. There is no love or very little love for the Fountain and Source of all goodness. “Eternal life is knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.” Bring to mind, again, the times and circumstances in which Paul finds himself. He is writing in chains. Death looms on the horizon. And yet this man writes in this letter, “Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, rejoice.” Paul has his sights set on what lies before him. He is not looking back on his life. Although his life was none too shabby, he considers it to be loss and garbage and even dung compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. He is on his way forward. He is on his greatest adventure. He is on his way to meet God. The slight bumps and hiccups that might happen on the way, such as having your head chopped off, are just that—slight bumps and hiccups. As far as you are concerned, it does not seem likely that you will have your head chopped off. The slight bumps and hiccups on your way to meet God might be chemotherapy or paralysis or the inability to breathe. These and many other things are dark clouds. They are going to cause some turbulence. But you are on your way. They are not going to stop you. You are going to reach your destination because God is going to see to it. Paul says, “There is one thing I do: Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead, I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” I'd like to point out how different this is from how we normally operate, which is a shame, and what peace we often forfeit thereby. The normal way that we operate is that we are always looking forward to the prospect of good earthly things happening. We look forward to having bad things go away, and for our future to be filled with pleasant experiences. Even when folks become terminally ill, they often desperately hold on to whatever earthly hopes they can scrape together for themselves. Then, when they are on their deathbed, or after they have died, all of a sudden everybody changes gears. Instead of looking forward to better days (which are no longer possible) they look back on the good days that have been had. Notice how pretty much the opposite of the way that Paul is thinking. He is not desperate for a change in his fortunes. He's in chains. He's on his way to the executioner. If his situation would change and improve, undoubtedly he would thank God for that, but that is not where his sights are set. If it happens, fine. If not, he'll be fine that way too. This is not of ultimate concern. Instead, his sights are set on what lies ahead. He's going to meet God. He knows Jesus, therefore he knows God who sent Jesus. He knows that God forgives him and approves of him for Jesus's sake. He's on his way to him. So we might all learn something from Paul today. It's very different from what is common in general, and even in our own circles. We put too much value on earthly things and hardly consider the greatness of knowing Jesus and knowing God. As someone who knows Christ, and is known by him, you may look forward to your approaching death, not as some kind of screeching halt, but the door to eternal life. Again, as Jesus said, “Eternal life is knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.” Death is like turbulence you might experience on an airplane. Maybe the turbulence will be quite rough, distressing and painful. But we get on airplanes to go somewhere. Despite whatever turbulence God will have you experience, there is 100% metaphysical certainty that your plane is going to arrive safely. You are going to meet God.

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...    I Corinthians 14   34  Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.  

John 3:1-8 ESV Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” BE BORN AGAIN. Of all those who wondered about Jesus, only Nicodemus dared to approach Him. And he was a prominent Pharisee and a member of San Hedrin, a 70-member court. Unlike His critics, Nicodemus wasn't antagonistic. Perhaps to avoid derision from his peers, He came clandestinely to Jesus at night to clear his doubts. He knew that Jesus power has divine origin but he wanted to confirm and know more.[see v.2] By addressing Jesus as ‘Rabbi', he looked at Jesus as his equals. It appears Jesus was incongruous by saying to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”[v.3] It wasn't for he addressed his important need – to be born into God's family. Although Nicodemus was knowledgeable of the law, to be born from above is beyond the grasp to Nicodemus. It's not physical rebirth as he thought. To be a child of God is a sovereign act of God. As a physical birth ushers a child to his biological family, a spiritual birth ushers us into God's family. There must be a cleansing of water signifying the role of the Spirit. [see Titus 3:5,6] How do we ascertain that a person is born again? As Jesus explains, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Simply put, there is a significant change in his life from the inside out. Thus Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”[2 Cor 5:17]. ----------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ... God called Moses to come up to HIM and Moses was with God 40 days in the mountain and God gave Moses commandments for the children of Israel.   All his life, God prepared for Moses to lead HIS people.  The call of God was on Moses even from his youth.  God arranged for Moses to be taken into Pharaoh's  daughter's house as a baby where he was "learned in all the ways of the Egyptians" and he was in a very high position in Egypt.   We read the following about Moses:     Acts 7   20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months: 21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. (We see that Moses knew even then that he would be used by God to deliver the children of Israel.) 26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? (In fact, God had made Moses to be a ruler and judge over the people of Israel and that would happen 40-years later when the time was right.) 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. When God revealed HIMSELF to Moses when Moses was 80-years-old in the land of Midian and called Moses and charged Moses to go back to Egypt where he would deliver the children of Israel, we see the following:   Exodus 3:10-11  God said to Moses:  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth MY people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?   But 40 years earlier when Moses killed the Egyptian and freed the man of Israel, Moses knew he would be used by God to deliver the Israelites from Egypt.    In God's time, this would happen.  Moses was called by God, appointed for a work of God, and trained by God for this work.  It was not of Moses but of God.  

Galatians 6:7-8 ESV 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ----- 7 Huwag kayong padaya; ang Diyos ay hindi maaaring lokohin, sapagkat ang anumang ihasik ng tao, ay siya rin niyang aanihin. 8 Sapagkat ang naghahasik para sa kanyang sariling laman ay mula sa laman mag-aani ng kasiraan; subalit ang naghahasik sa Espiritu, mula sa Espiritu ay mag-aani ng buhay na walang hanggan. WHAT YOU SOW YOU REAP Reaping what we sow is a law of nature. The seed kind we plant will germinate and grow into a plant with the same physical and genetic construct later. An avocado seed planted won't grow and become a tree that will bear mango fruits someday. It's just contrary to nature. It's an impossibility. This was the basic problem of the Galatians. They mixed up the Spirit and the flesh, which are fundamentally opposed to each other. [see Gal 5:16-17] The flesh could never result a spiritual fruit. Thus Paul had rebuked them, saying, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” [Gal 3:3] Reaping what we sow is also irreversible. Perhaps, some are emboldened to ‘sow in the flesh' thinking they will escape or avoid from its consequences. Such persons are deceived and are mocking God. They act as though He does not exist, and is not coming back to judge them. Man may choose to mock Him. But could he prevent the consequences later? People may blaspheme and deride Him today. But, this is only for a time being. There will be a day of reckoning, and ultimately, a man reaps what he sows. They will deal the consequences of their choices someday. Indeed, ‘what goes around comes around.' [an old proverb] Today, let us yield to the Spirit always. As Paul said, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”[Gal 5:16] Consequently, His fruit will emerge in a multi-faceted manner of “ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control.”[Gal 5:22-23] ----------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Galatians 5:7-12 ESV 7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! ----- 7 Kayo ay tumatakbo noon ng mabuti, sino ang humadlang sa inyo sa pagsunod sa katotohanan? 8 Ang paghikayat na iyon ay hindi nagmula sa tumatawag sa inyo. 9 Ang kaunting lebadura ay nagpapaalsa sa buong masa. 10 Ako'y nagtitiwala sa Panginoon, na hindi kayo mag-iisip ng iba pa. Subalit sinuman siyang nanggugulo sa inyo ay tatanggap ng parusa. 11 Ngunit ako, mga kapatid, kung ipinangangaral ko pa ang pagtutuli, bakit pa ako inuusig? Kung gayon, ang katitisuran ng krus ay inalis na.12 Ibig ko sana na ang mga nanggugulo sa inyo ay kapunin nila ang kanilang sarili. A LITTLE LEAVEN LEAVENS THE WHOLE LUMP. By Paul's description that they were ‘running well', he meant that they had embraced the true gospel and served Christ rightly. But, they were sidetracked. The effect was like a dough affected by a little lump. Most spiritual errors can be traced to compromises perceived as insignificant at the beginning. Like a pinch of leavening that appear harmless, they may not had suspected that this particular false teaching could lead them away from Christ. A leaven of religious falsehood is quite powerful to influence us. Thus, Jesus had said, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”[Matt 16:6] Paul had adressed the severity of this drift. Thus, he expressed the resulting penalty of the person who led them astray. And, in no way, did Paul endorse or preach circumcision that perhaps others had thought. If, he did, why were these leaders persecuting Paul? What were they so angry about? Their teaching was an ‘offense to the cross.' We need to guard ourselves that we won't swerved from the truth. Our devotion to Christ is paramount, is it not? Thus Paul had expressed this to the Corinthians, “I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.”[2 Cor 11:1-4] Let us guard our hearts therefore that nothing can deceive us away from the gospel and its blessings. ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Galatians 5:1 ESV For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. ----- Para sa kalayaan ay pinalaya tayo ni Cristo; kaya't magpakatatag kayo at huwag pasakop na muli sa pamatok ng pagkaalipin. CHRIST HAS SET US FREE. Sin has enslaved us. But, Christ has set us free. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”[John 8:36] Our freedom is a gift. It is offered and is experienced by faith. Thus, we must appropriate it by claiming it. Having been set free doesn't mean that the temptation to go back to slavery has vanished away. It is there. We just don't need to submit to it. Why? We have already the power to say “no” and reject it. The Holy Spirit indwells and seals us that we belong to Christ already. Paul said, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”[Eph 1;13,14] And, that we have been freed from the curse and enslavement of sin. [Rom 8:1] Christ has redeemed us from the law. Thus, there is a transfer of ownership. Paul said, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”[1 Cor 6:19,20] Christ owns us now. So, let us stand firm that we belong to Christ by living in and for Christ. As Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”[Gal 2:20] Thus Paul has referred himself as a ‘slave' of Christ. [see Rom 1:1] Christ has set us free to live for Him and His glory. ----------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Galatians 4:28-31 ESV 28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. ----- 28 At kayo, mga kapatid, tulad ni Isaac, ay mga anak ng pangako. 29 Subalit kung paanong inusig noon ng ipinanganak ayon sa laman ang ipinanganak ayon sa Espiritu, gayundin naman ngayon. 30 Subalit ano ang sinasabi ng kasulatan? “Palayasin ang aliping babae at ang kanyang anak, sapagkat hindi magmamana ang anak ng babaing alipin na kasama ng anak ng babaing malaya.” 31 Kaya, mga kapatid, hindi tayo mga anak ng babaing alipin, kundi ng babaing malaya. CHILDREN OF PROMISE. True believers at Galatia are children of promise like Isaac. But, they're not devoid of a conflict. Thus Paul, had brought the tension of Abraham's home. In Gen 21:9-10, “But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” Thus, Abraham drove away Hagar and Ishmael. Hence, Isaac grew without Ishmael to share as heir of Abraham. Similarly, believers must stand to their status – free children. Thus Paul had enjoined us to live as free. He said, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”[Rom 6:6-11] Thus today, we must live up to our label as children of promise. We are free to live a righteous life. This can be done by considering ourselves as dead to sin but alive to God. In Rom 12:1-2, Paul said this in another way, that is, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The freedom of the children of promise is that they have the power to live the righteous life. ----------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Galatians 4:19-20 ESV 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. ----- 19 Minamahal kong mga anak, na para sa inyo ay muli akong nakakaranas ng hirap ng panganganak hanggang si Cristo ay mabuo sa inyo. 20 Nais kong makaharap kayo ngayon at baguhin ang aking tono, sapagkat ako'y nag-aalinlangan tungkol sa inyo. CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU. Paul can be hard to the Galatians because he loved them dearly. He endeared them as his ‘little children' It is the mother who loves his children could earn the right to reprove and correct them. In fact, Paul likened himself to a laboring mother, full of anguish within. He was deeply pained for their departure from a life of blessedness. What has caused Paul to have such deep concern for them? Paul had one goal. That is, the gospel of the grace of God. He resolved, saying, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”[Acts 20:24] Again, he expressed this to the Colossians, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”[Col 1:28,29] Nothing satisfies Paul aside from seeing the believers maturing in Christ. Are you and I have the same concern with Paul in our lives and ministry? We could be like the Galatians if we're not discerning. Thus Paul has warned, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” [2 Cor 11:3] The father of lies could disguise as an angel of light. [2 Cor 11:14]. A little leaven that he sows could affect the whole lump. Therefore, let us not be ignorant to his devices. [2 Cor 2:11] ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Galatians 2:17-19 ESV 17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. ----- 17 Ngunit kung sa ating pagsisikap na ariing-ganap kay Cristo, tayo mismo ay natagpuang mga makasalanan, si Cristo ba ay lingkod ng kasalanan? Huwag nawang mangyari! 18 Kung ang mga bagay na aking sinira ay aking muling itayo, pinatutunayan ko sa aking sarili na ako'y suwail. 19 Sapagkat ako sa pamamagitan ng kautusan ay namatay sa kautusan, upang ako'y mabuhay sa Diyos. IS CHRIST THEN A SERVANT OF SIN? Paul answers the critics of the gospel of Jesus: If God declares people righteous for free by faith in Christ, won't everyone just go on sinning? What motivation would anyone have to do what is right? Paul's accusers likely pointed to exactly what happened with Peter. When someone feels they are justified by faith in Christ, they could eat with Gentiles with unclean food! From the Judaizers' perspective, this was the definition of a sinful lifestyle. Does the idea of justification by faith in Christ have turned Jesus into a servant of our sin? Paul answers harshly: Certainly not! May it never be! Absolutely not! Does Christ promote sin? Is God's forgiveness a license to continue sinning? This mindset is a big blunder. Thus Paul in rhetoric, asks, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”[6:1-2,15] See also Galatians 3:21. Furthermore, Paul argues how ridiculous it is to build a new law than by living freely in God's grace. He says that if he rebuilds the law after tearing it down, he even makes himself to be an even greater sinner. It's the law that reveals and promotes our sinfulness. And definitely, it's not the free grace of God through faith in Christ. Instead, His grace will promote holy living. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” [Titus 2:11-12] God's grace gives us freedom from the enslavement of sin and power to obey His will. ------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Paul continues to reveal some autobiographical material not found anywhere else in Scripture. In Galatians 1, Paul described his first trip to Jerusalem three years following his Damascus Road experience. In Galatians 2 he describes a second journey to Jerusalem, this time 14 years later. The use of the word ἔπειτα ‘then' probably indicates the timing to follow after the initial three years. Thus Paul had spent 17 years in ministry since his calling in Damascus, studying in Arabia, ministering in Damascus, moving to his childhood home in Tarsus and finally being called to serve the Jewish-Gentile community of Antioch by Barnabas. Led by Aaron Eime. Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/ ‎ Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/

Resources Used: Megan: Hey guys this is Megan Rawlings and Emily: Emily Richardson Megan: and you are listening to the Talk Bible to Me podcast presented by The Bold Movement.Hey sweet friends! Welcome to season 3 episode 4 of the Talk Bible to Me podcast. Where we will be working through Philippians 1:19-30.Emily: Ladies, we are so excited you are here. Go ahead and grab your Bible if you can because we want to study this passage with you verse-by-verse. We have a goal here at The Bold Movement to increase Biblical literacy. What better time to start than now? Megan: If this is your first time listening to our podcast, welcome! We are really glad you found us. For our returners, THANK YOU SO MUCH for keeping up with us and tuning in. Emily: We love being a place for you to grow and learn and we hope that through this study you gain some extra boldness and confidence to start teaching your own Bible study. Megan: Before we begin, I want to let you know that this podcast is an extension of The Bold Movement which is a ministry that trains women to boldly step into their role in the kingdom of God. There are tons of free resources on the website as well as Bible studies that not only teach you Scripture but also how to study it, and podcasts episodes just like this one. Emily: This is all designed to help you grow in your faith and find your role and purpose in the kingdom of God. You can visit our website at www.theboldmovement.com. Today's episode is presented by listeners like you who have committed to supporting The Bold Movement through our Patreon page. Those supporters are mentioned later on and you can be too, just visit www.patreon.com/theboldmovement. Megan: Okay sis, here's how we work. We will read a verse or two of Scripture and then we will pause to work through it and discuss what it means. I will name the resources we are using as well as post them on our website so you can familiarize yourself with them as well. With that being said -- let's study Philippians chapter 1 verses 19 through 30.Emily: Today, we are going to be reading from the English Standard Version, often referred to as the ESV. Let's start with verse 19.19 for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. Hey -- remember that one time we stopped a podcast in the middle of a sentence and then started the next episode in the middle of that same sentence? (haha oops)Verse 18: But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this, I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 19 and 20 … for I know that through your prayers: “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore (which is how) pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.””Their prayers are part of the process.“In this context “deliverance” does not mean release from imprisonment, but something more important: his ultimate vindication, whether in life or in death. This will come about through their prayers. That is, owing not least to their prayers and the consequent “help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ,” Paul will be so faithful that he will be entirely vindicated before God in the end. That Paul wants above all else to be found faithful is made clear by verse 20: “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”” - D.A. Carson EMILY: So in a sense Paul's deliverance that he's talking about is a spiritual deliverance. He is saying regardless of the outcome of his time in prison, he has every reason to eagerly expect and hope for spiritual victory. Because he wasn't relying on his own courage but on the courage the Holy Spirit gifted him.“Thus Paul's driving concern is not that he should be released from jail or that, if he must die, he should have a relatively painless departure, but that he should do nothing of which he would some day be ashamed. He wants courage, so that Christ may be exalted in his body, “whether by life or by death” (1:20). He wants to hear Christ's blessed “Well done!” on the last day. And he openly solicits the prayers of God's people in Philippi that he might be strengthened toward that end.” - Carson“What is Paul expecting and hoping? That, in the final hour, he will not fail in his testimony. Paul does not want to “be ashamed,” to experience the public humiliation that would come with a denial of his faith. When we today hear the term “shame,” we think of someone who feels bad for a wrong they did. But in Paul's day, to be ashamed was to be publicly humiliated. Thus when Hebrews declares that Jesus Christ ignored the shame of the cross (12:1–2), or when Paul announces that he is not ashamed of the gospel (Rom 1:16), the message is that the social stigma of the cross should not deter believers in their public testimony, any more than it deterred Christ from dying on a cross. Note Paul's own imitation of Christ's meekness in accepting public humiliation for the sake of the gospel.” - Lynn Cohick21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. These are Paul's values.Honestly, when I first started studying Philippians (a couple years ago) I had to ask my husband what this meant because I was taking it so literally instead of putting it in context.“In the context, “to live is Christ” surely means that for Paul to keep on living here means ministry, Christ-centered ministry, Christ-empowered ministry, Christ's presence in his ministry. To die is to bring that ministry to an end. But even so there is only gain, since the ministry is not an end in itself, and it is now swallowed up in the glorious delight of the unshielded presence of the exalted Jesus himself.” -CarsonEMILY: his courage to live or die for Christ came because Christ had become the motive of everything he did, and the source of all of his strength. To die after such a life would only mean gain because death was his ticket to be in the presence of Christ , and also, dying before Rome would bear witness to the power of the gospel. What man would die for something he didn't fully believe in? 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Sorry Emily, I am on a Carson kick lol“What can you possibly do with Christians like that? Kill them?! You simply cannot hush them up; Christ means too much to them, the gospel is too central for them. As for Paul, it is not in his power to choose between service here and departing to be with Christ, between living and dying, between being released from prison for more gospel ministry and paying the ultimate price—thus being released into the presence of the exalted Christ. Yet suppose he could choose. What would he do? “I do not know!” (1:22b), he frankly admits. That is, he has no word from the Lord as to what is going to happen and therefore what he ought to choose under such hypothetical circumstances. “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” (1:23–24). By “remain in the body” he means being acquitted before the imperial court and released from prison, for then he would be free to continue his apostolic ministry to the benefit of the Philippians and others.” - CarsonEMILY: I think verse 24 is a prime example of the importance and the urgency of the Gospel. Because when Paul is saying it's better for him to stay alive for the sake of his brothers and sisters, rather than move on to that eternal rest and joy in the presence of the Lord, for something to be temporarily better than that must be pretty important. Sharing the Gospel, and also encouraging other believers. This verse shows us how vital it is that we are doing these things.“There is, however, no interest in Paul's state of health as such! Everything is subordinate to the preaching of the gospel. Paul's ultimate vindication from God is assured, and he is confident that just as always in the past so, too, now Christ will be glorified in his body. In v. 20 the issues of life and death are clearly subordinated to Christ's being glorified in Paul. But within the paragraph of vv. 21–26 death and life are examined as alternatives in the light of their benefit for Paul and his readers. The perspective has changed somewhat.” - O'Brien25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.“Throughout this passage, Paul uses “I” extensively, which speaks to his intimate relationship with the Philippians. However, he also speaks as a representative believer, for every Christian can say that death is gain, for our hope of salvation is sure. Paul uses the representative “I” in 1 Corinthians 13:1–13, as he similarly includes all believers: “If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”” - Cohick“...Thus 1:25–26 turns to look ahead in the letter. Yet these verses also serve to complete Paul's argument that began in 1:12, where he spoke of the “advance” or progress of the gospel, and here he speaks of the Philippians' “progress,” repeating the same verb. In 1:12 the advancement is both the gospel being made known to many and the emboldening of believers in testifying to that message. The same meaning can be understood in 1:25, that the Philippians will boldly preach the gospel and live a life that matches the message they proclaim.” - Cohick Life Worthy of the Gospel27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. Striving together = συναθλοῦντες which is like fighting together, vigorously cooperating with each other, or competing together with others. This is also a military-type term.Last week we talked about εὐαγγέλιον and προκοπὴν also being military-esqu. Remember, Philippi is a town full of the retired Roman military! Paul wanted to make sure that this letter spoke to his audience!“Paul offers a second way the Philippians can think about standing firm, that is, to not fear their opponents. The verb “to fear” can be used to describe a herd of stampeding horses, wild and out of control in their panic. While horses are created with the “flight, not fight” instinct, Paul indicates that believers need not run blindly or anxiously from those who harbor ill will toward them.Why should the Philippians bravely stand firm? Because God has accomplished their salvation. The term “salvation” in Paul generally means one's eternal life with God, but it also carries a more mundane meaning in Greek: deliverance from trouble. Paul has both meanings in view, as he is convinced that the Philippians' steadfast declaration of the gospel will prevail against any forces of evil. In this Paul reveals a mystery of the faith, namely, that a believer's steadfastness in the face of opposition has spiritual ramifications greater than the immediate situation. For example, in the beginning of Job, God and the Adversary discuss Job's potential reaction to suffering. What Job does not realize is that his subsequent faithfulness in the face of dreadful circumstances has ramifications in the spiritual realm; Job helps defeat the Adversary's plan and advance the larger cause of righteousness through his own obedience. In a similar manner, Paul shows the Philippians that their lack of fear in the face of suffering carries with it greater spiritual ramifications than their personal maturity in the faith. It also signals the ultimate overthrow of evil and the victory of God in Christ. The guilt of the oppressors is displayed in their persecution of the righteous, and their ultimate destruction comforts those afflicted now. Paul reminds the Philippians that God's victory in Christ is sure. He is not arguing that believers chase down suffering and oppression as though to prove their faith, only that they stand fast when waves of suffering and struggle threaten to knock them over.” - CohickEMILY: Yes, and I think a key thing here in Paul telling them not to be frightened is that he tells them they need to be standing firm in ONE spirit, with ONE mind, striving side by side. He's showing them the need for unity when moving the Gospel forward. If we are going to be victorious in standing strong in our faith and not waver on truth, we have to be in community with one another, studying together and encouraging each other in the Gospel we know is true. It's why Jesus says in John 13:35 that people will know his disciples by their love for one another. When God's people stand together, those who are against God will see that. But when we don't stand firm together, we are more vulnerable to the enemy's schemes, and that includes being intimidated by culture and being afraid of what people will think or do to us because of our faith. And when the church stands firm, we are a picture of the victory of Christ. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.“Paul writes here that God gave to the Philippians two things: belief in Christ and suffering for Christ. Both of these infinitives are in the present tense, indicating a current and continuing situation. Looking at the first phrase, “to believe in him [Christ],” Paul uses this phrase when speaking to the Galatians: “we have come to believe in Christ Jesus” (2:16; see also Rom 10:10, 14). In Galatians, Paul stresses the distinction between works of the law and belief in Christ in terms of justification. In Philippians, Paul emphasizes the present and ongoing action of believing in Christ, parallel with the current and ongoing suffering experienced by the Philippians. This is the only place in Philippians where Paul uses the verb “to believe,” but its cognate noun “faith, belief” is used several times (e.g., 1:25, 27). In 1:27, “the faith of the gospel” is a unique phrase in Paul and likely carries both the sense of faith as the content of the gospel message and the act of faith that the gospel message generates in believers. Lest we imagine that faith in Christ is merely intellectual acceptance of cold facts, Paul conjoins faith and suffering in his picture of the Christian life. For Paul, suffering only makes sense and is bearable because of the immeasurably rich faith—our belief in the sure, faithful work of Christ—that is the gift God gives to every believer. Paul reassures the Philippians that suffering is redemptive inasmuch as it testifies to Christ's work on the cross. Suffering is an expected aspect of the end of the current age dominated by sin and oppression. But suffering does not have the final word; God will gain the victory, as evidenced already in Christ's resurrection, which is the gospel that the Philippians confess.” - CohickEMILY: The privileges enjoyed by Christians include the ability not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for him. If we're questioning if it's okay to see suffering as a privilege and a gracious gift, we must remember that the NT rewards suffering as God's means of achieving his gracious purposes both in his own SON (HEB 2:10 where it talks about bringing sons and daughters to glory through Christ's suffering) and in all believers JAMES 1:3-4 (testing of faith produces perseverance) 1 PETER 1:6-7 (rejoice in trials because they prove the genuineness of your faith). While in our human minds suffering sounds awful, you would never call that a privilege, but here Paul is saying that suffering brings you closer to unity with Christ, and also to unity with your Christian brothers and sisters that are being persecuted. Which is the whole goal, right? To be united with Christ and that his bride would be united as well.“Sin is not a living thing, of course, so one cannot suppose that sin literally has a perspective. But the category is useful, even if metaphorical, because it helps us see what the cross achieved with respect to sin. The answer to that question is highly diverse in the Bible, because sin can be thought of in so many ways. Sin can be thought of as a debt: I owe something I cannot pay. In that case the cross is seen as the means by which the debt is paid. One sometimes reads on Christmas cards the two-line poem, He came to pay a debt he did not owe, Because we owed a debt we could not pay. That is exactly right. That is what the cross achieved. Sin can also be thought of as a stain. In that case the dirt is removed by the death of Christ. Or sin is offense before God. In that case we insist that the cross expiates our sin, it cancels it and thus removes it. But regardless of what imagery is used to depict the foulness and odiousness of sin, the cross is the solution, the sole solution.” - CarsonEndingMegan: The Bold Movement is a ministry that helps Christian women gain confidence in their Biblical literacy, faith, and evangelism through customizable content strategically created to work with our community support to enhance and expand the kingdom of God. Emily: We'll be back next week and we hope you join us. This is a quick reminder that you can partner with us through our patreon at patreon.com/theboldmovement. Okay ladies until next time, go out and be bold.

1 Kings 15:16-24 ESV 16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah. 23 Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place. FORTIFY YOUR BORDERS. Asa's reign was comparable to Solomon's early years of reign. But, unlike Solomon's reign where there was peace, ‘there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.' Baasha put pressure to Asa by fortifying Ramah. He was so displeased about the number of his people relocating to Judah, so he built this fortified city “Ramah”, about five miles north of Jerusalem. A fortified city was used to help protect a border. It usually included a large, thick wall and several towers. As this would effectively block all traffic into Jerusalem from the north, Asa had to find a way to stop the project. He sent a substantial gift, a bribe, to Benhadad of Aram to side with him against Baasha. It worked for him as Solomon had said, “A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.”[Prov 17:8] And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah.[v.21] As Baasha withdrew, Asa had mobilized Judah to come into Ramah. They carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber. He then built Geba and Mizpah as fortresses to ward off another attack from Judah's adversaries. It appeared that Baasha had left in such a hurry so that the building materials were left behind. We are in an ongoing tension too. Let's fortify our spiritual borders too. Thus Paul had admonished, “ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”[Gal 5:16-17] Let us therefore “ put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”[Rom 13:14] ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Today's Reading: Isaiah 12:1-6 Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24; Luke 12:1-12 You will say in that day; I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry at me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid. (Isaiah 12:1-2a) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The opposite of faith is not merely unbelief, but fear. How can we trust someone if we fear him? Fear gives every occasion for doubt and where there is doubt faith is always undermined. When we convince ourselves that God is angry at us we fear Him instead of trusting Him. Instead, we wonder when He is going to pull the rug out from under us. There are two "fears" in Scripture: servile, which anticipates punishment, and filial, which expresses a love so strong that the Christian lives in honor and reverence toward God.Here we are of course speaking of the former, and not the latter. God wants us to live in the holy fear of faith that holds to Christ and bows down to worship Him. Isaiah the prophet received God's revelation and truth: "For though you [God] were angry at me, your anger turned away." Soak that in. Yes, God was angry. That's right, "was," and as you know "was" is past tense. God is no longer angry at you. Think about it: There is only one reason God could be angry at you. That would be on account of your sin. But in the greatest love and mercy the world has ever known, the heavenly Father placed all your sin, all the reasons He could be angry at you, on His Son, Jesus Christ our LORD. Thus Paul writes in Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written – 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'" God only pours out anger, wrath, and punishment on cursed people, people guilty of sin and worthy of death, the death that sin brings. But Jesus took your sin; He became your curse. He died in your place under God's righteous anger and judgment against sinners. Jesus stood in for all the sinners, including you. Jesus took God's anger for you. As a result, God's anger is gone from you, and that is why you are now free to say with Isaiah, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid!" In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. LORD Jesus, by Your Spirit, You give us faith to cast out all fear of confessing the true faith; for we are helpless to save ourselves, and we must trust in You and You alone for our salvation. Keep us faithful to the end, that You will not be ashamed of us when You come in Your glory with Your Father and the holy angels; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

One of the intriguing features of 1 Timothy 6:3–19 is the way Paul’s argument cuts back and forth. There are four blocks. In the first (1 Tim. 6:3–5), Paul warns against those who teach false doctrines and describes the character of the false teachers with whom he is dealing. One of their motives is “financial gain” (1 Tim. 6:5): they are less interested in the gospel and in genuine godliness than in sporting an assumed “godliness” to rake in a good living. That introduces the second block (1 Tim. 6:6–10), which warns against the love of money. It is “a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). The proper Christian attitude should be committed contentment, for “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6); moreover, at the end of our lives we take out exactly what we brought in (1 Tim. 6:7). Focusing on the transient things of this life serves only to plunge people into “ruin and destruction” (1 Tim. 6:9). By contrast, Paul tells Timothy what sort of man he should be: that is the third block (1 Tim. 6:11–16). The apostle then moves to the fourth block (1 Tim. 6:17–19) and tells Timothy to command those who are rich how to conduct themselves. They are to repudiate arrogance, to put no confidence in wealth “which is so uncertain” (1 Tim. 6:17), but to put their confidence in God, “who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17). They must use their wealth to do good, to be generous, to share. In this way they will really be laying up treasure for themselves in heaven (1 Tim. 6:19), as the Lord Jesus taught us (Matt. 6:20). Thus Paul insists not on asceticism but on committed generosity as the best Christian response to greed.So the four blocks deal with, respectively, false teachers and their conduct, the dangers of wealth, a true teacher and his conduct, and the dangers of wealth again. Thus the section that tells Timothy what kind of man he should be (1 Tim. 6:11–16) must be seen, in part, as an antidote to both false teaching and greed.What is striking about this paragraph is what Paul places over against false doctrine and love of materialism. Paul tells Timothy, in effect, that a focus on eternal things will drive a far healthier Christian ambition. If Timothy is to flee from “all this” (1 Tim. 6:11)—from the crass materialism Paul has just condemned—he must set himself to pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Tim. 6:11). While he maintains his “good confession”—as Christ maintained his—(1 Tim. 6:12–13), he is to take hold of “eternal life” and persevere until “the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 6:12, 14)—living and serving in the glory of God’s unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:14, 16). This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

The New Verb in verse 22. The action and the people involved in the incomplete sentence of verse 22 – “wives … to your husbands” must be filled in with the paired actions of the Spirit-filled believers in Ephesians 5:19a and 21. Thus Paul's meaning in verse 22 is Wives and husbands be submitting to the teaching and correction you are receiving from one another in Christ-ing verbs can be read as having an exclamation point after each of them so I can read verse 22 this way too: “Wives and husbands submit to the teaching and correction you are giving to one another in Christ.”Verses 22 to 24 are formed by Paul not in a 1, 2, 3 linear pattern of ideas but as a mirror parallel or chiastic pattern. It follows an A B B' A' pattern. That means that the two parts in the middle in verse 23 are linked together, and that verses 22 and 24 are linked and mirror one another. Since verse 24 is a mirror of verse 22 we can look at it to find out about the last couple of words in verse 22. “to the Lord.” Why does Paul add these words?In verse 24 Paul writes in Greek “as the church submits to Christ even so wives to their husbands in everything.” Because we know what it means for Christians to submit to Christ in everything we know the limits and the extent of what it means for Christian wives to be mutually submitting themselves to their husbands as they and their husbands are teaching and correcting one another in their Christian walk. These verses are not about how a household is to be organized, hierarchically or not. This is how two believers who are joined together in marriage are the ultimate example of how Christians can be mutually building up one another in their Christian walk. So verse 22 means: Christian couples be submitting yourselves to the speaking, the teaching and correction, you are getting from one another as to your life in Christ.GO DEEPER!

2 Samuel 12:7b-15 esv Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house. “I HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD.” In Nathan's confrontation, Nathan did remind David a litany of abundant blessings he received from God. Nathan said, “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.” What had caused him to forget all these? Perhaps, he was too familiar to God's blessing to feel contempt. There was an abuse to God's goodness undoubtedly. His hardening had made him out of touch to this reality. Thus Paul had asked us today, “do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? [Rom 2:4] The confrontation Nathan did was hard but needed, that is, “Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.” David's conscience was hardened so that it must be awakened like pouring a pail water to a person, who is sound asleep. Living a pretentious life for almost two years was too long enough to make him a chronic liar. Thankfully, David had acknowledged to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” No blameshifting. Neither euphemizing nor whitewashing. Just plain confession. Period. True confession results to cleansing. Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.As John explained, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:9] David came out clean through God's forgiveness. But, the consequence of his sins would haunt him through out his life. Nathan said, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” God may restore us in fellowship with Him because he forgives. But, the consequences of our sins may stay.

Talk 8: Dealing with Immorality (5:1-13) Chapters 1-4 have dealt with divisions in the church. Now in Chapters 5-6 Paul turns to the serious matter of immorality. The two chapters may be divided into four main sections:           Sexual immorality must be put out of the church (5:1-13)           Christians have a responsibility to judge (6:1-8)           Sexual immorality is not compatible with the Kingdom of God (6:9-12)           Six reasons why a Christian should avoid sexual immorality (6:13-20). In this talk we shall deal only with chapter 5. 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."   Sexual Immorality must be put out of the Church Today I think the best way to deal with this passage is to work through it verse by verse 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. actually The Greek holos could also mean everywhere           sexual immorality porneia strictly means prostitution, but in the NT it means any form of sex outside marriage.           does not occur There is no verb in the Greek here. Thus Paul need not be taken to imply that such things did not happen among the pagans.  They clearly did! He probably means that the Gentiles condemned these things too. Cf. ESV …is not tolerated           a man has his father’s wife The verb has is a present infinitive in the Greek. This indicates not a singular incident, but marriage or concubinage.  Barrett translates is living with. Note that his father’s wife does not necessarily mean his mother. Paul does not use the word for incest, so the woman was possibly the man’s step-mother. (This was forbidden in Leviticus 18:8). He does not use the word for adultery, so the father was probably dead or divorced   2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? you are proud Perhaps they were proud of their tolerance! (Cf v 6)           filled with grief The word used is that referring to mourning for the dead. The immoral person should have been so excluded from their company that it would have been as though he were as one dead to them 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.           with you in spirit Paul does not just mean that he would be thinking of them! It could be that in some mystical way he was to be present in spirit though absent in body. This is a difficult concept, but compare Ezekiel 8.  Alternatively, spirit in this context could be taken as an aspect of Paul’s personality.  He will make his contribution as the Corinthians reflect on what they remember of his convictions etc. However, I find Fee’s explanation more compelling. The believer in the new age has received the Spirit and has become ‘one spirit with the Lord’ (6:17). Paul also speaks of ‘my spirit’ in ways that seem ambiguous. Compare 14:14-15 where speaking in tongues is described as ‘my spirit’ praying, but is clearly enabled by the Holy Spirit.  Fee argues that we might translate this ‘My S/spirit prays’.  So here in 5:3 he is saying When you and my S/spirit are assembled together..... In short, Paul is able to be present with them because his spirit is united with the omnipresent Spirit of God. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,           the name of....... the power of....... Note the connection between the name and power of the Lord 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature (the flesh) may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.           hand ... over to Satan Compare 1 Timothy 1:20 (Hymenaeus and Alexander). The suggestion seems to be that those who sin seriously can be handed over to the one to whom they have already in a measure given themselves. The sinner is thus confirmed in his sin. A physical affliction is suggested in order to produce spiritual good. Compare Job and Paul, though not because of sin. Compare also Hebrews 12:5-11.  The purpose is corrective and ultimately redemptive.  In effect, the church withdraws its protective fellowship from the offender.  To be put out of the church is in a very real sense to be in the hands of Satan. To be truly in the church is to be out of Satan’s hands. 6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?           your boasting The form of pride may well have been subtle rather than open (cf v2)           yeast If the yeast is not got rid of, it will only spread. Paul’s concern is not only for the offender, but for the purity of the church 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.           without yeast - as you really are For seven days before the Passover the Jews would clean out the house and get rid of the old yeast. So when the Passover Lamb was sacrificed, there was no yeast left. Paul reasons that, since Christ our Passover Lamb has already been sacrificed then the Corinthians must already be without yeast. (Yeast here is a symbol for sin). In effect he is saying, You are without yeast, so be without yeast!   This is often the exhortation of Paul. The fundamental structure of Paul’s ethical thought is that an imperative (a command) is based upon an indicative (a statement of fact).  This underlies his teaching in Romans 6. A Christian’s state does not always conform to his status, but it is only when he understands that he is holy (in God’s sight) that he can obey the command to be holy (cf. 1 Peter 1:16, 2:9). 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.           the Festival In the context this is clearly a reference to the Jewish Passover which for Christians is superseded by the Lord’s Supper or communion.     In verses 9-13 Paul clears up a misunderstanding arising from his previous letter. He had told them not to keep company with the sexually immoral. Now he clarifies the matter. Christians must mix with non-Christians even though they may be immoral, otherwise it would mean being taken right out of the world altogether!  It is the so-called Christian who is immoral who must be excluded (although of course the repentant sinner would be welcomed back). 9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. v11    Do not even eat This  would include, but not be confined to, the Lord’s Supper 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."            expel The verb is plural, indicating the church’s collective responsibility to judge. And as we shall see in the next chapter, Paul goes on to make it clear that: Christians have a responsibility to judge (6:1-8)           Sexual immorality is not compatible with the Kingdom of God (6:9-12) And he concludes by giving us           Six reasons why a Christian should avoid sexual immorality (6:13-20).  

The apostles understood the cross within a first century Jewish apocalyptic worldview. As seen in 1 Cor. 15:3, the interpretation of the Messiah's death was handed down by the apostles and revolved around Isaiah 53 and the Levitical sacrificial tradition. Thus Paul's gospel centered on Jesus Christ, “who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age” (Gal. 1:4).

(1Cor.7:25-31;   Ps.45:11-12,14-17;   Lk.6:20-26) “The world as we know it is passing away.” And so, “hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, forget your people and your father's house,” for the King is calling you from this passing world to the heavenly marriage feast – “He is your Lord, and you must worship Him.”  This call is for every chosen soul, for who is the Lord's virgin daughter, who is His Bride but the Church?  It is she who is called, even as the Virgin Mother who has preceded her to heaven, and each of our souls must be wed to Him alone.  And we who leave all behind to follow Him “shall be filled” and “shall laugh” on the Day of our marriage, for “the reign of God” will be ours. It is not in this world we take our “consolation” – how sad those who do so.  For the riches of this world will rust and rot, and its laughter shall prove so hollow.  Thus Paul instructs the wise: “Buyers should conduct themselves as though they owned nothing,” for in truth they have nothing at all: of what worth is that which does not last?  Only an illusion are the temporary pleasures and vain accolades of this dying earth.  The trials we find are all that should cause us to “rejoice and exult, for [our] reward shall be great in heaven” if we endure our exile well. To those who consider marriage, Paul gives the instruction: “[You] will have trials in this life, and these I should like to spare you.”  Certainly marriage is not sinful, and is even a fruitful sacrament, but even this which can be such a blessing is but passing in the eyes of God.  And the attachment we find to our spouse, again, though blessed by the Lord, is a union that is also passing – one which must be ultimately left as well.  Since only our marriage to the living God is that which endures, Paul in his wisdom offers this word: “Those with wives should live as though they had none”; for this beauty, too, shall fade, and it is not in it we are called to make our home. Yes, “the time is short,” brothers and sisters.  The time is always short because time itself is passing – only eternity remains.  And so, set not your hearts on the fading things of this life.  The Lord who has died now prepares a place for you in His heavenly kingdom.  And “all glorious is the King's daughter as she enters; her raiment is threaded with spun gold.”  So, to His palace be “borne in with gladness and joy”… join now the song of all His saints in our heavenly homeland. ******* O LORD, let us turn from the things of this world and set our hearts on your kingdom, which passes not away. YHWH, help us to remember that this world is passing away, that we should thus be attached to nothing of this world, and certainly not make our home in it, seeking the riches it offers.  Help us to set our hearts on you and seek you alone, forgetting all that is not of you.  For we wish to enter your kingdom, to sing your praises with all your saints, but how shall we come there if fattened on the fruits of this earth? LORD, your Apostle's counsel is a very wise one – to make use of the things of this world as if we were not using them at all, always with an eye to their temporal nature, that they are indeed passing away.  For if we remember this world is passing, we shall better remember you who are eternal.  You are all that matters. You are all that matters, LORD, and so let us cry out for your presence, hungering for your kingdom.  Let us give up all of this world that we might find you present to us, and make our home in your palace forever.

(1Cor.7:25-31;   Ps.45:11-12,14-17;   Lk.6:20-26) “The world as we know it is passing away.” And so, “hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, forget your people and your father's house,” for the King is calling you from this passing world to the heavenly marriage feast – “He is your Lord, and you must worship Him.”  This call is for every chosen soul, for who is the Lord's virgin daughter, who is His Bride but the Church?  It is she who is called, even as the Virgin Mother who has preceded her to heaven, and each of our souls must be wed to Him alone.  And we who leave all behind to follow Him “shall be filled” and “shall laugh” on the Day of our marriage, for “the reign of God” will be ours. It is not in this world we take our “consolation” – how sad those who do so.  For the riches of this world will rust and rot, and its laughter shall prove so hollow.  Thus Paul instructs the wise: “Buyers should conduct themselves as though they owned nothing,” for in truth they have nothing at all: of what worth is that which does not last?  Only an illusion are the temporary pleasures and vain accolades of this dying earth.  The trials we find are all that should cause us to “rejoice and exult, for [our] reward shall be great in heaven” if we endure our exile well. To those who consider marriage, Paul gives the instruction: “[You] will have trials in this life, and these I should like to spare you.”  Certainly marriage is not sinful, and is even a fruitful sacrament, but even this which can be such a blessing is but passing in the eyes of God.  And the attachment we find to our spouse, again, though blessed by the Lord, is a union that is also passing – one which must be ultimately left as well.  Since only our marriage to the living God is that which endures, Paul in his wisdom offers this word: “Those with wives should live as though they had none”; for this beauty, too, shall fade, and it is not in it we are called to make our home. Yes, “the time is short,” brothers and sisters.  The time is always short because time itself is passing – only eternity remains.  And so, set not your hearts on the fading things of this life.  The Lord who has died now prepares a place for you in His heavenly kingdom.  And “all glorious is the King's daughter as she enters; her raiment is threaded with spun gold.”  So, to His palace be “borne in with gladness and joy”… join now the song of all His saints in our heavenly homeland. ******* O LORD, let us turn from the things of this world and set our hearts on your kingdom, which passes not away. YHWH, help us to remember that this world is passing away, that we should thus be attached to nothing of this world, and certainly not make our home in it, seeking the riches it offers.  Help us to set our hearts on you and seek you alone, forgetting all that is not of you.  For we wish to enter your kingdom, to sing your praises with all your saints, but how shall we come there if fattened on the fruits of this earth? LORD, your Apostle's counsel is a very wise one – to make use of the things of this world as if we were not using them at all, always with an eye to their temporal nature, that they are indeed passing away.  For if we remember this world is passing, we shall better remember you who are eternal.  You are all that matters. You are all that matters, LORD, and so let us cry out for your presence, hungering for your kingdom.  Let us give up all of this world that we might find you present to us, and make our home in your palace forever.

Hebrews 13:4 ESV Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. HOLD MARRIAGE AS HONORABLE. Once the smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist, the atom, is split, a nuclear fission is inevitable and becomes a threat to mankind. As a note, the word "atom" literally means "indivisible. Similarly, when man destroyed the basic institution of society, which is marriage, social problems had gone from bad to worse. Our present confusing issues of LGBTQS is a product of prolong neglect to the sanctity of marriage. Let's not forget that God had immortalized on that stone these inscriptions, “You shall not commit adultery” and “you shall not covet your neighbor's wife” [Ex 20:14,17a]. God, in His foreknowledge, knows that man will fall and consequently desecrate the marriage relationship. Why did God judge the world with a universal deluge during the time of Noah? Gen 6:4-5 says, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Did not Jesus say,” For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark” [Matt 24:38,39] Why did God also rained fire at Sodom and Gomorrah? [see Gen 19] There is no escaping. God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. For this, Paul has painted a sad scenario, by saying, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” [Rom 1:28-32] Man's disregard in honoring the sacredness of marriage is as shooting his own foot. God's command to honor marriage is for our protection as the corral to the wild stallions. Thus Paul had said, “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 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 7:2-5] Today, therefore, let's uphold the sanctity of our marriages. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.”[1 Thess 4:3-5] The main purpose of marriage is to reflect the glory of Christ. [Eph 5:31-32] Visit our website and FOLLOW Gospel Light Christian Church Filipino on YouTube and Facebook.

Hebrews 12:25-29 ESV 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE. God has spoken at Mt. Sinai. They suffered the consequences for their rebellion, how much more when they will ‘we reject him who warns from heaven'. That is, Him who can shake not only earth but heaven once more. In other words, we should not be ignorant of the consequences of rejecting Christ. We can't be secured by trusting the things that are removed, that is the law. Christ removed it by fulfilling it. [Rom 10:4] hus, the unshaken remains – His kingdom. And, we receive His kingdom, which means, it's a gift to us to be part of His kingdom. How could a sinner like us be admitted into His kingdom if not for His unmerited approval or grace. C. Spurgeon had written, “Glory be to God, our kingdom cannot be moved! Not even dynamite can touch our dominion: no power in the world, and no power in hell, can shake the kingdom which the Lord has given to his saints. With Jesus as our monarch we fear no revolution and no anarchy: for the Lord hath established this kingdom upon a rock, and it cannot be moved or removed.” As we had received His grace, we should offer unto God our acceptable worship, should we not? Grace prompts reverence and godliness. Otherwise, a professing believer who abuses and thinks God's grace as His license to sin more may not have really received the grace of God. Thus Paul had asked, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? [Rom 6:1,2] He added, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” [Titus 2:11-12] The God who sin full of compassion is a consuming fire, too. He recognized our helplessness towards His judgment. Thus, He sent His Son as our substitute. And as the fire consumed the burnt offering, so He poured His wrath upon Jesus at the cross. ‘The penalty of sin is consumed in Jesus at the cross' [D. Guzik] ------------------------- Visit our website and FOLLOW Gospel Light Christian Church Filipino on YouTube and Facebook.

Today's Bible Readings:Leviticus 2-3; John 21; Proverbs 18; Colossians 1After the remarkable exchange that reinstates Peter, Jesus quietly tells him that this discipleship will someday cost him his life: “When you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). If the prediction itself has some ambiguity, by the time John records it here all ambiguities had disappeared: “Jesus said that to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God” (21:19). Tradition has it, probably rightly, that Peter was martyred in Rome, about the same time that Paul was executed, both under the Emperor Nero, in the first half of the 60’s.Peter observes “the disciple whom Jesus loved” — none other than John the evangelist — following them as he and Jesus stroll along the beach (20:20). The designation “the disciple whom Jesus loved” should not be taken to mean that Jesus played a nasty game of arbitrary favorites. Small indications suggest that many people who followed Jesus felt specially loved by him. Thus when Lazarus lay seriously ill, his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent a message to Jesus saying, “Lord, the one you love is sick” (11:3). Even after the resurrection and ascension, Jesus’ followers have delighted in his love, his personal love for them. Thus Paul needs only to mention Jesus and the cross, and he may burst into spontaneous praise with an additional subordinate clause: “who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).In this case, however, there is still something of the old Peter left. Doubtless he was glad to be reinstated, to be charged with feeding Jesus’ lambs and sheep (John 21:15-17). On the other hand, the prospect of an ignominious death was less appealing. So when Peter sees John, he asks, “Lord, what about him?” (21:21).We are in no position to criticize Peter. Most of us are constantly comparing service records. Green is a not uncommon color among ministers of the Gospel. Someone else has it a little easier, so we can explain away his or her superior fruitfulness. Their kids turn out better, their church is a little more prosperous, their evangelism more effective. Alternatively, we achieve a certain amount of “success” and find ourselves looking over our shoulders at those coming behind, making snide remarks about those who will soon displace us. But after all, they’ve had more advantages than we, haven’t they?It is all so pathetic, so self-focused, so sinful. Jesus tells Peter, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me” (21:22). The diversity of gifts and graces is enormous; the only Master we must please is Jesus.This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Disciple Up # 118 Can a Disciple Use Cannabis or is that One Toke Over the Line? By Louie Marsh, 7-24-2019   Introduction:   Why I'm talking about this, why it's important beyond just the use of cannabis or any other drug. This whole discussion strikes to the heart of the Christian faith and of what is authoritative, Scripture or experience and culture.   Links:   News Article - https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/porn-pot-christian-cannabis-marijuana-pastor   https://christiancannabis.com/   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6KJc5E1hEP5-cV3f3bTAJg   https://www.xxxchurch.com/   https://fultonsheen.com/   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strychnine   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydrocannabinol   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary   Introduction to Craig Gross.   He's not the first one to advocate on the behalf of pot or cannabis being something Christians should use. He is the latest and he's got a track record of doing some good work in his former ministry XXXchurch.   Read from article.   The sound clips you are about to hear are taken from one of the videos he has on his Youtube page, links in the show notes. They are edited but I've tried hard not to take things out of context. Hopefully I won't be sued for sharing these, if there's a problem I will take this down and replace it with an episode without his sound bites.   Introduction clip   His explanation and defense of using cannabis;   You don't need that your not a doctor clip   I've done a lot of work - clip   If you want to have a conversation you can't define people out of it just because they haven't used cannabis. I'm in the conversation and haven't and won't. So there's that.   The Spiritual side of things   Not replacing God with cannabis clip   I've never been closer to God since I starting smoking cannabis clip   Read from article about spiritual experience.   How Do We Approach This? From a Biblical Perspective   The Bible does not mention cannabis but has a lot to say about this topic.   The Bible and Getting drunk or high   Getting drunk or high is essentially the same thing. It is allowing a substance you put into your body to take partial or full control or you, alter your senses and perceptions and to do and say things that you would not do otherwise. Thus you are not in control of yourself, you and under the control of a substance.   1  Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. Proverbs 20:1 (ESV)   20  Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, 21  for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags. Proverbs 23:20-21 (ESV)   29  Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30  Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. 31  Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. 32  In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. 33  Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. Proverbs 23:29-33 (ESV)   18  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, Ephesians 5:18 (ESV)   Becoming intoxicated is a sin because it removes you from controlling yourself and from the Spirit's control as well, and puts you at the mercy of something else. Thus Paul's contrast between being drunk and being filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit.   Using anything as a substitute for the Spirit is bad and should never be done by a Disciple of Jesus.   But God created it!   "Plants were created on the third day, and humans were created on the sixth," he said in part. "The provision was created before the need. God created the earth (and the plants) FOR us, BEFORE us."   As Fulton Sheen said about strychnine, “I don't have to take strychnine to know it will kill me.” By the way according to Wikipedia, the most common source is from the seeds of the Strychnos nux-vomica tree. Not every plant is edible yet every plant is from God.   Using Cannabis to Connect Closer to God is Sorcery.   20  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, Galatians 5:20 (ESV)   Greek word for sorcery – pharmakeia. Refers to the wide spread practice of shamans and priests using local substances to put them into an altered state of consciousness in order to contact the Spirit World. Native American tribes here in the Southwest often used Peyote (from a small spineless cactus) to do this. This is done all over the world.   Timothy Leary – Promoted LSD as a way to alter your mind, discover the truth, or God or whatever.   When they speak of cannabis bringing them into close contact with God they are in fact demeaning the faith and reducing Christianity to the level of many other religions. One of the distinctives of the Christian faith has always been it's complete and utter rejection of using any mind altering substances. This doesn't change just because you like or enjoy it or found it helpful.   Wrapping Things Up   5  As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5 (ESV)   You can't be sober minded if you're not sober. The word there means self-controlled. You can't be self controlled if you are allowing another substance to control you. Either way you translate it, it effectively bans the use of cannabis or all other mind altering substances.

When the Word of God is perfect and complete and the canon is closed, tongues cease as the normative sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. Love is now the normative sign. We now see the face of Christ in Scripture. Thus Paul validates his thesis regarding the priority of love.

Join us as Pastor Samuel delivers the message entitled, "Acts of the Apostles Part 18: Communion" LORD Jesus sent Paul by Holy Spirit to preach His Gospel to the people of Corinth. Some of the Jews vehemently opposed that Jesus is the Christ and blasphemed the Holy Spirit. Thus Paul was sent to the Gentiles.   For more information visit us on facebook.com/wocmhighsprings or at wocmhighsprings.com   Audio courtesy of bensound.com entitled "Happiness"

3:19 Concerning this verse (3:19) Stern seems, in some ways, to take the popular Christian view as noted above just a step further. While not casting the Torah in a negative light, he nonetheless seems to not fully capture the intended meaning of Paul’s point there in verse 19. Because of his widespread acceptance among many messianic believers, his view is worth critiquing. Moreover, his popularity in the Messianic Community has far-reaching influence in the way the Movement forms their view of the Torah. I believe that as important a contribution as Stern has made to the Messianic Movement (I currently endorse his Bible translation), with regards to his commentary on this particular verse, this “neutral” view—as opposed to the blatant “negative” one that Christianity holds—that the Torah was given to Isra'el to make her ever aware of her transgressions misses the point of Paul’s argument at this point in his letter. Tim Hegg seems to uncover Sha'ul’s true, “positive” intentions with his well-written comment to his Galatians study, quoted at length here: The language of our present verse would indicate that we should read it positively, not negatively. "Why the Torah? It was given (added to the revelation already given in the Abrahamic covenant) to reveal the divine method of dealing with transgressions,” i.e., “for the sake of transgressions.” Already prejudiced against the Torah, the typical Christian exegesis misses the fact that a great deal of the Torah centers upon the Tabernacle/Temple, priesthood, and sacrifices. How were the covenant members to deal with the inevitable presence of sin in their personal and corporate lives? The Torah gives the answer: by repentance and acceptance of God’s gracious gift of forgiveness through the payment of a just penalty exemplified in the sacrifice. It was the Torah that revealed in clear detail the method which God had provided for transgression, and it was this method—the sacrificial system and priesthood that pointed to Messiah, the ultimate sacrifice and means of eternal forgiveness. Thus Paul adds: "until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.” In the Greek, this clause follows second, immediately after "it was added because of transgressions.” The ESV has the order correct: "Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.” The Torah was given in order to reveal God’s gracious manner of dealing with transgressions, i.e., through the death of an innocent substitute. Paul therefore immediately makes this point by adding, "until the seed would come…." Here, as often, the word “until” (a[cri, achri; Hebrew d;a, ’ad) has the primary meaning of "marker of continuous extent of time up to a point, until.” The point is that the revelation of the Torah regarding how God provides redemption in the face of transgressions has its focal point in Yeshua. Once Yeshua had come and offered Himself as God's eternal sacrifice, the ultimate revelation to which the sacrifices pointed had been given. This is Paul's consistent perspective: the Torah leads to Yeshua (cf. Ro 10:4 and the continuing context of Gal 3).