Podcasts about thy holy spirit

Sources:  Andrew of Ceasarea: Commentary on the Apocalypse Bishop Averky, The Epistles and the Apocalypse, Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament (Volume III) Fr. Lawrence R. Farley. The Apocalypse of St. John; A Revelation of Love and Power St. Bede.  Explanation of the Apocalypse; Letter of Bede to Eusebius Fr. Thomas Hopko: AFR podcast - A Walk Through the Apocalypse (three parts) Dr. Jeanie Constantinau: Search the Scriptures Live – Series Fr. Stephen De Young; The Whole Counsel of God; Series on Revolution   Oca.org (Rainbow Series) There was a certain hesitation on the part of the early Church to include the book of Revelation in the canonical scriptures of the New Testament. The reason for this was obviously the great difficulty of interpreting the apocalyptic symbols of the book. Nevertheless, since the document carried the name of the apostle John, and since it was inspired by the Holy Spirit for the instruction and edification of the Church, it came to be the last book listed in the Bible, although it is never read liturgically in the Orthodox Church. [Comment on historical reasons why!] It is indeed difficult to interpret the book of Revelation, especially if one is unfamiliar with the images and symbols of the apocalyptic writings of the Bible, that is the Old Testament, and of the Judeo-Christian Tradition. There exists, however, a traditional approach to the interpretation of the book within the Church which offers insight into its meaning for the faithful. The wrong method of interpreting the book of Revelation is to give some sort of exclusive meaning to its many visions, equating them with specific, concrete historical events and persons, and to fail to understand the symbolical significance of the many images which are used by the author following biblical and traditional sources. First of all, the letters to the seven churches have both a historical and a universal meaning. The messages are clear and remain relevant to situations which have always existed in the Church and which exist today. For example, many older churches in all ages of history can he identified with the Church of Ephesus. Those under persecution can be compared with the Church in Smyrna. And not a few—perhaps some in America right now—can be judged with the Church in Laodicea. The seven letters remain forever as “prototypical” of churches that will exist until Christ's kingdom comes. The visions and prophecies of the main body of the book of Revelation present great difficulties, but mostly to those interpreters who would attempt to apply them to one or another historical event or person. If the general vision and prophecy of the book is seen as revealing the correlation between events “in heaven” and events “on earth,” between God and man, between the powers of goodness and the powers of evil, then, though many difficulties obviously remain, some will also immediately disappear. In the book of Revelation, one comes to understand that the Kingdom of God is always over all and before all. One sees as well that the battle between the righteous and the evil is perpetually being waged. There are always the faithful who belong to the Lamb, being crowned and robed by Him for their victories. There are always the “beasts” and the “dragons” which need to be defeated. The “great harlot” and the “great Babylon” are forever to be destroyed. The “heavenly Jerusalem” is perpetually coming, and one day it will come and the final victory will be complete. One notices as well that there is a universality and finality about the symbols and images of the book of Revelation, a meaning to be applied to them which has already been revealed in the scriptures of the Old Testament. Thus, for example, the image of Babylon stands for every society which fights against God, every body of persons united in wickedness and fleshliness. The image of harlotry universally applies as well to all who are corrupted by their passions and lusts, unfaithful to God Who has made them and loves them. The symbolic numerology also remains constant, with the number 666 (13.18), for example, symbolizing total depravity, unlike 7 which is the symbol of fulness; and the number 144,000 (14.3) being the symbol of total completion and the full number of the saved, the result of the multiplication of 12 times 12—the number of the tribes of Israel and the apostles of Christ. Thus, through the images of the book of Revelation, a depth of penetration into universal spiritual realities is disclosed which is greater than any particular earthly reality. The insight into the meaning of the book depends on the inspiration of God and the purity of heart of those who have eyes to see and ears to hear and minds willing and able to understand. In the Orthodox Church, the book of Revelation has great liturgical significance. The worship of the Church has traditionally, quite consciously, been patterned after the divine and eternal realities revealed in this book. The prayer of the Church and its mystical celebration are one with the prayer and celebration of the kingdom of heaven. Thus, in Church, with the angels and saints, through Christ the Word and the Lamb, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the faithful believers of the assembly of the saved offer perpetual adoration to God the Father Almighty. The book of Revelation, although never read in the Orthodox Church, bears witness to the divine reality which is the Church's own very life. [Comment on other reasons!] The Spirit and the Bride [the Church] say, “Come.” And let him who hears say, “Come.” And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price. “Surely I am coming soon” [says Jesus, the Lord]. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (22.17, 20)   From: https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/doctrine-scripture/new-testament/book-of-revelation  on 9/11/2024 The Last Judgment – The Experience of Prayer and Worship   St. Tikhon's Seminary, Orthodox Daily Prayers (St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, 1982).   Morning Prayers: The Judge will come suddenly and the acts of every man will be revealed; but in the middle of the night we cry with fear: Holy! Holy! Holy! art Thou, O God; through the Theotokos, have mercy on us. 6th Prayer, by St. Basil the Great … Grant us to pass through the entire night of this present life with a watchful heart and a sober mind, awaiting the coming of the bright and manifest day of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, when the Judge of all will come with glory to reward each according to his deeds. May we not be found fallen and lazy, but alert and roused to action, prepared to enter into His joy and the divine chamber of His glory, where the voice of those who feast is unceasing and indescribable is the delight of those who behold the inexpressible beauty of Thy countenance. For Thou art the true Light which enlightens and sanctifies all, and all creation hymns Thee unto ages of ages. Amen. A Midnight Song to the Most Holy Theotokos I am tossed in the tempest of life: direct me to the path of repentance. Deliver me from the eternal flame, from the evil worm, and from hell. Make me not a joy for demons, though I am guilty of many sins. Compline O Christ, give rest to the souls of Thy servants with the saints, where there is no sickness, sorrow or sighing, but everlasting life. Resurrection Tropar, Tone 3 Let the heavens rejoice! Let the earth be glad! For the Lord has shown strength with His arm! He has trampled down death by death! He has become the firstborn of the dead! He has delivered us from the depths of hell, and has granted the world great mercy! Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos Guard my wretched soul at the time of my death, driving away the dark forms of the evil demons. Deliver me from eternal torments at the Day of Judgment and reveal me an heir of the inexpressible glory of your Son and our God.   Evening Prayers 4th Prayer, of St. Macarius the Great … Covering me Thyself, protect me from every assault of the enemy through Thy divine Power, inexpressible Love for mankind and Strength. Cleanse, O God, cleanse the multitude of my sins. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me from the snares of the Evil One, and save my passionate soul. When Thou comest in glory, illumine me with the light of Thy countenance. May I fall uncondemned into a sleep free of apparitions. Keep the thoughts of Thy servant untroubled, and keep far from me every satanic activity. Enlighten the reason-endowed eyes of my heart, that I fall not into the sleep of death. Send to me an angel of peace, the guide and guardian of my soul and body, that he may deliver me from my enemies. Then, when I arise from my bed, I shall offer Thee prayers of thanksgiving…   For the Day Lord, exclude me not from Thy heavenly blessings. Lord, deliver me from eternal torments… Lord Jesus Christ, inscribe me, Thy servant, in the book of life, and grant me a good end.… Lord of Heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful, shameful and impure servant, in Thy Kingdom. …   8th Prayer, to our Lord Jesus Christ … Yea, O Lord my Creator, Who desirest not the death of the sinner, but that he should return to Thee and live: grant repentance to me, wretched and unworthy. Snatch me from the jaws of the consuming serpent, its mouth opened to devour me and take me down to hell alive. …   Canon of Repentance Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me! When the thrones will be set up for the dread Judgment, the deeds of all men will be recalled. Alas for the sinners who will be sent to torment! Knowing this, my soul, repent of your evil deeds! Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me! The righteous shall rejoice, but sinners shall lament. No one will be able to help us at that moment—our deeds will condemn us! Before the end comes, repent of your evil deeds! … Our present path is wide and conducive to pleasures, but bitter will the Last Day be when the soul will part from the body. O man, beware of those pleasures, for the sake of the Kingdom of God. … Contemplate, my soul, the bitter hour of death and the dread judgment of your Creator and God. Threatening angels will seize you, my soul, and lead you to eternal flames. Repent before your death, therefore, crying: O Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner! … Put not your hope in corruptible wealth, my soul, nor in things unjustly gathered. You do not know to whom you will leave it all. Instead, cry out: O Christ God, have mercy on me, the unworthy! Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me! Remember, my soul, both the eternal life and the Heavenly Kingdom prepared for the saints and the outer darkness and divine wrath prepared for the wicked. Then cry out: O Christ God, have mercy on me, the unworthy! Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me! How can I not weep when I think of death? I have seen my brother lying in the tomb without glory and without form. What can I expect? What can I hope? Only grant me, Lord, repentance before the end. (twice) Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me! I believe that Thou wilt come to judge the living and the dead, and that everyone will stand in his rank: the old and the young; masters and princes; virgins and priests. Where will I find myself? Therefore, I cry out: grant me, Lord, repentance before the end. … Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me! I now turn to you, angels, archangels, and all the heavenly host who stand by the throne of God: pray to your Creator that He deliver my soul from eternal torments. Have mercy on me. O God, have mercy on me! I now weep before you, holy patriarchs, kings and prophets, apostles and hierarchs, and all the elect of Christ: help me at the Judgment, that my soul be saved from the strength of the Enemy. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me! I now lift up my hands to you, holy martyrs, desert-dwellers, virgins, righteous ones, and all saints who pray to the Lord for the whole world: may He have mercy on me at the hour of my death. Most Holy Theotokos, save us! Help me, Mother of God, for I have great hope in you! Pray to your Son, that when He sits to judge the living and the dead, He may place me at His right hand, even though I am unworthy.   Canon to the Guardian Angel I think of the Dread Day and weep over my evil deeds. How shall I answer the immortal King? Or how shall a prodigal like me dare to look up at the judge? O compassionate Father, only-begotten Son, and Holy Spirit: have mercy on me!   PRAYERS IN PREPARATION FOR HOLY COMMUNION 1st Prayer, of Saint Basil the Great O Lord Jesus Christ my God, may the communion of Thy most pure and life-creating mysteries not bring me into judgment, nor may I become weak in soul and body by partaking in an unworthy manner, but grant me to receive communion of Thy holy things without condemnation even to my very last breath, and by them to receive communion of the Holy Spirit, provision for the journey of eternal life, and an acceptable answer at Thy dread judgment seat; that I, together with all Thy chosen ones, may also be a partaker of the incorruptible blessings which Thou hast prepared for those who love thee, O Lord, in whom Thou art glorified forever. Amen. … 3rd Prayer, of St. Simeon Metaphrastes Through Thy glorious Ascension Thou didst deify the flesh which Thou didst assume, and placed it on the throne at the Father's right hand. Grant me to receive a place at the right hand with the saved through communion of Thy holy mysteries… Thou hast promised to come again to judge the world in righteousness. Grant that I may go to meet Thee in the clouds, my Judge and Creator, with all Thy saints; that I may glorify and praise Thee without end, together with Thy Father Who is without beginning, and Thy most holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.   5th Prayer, of St. Basil the Great for the correction and grounding of my life, for the increase of virtue and perfection, for the fulfillment of Thy commandments, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the journey of eternal life, for a good and acceptable answer at Thy dread judgment, but not for judgment or condemnation. Amen. Troparia With love hast Thou drawn me, O Christ, and with Thy divine love hast Thou changed me. Burn away my sins with a spiritual fire and satisfy me with joy in Thee, that I may joyfully magnify Thy two comings, O Good One. How shall I, who am unworthy, enter into the radiance of Thy saints? If I dare to enter the bridal-chamber, my garment accuses me, for it is not a wedding garment, and the angels will bind me and cast me out. Cleanse, O Lord, the filth of my soul and save me, for Thou lovest mankind. And this prayer: O Master Who lovest mankind! O Lord Jesus Christ my God! May these holy things not be to my condemnation, though I am unworthy of them. May they be for the cleansing and sanctification of my soul and body and a pledge of the life and Kingdom that are to come…   PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AFTER COMMUNION Glory to Thee, O God! Glory to Thee, O God! Glory to Thee, O God! … let them be for the healing of soul and body, the repelling of every adversary, the illumining of the eyes of my heart, the peace of my spiritual powers, a faith unashamed, a love unfeigned, the fulfilling of wisdom, the observing of Thy commandments, the receiving of Thy Divine Grace, and the attaining of Thy Kingdom. Preserved by them in Thy holiness, may I always remember Thy Grace and live not for myself alone, but for Thee, our Master and Benefactor. May I pass from this life in the hope of eternal life, and so attain to the everlasting rest, where the voice of those who feast is unceasing, and the gladness of those who behold the goodness of Thy countenance is unending. For Thou art the true desire and the ineffable joy of those who love Thee, O Christ our God, and all creation sings of Thy praise forever. Amen.   Another Prayer O Lord Jesus Christ our God: let Thy holy Body be my eternal life; Thy precious Blood, my remission of sins. Let this Eucharist be my joy, health, and gladness. Make me, a sinner, worthy to stand on the right hand of Thy glory at Thine awesome second Coming, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother and of all the saints.   Sacraments Etc.   St. Tikhon's Monastery, trans., The Great Book of Needs: Expanded and Supplemented, vol. I.   Naming on the Eighth Day   …, and that he (she) may be perfected by the dread Mysteries of Thy Christ, so that, having lived according to Thy commandments, and having preserved the seal unbroken, he (she) may receive the blessedness of the Elect in Thy Kingdom: By the grace and love for mankind of Thine Only-begotten Son, with Whom Thou art blessed, together with Thy Most-holy, Good and Lifegiving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. [1]   Making of a Catachemen Inscribe him (her) in Thy Book of Life, and unite him (her) to the flock of Thine inheritance Exorcism for He shall come, and shall not tarry, to judge all the earth; and He shall punish thee and thy cooperating host in the fiery Gehenna, consigning thee to outer darkness, where the worm ceases not and the fire is not quenched.   Baptism … that, being planted in the likeness of Thy death through Baptism, he (she) may become a partaker of resurrection; and, preserving the gift of Thy Holy Spirit, and increasing the deposit of grace, he (she) may receive the prize of his (her) high calling, and be numbered with the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.   Chrismation confirm him (her) in the Orthodox Faith; deliver him (her) from the evil one and all his devices; and preserve his (her) soul in purity and righteousness, through the saving fear of Thee, that, in every deed and word, being acceptable unto Thee, he (she) may become a son (daughter) and heir of Thy heavenly Kingdom.   After Prayer … Yes, for now he (she) that is illumined by the rays of grace through spiritual birth, has been given into your arms by me, a sinner: that he (she) that was in darkness, after rebirth, will stand before the Heavenly Father in another age, as pure as today, and, in soul, whiter than snow, from the bath of regeneration. Thus, undefiled and unblemished by the action of the serpent which comes from the flesh, he (she) shall stand before the sincere Judge, Who will render to each according to his deeds. And clearly today, through your lips the cursed satan was cast out and all his activities; and God the Creator of all adopted him (her), who by grace acquired spiritual birth, and was clothed as a member of the Church of Christ with the confession of the True Christian Faith. Thus, all the days of his (her) life let him (her) remain in the One Faith without parting from the Church, and in the grace of adoption by the immutable God. Let him (her) never turn aside to the works of the evil satan, and let him (her) ever stand opposed to him. And, with the help of God he (she) shall be revealed as a mighty destroyer of all his snares, as a soldier of Christ, strengthened by the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit in the war against him. And after such God-pleasing struggles, he (she) shall receive from the Originator and Judge of struggles labor in the Heavenly Kingdom—the great blessedness of life eternal.   Confession (this is not generally read, but is part of the teaching) …. But do not conceal even one sin, not even because of shame, for I also am a man subject to passions, able to fall into similar sins, and I have experience of the weakness of man. And when despising the shame which you shall expose to the One God, through me, you will not be accused of these sins before the Angels of God and before all men at the dread Judgement. But if you hide anything, before me, from the One God, then you will be accused before the universal assembly, and you shall not be delivered from eternal punishment…   Another exhortation for Confession … But abiding in continual repentance for sins, strive to increase good deeds, that, through repentance, you not only be delivered of eternal torment, but also that you may be counted worthy, by God, of unending life for your good work, from whom will always come assistance to you for all your good beginnings, for the performing of good deeds, and mercy and blessing all the days of your life, and that you may be counted worthy to receive in the future age the gift of eternal life.   Weddings/Crowning O God, our God, Who didst come to Cana of Galilee, and didst bless the marriage there: Do Thou bless also these Thy servants, who, by Thy providence, are joined together in the communion of marriage. Bless their comings in and their goings out, replenish their life with good things, and accept their crowns in Thy Kingdom, preserving them spotless, undefiled, and without reproach, unto the ages of ages.   The Office of Holy Oil/Annointing … For Thou didst not create man for destruction, but for the keeping of Thy commandments, and for the inheritance of life incorruptible, and unto Thee do we send up glory, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Choir: Amen.   Funeral   St. Tikhon's Monastery, trans., The Great Book of Needs: Expanded and Supplemented, vol. III   BEFORE THE PARTING OF THE SOUL FROM THE BODY  (comfort and protection against terror) The rending of the bonds, the sundering of the natural law that holds the whole fleshly composition together, causes me anguish and unbearable necessity. Glory.… Do thou translate me, O Sovereign Lady, in the sacred and precious arms of the holy Angels, that sheltered by their wings, I not see the impious, foul and dark form of the demons. Now and ever.… O All-pure Chamber of God, count me worthy of the heavenly, supersensual Chamber, and kindle thou my smoldering and dimming light with the holy oil of thy mercy. … Do thou count me worthy to escape the hordes of bodiless barbarians, and rise through the aerial depths and enter into Heaven, that I may glorify thee unto the ages, O holy Theotokos. O thou that gavest birth to the Lord Almighty, when I come to die, do thou banish far from me the commander of the bitter toll-gatherers and ruler of the earth, that I may glorify thee unto the ages, O holy Theotokos. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Lord. When the last great trumpet sounds at the fearful and dread resurrection of judgment unto all that shall arise, do thou remember me then, O holy Theotokos.   THE OFFICE AT THE DEPARTURE OF THE SOUL FROM THE BODY   [rest, forgiveness, bosom of Abraham, deliverance from death, eternal life, paradise vs hell]   We beseech Thee, O Unoriginate Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Cast not into the bottom of [Hell] the soul that was infected by the plague of the soul-corrupting world, and has passed over unto Thee, the Creator, O God, my Savior. With the Saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul of Thy servant, where sickness is no more, neither sorrow nor sighing, but life everlasting.   In the nourishment of Paradise where the souls of the Righteous who served Thee abide [repeated often], do Thou, O Christ, join with them the soul of Thy servant who is singing: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.   … Deliver him (her) from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him (her) the participation and delight of Thine eternal good things prepared for them that love Thee...   Matins– rest, forgiveness, eternal life with the blessed   O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death and overthrown the devil, and given life unto Thy world: Do Thou Thyself, O Lord, give rest unto the soul of Thy departed servant, N., in a place of brightness, in a place of green pasture, in a place of repose, whence sickness, sorrow and sighing have fled away. As Thou art a good God and the Lover of Mankind, do Thou pardon every transgression that he (she) has committed, whether by word or deed or thought, for there is no man that lives yet does not sin. For Thou only art without sin; Thy righteousness is righteousness forever, and Thy word is truth.   I am an image of Thine ineffable glory, though I bear the wounds of sin. Take pity on Thy creature, O Master, and cleanse me by Thy loving-kindness. And grant me the desired fatherland, making me again a citizen of Paradise. Refrain:           Blessed art Thou, O Lord; teach me Thy statutes. O Thou Who of old didst fashion me out of nothingness and didst honor me with Thine Image divine, but when I transgressed Thy commandment, didst return me again unto the earth whence I was taken: Raise me up according to Thy Likeness, that I may be restored to my former beauty. Refrain:           Blessed art Thou, O Lord; teach me Thy statutes. Give rest, O God, to Thy servant and establish him (her) in Paradise, where the choirs of the Saints and the Righteous shine like the stars, O Lord. Give rest to Thy servant who has fallen asleep, overlooking all his (her) transgressions. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. (To the Holy Trinity) The threefold radiance of the one Godhead let us piously hymn, crying out: Holy art Thou, O Father Who hast no beginning, Co-unoriginate Son and Divine Spirit. Illumine us who serve Thee in faith, and snatch us from the fire eternal. Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Theotokion) Rejoice, O pure One, who gavest birth to God in the flesh for the salvation of all, and through whom mankind has found salvation. Through thee may we find Paradise, O Theotokos pure and blessed.   In the dread day when Thou shalt come in Thine ineffable glory upon the clouds to judge the whole world, be Thou well-pleased, O Redeemer, that Thy faithful servant whom Thou hast received from the earth may meet thee with brightness.   May Christ give thee rest in the land of the living and open unto thee the gates of Paradise, and declare thee a citizen of the Kingdom. And may He grant thee forgiveness for those things wherein thou hast sinned in life, O thou who lovest Christ. … Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven. Let us give ear unto what the Almighty saith: Woe unto them that seek to behold the terrible day of the Lord! For it is darkness; for all things shall be tried with fire.   The First Epistle to the Thessalonians (Pericope 270—1 Thess. 4:13–17): Brethren, I would not have you to be ignorant concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so will God bring with Him those also who die in Jesus. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord: that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have died. For the Lord Himself, with a shout of command, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God, shall come down from Heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.   The Gospel according to John (Pericope 16—John 5:24–30): The Lord said to the Jews that came unto Him: “Verily, verily I say unto you, he that hears My Word and believes in Him that sent Me, has eternal life and shall not come into condemnation, but passes from death unto life. Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so has He given to the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall come forth—they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of Mine own Self do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, for I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father Who has sent Me.”   The Last Kiss. When the soul is about to be carried away from the body with violence by dread Angels, it forgets all kinsmen and acquaintances and is troubled concerning standing before the tribunal that is to come, that shall pass judgment upon vain things and much-toiling flesh. Then, entreating the Judge, let us all pray that the Lord will forgive him (her) the things that he (she) has done.   Save them that put their trust in thee, O Mother of the Sun that setteth not, O Begetter of God. With thy prayers entreat the Most-good God, we pray, that He will give rest unto him (her) that now has been taken away, where the souls of the Righteous repose. Show him (her) to be an heir of divine good things, in the courts of the Righteous, unto memory eternal, O all-undefiled One. Glory … (TONE 6): Beholding me voiceless and deprived of breath, weep for me, O brethren and friends, kinsmen and acquaintances. For yesterday I conversed with you, and suddenly the dread hour of death came upon me. But come, all you that love me, and kiss me with the last kiss. For no more will I walk with you or converse with you. For I depart unto the Judge with Whom there is no respect of persons. For slave and master stand together before Him, king and warrior, rich and poor, in equal worthiness; for each, according to his deeds, is glorified or put to shame. But I beg and entreat you all, that you pray without ceasing unto Christ God for me, that I not be brought down unto the place of torment according to my sins, but that He will appoint me to the place where is the light of life.   9th Hour (Final Prayer of St. Basil the Great) Rescue us from the hand of the adversary, and forgive us our sins, and mortify our carnal mind; that, putting aside the old man, we may be clad with the new, and live for Thee, our Master and Benefactor; and that, so following after Thy commandments, we may attain unto rest eternal, where is the abode of all who rejoice.   Great Vespers None – note that it does NOT include Octoechos and Menaion!   Orthros/Matins Does NOT include Octoechos and Menaion. Prayer of Light.  . Illumine in our hearts the true Sun of Your righteousness, enlighten our minds and guard all our senses, that, as in the day, walking nobly in the way of Your commandments, we may attain to life eternal, for with You is the fountain of life, and that we may be vouchsafed to come to the enjoyment of Your unapproachable light. Evlogetaria.  Blessed art Thou, O Lord; teach me Thy statutes. The company of the Angels was amazed, when they beheld Thee numbered among the dead, yet Thyself, O Savior, destroying the power of death, and with Thee raising up Adam and releasing all men from hades. Tropar after Psalm 50.  Jesus, having risen from the grave as He foretold, hath given unto us life eternal and Great Mercy.     Divine Liturgy Does NOT include Octoechos and Menaion Creed.  …I look for the Resurrection of the dead, And the Life of the world to come. Amen. Anaphora.  … Thou it was who didst bring us from non- existence into being and, when we had fallen away, didst raise us up again and didst not cease to do all things until thou hadst brought us up to heaven and hadst endowed us with thy kingdom which is to come… … Having in remembrance, therefore, this saving commandment and all those things which have come to pass for us: the cross, the grave, the third-day resurrection, the ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand, and the second and glorious coming: Thine own of thine own… … That to those who shall partake thereof they may be unto vigilance of soul, unto forgiveness of sins, unto the communion of thy Holy Spirit, unto the fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven and unto boldness toward thee, not unto judgment nor unto condemnation… Before Lord's Prayer… Vouchsafe us to partake of thy heavenly and dread mysteries of this sacred and spiritual table, with a pure conscience, unto forgiveness of sins, unto pardon of transgressions, unto communion of the Holy Spirit, unto inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, unto boldness toward thee, and not unto judgment nor unto condemnation. Lord's Prayer.  ..thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven… Communion Prayer.  …unto forgiveness of sins and unto life everlasting…. [1] St. Tikhon's Monastery, trans., The Great Book of Needs: Expanded and Supplemented, vol. I (South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, 2000), 7–8.

Bible Study – Job Class Two: Job 1: 6-12 From the Orthodox Study Bible. Satan is Permitted to Test Job 6.  Then as it so happened one day that behold, the angels of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil also came with them.  7. The Lord said to the devil, “Where did you come from?” So the devil answered the Lord and said, “I came here after going about the earth and walking around under heaven.” 8. Then the Lord said to him, “Have you yet considered my servant Job, since there is none like him on the earth: a blameless, true, and God-fearing man, and one who abstains from every evil thing?” 9. So the devil answered and said before the Lord, “Does Job worship the Lord for no reason? 10. Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?  You have blessed the work of his hands, and his cattle have increased in the and.  11.  But stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and see if he will bless You to Your face.” 12.  Then the Lord said to the devil, “Behold, whatever he has I give into your hand; but do not touch him.”  Thus the devil went out from the Lord. Let's break this down. v. 6; why were the angels of God presenting themselves before the Lord? Many angels surround Him continually; ·      Anaphora of St. John Chrsysostom.  For all these things we give thanks unto Thee, and to Thine only-begotten Son, and to Thy Holy Spirit; for all things of which we know and of which we know not, whether seen or unseen; and we thank Thee for this Liturgy which Thou hast willed to accept at our hands, though there stand by Thee thousands of archangels and hosts of angels (Daniel 7:10) the Cherubim and the Seraphim, six- winged (Isiah 6:2) many-eyed (Revelations 4:8) who soar aloft, borne on their wings:  Singing the triumphant hymn, shouting, proclaiming, and saying: “Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord of Sabaoth! Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory'. (Isaiah 6:3) Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest. (Mathew 21:9, Mark 11:9-10, Psalms 118:26) ·      Hebrews 12:22.  But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,    Possibly – they are part of His Divine Council ·      Psalm 81:1-2a; “God stood in the assembly of gods; He judges in the midst of gods,”   ·      Psalm 88: 9-13 (89:6-8). “The heavens shall confess Your wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the church of the saints.  For who in the clouds shall be compared to the Lord and who among the sons of God shall be compared to the Lord?” More likely – they are ministering angels ·      Hebrews 1:14.  Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? ·      Psalms 90:11.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; ·      Matthew 18:10.  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. Hesychius of Jerusalem (5th Century - not recognized as a saint): Was there ever a time when the angels did not stand before the Lord? Was it not written about them that “a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him”? (Daniel 7:11)But this coming, in our opinion, is that of the angels who had been sent to serve human beings. Paul actually says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” HOMILIES ON JOB 2.1.6. More on v.6: why was the devil with him? Note – the problem is why God would be talking with the devil, and why the devil could even stand to be in His presence. One way to resolve this is to note that there are other places in scripture when God talks to the devil and demons (temptation in the wilderness, demons at Gardenes). Another way is to say that it wasn't really “THE Devil”, it was “The Satan”, which is a job title, “The Adversary.”  This takes us back to the Divine Council.  As Michael Heiser writes; Evidence for exactly the same structures in the Israelite council is tenuous. Despite the fact that popular Israelite religion may have understood Yahweh as having a wife, Asherah (see Hess), it cannot be sustained that the religion of the prophets and biblical writers contained this element or that the idea was permissible. There is also no real evidence for the craftsman tier. However, the role of the śāṭān (see Satan), the accuser who openly challenges God on the matter of Job's spiritual resilience, is readily apparent (Job 1:6–12; 2:1–6). In the divine council in Israelite religion Yahweh was the supreme authority over a divine bureaucracy that included a second tier of lesser ʾĕlōhîm (bĕnê ʾēlîm; bĕnê ʾĕlōhîm or bĕnê hāʾĕlōhîm) and a third tier of malʾākîm (“angels”). In the book of *Job some members of the council apparently have a mediatory role with respect to human beings (Job 5:1; 15:8; 16:19–21; cf. Heb 1:14). M. S. Heiser, “Divine Council,” ed. Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns, Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Inter-Varsity Press, 2008), 114. However, these are not the tacts that St. John Chrysostom took.  By his time, this Satan had been seen to be the same as the fallen angel in the garden etc. ·      He had a lot to say about how angels and demons are mixed together here on earth (even remarking on the headcover passage 1 Corinthians 11:10).  This has obvious implications for us and our spiritual lives! ·      He also said that there was no way the devil could talk to God in this way, and that this is written for the sake of the story (page 24). Also his comment on being rich already putting Job into the arena. [NOTE: I was kidding/prodding about St. John being woke, but he was/is supremely concerned for the poor and the obligations of the rich. Before the term became altered and politicized, this made him a strong promoter of social justice.] v. 7–8 Where Have You Come From? St Gregory the Great: Satan's “going to and fro on the earth” represents his exploring the hearts of the carnal. In this way he is seeking diligently for grounds of accusation against them. He “goes round about the earth,” for he surrounds human hearts in order to steal all that is good in them, that he may lodge evil in their minds, that he may occupy completely what he has taken over, that he may fully reign over what he has occupied, that he may possess the very lives of those he has perfected in sin. Note that he does not say he has been flying through the earth but that he has been “walking up and down it.” For in fact he is never easily dislodged from whomever he tempts. But where he finds a soft heart, he plants the foot of his wretched persuasion, so that by dwelling there, he may stamp the footprints of evil practice, and by a wickedness similar to his own he may render reprobate all whom he is able to overcome. But in spite of this, blessed Job is commended with these words, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.” To him, whom divine inspiration strengthens to meet the enemy, God praises as it were even in the ears of Satan. For God's praise of Job is the first evidence of Job's virtues, so that they may be preserved when they are manifested. But the old enemy is enraged against the righteous the more he perceives that they are hedged around by the favor of God's protection. MORALS ON THE BOOK OF JOB 2.65.66. v. 1:9–10 Does Job Fear God for Nothing? St. John Chrysostom: Do you see that Job's wealth was a gift from God? Do you see that it was not the fruit of injustice? How Job had to suffer in order to demonstrate to people that his wealth was not the fruit of injustice! And behold, the devil himself bore witness to him from above and did not realize that he praised Job as well by saying that he had not acquired that wealth through illicit trading and through the oppression of others. Instead, Job owed his wealth to God's blessing, and his security came from heaven. You would have not rejoiced if Job had not been virtuous. But the devil praised and covered him with laurels without realizing what he was doing. COMMENTARY ON JOB 1:10. Manlio Simonetti and Marco Conti, eds., Job, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 4–5. Robert Charles Hill.  St. John Chrysostom Commentaries on the Sages, Volume One – Commentary on Job.  Holy Cross Orthodox Press. What we will cover next week: Job loses his possessions, his children, and his health.  Job 1:7-22

Pastor Rod speaks the twelfth part of his Search the Scriptures series: Thy Holy Spirit.

Order of Service: - Special Service: The audio and video attached to this service has been trimmed to remove the Exceptional Service to Bethany Award ceremony for Erling Teigen. See our YouTube channel for the full service. - Prelude - Hymn 1 - Blessed Jesus, At Thy Word - The Versicles (pp. 109-110) - Psalm 51 - Setting by R. Ellefson: Send forth Thy Light and Thy Love, O Lord. Fill our Hearts with Thy Holy Spirit. Lead me, lead me into Thy Presence, And teach me to love Thy Ways, O Jesus. Restore unto me the Joy of Thy Salvation, And uphold me with Thy free Spirit. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy Presence, And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the Joy of Thy Salvation, And uphold me with Thy free Spirit. - Luke 10:38-42: As they went on their way, Jesus came into the village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at the Lord's feet and was listening to his Word. But Martha was distracted with all her serving. She came over and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.” The Lord answered and told her, “Martha, Martha, you are worked and upset about many things, but one thing is needed. In fact, Mary has chosen that better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (EHV) - Deuteronomy 6:4-7: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” - Sermon - Anthem: O God, Beyond All Praising: The congregation joins the choir for the third verse. - The Kyrie (Lord have mercy) (pp. 116-117) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 117) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 118-119) - The Benedicamus (p. 119) - Blessing - Hymn 63 - Now Thank We All Our God - Hymn 593 - On My Heart Imprint Thine Image: Concert Choir plus congregational participants Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Kaleb Schmidt (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Participant #3 Role), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director)

Order of Service: - Special Service: The audio and video attached to this service has been trimmed to remove the Exceptional Service to Bethany Award ceremony for Erling Teigen. See our YouTube channel for the full service. - Prelude - Hymn 1 - Blessed Jesus, At Thy Word - The Versicles (pp. 109-110) - Psalm 51 - Setting by R. Ellefson: Send forth Thy Light and Thy Love, O Lord. Fill our Hearts with Thy Holy Spirit. Lead me, lead me into Thy Presence, And teach me to love Thy Ways, O Jesus. Restore unto me the Joy of Thy Salvation, And uphold me with Thy free Spirit. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy Presence, And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the Joy of Thy Salvation, And uphold me with Thy free Spirit. - Luke 10:38-42: As they went on their way, Jesus came into the village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at the Lord's feet and was listening to his Word. But Martha was distracted with all her serving. She came over and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.” The Lord answered and told her, “Martha, Martha, you are worked and upset about many things, but one thing is needed. In fact, Mary has chosen that better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (EHV) - Deuteronomy 6:4-7: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” - Sermon - Anthem: O God, Beyond All Praising: The congregation joins the choir for the third verse. - The Kyrie (Lord have mercy) (pp. 116-117) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 117) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 118-119) - The Benedicamus (p. 119) - Blessing - Hymn 63 - Now Thank We All Our God - Hymn 593 - On My Heart Imprint Thine Image: Concert Choir plus congregational participants Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Kaleb Schmidt (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Participant #3 Role), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director)

Order of Service: - Special Service: The audio and video attached to this service has been trimmed to remove the Exceptional Service to Bethany Award ceremony for Erling Teigen. See our YouTube channel for the full service. - Prelude - Hymn 1 - Blessed Jesus, At Thy Word - The Versicles (pp. 109-110) - Psalm 51 - Setting by R. Ellefson: Send forth Thy Light and Thy Love, O Lord. Fill our Hearts with Thy Holy Spirit. Lead me, lead me into Thy Presence, And teach me to love Thy Ways, O Jesus. Restore unto me the Joy of Thy Salvation, And uphold me with Thy free Spirit. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy Presence, And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the Joy of Thy Salvation, And uphold me with Thy free Spirit. - Luke 10:38-42: As they went on their way, Jesus came into the village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at the Lord's feet and was listening to his Word. But Martha was distracted with all her serving. She came over and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.” The Lord answered and told her, “Martha, Martha, you are worked and upset about many things, but one thing is needed. In fact, Mary has chosen that better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (EHV) - Deuteronomy 6:4-7: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” - Sermon - Anthem: O God, Beyond All Praising: The congregation joins the choir for the third verse. - The Kyrie (Lord have mercy) (pp. 116-117) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 117) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 118-119) - The Benedicamus (p. 119) - Blessing - Hymn 63 - Now Thank We All Our God - Hymn 593 - On My Heart Imprint Thine Image: Concert Choir plus congregational participants Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Kaleb Schmidt (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Participant #3 Role), Prof. David Paulson (Choir Director)

Sermon- Lead Us Not Into Temptation, Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 52, Questions 127-129, Luke 22-31-34-John H. Johnson, Tyler Orthodox Presbyterian Church-2023-05-21--HEIDELBERG CATECHISM-PART 3- OUR THANKFULNESS- LORD'S DAY 32-52-LORD'S DAY 52- Questions 127-129--Q127. What is the sixth petition---A. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. That is- In ourselves we are so weak that we cannot stand even for a moment.-1- Moreover, our sworn enemies-- the devil,-2- the world,-3- and our own flesh-4--- do not cease to attack us. Wilt Thou, therefore, uphold and strengthen us by the power of Thy Holy Spirit, so that in this spiritual war-5- we may not go down to defeat, but always firmly resist our enemies, until we finally obtain the complete victory.-6---1- Ps. 103-14-16- John 15-1-5. -2- II Cor. 11-14- Eph. 6-10-13- I Pet. 5-8. -3- John 15-18-21. -4- Rom. 7-23- Gal. 5-17. -5- Matt. 10-19, 20- 26-41- Mark 13-33- Rom. 5-3-5. -6- I Cor. 10-13- I Thess. 3-13- 5-23.--Q128. How do you conclude your prayer---A. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. That is- All this we ask of Thee because, as our King, having power over all things, Thou art both willing and able to give us all that is good,-1- and because not we but Thy holy Name should so receive all glory for ever.-2---1- Rom. 10-11-13- II Pet 2-9. -2- Ps. 115-1- Jer. 33-8, 9- John 14-13.--Q129. What does the word Amen mean---A. Amen means- It is true and certain. For God has much more certainly heard my prayer than I feel in my heart that I desire this of Him.-1---1- Is. 65-24- II Cor. 1-20- II Tim. 2-13.

Today's podcast has the theme of "May Captive Souls Be Set Free, Go Within and Ascend", exploring the spiritual practices of Sant Mat that allow extroverted souls who have lost their true identity somewhere in time to go within, find their soul again at the seat of the soul, and begin exploring the Kingdom of the Heavens (Higher Planes of Consciousness), with readings (along with commentary) from:    the Radhasoami spiritual classic, The Way Out Is... IN, by Swami Ram Bihari Lal, successor of Sant Garib Das of the Radhaswami Faith;    The Essence of the Teachings of Mastana Ji, 1891-1960, another great disciple, successor and devotee of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh;    a mystic poem of Sant Sahajo Bai: "Sahajo says: know the true Self, which time cannot destroy";    timeless verses of Meister Eckhart the great German mystic;    The Book of Mirdad: "Let Time Revolve About You; But You Revolve Not With Time";    Saint Isaac of Nineveh the Syriac mystic on meditation and accessing the expanse above;    satsang readings from the teachings of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh on the Methods of Withdrawing Within Oneself in Contemplative Meditation (Simran, Dhyan, Bhajan); also from Sawan Singh Ji on the importance and need for Initiation into the Mysteries of the Heavens by a Living One, a Living Master (Sant Satguru), which is when one fully learns and experiences the secrets of meditation practice, and receives the proper spiritual guidance about the ascension of the soul through the Inner Regions.   Also, I share from the Gospel of Thomas on Finding a Living One: "Seek to see the Living One while you are alive, lest you die and then try to behold that one -- and you will be unable to see." (Yeshua, Saying 52) Rather than attempting to figure out the methods of meditation by randomly perusing through the old writings and scriptures of those who have left-the-body decades or centuries ago speculating on what their meditation techniques might have been, in Sant Mat, the Path of the Masters, the methods of sadhana (spiritual practice) are directly communicated from one generation to the next via the Living Masters of the time.   Also during today's Sant Mat Satsang Podcast are readings from the satsang discourses of Baba Ram Singh Ji on being vigilant in tending to our meditations. "And when we sit for meditation, we should not consider it a burden because this is the true work for which we have come into this life and we should make the most of this opportunity." (Baba Ram Singh)   I conclude with some mystic poetry from: Songs of Kabir in the Adi Granth (Sikh scriptures); Guru Nanak Dev; John of Apamea -- another Syriac mystic; an otherworldly reading from the Canonical Prayer-Book of the Mandaean Gnostics; and finally from the Psalm-scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls containing some mystic verses from the founder of the Qumran community known as "The Teacher of Righteousness". He's also sometimes referred to as "the Master".   "Over mere dust hast Thou wafted Thy Holy Spirit, and hast so molded that clay that it can have converse with angels and be in communion with beings celestial. Mere flesh hast Thou lit with a Light everlasting... My heart was amazed that thus  the Word was revealed to one  with ears unattuned,  and that a wayward heart  was able to grasp these things."    In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, James Bean Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Spiritual Awakening Radio https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com    

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...  Jesus says:   33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.  

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ... David was a man after God's own heart.  (Acts 13:22)     God took the Spirit from Saul who was king and gave HIS Spirit to David and God had the prophet Samuel to anoint David as king and God removed Saul from being king.   At one point, David greatly sinned, and David prayed:   Psalm 51   2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against THEE, THEE only, have I sinned, and done this evil in THY sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, THOU desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part THOU shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which THOU hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide THY face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from THY presence; and take not THY Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of THY salvation; and uphold me with THY free spirit.  

How shall a man be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous? It is only through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God, with holiness; but how are we to come to Christ? Many are asking the same question as did the multitude on the Day of Pentecost, when, convicted of sin, they cried out, "What shall we do?" The first word of Peter's answer was, "Repent." Acts 2:37, 38. At another time, shortly after, he said, "Repent, ... and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." Acts 3:19. Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life. There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance. Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense. They lament the suffering rather than the sin. Such was the grief of Esau when he saw that the birthright was lost to him forever. Balaam, terrified by the angel standing in his pathway with drawn sword, acknowledged his guilt lest he should lose his life; but there was no genuine repentance for sin, no conversion of purpose, no abhorrence of evil. Judas Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, exclaimed, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood." Matthew 27:4. The confession was forced from his guilty soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment. The consequences that were to result to him filled him with terror, but there was no deep, heartbreaking grief in his soul, that he had betrayed the spotless Son of God and denied the Holy One of Israel. Pharaoh, when suffering under the judgments of God, acknowledged his sin in order to escape further punishment, but returned to his defiance of Heaven as soon as the plagues were stayed. These all lamented the results of sin, but did not sorrow for the sin itself. But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God's holy law, the foundation of His government in heaven and on earth. The "Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world," illumines the secret chambers of the soul, and the hidden things of darkness are made manifest. John 1:9. Conviction takes hold upon the mind and heart. The sinner has a sense of the righteousness of Jehovah and feels the terror of appearing, in his own guilt and uncleanness, before the Searcher of hearts. He sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity; he longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with Heaven. The prayer of David after his fall, illustrates the nature of true sorrow for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to palliate his guilt; no desire to escape the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer. David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart. He longed for the joy of holiness—to be restored to harmony and communion with God. This was the language of his soul: "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,whose sin is covered.Blessed is the man unto whom the Lordimputeth not iniquity,And in whose spirit there is no guile." Psalm 32:1, 2. "Have mercy upon me, O God, according toThy loving-kindness:According unto the multitude of Thy tendermercies blot out my transgressions....For I acknowledge my transgressions: and mysin is ever before me....Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow....Create in me a clean heart, O God;And renew a right spirit within me.Cast me not away from Thy presence;And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;And uphold

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ... Genesis 3 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. (Now they knew sin.  And they no longer wanted to be around anyone who might see their sin.) 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard THY voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And HE (God) said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom THOU gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.   Penalties come because of sin: 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman HE said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam HE said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.  

Thereby quietening our hearts and soul --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alfred-gay/message

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To change what needs to be changed, to walk in obedience, without waiver --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alfred-gay/message

New Years Resolutions With Dave Cialini: *** Big picture: Obituary? * What do you want your life to be like in five years? 10 years? What advice would you tell yourself 10 years ago? * New Years goals about about GROWTH. Success is measured in personal growth. * Pick a winning team and win - who are your top five mentors? Preparing for another year and a fresh start… Setting Goals… · Setting Goals is about God's grace and mercy La 3:22-23 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Look back and thank God for His grace in the victory and His mercy in defeat · Setting Goals is about yieldedness to God Betty Stam—“Lord, I give up all my plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life… utterly to Thee to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as thou wilt. Send me where thou wilt. Work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost.” Sometimes God “redirects” us Circumstances cause us to refocus our energies into different areas · Setting Goals is about the Glory of God Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31) BE careful of personal ambition · Setting Goals is about pressing forward Philippians 3 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. “I have not arrived…” Mark – a visible line The prize of THE HIGH CALLING—doing what God has called you to do This is what our goal setting should be wrapped around · Setting Goals is about Stewardship 1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. Pr 27:23 ¶ Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. ***What are my flocks? What is it that God made me the steward? EPHESIANS 5-6 · Relationship with God (Bible reading/knowledge and prayer) · Self—if you are not right, you are limited in how you can help others Body—health, strength, rest Soul—mind, heart, will Spirit—relationship with God “Man shall not live by bread alone” · Marriage/Family · Parent/Child · Vocation · Ministry—your particular ministry (choir, SS, Youth, Music), witnessing/soulwinning Ministry is not just about quantity, but quality (deeper/broader) How can I be a better minister (being vs. doing) Look at Each role (flock) in life like a checking account… You get out of something what you put into it. What's the balance? ***Be HONEST with your self and determine what is your present reality. Decide where you want to be. Forecast what you want your life to look like in 6 months… Decide how to make it happen. Schedule Accountability Mentors: My Pastor My wife Good friends in the ministry Great men of the past—EM Bounds, Spurgeon, Moody, Andrew Murray, RA Torrey Those who love the Lord, yet work under me

O God, who didst teach the hearts of Thy faithful people by sending to them the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things and evermore to rejoice in Continue Reading The post “The Coming of the Holy Spirit” – Pentecost, A+D 2020 appeared first on Trinity Lutheran Church and School.

A new MP3 sermon from Oulton Broad Free Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Take Not Thy Holy Spirit Subtitle: Written by Ian Paisley Speaker: Rev. Kyle Paisley Broadcaster: Oulton Broad Free Presbyterian Church Event: Devotional Date: 4/21/2020 Length: 1 min.

A Life Worth Living (Part 1) - Elisabeth ElliotA Life Worth Living (Part 2) - Elisabeth ElliotFamilyLife Today® Radio Transcript  References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. A Life Worth LivingDay 1 of 2 Guest:                        Elisabeth Elliott From the series:       What in Life is Worth Living For?        Bob:                Fifty years ago this week, five American missionaries were martyred by Quechua Indians in rural Ecuador.  Their deaths shook the world, but the legacy of their heroism continues to this day.  One of the people most profoundly impacted by those events 50 years ago this week is the widow of one of the martyred missionaries, Elisabeth Elliott, the wife of Jim Elliott.  As a young widow, she faced questions about the wisdom and the goodness of God, and she faced them head-on. Elisabeth:      Once upon a time, before you were born, there were, in Ecuador a tribe of so-called "savages."  Not very much was known about these people.  They were naked, they used stone tools, and they killed strangers.  One of the questions that people ask me more frequently than any other is how have you handled bitterness?  And usually they mean wasn't I bitter against God because of some of the things that have happened in my life.  Suffering is a gift.  Paul says, "Unto us it is given not only to believe but also to suffer."                         Is it worth it?  How many things can you think of that are worth suffering for?  He is Lord of my life, and when I asked Him, at the age of 12, to be Lord of my life, I turned over to Him all the rights.  There is nothing worth living for unless it's worth dying for. Bob:                And welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us on the Tuesday edition, Tuesday, January 3rd.  I don't know about the rest of our listeners, but just hearing that voice … Dennis:          You're speaking of Elisabeth Elliott. Bob:                Yeah.  She has always been somebody that – when I listen to her, I feel like I'm being encouraged and scolded kind of at the same time.  You know what I mean?  She just has that sense she's calling you to the highest that God would have for your life. Dennis:          She always did that in my life and, as you know, Bob, she has become a good friend of ours.  Elisabeth and her husband, Lars – well, she's just a great friend.  And what we wanted to do in featuring her on today's broadcast is take our listeners back some 50 years, because this Sunday, January 8th, is the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of five young men who, by faith, flew back into the jungle to lead an uncivilized tribe of people who had never heard the name of Jesus Christ, and who ultimately were murdered on behalf of their faith.  And Elisabeth Elliott, of course, is the widow of one of those men, Jim Elliott. Bob:                And as some listeners know, Elisabeth made the courageous decision many months after that, to go back into that jungle and to continue the work that her former husband had begun, and she helped to lead a number of those people to Christ including some of the men who had murdered her husband.  And with that historical perspective in mind, we thought it would be good today for our listeners to hear some of her reflections on her husband, his faith, his character, on that time in her life, and on her interaction with the Waodani tribe in Ecuador back in the late 1950s. Dennis:          I think it's going to be a spiritual wheel alignment for some of our listeners who are right now walking through a valley of sorts.  Maybe it's the valley of the shadow of death, maybe it's circumstances that can't be defined or explained or even understood after reading the Bible, but God can be trusted, and that's what you're going to hear from Elisabeth Elliott.                           A number of years ago, we had the privilege of interviewing her talking to single people, interestingly enough, about the quest for love, and in that interview, Bob, as you and I talked to her, she started talking about how she viewed those circumstances surrounding the loss of her husband.   Elisabeth:      In Deuteronomy 8, Moses is reviewing the history of the children of Israel, and he says, "He suffered you to hunger in order that He might know what was in your heart."  And you remember that the children of Israel were wailing and screaming and complaining because they didn't have the leeks and onions and garlic and watermelons and fish that they'd had back in Egypt, and they were sick and tired of this stuff they got every day – manna.  And it says that a company of strangers came in and said, in effect, "Is this all you've got here?"  And so instead of the Lord removing the desire for leeks and onions and garlic, He caused them to hunger for this purpose – that He might know what was in their hearts, and I don't know any situation in which we are more likely to find out what is really in our hearts than where we have been deprived of something that we thought we should have.  And, of course, I was deprived of my husband, Jim, and the Lord was saying to me, "Now I want you to glorify me as a single woman again, and I am giving you this gift, and I want you to fulfill this calling faithfully, gladly, and humbly."                           I would just get down on my knees and just say, "Lord, you know what my natural feelings are about this but, Lord, I have surrendered them all to you long ago.  It was when I was 12 years old that I prayed Betty Scott Stamm's prayer – "Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life in acceptance lieth peace," and I know that's true.  It happened again when Ad [ph] was taken from me.  He was prayed over, he was anointed, we had people coming from across the country telling me they had a word of knowledge that God wanted to heal Ad Leach.  He died, and the Lord is saying, "So here is the gift of widowhood again." Dennis:          One of the themes of your books that seems to be in all of them is the call for the Christian to endure in the midst of suffering.  You believe the Scripture calls us to remain faithful in the midst of circumstances that aren't working out to what we wish they would. Elisabeth:      Suffering is a gift, Dennis, it is a gift.  Paul says, "Unto us it is given not only to believe but also to suffer," and Jesus referred to the cup that my father has given me.  What was in that cup?  He was reviled, He was persecuted, He was hated, He was mocked, He was captured, He was flogged, He was blindfolded, He was stripped, and He was crucified.  That was the cup, and we know that his human nature was in agony over that.  He sweat, as it were, great drops of blood in Gethsemane and finally said, "Not my will," he said, "If it be possible, let this cup pass."  The cup didn't pass.  It wasn't possible because He could not save Himself and save you and me. Dennis:          One of the most memorable stories I've ever heard you tell is the story of Gladys Aylworth.  It illustrates what we're talking about here in a most profound way.  Would you share that with our listeners? Elisabeth:      Well, Gladys Aylworth was a London parlormaid with no education, and she believed that God was calling her to China, and when her brother found her studying a map, he said, "Well, Glad, where are we going?"  And she said, "To China."  And he said, "Glad, you must be out of your mind," and she said, "Jehovah God has spoken to me, and I am going to China.  Well," she said, "I didn't know where China was, but I got a map, and I studied."                         Then she tells the long story of how she took a train all the way across Europe and Russia and Mongolia and China, and she ended up standing on the wharf in Shanghai, and she said, "When I was a child, I had two great sorrows.  All my friends had beautiful golden curls, and mine was black.  And when all my friends were still growing, I stopped.  Well, I stood on a wharf, and I looked over all these people to whom Jehovah God had sent me, and every single one of them had black hair, and every single one of them had stopped growing when I did.  And I said, 'Lord God, you know what you're doing.'" Bob:                I just love hearing her. Dennis:          It's a great story.  In fact, that is one of my favorite stories because what she is illustrating there is what life is all about – are you going to trust Him that He really does know what He's doing when you are in the middle of circumstances that can't be explained humanly.  And Elisabeth Elliott, as she went through adulthood continued to find herself in unexplainable circumstances. Bob:                She married again.  Her husband, Ad – she was married to him for four years.  He developed cancer and died.  She was single again for a number of years until she married her third husband, Lars, and she often said that she was single more years in life than she was married.  She also often said that Lars hoped that he'd outlast the other husbands. Dennis:          And, you know, Bob, it was that aspect of Elisabeth Elliott that really resulted in me inviting her to come speak at a conference we had for singles.  It was called "The Keystone Caper." Bob:                This was more than 20 years ago, right? Dennis:          Right, right, in Keystone, Colorado.  It was over Thanksgiving, it was for singles, and I really had a passion for speaking to singles about giving their lives to Christ and then following Him as Elisabeth Elliott had done, and we actually went back into the archives and dusted off pieces of five messages she gave at the Keystone Caper back in the mid-'80s.  And, I'm telling you, it's just as relevant today as it was to those singles 20 years ago. Bob:                And she exhorted those singles to trust God to be Lord – that He is Lord, and you need to trust Him that He does know what He is doing, and she elaborated on the story that she'd told us in the studio about John and Betty Stamm and the impact they had had early on in her life. Elisabeth:      He is Lord of my life, and when I asked him, at the age of 12, to be Lord of my life, I turned over to Him all the rights.  I prayed a prayer written by a missionary to China, a woman by the name of Betty Scott Stamm.  But this prayer made a very deep impression on my life, and I copied it into my Bible, and it has become a part of my prayer life.  It's really just an expansion on those simple words in The Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done."                           "Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes and accept Thy will for my life.  I give myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.  Fill me with Thy Holy Spirit, use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost now and forever," and Betty Scott Stamm and her husband, John, were beheaded by Chinese Communists.  She had been a guest in our home.  You can imagine what a deep impression the news item made on a little child.  "Work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost" – and if you and I could speak with John and Betty Stamm today, do you think they would be thankful for the ways of God with them?  Their praises would be ringing, no question about that.                         "He is Lord of my life, He holds all the rights" – when my husband, Jim Elliott, was killed, the words that came to my mind when I first knew that he was missing were from Isaiah 43, verse 2 – "When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee."  And when, five days later, I learned that he was, in fact, dead, the words that came to me were from a poem that I had memorized many years before by F.W.H. Myers, a poem called "St. Paul," and the final stanza says this – "So through life, death, through sorrow and through sinning; Christ shall suffice me, for He has sufficed.  Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning.  Christ, the beginning for the end is Christ."                           My life verse is Philippians 1:21 – "To me, to live, is Christ." Bob:                You know, as Elisabeth commented on getting the news as a child that this couple that had been in their home had been beheaded as missionaries, she had no way of knowing that her own husband, years later, would be speared as a missionary; that this was going to be a part of the story of her life – this kind of heroic engagement, the surrendering of your life for the service of God.  It marked her life from an early age. Dennis:          And, Bob, the thing our listeners need to hear on this – I think there's two very, very important lessons to not miss.  Number one, life can't be found outside of the Lordship of Christ, period.  If you want to live life the way the Creator of the Universe designed it to be lived, it's lived submitted to Jesus Christ and His will for your life.  You're never going to find it anywhere else.                           I was just reflecting as I was listening to Elisabeth, I was thinking, I don't think we're talking enough about this.  In fact, I can't remember the last time I heard a message from Romans, chapter 12, verse 1 and 2, where it challenges us to not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind and presenting yourself a living sacrifice to God, giving it all to Him, giving your life to Him, giving up all rights of your life to Him. Bob:                That's what sacrifice means.  You're dead to self and alive to Christ. Dennis:          And I think there is a need in our homes, husbands and wives, parent to child, to remind one another where life is found, and that leads me to the second point of application here.  I think our children need to be exposed to the great saints.  If you have a chance to have a missionary in your home, or a preacher, or someone who walks with God with great faith, seize that opportunity.  Don't go out to eat at a fast-food restaurant, don't go anywhere busy, go somewhere where you won't have any distractions, where you can have conversation for another hour after the meal is over, and don't let your kids go play Nintendo.  Even though they act like they won't be listening, they'll hear.                           And I think as a result of that, what will happen is what occurred in Elisabeth Elliott's life.  The children will be challenged to give their lives wholly and totally to the Lordship of Christ, and what will result there is when they grow up they will not waste their lives.  They will live their lives to the glory of God. Bob:                And this theme of the Lordship of Christ and abandoning your own life for His service was something that was a constant theme in Elisabeth Elliott's life.  Not only was it a life message because of what she had experienced with the martyrdom of her husband and the others back in 1956, but it was a theme that continued to permeate her ministry.  In fact, when we had her on FamilyLife Today a number of years ago, she reinforced again for us this idea that Lordship is everything.   Elisabeth:      Jesus said, "If you want to be My disciple – you don't have to be – but if you want to be, these are the conditions.  Number one, give up your right to yourself.  Now, of course, that's difficult.  It is the most difficult thing that God could ever ask of us, especially in today's climate, where everybody says, "It's your life, it's your body, you have a right to yourself, if it feels good do it, if it doesn't feel good forget it, don't let anybody tell you what to do," and Jesus quietly continues to say to us, "If you want to be My disciple, give up your right to yourself.  Secondly, take up the cross."                         Now, in what form is that going to be presented?  It is going to be presented in the form of suffering.  What else do we expect?  The cross is an instrument of torture.  Why should we be surprised?  So, of course, we are going to have to get down on our knees again and again and ratify that once-in-a-lifetime surrender.  As I said, I had made that surrender when I was 12 years old, but there isn't a day that goes by, Dennis, and I am not exaggerating – there's not a day that goes by in which I do not have to consciously take up the cross in some form or other – usually in many forms in any given day. Bob:                That's a great reminder from Elisabeth Elliott.  We, daily, have to take up our cross.  Dennis:          And, Bob, as she said, it has many forms, and yet it's still lived out in the midst of humanity.  You know, Bob, the reason we're talking about this 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of these five young men who gave their lives in Ecuador is because we want to, first of all, honor their faith and their courage, and Elisabeth Elliott and the other widows who embraced that trial as well.                         But there is a second aspect I don't want our listeners to miss because we have a number of singles who listen to this broadcast, a number of parents who are raising the next generation and, for that matter, we have some who are empty-nesters, who are in prime time, who I think need to take stock of their lives and evaluate how they are going to live the rest of their lives.                         And we want to challenge folks to consider – has he called you to invest your life in the mission field?  And it could be right where you're living.  You don't have to go around the world to Ecuador or into a jungle.  The jungle may be just down the street in a housing project near your home, or it may be in some areas of your community that just needs someone to reach out and touch marriages that are decaying and falling apart – or in your church.                         But let me tell you something – the needs of our nation in the spiritual realm are great, and today, more than ever, we need to be challenging adults as well as the parents who are raising the next generation.  Give your kids a picture of world missions, of what it means to go to the world, but the greatest news – forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.  There is no greater privilege in life than giving your life for that cause. Bob:                I think you're right, we don't know what the Lord is going to call you to, whether it's here, whether it's there, but we do know what he's called all of us to, and it's what Elisabeth talked about today – to follow Him, to take up our cross, to die daily to our own flesh and our own desires. Dennis:          Then follow Christ. Bob:                To be about His mission, His agenda in the world today.  This past summer, I had my whole family watch with me the documentary that was made by the same company that produce the movie, "End of the Spear" that's coming out in a couple of weeks.  "End of the Spear" is a theatrical motion picture that is going to tell the story of the martyrdom of the missionaries.  It actually tells it from the perspective of the Waodanis, the tribe that did the spearing. Dennis:          Your children have to be old enough to read if they're going to go to the movie, because it's … Bob:                It's got subtitles.   Dennis:          Right.  It's not in English.   Bob:                But this summer, our family watched the documentary that was produced by the same company that tells the story of the martyrdom of the missionaries using historical archive video footage, photographs, interviews with those who were there, and it was a powerful evening.  We've got that documentary available on DVD.  It's called "Beyond the Gates of Splendor," and I'd encourage our listeners to get a copy of this DVD and to watch it as a family or to show it to the youth group at church, use it in a variety of settings.  It brings home the reality of what took place 50 years ago this week with the martyrdom of these missionaries.                           In addition, we have Elisabeth Elliott's book called "Through Gates of Splendor," which is her telling of that same story, which would be a book you could read to your children or a book that they could read on their own.  If you've never been acquainted with this story, maybe this is the first time you've heard about these events, Elisabeth's book is a classic.  It's one of those books that would be on my list of a book that every Christian ought to read.  Again, it's called "Through Gates of Splendor."  We have both her book and the DVD "Beyond the Gates of Splendor" in our FamilyLife Resource Center.                         Contact us by go online at FamilyLife.com.  Click on today's broadcast, and you'll find a link there to the various resources that are available.  You can order online, if you'd like, and if you order both Elisabeth's book and the DVD, we can send you at no additional cost the CD audio that includes the clips from Elisabeth Elliott we've been featuring here this week.                         Again, go to our website, FamilyLife.com, click on today's broadcast in the center of your screen, and that will take you right to the page where there is more information about the resources that are available from us here at FamilyLife Today.                         Let me, if I can, Dennis, just say a quick word of thanks to the folks we heard from at the end of the year.  Many of our listeners know we had a matching gift challenge in the month of December where every dollar we received was being matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to a total of $350,000, and I haven't seen the final numbers yet, but I do know we heard from many of our listeners, and I think it's safe to say at this point that we think we were able to take full advantage of that matching gift opportunity.  So thank you to those of you who called or who wrote or who donated online.  We appreciate your support, we appreciate you helping us meet the match, and we appreciate your ongoing investment in this ministry.                         Tomorrow we are going to be back with more insights from Elisabeth Elliott as she reflects on the events that took place 50 years ago this week with the martyrdom of five American missionaries.  I hope you can be back with us for that.                         I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.  On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.  We'll see you back tomorrow for another edition of FamilyLife Today.                          FamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. _______________________________________________________________We are so happy to provide these transcripts for you. However, there is a cost to transcribe, create, and produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider donating today to help defray the costs?Copyright © FamilyLife. All rights reserved. www.FamilyLife.com                 

A Life Worth Living (Part 1) - Elisabeth ElliotA Life Worth Living (Part 2) - Elisabeth ElliotFamilyLife Today® Radio Transcript  References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. A Life Worth LivingDay 2 of 2 Guest:            Elisabeth Elliott From the series:       Jim Elliott – "He is No Fool"        Bob:                This week on FamilyLife Today we are commemorating events that took place 50 years ago; events that shook a nation.  Here is Elisabeth Elliott. Elisabeth:      One day in October of 1955, Nate Saint flew into our station to tell us that he had discovered the Auca houses.  Within a very short time, Ed McCully, that politician from Wisconsin; Jim Elliott from Oregon; and Nate Saint instituted a program of dropping gifts to those Indians with the hope that they would be able to break down their hostility and prepare the way for an attempt to reach them.  You can imagine our excitement, our trembling, the prayers that went up.                         And on the evening in January of 1956, just before these men left to go into the edge of Auca territory – by this time they had been joined by Roger Youderian and Pete Fleming – they sang together that hymn – "We Rest on Thee, Our Shield and our Defender."  A week later they were all speared to death. Bob:                And welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us on the Wednesday edition – Wednesday, January 4th.  Our host is the president of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey.  I'm Bob Lepine.  This Sunday, January 8, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of those missionaries in rural Ecuador, and, I don't know, do you remember where you were the first time you heard the story of those five missionaries? Dennis:          Bob, I was almost eight years old in Southwest Missouri, and I do not recall hearing about it as a little boy. Bob:                It did make the news. Dennis:          It did? Bob:                It was in "Life" magazine and other periodicals.  But you didn't hear about it until later in life? Dennis:          I heard about it finally in college, and it was through reading Elisabeth Elliott's book, "Through the Gates of Splendor," and, for me, as a college student, to get that book and have it be such a page-turner – I had just given my life to Christ, and I think what made it compelling reading for me, as a collegian, was that I was 20 years old, I was looking at life with eyes that were alive to the spiritual work of God in human beings' lives, and I had freshly given my life to Christ, and His Lordship of all the areas of my life, and so here is a couple, Jim and Elisabeth Elliott, who had given their lives to Christ and his Lordship, and Jim Elliott gave his life, literally, was martyred for his faith, and then Elisabeth, his wife, went into that tribe after he had been murdered by them to love them, speak with them, learn their language and customs and ultimately share her faith in the Gospel and his forgiveness with them. Bob:                That book that you mentioned, "Through Gates of Splendor," is a book that God has used over the years in remarkable ways to not only tell the story but to talk about what it really means to live with Christ as Lord, and I think it's probably stirred the hearts of a number of people who have ended up involved in world missions in some foreign field, carrying on the legacy of Jim Elliott and Nate Saint and the others who were killed on the beach on January 8, 1956. Dennis:          And I'm glad, Bob, there's now been a full-length feature movie that has been made called "The End of the Spear," that's going to be released here in a couple of weeks.  It's a great movie.  You and I have seen it together and, personally, I think what's going to happen as this film comes out is the very thing we've been talking about here – I think there's going to be a generation of young people who see this story and who, all of a sudden, start evaluating their faith.                           Now, I think adults are going to do the same, but I think there's going to be a generation of young people in youth groups, in junior high, high school, and college, and they're going to evaluate what they're living for and who they're living for.  And as a result, I think we're going to see a fresh crop of missionaries head to the world.  At least that's my prayer as this film comes out. Bob:                You were in the audience in Kansas City in 1983 when Elisabeth Elliott addressed a crowd of students who had assembled there for an event that Campus Crusade was sponsoring called "KC '83," and she talked about those five young men, who were all in their 20s.  They were at the beginning of their adult life, and they had headed off to the field.  She described their lives, and I think what she did was she painted a picture so that everyone in the audience could go, "That could be me."                           We wanted our listeners to hear how she described the lives of those five men who were martyred that day 50 years ago this week. Elisabeth:      Once upon a time, before you were born, there were in Ecuador, a tribe so-called "savages."  Not very much was known about these people.  They were naked, they used stone tools, and they killed strangers.  Nobody had ever gone into their territory and come out alive.  Missionaries had been praying that God would enable them someday to take the Gospel to these Aucas, but it had never happened, and it wasn't until 1956 that the first Operation Auca was attempted.                         Five young American men banded together to do this.  I want to tell you a little about who they were and how they got there.  First, there was Nate Saint from Philadelphia, one of the founders of the Missionary Aviation Fellowship.  He inaugurated the program of jungle flying in the Eastern jungle of Ecuador.  Pilots who have watched film footage of some of Nate's landings on those canyons of green trees in the jungle have said that it's impossible.  Nate was a genius; he was a rather slightly built blond guy with a terrific sense of humor; a creative imagination; and an almost fanatical discipline and caution as a flyer.                         Then there was Roger Youderian, a cowboy from Montana.  He went into World War II as a paratrooper; was wounded; and somehow he ended up in the Eastern jungle of Ecuador working with the Jivaros, those Indians that you've heard of who used to shrink people's heads and put them up on poles around their houses or wear them on their belts – really nice guys.                         The next man was Pete Fleming from Seattle, Washington, an earnest, scholarly type who had a master's degree in literature and planned on an academic career.  God had another plan for Pete, and Pete ended up in the jungle of Ecuador working with the Quichua Indians reducing their language to writing and beginning the rudiments of Bible translation.                         Ed McCully was a guy that I knew in college, and when I think back, there is hardly anybody who seemed less likely to me to become a missionary than Ed McCully.  He was handsome – good looks can open a lot of doors, but I don't think they'll get you very far on a mission field.  Doesn't it seem like kind of a waste?  I mean, here was this guy, six-feet-three, football player, track star, president of his class, and when the Hearst newspaper chain sponsored a nationwide oratorical contest, there were 20,000 entrants.  Just picture everybody that's at KC '83 entering that oratorical contest.  Ed McCully won first place.   He was smooth.  We thought he'd make a great politician.  That's what he was going to be.  He had charisma, and he went to law school.  But God changed his mind after he got into law school and somehow he, too, ended up in some God-forsaken corner of the Eastern jungle of Ecuador – again, a missionary to the Quichuas.  Why would a guy like that bury himself in the jungle?  Couldn't he find more fruitful ways to use his gifts?  All those talents that God had given him?  Wasn't that an awful waste?                         Well, yes, it was, if, what matters to you is self-image, fame, money, success, a terrible waste.  The backwoods isn't really a very auspicious place to pursue those kinds of things.                         Then there was the fifth man, one I got to know pretty well.  His name was Jim Elliott. Bob:                We're going to hear more from that message at KC '83 in just a few minutes but, of course, Jim Elliott, the one that Elisabeth got to know was her husband for a little more than two years.  He had been president of his class at Wheaton College.  He was from Portland, Oregon, and she tells the story of her romance and her marriage to Jim Elliott in her book, "Passion and Purity," which has been read by hundreds of thousands of people.                         But these five men – Jim and Roger and Pete and Ed and Nate – they are heroes, do you think? Dennis:          They are, and when Elisabeth Elliott spoke in KC '83, which was a gathering of college students from all across the country – it was spitting snow outside, but it was warm inside.  It was a huge, cavernous, almost like a warehouse, but they had set up this convention with Elisabeth Elliott speaking to these collegians, and she shared how these young men gave their lives for their faith. Elisabeth:      You don't just decide one Tuesday morning that you're going to be a hero of the faith.  There has to be a period, a long period, maybe years, of learning to walk humbly in obedience with God.  You put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time, one day at a time, year after year beginning now.                         Is it worth it?  One day in October of 1955, Nate Saint flew into our station to tell us that he had discovered some Auca houses.  Within a very short time, Ed McCully, that politician from Wisconsin; Jim Elliott from Oregon; and Nate Saint instituted a program of dropping gifts to those Indians with the hope that they would be able to break down their hostility and prepare the way for an attempt to reach them.  You can imagine our excitement, our trembling; the prayers that went up.                         And on the evening in January of 1956, just before these men left to go into the edge of Auca territory – by this time they had been joined by Roger Youderian and Pete Fleming – they sang together that hymn "We Rest on Thee, Our Shield and our Defender."  A week later they were all speared to death. Man:               The Waodani are killing so many people, the government is under pressure.  They're going to bring in troops.  We have one chance to reach these people now – this is it. Man:               When a life is taken, we call it a tragedy. Child:              Will the Waodani attack?  Will you use your guns? Man:               My life is freely given, a sacrifice. Elisabeth:      Why?  Two of the men who killed them are friends of mine now.  Their names are Mincaye and Kekita [ph], and they made tapes for me telling me everything about what had happened that afternoon on the beach, and they said they thought the men were cannibals. Man:               Ninkiwi [ph] and the young woman that was there at the friendly contact, and Ninkiwi wanted to marry her.  Nampa [ph] really didn't want that to happen.  When they found them coming back from the friendly encounter, the tribe flew into a rage.  They wanted to kill Ninkiwi, Nampa certainly did.  The Akita [ph] saw this, the Ninkayani [ph] saw this, Jewi [ph] saw this, and they redirected the anger, which is something about their culture.  You get angry, you're out of control.  The way you affirm control is to kill.  So they redirected their anger toward the missionaries, and that was ultimately why they attacked and killed the five men. Elisabeth:      Why would God allow a thing like that to happen?  He was their shield, their defender, and He let them get speared to death.  What had happened?  Can your faith cope with a set of facts like this?  There is a mystery here, but it is not unprecedented.  Go back to Hebrews 11 – and following all those wonderful triumphant accounts, we read, "And others were tortured."  They faced jeers and flogging, fetters and prison bars, they were stoned, they were – listen to this – sawn in two.  Talk about endurance.                         Is it worth it?  Is it worth it?  How many things can you think of that are worth suffering for?  There is nothing worth living for unless it's worth dying for.  Have you made up your mind?  The world is stunned when the news of the death of the five men hit the headlines.  People did not know that there were still stone-age savages around.  I suppose that's one of the reasons they were impressed.  And then people realized that there could still be ordinary young men for whom obedience to Jesus Christ was quite literally a matter of life or death.                         There was plenty of editorializing about it.  The secular press called the blankety-blank fools.  The Christian press did a lot of very glib explaining of why God would allow a thing like this to happen.  The verse that brought assurance to me was 1 John 2:17 – "The world in all its passionate desires will one day disappear, but the man who is following the will of God is part of the permanent and cannot die." Bob:                As Elisabeth was retelling the story of the death of those missionaries, we included some of the sound track that comes from the movie, "End of the Spear," that's being released – I think it's two weeks from Friday the movie is going to be released, and that movie portrays the events of 1956 and actually takes you back before 1956 to tell about the Waodani tribe and then brings it up to date.  It brings you to the point where Steve Saint, one of the children of those martyred missionaries goes back and makes contact with the tribe and finds out how the spearing took place, why it took place, and actually finds out who it was that killed his father, and that man becomes his friend.  That man is now a Christian.  It's a powerful story. Dennis:          Steve Saint ended up going back to live among that tribe as well.  Frankly, Bob, you and I have interviewed a lot of folks where you just kind of feel like, you know, I felt unworthy.  I've given my life to following Christ in 35 years of vocational ministry, but you meet somebody like that, who left the comfort of living on the East Coast and taking his family and going back into the jungles of Ecuador and living with the tribe and, as you said, befriending the man who ended up murdering his father is just a remarkable story of faith.                         One of the things we've done is we've put together, from a number of sources, some of the descriptions about Jim Elliott by his wife, Elisabeth, and his faith, and we thought you'd enjoy hearing this montage of audio clips, as Elisabeth Elliott describes the man who gave his life for Christ. Bob:                And our intent here is not to single out one of the five missionaries, but because of her writing and speaking, we probably know more about Jim than we do the other four.  But, again, all five of them are heroic and courageous. Elisabeth:      I want to tell you a little bit about that missionary, Jim Elliott.  I knew him when he was a college student.  He had made up his mind that he wanted two degrees – a bachelor of arts, which the college was qualified to confer; and an AUG, which the college was not qualified to confer.  The one he wanted most was AUG, "Approved Unto God."  He got that out of the Apostle Paul's letter to Timothy, and he had made up his mind what he wanted to live for.                         Jesus, for the joy that was set before Him, endured a cross.  Making light of its disgrace and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.  He made Himself nothing.  Jim Elliott wrote in his diary when he was 22 – "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."  Were those men really out of their tree to do what they did?  In Hebrews 12 it says, "What of ourselves?  With all these witnesses surrounding us like a cloud, we must throw off every encumbrance, every sin to which we cling, and run with resolution the race for which we are entered, our eyes fixed on Jesus on whom faith depends from start to finish.                         Jim Elliott was a man with tremendous gifts; a man who could undoubtedly have been a great success in probably quite a few different professions; a man whose friends and relatives thought he was crazy to go burying himself in some God-forsaken corner of the jungle just to talk to a few ignorant Indians when he had such a powerful testimony and a great "ministry" in this country among young people.  But Jim's life was not his own.  The verse that he wrote in my yearbook was 2 Timothy 2:4 – "A soldier on active service does not entangle himself in civilian affairs.  He must be wholly at his commanding officer's disposal."  Him was disposable.                         And here is the crux of the matter – and, by the way, did you know that the word "crux" means cross?  Did you know that the word "crucial" comes from the same root?  Until the world and the affections are brought under the authority of Christ, we have not begun to understand, let alone to accept His Lordship.                         God is saying, "I have something infinitely better for you than you can imagine.  Will you trust me?  Will you wait?  Will you obey me?"                         Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes and accept Thy will for my life.  I give myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.  Fill me with Thy Holy Spirit, use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost now and forever."                         What do you live for? Bob:                Once again, that's Elisabeth Elliott reflecting on her husband, Jim, who, along with four other men, was martyred in 1956, 50 years ago this week, and we felt like it was important for listeners to hear that story again, maybe some for the first time.  There are probably some folks who have been unaware of this story and will want to get either a copy of Elisabeth's book, the one that you read when you were in college, "Through Gates of Splendor," or the DVD of the documentary that is called "Beyond the Gates of Splendor."  We have both the book and the DVD in our FamilyLife Resource Center, and the easiest way for listeners to become acquainted with all that took place in those events is to get the book and get the DVD.                         You can go to our website, FamilyLife.com, click where it says "Today's Broadcast," right in the center of your screen, and that should take you to a page where you can get more information about these resources.  And if you order both the book and the DVD, we'll send you at no additional charge, the CD audio that features the excerpts we've been listening to this week from Elisabeth Elliott.                           Again, our website is FamilyLife.com, click the button in the middle of the screen that says "Today's Resources," and go there to find out more about the documentary, "Beyond the Gates of Splendor," about the book, "Through Gates of Splendor," and there is a link on our website as well that will give you more information about the movie that's coming out in a couple of weeks called "End of the Spear."  You can watch a trailer for that movie, get more information about the release of it.  I think it is January 20th that it's going to be in theaters, and we hope families will attend that movie, "End of the Spear."  1-800-FLTODAY or, again, the website is FamilyLife.com.                         And, once again, Dennis, I want to say thank you, I know you do as well, to those folks who pitched in at year-end and made a contribution to us here at FamilyLife.  We heard from many of our listeners, and I know our team is still going through and trying to open up some of the mail that we received so that we can issue a formal thank-you note to those of you who contributed at year-end to FamilyLife Today.  We really do appreciate your generosity, and I think it is safe to say at this point that we were successfully able to meet the match and take full advantage of the $350,000 match that we had in December – so thanks to all of you who pitched in.  We appreciate you standing with us and appreciate your ongoing support of this ministry.  Thanks for helping keep us on the air here in this city and in cities all across the country.                         Tomorrow we have a special guest joining us.  He is the son of one of the men who was martyred as a missionary 50 years ago this week.  Steve Saint is going to be with us along with the man who helped make the movie that tells the story of Steve's dad's martyrdom, the movie, "End of the Spear," Mart Green, is going to be here as well.  And we have a surprise guest who is going to be here with them, and we hope you can be back with us.                         I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.  On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.  We'll see you next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today.                          FamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. ______________________________________________________________We are so happy to provide these transcripts for you. However, there is a cost to transcribe, create, and produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider donating today to help defray the costs?Copyright © FamilyLife. All rights reserved. www.FamilyLife.com                 

Song: Lift Up Your HeadsText: Isaiah 35Click HERE to listen to and download the new album "Advent"Hello and welcome to episode #3 of the Anno Domini Podcast. A podcast dedicated to the supremacy of Christ over all things including our days, weeks, and months.Join me as we explore how Christ is revealed through the cyclical life of the church calendar year. We’ll discover how this calendar once structured culture and how it can again. We’ll also discuss practical ways to observe and celebrate these holy days in our quest to glorify God and live the good life in the midst of all good He has given us. Welcome back to week 3 of our year-long journey of following the liturgical church calendar. My name is Joe Stout and I will be your host today. My wife and I and our 7 children decided to spend a year following the liturgical calendar. Since the church new year started on Dec. 1st 2019 with the First Sunday of Advent we are now at the Third Sunday of Advent which is sometime called GOW Day Tay Sunday which I will explain my understanding of later. This day should be marked with Joy and Rejoicing. We have much to rejoice over because the King of Kings is drawing near, the Savior of the World is here. So take joy dear Christians, Christ has overcome the darkness. Just a quick housekeeping note that Christians are called to keep one holy day only and that is the weekly Lord’s day. These days, weeks, and seasons of celebration are merely intended as a way of worshipping God with our entire being and provide communal focus to our lives as one body in Christ. We worship together, rejoice together, weep together…the Church calendar provides an opportunity for this and nothing more. This is the new covenant and if celebrating Christmas or Easter or Lent afflicts your conscience then by all means abstain. We all get to spend eternity together celebrating whichever way you choose. This podcast is divided into four parts. We start with practical ways to celebrate the holiday. We then move on to a biblical portion connected to the celebrated day chosen from the Lectionary, (see podcast #2 if you would like more information on the Lectionary). Our third section looks into historic ways in which the Church and our forefather’s have followed the calendar and the tools, traditions, and insight that has sprung from that. We finish the podcast with an in depth look at an ancient hymn that can be tied to the holiday.Let’s get started. PracticalOn the practical side of Advent celebrations I’ve got to say that celebrating holidays is a ton of work. When we look at the plethora of ways the Jews angered Yahweh in the old testament we often see a refusal to celebrate his commanded feast days at the forefront. In other words, God told His people to rest or party or somehow tried to bless them by giving them good works to do, they complained, corrupted the work, or simply ignored the feast day all together. While I certainly don’t want to condone their sin, I can also understand why not resting or celebrating is tempting. There is usually a lot of preparation that goes into the feast or celebration. This can make it hard to want to obey because what we think of as a blessing is usually self centered. We want peace and quiet, we want to veg out, we want to do our own thing and not be hindered by intentionally resting. We can sometimes conflate resting and relaxing. While they seem similar they can reveal themselves to be very different in their acts. Relaxing is like taking a long shower or sitting in a hot tub. It requires nothing from you and only offers benefits. Resting on the other hand usually requires discipline. The Jews understood this as they set aside the Friday before Saturday as the Day of Preparation. They were preparing for rest that paradoxically required work to achieve. This is not unlike our own journey of faith. We are accepted by God through the blood of Christ and we respond to this acceptance with faith. This faith results in good works. Lots of them. Good works that God has planned out long before the world began. These good works culminate when our temporal life ends and our eternal life begins which is referred to as “entering His rest.”So what is the difference between relaxing and rest? One requires nothing, the other requires work and obedience to something outside your own desires. With all that in mind our family of 9 found our celebrations of Advent while encouraging also not for the faint of heart. Celebrating the liturgical calendar should not be thought of in merely a romanticized way. In other words, celebrating is work in a way and should not be only done when it feels nostalgic or postcard-esque. We continued our nightly celebrations by turning out the lights and then marking some way in which our own lives are dark without Jesus. We are constantly reminded of the victory of the gospel as each night another candle is lit and the darkness flees a little more as we approach the birth of our Lord. BiblicalThe lectionary passages this week are Isaiah 35 which we will be discussing. Our psalm will be 146, our epistle will come from James 5:7–11, and our gospel reading is found in Matt. 11:2–15. In keeping with the theme of the last two weeks we will look at the passage from Isaiah 35. Let’s read it now, remember this is the very word of God.Isaiah 35The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;it shall blossom abundantlyand rejoice with joy and singing.The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.They shall see the glory of the Lord,the majesty of our God.Strengthen the weak hands,and make firm the feeble knees.Say to those who have an anxious heart,“Be strong; fear not!Behold, your Godwill come with vengeance,with the recompense of God.He will come and save you.”Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,and the ears of the deaf unstopped;then shall the lame man leap like a deer,and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.For waters break forth in the wilderness,and streams in the desert;the burning sand shall become a pool,and the thirsty ground springs of water;in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,the grass shall become reeds and rushes.And a highway shall be there,and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;the unclean shall not pass over it.It shall belong to those who walk on the way;even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.No lion shall be there,nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;they shall not be found there,but the redeemed shall walk there.And the ransomed of the Lord shall returnand come to Zion with singing;everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;they shall obtain gladness and joy,and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.In Chapter 34, Isaiah has been prophesying some pretty grim destruction on the people and the land of Edom. But now in Chapter 35 and new hope is foretold. It is promised that the wilderness will no longer be in sorrow but will be glad and shall blossom and rejoice with joy and singing. The ground, cursed not only by the Edomites but by the sin of Adam will begin to reverse with the coming of the King. Just as the Christmas carol promised “no more let sin or sorrow grow or thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessing known far as the curse is found.”Verses 3 through 6 speak of the work that will be done in that day. Weak hands will be made strong, knees that are shaking will be made firm, anxious hearts are calmed, blind eyes are opened, deaf ears are unstopped, lame men will go about leaping, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy. Does this remind us of anyone in particular? Was there perhaps a new Adam who was both fully God and fully man who set about on earth with this work in mind? A mind to accomplish what the first Adam could not? You see the first Adam plunged the garden into wilderness and His rebellion cursed the ground. The second Adam watered the wilderness and made it bloom once again. On the day of His resurrection, When Mary, seeing Jesus, assumes Him to be the gardener. She wasn’t wrong at all. Christ is the true Gardener the one who is making the wilderness bloom again. This passage ends with the promise that the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing and that everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. We are promised that these ransomed will obtain gladness and joy because the sorrow and sighing that was previously a part of their life will flee away. This Joy is both something in our hearts that we experience and it is the Savior of the World, Christ. HistoricalAs I alluded too in the opening of the show the 3rd Sunday of Advent is regarded somewhat differently that the first, second, or fourth. As a church we have called this day Gaudete (GOW day tay) Sunday because the historic passage read publicly during this day of worship has always been Philippians 4:4-6 which begins with Rejoice in the Lord always. The ecclesiastical latin word for Rejoice is Gaudete and therefore the theme surrounding this day is one of rejoicing. Interestingly the gospel reading shows John discouraged or perplexed in prison sending word via his disciples to Christ asking if He was the one promised. Jesus responds encouragingly that the words of Isaiah are being fulfilled. By extension we can say that he was building up the broken hearted. Building them up with what? Joy of course. MusicalOne note before we jump into this weeks hymn is that I am getting this podcast up very late in the week because I’ve spent an enormous amount of time getting the album that will contain all of the songs we’ve been discussing and that we will discuss in coming weeks finished and released. Well the good news is that it has been released to all the major streaming services such as Spotify and iTunes and should be available on those platforms in the next few days. If you would like to listen to and download it now, I also have it available for free on my bandcamp profile page. I will have a link in the show notes that directs you to the music. There are six songs in all two of which were highlighted in episodes 1 and 2 and 4 additional songs as of yet unheard. I hope you are blessed by them and I will be glad to get a break from working on them now that they are finished.Okay back to the topic at hand. The last two weeks we’ve examined ancient hymn from the 4th century. This week we are going to jump ahead over a 1000 years to a german hymn written in 1642 by Georg Weissel. The translated title of the hymn is “Lift up Your Heads” and while originally in German, was translated by the very prolific hymn translator Catherine Winkworth in 1855. Let’s get a look at the words.Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates,Behold the King of glory waits;The King of kings is drawing near,The Savior of the world is here;Life and salvation He will bring,Wherefore rejoice and gladly sing:We praise Thee, Father, now!Creator, wise art ThouThe Lord is just, a helper tried,Mercy is ever at His side,His kingly crown is holiness,His scepter, pity in distress,The end of all our woe He brings;Wherefore the earth is glad and sings:We praise Thee, Savior, now,Mighty in deed art Thou!Oh blest the land, the city blest,Where Christ the ruler is confessed!Oh happy hearts and happy homesTo whom this king of glory comes!The cloudless sun of joy He is,Who bringeth pure delight and bliss:O Comforter divine,What boundless grace is Thine!Redeemer, come! I open wideMy heart to Thee—here, Lord, abide!Let me Thy inner presence feel,Thy grace and love in me reveal,Thy Holy Spirit guide us onUntil our glorious goal is won!Eternal praise and fameWe offer to Thy name.This hymn is set around Psalm 24 which describes that the earth and everything in it belongs to God and so we should be reading for the coming of the King of Glory. We sing that the Savior of the World is here. What a wonderful thought, God set out to save His elect but that elect includes eventually, all of creation. No not everyone will be saved. Many will reject Him but many more will come to Him and unto salvation. With this salvation and life that He brings, and with the keeping of the theme of this Lord’s Day we remember to REJOICE and sing with gladness for God is indeed wise. An oft used device in hymns writing is to conclude the song with a doxology to the Triune nature of God. This hymn takes a different approach and focuses the first 3 verses on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit respectively. This first verse focused our praises on the Father.The second verse, focused on the work of the son, describes Jesus as just and a helper. Mercy is at His side and He wears a crown of holiness and yet carries a scepter of pity or compassion for those who are in distress. He ends our woe and so the earth is glad and sings! Therefore we praise Him our savior who is mighty in deed.Verse 3 begins by affirming the promise that the land and the city will be blessed where Christ is confessed as ruler. Oh how we need the reigning presence of Christ in our country and in the hearts of our rulers. I often hear Christians take the very secular argument that Christianity is a private relationship with Christ and therefore shouldn’t be brought into the public square. I couldn’t disagree more. Without Christ, our rulers have been driven insane by their own degeneracy with every imaginable lust of the heart and flesh. Without Christ as King our civic life can only exist for a time and then will come judgement. Happy hearts and happy homes are the vision for those to whom the King of glory comes and is received with Joy. The Holy Spirit of Christ is the cloudless sun that brings pure delight and bliss. Therefore we praise the Holy Spirit, here called the Comforter Divine for the boundless grace He bestows.When I first played this song for Elizabeth, she was surprised by verse 4 as it sounds much more Evangelical than the previous 3 verses or any of the other songs we will be discussing. It focuses on the heart of the believer which is a very common theme in modern music. We sing asking the redeemer to come and abide in our heart. We ask that we might be able to feel his presence and to have His love in us revealed. We ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in our glorious goal of glorifying and praising Him during this earthly life and we promise our praise and fame to Him. Now shifting to sing to God about ourselves is certainly not bad. The psalms do it all the time and we shouldn’t be afraid to sing about us to God. However, I think it becomes an issue when the main focus of most of our worship is on us. Our devotion to God, our faithfulness, our feelings, our needs, our wants. These are important but need to be put in their proper place. In verse 4 after we have spent 3 verses giving God the glory due His name.And with that I will go ahead and finish up by playing a new version of the nearly 400 year old hymn Lift Up Your Heads. Again don’t forget this is track 3 of the new album called Advent. You can go to the podcast website annodominipodcast.com and find a link to the album there or just check your favorite streaming service in the next few days and it should show up there as well.I hope everyone has a Joyful 3rd Sunday of Advent and I will see you all next week.

1 Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates, Behold, the King of glory waits! The King of kings is drawing near, The Saviour of the world is here; Life and salvation He doth bring, Wherefore rejoice and gladly sing: We praise Thee, Father, now, Creator wise art Thou. 2 The Lord is just, a helper tried, With mercy ever at His side, His kingly crown is holiness, His sceptre, pity in distress, The end of all our woes He brings, Wherefore the earth is glad and sings: We praise Thee, Saviour, now, Mighty in deed art Thou. 3 O blest the land, the city blest, Where Christ the ruler is confessed! O happy hearts and happy homes To whom this King in triumph comes! The cloudless sun of joy He is, Who brings us pure delight and bliss. We praise Thee, Spirit, now, Our Comforter art Thou. 4 Fling wide the portals of your heart; Make it a temple set apart From earthly use for heaven's employ, Adorned with prayer and love and joy; So shall your sovereign enter in, And new and nobler life being. To Thee, O God, be praise For word, and deed, and grace. 5 Redeemer, come! I open wide My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide. Let me Thy inner presence feel, Thy grace and love in me reveal; Thy Holy Spirit guide us on Until our glorious goal is won. Eternal praise and fame We offer to Thy name.

Daily Devotions from Charles Spurgeon, read by Doug Smith.  To read the entire book online, visit spurgeon.org.  For more information about the program, visit brotherdougsmith.wordpress.com. August 1 Covenant Reaches Children And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. (Genesis 17:7)  O Lord, Thou hast made a covenant with me, Thy servant, in Christ Jesus my Lord; and now, I beseech Thee, let my children be included in its gracious provisions. Permit me to believe this promise as made to me as well as to Abraham. I know that my children are born in sin and shapen in iniquity, even as those of other men; therefore, I ask nothing on the ground of their birth, for well I know that "that which is born of the flesh is flesh" and nothing more. Lord, make them to be born under Thy covenant of grace by Thy Holy Spirit! I pray for my descendants throughout all generations. Be Thou their God as Thou art mine. My highest honor is that Thou hast permitted me to serve Thee; may my offspring serve Thee in all years to come. O God of Abraham, be the God of his Isaac! O God of Hannah, accept her Samuel! If, Lord, Thou hast favored me in my family, I pray Thee remember other households of Thy people which remain unblest. Be the God of all the families of Israel. Let not one of those who fear Thy name be tried with a godless and wicked household, for Thy Son Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Keith Green made this Worship Song based on Psalm 51 popular. Author Unknown-in the Public DomainG D C G D GCreate in me a Clean Heart, Oh God, And Renew a Right Spirit within me.G D C G D G G7Create in me a Clean Heart, Oh God, And Renew a Right Spirit within me.C D G EmCast me not away from Thy Presence, Oh Lord. C D GAnd Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. C D G EmRestore unto me the Joy of Thy Salvation, C D GAnd Renew a Right Spirit within me.© 2015 Shiloh Worship Music COPY FREELY;This Music is copyrighted to prevent misuse, however,permission is granted for non-commercial copying-Radio play permitted. www.ShilohWorshipMusic.comCome and check out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ShilohWorshipGroup/videos  Free Christian Worship Music on the iTunes StorePlease check out our free Christian Worship Music on the iTunes Store. We offer 6 free Podcasts that contain our original worship music. Below are the links- if you like them you can subscribe FREE and receive new songs in the form of podcasts as they are released.Free Bluegrass Gospel Hymns and Songs from Shiloh Worship Music. Old Standard Hymns and Songs as well as Original Bluegrass Gospel Songs.http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/what-a-friend-we-have-in-jesus/id471784726?i=100849735FREE PRAISE & WORSHIP  FREE Original Praise and Worship Music Our style is very eclectic ranging from Blues to Folk to Reggae to Worldbeat to Bluegrass to Contemporary Worship. Most songs Are in English, some songs are in English and Spanish, and a few songs have been translated into other languages like Swahili, French, Chinese, and Korean. Etc. We Love Jesus, we are simple christian disciples of Jesus using our gifts to lavish our love and lives for Him. Our desire is to point others to Jesus. Our music is simple-most of these original songs are prayers to Jesus set to music. Although our music is copyrighted ©2000-2013 Shiloh Worship Music, to prevent misuse, feel free to pass this music around for any and all non-commercial use. Jesus said, "freely you have received, freely give!"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/free-praise-and-worship/id436298678FREE Contemporary Christian Worshiphttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/free-contemporary-christian/id882132356 FREE WORSHIP MUSICOriginal Worship music SUBSCRIBE in iTunes We Love Jesus, we are simple christian disciples of Jesus using our gifts to lavish our love and lives for Him. To point others to Jesus. our music is simple-most of these original songs are prayers to Jesus set to music. Although our music is copyrighted ©2000-2013 Shiloh Worship Music, to prevent misuse, feel free to pass this music around for any and all non-commercial use. Jesus said, "freely you have received, freely give!"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/free-jesus-music/id395892905祈る日本 Christian songs 津波 Jesus ccm worship praise 敬拜赞美 耶稣基督 Иисус Христос поклонения похвалы музыки Christus Lob Musik यीशु मसीह की पूजा प्रशंसा क्रिश्चियन संगीत musique chrétienne These videos are works of Video Artwork created to accompany our original music as an educational and research vehicle to teach others about Jesus Christ and Christianity.COPYRIGHT NOTICE: images used for nonprofit, educational purposes only under the "fair use" provision of U.S. Code, Title 17, section 107.

Our version of the Classic Hymn Words: Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896, He writes:"The song was written while I was conducting a meeting at East Palestine, Ohio, in the home of George Sebring (founder of the Sebring Campmeeting Bible Conference in Sebring, Ohio. For some time, I had struggled be­tween developing my talents in the field of art and going into full-time evangelistic work. At last the pivotal hour of my life came, and I surren­dered all. A new day was ushered into my life. I became an evangelist and discovered down deep in my soul a talent hither to unknown to me. God had hidden a song in my heart, and touching a tender chord, He caused me to sing."Music: Winfield S. Weeden, 1896 1. ,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live. ◦ I surrender all,
  I surrender all.
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
    I surrender all. 2. All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now. 3. All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine. 4. All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.© 2013 Shiloh Worship Music COPY FREELY;This Music is copyrighted to prevent misuse, however,permission is granted for non-commercial copying-Radio play permitted- www.shilohworshipmusic.com

This week’s segments: “Blessed are They”: St. Gorgonia “Among Women” Guest: Melanie Bettinelli This is part 2 of 2 episodes on this topic. LInks for this episode: Among Women 5: Mothers prayer groups The Wine Dark Sea, Melanie Bettinelli’s blog Barefoot & Pregnant Blog Posts by Melanie Bettinelli: 1. How Do You Do That? 2. The Religious Potential of the Child 3. Forming the Religious Imagination Books recommended by Melanie: –A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle –The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Caveletti –Angel in the Waters by Regina Doman Prayer recommended by Melanie (author unknown): O God the Father of mankind, who hast given me these my children, and  committed them to my charge to bring them up for Thee, and to prepare them for eternal life: help me with Thy heavenly grace, that I may be able to fulfill this most sacred duty and stewardship. Teach me both, what to give and what to withhold; when to reprove and when to forbear; make me to be gentle, yet firm; considerate and watchful; and deliver me equally from the weakness of indulgence, and the excess of severity; and grant that, both by word and by example, I may be careful to lead them in the ways of wisdom and true piety. Pour Thy grace into their hearts, and strengthen and multiply in them the gifts of Thy Holy Spirit, that they may daily grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; and so, faithfully serving Thee here, may come to rejoice in Thy presence hereafter. Amen. Pat Gohn’s Speaking Engagements for Summer & Fall 2011 Email: amongwomenpodcast@me.com, or Facebook! Our home page: www.amongwomenpodcast.com Image credit

This week’s segments: “Blessed are They”: St. Nonna “Among Women” Guest: Melanie Bettinelli This is part 1 of 2 episodes on this topic. LInks for this episode: Mother’s Manual, by A. Francis Coomes, SJ The Wine Dark Sea, Melanie Bettinelli’s blog Barefoot & Pregnant Blog Posts by Melanie Bettinelli: 1. How Do You Do That? 2. The Religious Potential of the Child 3. Forming the Religious Imagination Books recommended by Melanie: –A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle –The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Caveletti –Angel in the Waters by Regina Doman Prayer recommended by Melanie (author unknown): O God the Father of mankind, who hast given me these my children, and  committed them to my charge to bring them up for Thee, and to prepare them for eternal life: help me with Thy heavenly grace, that I may be able to fulfill this most sacred duty and stewardship. Teach me both, what to give and what to withhold; when to reprove and when to forbear; make me to be gentle, yet firm; considerate and watchful; and deliver me equally from the weakness of indulgence, and the excess of severity; and grant that, both by word and by example, I may be careful to lead them in the ways of wisdom and true piety. Pour Thy grace into their hearts, and strengthen and multiply in them the gifts of Thy Holy Spirit, that they may daily grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; and so, faithfully serving Thee here, may come to rejoice in Thy presence hereafter. Amen. Enter this week’s drawing via email: amongwomenpodcast@me.com, or on Facebook! Our home page: www.amongwomenpodcast.com

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, O Lord and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and renew a right spirit within me.