Podcasts about ultimately god

Scripture: Romans 9:6-29. Ultimately God chooses who is saved.

The master told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” — Luke 14:23 Receiving an invitation is usually seen as an honor, and most people welcome a gracious request to join in. In God's kingdom, our main approach should be simply to invite people to “come and see” what God offers us in Christ—salvation and full life forever! This is often more effective than getting into a debate about a teaching or criticizing others for their beliefs. In Jesus' parable of the great banquet, God the Father is portrayed as a generous host who wants to share his abundance and joy with others. The host prepares a feast, ensuring that everything is taken care of. God undertakes everything needed for our salvation—even footing the bill by sacrificing his own Son for our sake. And he opens the doors of his kingdom, extending his invitation to all. Ultimately God wants his house filled with all whom he has invited. And as followers of Jesus who have become God's servants, we receive an expanded role. We become inviters and bringers, actively seeking and urging others to join us. This role has sometimes been described as “one beggar telling another beggar where to find food”—or, as in this parable, one invited guest informing another guest about the banquet hall brimming with eternal blessings. Heavenly Father, may we share your good news freely with others. Make us winsome witnesses and inclusive inviters, for in you there is more than enough grace to go around. Amen.

Comparing the Hebrew of Isaiah 9.6 to most popular English translations results in some serious questions. Why have our translations changed the tense of the verbs from past to future? Why is this child called “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father”? In this presentation I work through Isaiah 9.6 line by line to help you understand the Hebrew. Next I look at interpretive options for the child as well as his complicated name. Not only will this presentation strengthen your understanding of Isaiah 9.6, but it will also equip you to explain it to others. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— See my other articles here Check out my class: One God Over All Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean’s bio here Below is the paper presented on October 18, 2024 in Little Rock, Arkansas at the 4th annual UCA Conference. Access this paper on Academia.edu to get the pdf. Full text is below, including bibliography and end notes. Abstract Working through the grammar and syntax, I present the case that Isaiah 9:6 is the birth announcement of a historical child. After carefully analyzing the name given to the child and the major interpretive options, I make a case that the name is theophoric. Like the named children of Isaiah 7 and 8, the sign-child of Isaiah 9 prophecies what God, not the child, will do. Although I argue for Hezekiah as the original fulfillment, I also see Isaiah 9:6 as a messianic prophecy of the true and better Hezekiah through whom God will bring eternal deliverance and peace. Introduction Paul D. Wegner called Isaiah 9:6[1] “one of the most difficult problems in the study of the Old Testament.”[2] To get an initial handle on the complexities of this text, let's begin briefly by comparing the Hebrew to a typical translation. Isaiah 9:6 (BHS[3]) כִּי־יֶ֣לֶד יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ בֵּ֚ן נִתַּן־לָ֔נוּ וַתְּהִ֥י הַמִּשְׂרָ֖ה עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמ֜וֹ פֶּ֠לֶא יוֹעֵץ֙ אֵ֣ל גִּבּ֔וֹר אֲבִיעַ֖ד שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם׃ Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Curiosities abound in the differences between these two. The first two clauses in English, “For to us a child is born” and “to us a son is given,” employ the present tense while the Hebrew uses the perfect tense, i.e. “to us a child has been born.”[4] This has a significant bearing on whether we take the prophecy as a statement about a child already born in Isaiah's time or someone yet to come (or both). The ESV renders the phrase,וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo), as “and his name shall be called,” but the words literally mean “and he called his name” where the “he” is unspecified. This leaves room for the possibility of identifying the subject of the verb in the subsequent phrase, i.e. “And the wonderful counselor, the mighty God called his name…” as many Jewish translations take it.  Questions further abound regardingאֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor), which finds translations as disparate as the traditional “Mighty God”[5] to “divine warrior”[6] to “in battle God-like”[7] to “Mighty chief”[8] to “Godlike hero,”[9] to Luther's truncated “Held.”[10]  Another phrase that elicits a multiplicity of translations is אֲבִיעַד (aviad). Although most versions read “Eternal Father,”[11] others render the word, “Father-Forever,”[12] “Father for all time,”[13] “Father of perpetuity,”[14] “Father of the Eternal Age,”[15] and “Father of Future.”[16] Translators from a range of backgrounds struggle with these two phrases. Some refuse to translate them at all, preferring clunky transliterations.[17] Still, as I will show below, there's a better way forward. If we understand that the child had a theophoric name—a name that is not about him, but about God—our problems dissipate like morning fog before the rising sun. Taking the four pairs of words this way yields a two-part sentence name. As we'll see this last approach is not only the best contextual option, but it also allows us to take the Hebrew vocabulary, grammar, and syntax at face value, rather than succumbing to strained translations and interpretational gymnastics. In the end, we're left with a text literally rendered and hermeneutically robust. Called or Will Call His Name? Nearly all the major Christian versions translate וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra), “he has called,” as “he will be called.” This takes an active past tense verb as a passive future tense.[18] What is going on here? Since parents typically give names at birth or shortly thereafter, it wouldn't make sense to suggest the child was already born (as the beginning of Isa 9:6 clearly states), but then say he was not yet named. Additionally, וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra) is a vav-conversive plus imperfect construction that continues the same timing sequence of the preceding perfect tense verbs.[19] If the word were passive (niphal binyan) we would read וַיִּקָּרֵא (vayikarey) instead of וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra). Although some have suggested an emendation of the Masoretic vowels to make this change, Hugh Williamson notes, “there is no overriding need to prefer it.”[20] Translators may justify rendering the perfect tense as imperfect due to the idiom called a prophetic past tense (perfectum propheticum). Wilhelm Gesenius notes the possibility that a prophet “so transports himself in imagination into the future that he describes the future event as if it had been already seen or heard by him.”[21] Bruce Waltke recognizes the phenomenon, calling it an accidental perfective in which “a speaker vividly and dramatically represents a future situation both as complete and independent.”[22] Still, it's up to the interpreter to determine if Isaiah employs this idiom or not. The verbs of verse 6 seem quite clear: “a child has been born for us … and the government was on his shoulder … and he has called his name…” When Isaiah uttered this prophecy, the child had already been born and named and the government rested on his shoulders. This is the straightforward reading of the grammar and therefore should be our starting point.[23] Hezekiah as the Referent One of the generally accepted principles of hermeneutics is to first ask the question, “What did this text mean in its original context?” before asking, “What does this text mean to us today?” When we examine the immediate context of Isa 9:6, we move beyond the birth announcement of a child with an exalted name to a larger prophecy of breaking the yoke of an oppressor (v4) and the ushering in of a lasting peace for the throne of David (v7). Isaiah lived in a tumultuous time. He saw the northern kingdom—the nation of Israel—uprooted from her land and carried off by the powerful and cruel Assyrian Empire. He prophesied about a child whose birth had signaled the coming freedom God would bring from the yoke of Assyria. As Jewish interpreters have long pointed out, Hezekiah nicely fits this expectation.[24] In the shadow of this looming storm, Hezekiah became king and instituted major religious reforms,[25] removing idolatry and turning the people to Yahweh. The author of kings gave him high marks: “He trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel. After him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah nor among those who were before him” (2 Kgs 18:5).[26] Then, during Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib sent a large army against Judea and laid siege to Jerusalem. Hezekiah appropriately responded to the threatening Assyrian army by tearing his clothes, covering himself with sackcloth, and entering the temple to pray (2 Kings 19:1). He sent word to Isaiah, requesting prayer for the dire situation. Ultimately God brought miraculous deliverance, killing 185,000 Assyrians, which precipitated a retreat. There had not been such an acute military deliverance since the destruction of Pharaoh's army in the sea. Indeed, Hezekiah's birth did signal God's coming deliverance. In opposition to Hezekiah as the referent for Isa 9:6, Christian interpreters have pointed out that Hezekiah did not fulfill this prophecy en toto. Specifically, Hezekiah did not usher in “an endless peace” with justice and righteousness “from this time onward and forevermore” (Isa. 9:7). But, as John Roberts points out, the problem only persists if we ignore prophetic hyperbole. Here's what he says: If Hezekiah was the new king idealized in this oracle, how could Isaiah claim he would reign forever? How could Isaiah so ignore Israel's long historical experience as to expect no new source of oppression would ever arise? The language, as is typical of royal ideology, is hyperbolic, and perhaps neither Isaiah nor his original audience would have pushed it to its limits, beyond its conventional frames of reference, but the language itself invites such exploitation. If one accepts God's providential direction of history, it is hard to complain about the exegetical development this exploitation produced.[27] Evangelical scholar Ben Witherington III likewise sees a reference to both Hezekiah and a future deliverer. He writes, “[T]he use of the deliberately hyperbolic language that the prophet knew would not be fulfilled in Hezekiah left open the door quite deliberately to look for an eschatological fulfillment later.”[28] Thus, even if Isaiah's prophecy had an original referent, it left the door open for a true and better Hezekiah, who would not just defeat Assyria, but all evil, and not just for a generation, but forever. For this reason, it makes sense to take a “both-and” approach to Isa 9:6. Who Called His Name? Before going on to consider the actual name given to the child, we must consider the subject of the word וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra), “and he called.” Jewish interpreters have and continue to take אֵל גִבּוֹר (el gibbor), “Mighty God,” as the subject of this verb. Here are a few examples of this rendering: Targum Jonathan (2nd century) And his name has been called from before the One Who Causes Wonderful Counsel, God the Warrior, the Eternally Existing One—the Messiah who will increase peace upon us in his days.[29] Shlomo Yitzchaki (11th century) The Holy One, blessed be He, Who gives wondrous counsel, is a mighty God and an everlasting Father, called Hezekiah's name, “the prince of peace,” since peace and truth will be in his days.[30] Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (16th century) “For a child is born to us.” A son will be born and this is Hezekiah. Though Ahaz is an evildoer, his son Hezekiah will be a righteous king. He will be strong in his service of the Holy One. He will study Torah and the Holy One will call him, “eternal father, peaceful ruler.” In his days there will be peace and truth.[31] The Stone Edition of the Tanach (20th century) The Wondrous Adviser, Mighty God, Eternal Father, called his name Sar-shalom [Prince of Peace][32] Although sometimes Christian commentators blithely accuse Jewish scholars of avoiding the implications of calling the child “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father,” the grammar does allow multiple options here. The main question is whether Isaiah specified the subject of the verb וַיִקְרָ (vayikra) or not. If he has, then the subject must be אֵל גִבּוֹר (el gibbor). If he has not, then the subject must be indefinite (i.e. “he” or “one”). What's more, the Masoretic punctuation of the Hebrew suggests the translation, “and the Wonderful Adviser, the Mighty God called his name, ‘Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'”[33] However, Keil and Delitzsch point out problems with this view on both grammatical and contextual grounds. They write: [I]t is impossible to conceive for what precise reason such a periphrastic description of God should be employed in connection with the naming of this child, as is not only altogether different from Isaiah's usual custom, but altogether unparalleled in itself, especially without the definite article. The names of God should at least have been defined thus, הַיּוֹעֵץ פֵּלֶא הַגִּבּוֹר, so as to distinguish them from the two names of the child.”[34] Thus, though the Masoretic markings favor the Jewish translation, the grammar doesn't favor taking “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God” as the subject. It's certainly not impossible, but it is a strained reading without parallels in Isaiah and without justification in the immediate context. Let's consider another possibility. His Name Has Been Called Instead of taking אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) as the subject, we can posit an indefinite subject for וַיִקְרָ (vayikra): “one has called.” Examples of this outside of Isaiah 9:6 include Gen 11:9; 25:26; Exod 15:23; and 2 Sam 2:16. The phenomenon appears in Gesenius (§144d) and Joüon and Muraoka (§155e), both of which include our text as examples. However, the translation “one has called his name” is awkward in English due to our lack of a generic pronoun like on in French or man in German. Accordingly, most translations employ the passive construction: “his name has been called,” omitting the subject.[35] This is apparently also how those who produced the Septuagint (LXX) took the Hebrew text, employing a passive rather than an active verb.[36] In conclusion, the translation “his name has been called” works best in English. Mighty Hero Now we broach the question of how to render אֵל גִּבּוֹר el gibbor. As I've already noted, a few translations prefer “mighty hero.” But this reading is problematic since it takes the two words in reverse order. Although in English we typically put an adjective before the noun it modifies, in Hebrew the noun comes first and then any adjectives that act upon it. Taking the phrase as אֵל גִּבּוֹר (gibbor el) makes “mighty” the noun and “God” the adjective. Now since the inner meaning of אֵל (el) is “strong” or “mighty,” and גִּבּוֹר gibbor means “warrior” or “hero,” we can see how translators end up with “mighty warrior” or “divine hero.” Robert Alter offers the following explanation: The most challenging epithet in this sequence is ‘el gibor [sic], which appears to say “warrior-god.” The prophet would be violating all biblical usage if he called the Davidic king “God,” and that term is best construed here as some sort of intensifier. In fact, the two words could conceivably be a scribal reversal of gibor ‘el, in which case the second word would clearly function as a suffix of intensification as it occasionally does elsewhere in the Bible.[37] Please note that Alter's motive for reversing the two words is that the text, as it stands, would violate all biblical usage by calling the Davidic king “God.” But Alter is incorrect. We have another biblical usage calling the Davidic king “God” in Psalm 45:6. We must allow the text to determine interpretation. Changing translation for the sake of theology is allowing the tail to wag the dog. Another reason to doubt “divine warrior” as a translation is that “Wherever ʾēl gibbôr occurs elsewhere in the Bible there is no doubt that the term refers to God (10:21; cf. also Deut. 10:17; Jer. 32:18),” notes John Oswalt.[38] Keil and Delitzsch likewise see Isa 10:21 as the rock upon which these translations suffer shipwreck.[39] “A remnant will return,” says Isa 10:21, “the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” The previous verse makes it clear that “mighty God” refers to none other than “Yahweh, the holy one of Israel.” Without counter examples elsewhere in the Bible, we lack the basis to defy the traditional ordering of “God” as the noun and “mighty” or “warrior” as the adjective.[40] Mighty God-Man Did Isaiah foresee a human child who would also be the mighty God? Did he suddenly get “a glimpse of the fact that in the fullness of the Godhead there is a plurality of Persons,” as Edward Young thought?[41] Although apologists seeking to prove the deity of Christ routinely push for this reading, other evangelical scholars have expressed doubts about such a bold interpretation.[42] Even Keil and Delitzsch, after zealously batting away Jewish alternatives, admit Isaiah's language would not have suggested an incarnate deity in its original context.[43] Still, it would not be anachronistic to regard a king as a deity in the context of the ancient Near East. We find such exalted language in parallels from Egypt and Assyria in their accession oracles (proclamations given at the time a new king ascends the throne). Taking their cue from the Egyptian practices of bestowing divine throne names upon the Pharaoh's accession to the throne, G. von Rad and A. Alt envisioned a similar practice in Jerusalem. Although quite influential, Wegner has pointed out several major problems with this way of looking at our text: (1) the announcement is to the people in Isa 9:6, not the king; (2) Isa 9:6 does not use adoption language nor call the child God's son; (3) יֶלֶד (yeled), “child,” is never used in accession oracles; (4) the Egyptian parallels have five titles not four as in Isa 9:6; (5) Egyptians employ a different structure for accession oracles than Isa 9:6; and (6) we have no evidence elsewhere that Judean kings imitated the Egyptian custom of bestowing divine titles.[44] Another possibility, argued by R. A. Carlson, is to see the names as anti-Assyrian polemic.[45] Keeping in mind that Assyria was constantly threatening Judah in the lifetime of Isaiah and that the child born was to signal deliverance, it would be no surprise that Isaiah would cast the child as a deliberate counter-Assyrian hero. Still, as Oswalt points out, “[T]he Hebrews did not believe this [that their kings were gods]. They denied that the king was anything more than the representative of God.”[46] Owing to a lack of parallels within Israel and Isaiah's own penchant for strict monotheism,[47] interpreting Isa 9:6 as presenting a God-man is ad hoc at best and outright eisegesis at worst. Furthermore, as I've already noted, the grammar of the passage indicates a historical child who was already born. Thus, if Isaiah meant to teach the deity of the child, we'd have two God-men: Hezekiah and Jesus. Far from a courtly scene of coronation, Wegner makes the case that our text is really a birth announcement in form. Birth announcements have (1) a declaration of the birth, (2) an announcement of the child's name, (3) an explanation of what the name means, and (4) a further prophecy about the child's future.[48] These elements are all present in Isa 9:6, making it a much better candidate for a birth announcement than an accession or coronation oracle. As a result, we should not expect divine titles given to the king like when the Pharaohs or Assyrian kings ascended the throne; instead, we ought to look for names that somehow relate to the child's career. We will delve more into this when we broach the topic of theophoric names. Mighty God's Agent Another possibility is to retain the traditional translation of “mighty God” and see the child as God's agent who bears the title. In fact, the Bible calls Moses[49] and the judges[50] of Israel אֱלֹהִים (elohim), “god(s),” due to their role in representing God. Likewise, as I've already mentioned, the court poet called the Davidic King “god” in Ps 45:6. Additionally, the word אֵל (el), “god,” refers to representatives of Yahweh whether divine (Ps 82:1, 6) or human (John 10.34ff).[51] Thus, Isa 9:6 could be another case in which a deputized human acting as God's agent is referred to as God. The NET nicely explains: [H]aving read the NT, we might in retrospect interpret this title as indicating the coming king's deity, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way. Ps 45:6 addresses the Davidic king as “God” because he ruled and fought as God's representative on earth. …When the king's enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.[52] Raymond Brown admits that this “may have been looked on simply as a royal title.”[53] Likewise Williamson sees this possibility as “perfectly acceptable,” though he prefers the theophoric approach.[54] Even the incarnation-affirming Keil and Delitzsch recognize that calling the child אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) is “nothing further…than this, that the Messiah would be the image of God as no other man ever had been (cf., El, Ps. 82:1), and that He would have God dwelling within Him (cf., Jer. 33:16).”[55] Edward L. Curtis similarly points out that had Isaiah meant to teach that the child would be an incarnation of Yahweh, he would have “further unfolded and made central this thought” throughout his book.[56] He likewise sees Isa 9:6 not as teaching “the incarnation of a deity” but as a case “not foreign to Hebrew usage to apply divine names to men of exalted position,” citing Exod 21:6 and Ps 82:6 as parallels.[57] Notwithstanding the lexical and scholarly support for this view, not to mention my own previous position[58] on Isa 9:6, I'm no longer convinced that this is the best explanation. It's certainly possible to call people “Gods” because they are his agents, but it is also rare. We'll come to my current view shortly, but for now, let's approach the second controversial title. Eternal Father The word אֲבִיעַד (aviad), “Eternal Father,” is another recognizable appellative for Yahweh. As I mentioned in the introduction, translators have occasionally watered down the phrase, unwilling to accept that a human could receive such a title. But humans who pioneer an activity or invent something new are fathers.[59] Walking in someone's footsteps is metaphorically recognizing him as one's father.[60] Caring for others like a father is yet another way to think about it.[61] Perhaps the child is a father in one of these figurative senses. If we follow Jerome and translate אֲבִיעַד (aviad) as Pater futuri saeculi, “Father of the future age,” we can reconfigure the title, “Eternal Father,” from eternal without beginning to eternal with a beginning but without an end. However, notes Williamson, “There is no parallel to calling the king ‘Father,' rather the king is more usually designated as God's son.”[62] Although we find Yahweh referred to as “Father” twice in Isaiah (Isa 63:16; 64:7), and several more times throughout the Old Testament,[63] the Messiah is not so called. Even in the New Testament we don't see the title applied to Jesus. Although not impossible to be taken as Jesus's fatherly role to play in the age to come, the most natural way to take אֲבִיעַד (aviad) is as a reference to Yahweh. In conclusion, both “mighty God” and “eternal Father” most naturally refer to Yahweh and not the child. If this is so, why is the child named with such divine designations? A Theophoric Name Finally, we are ready to consider the solution to our translation and interpretation woes. Israelites were fond of naming their kids with theophoric names (names that “carry God”). William Holladay explains: Israelite personal names were in general of two sorts. Some of them were descriptive names… But most Israelite personal names were theophoric; that is, they involve a name or title or designation of God, with a verb or adjective or noun which expresses a theological affirmation. Thus “Hezekiah” is a name which means “Yah (= Yahweh) is my strength,” and “Isaiah” is a name which means “Yah (= Yahweh) has brought salvation.” It is obvious that Isaiah is not called “Yahweh”; he bears a name which says something about Yahweh.[64] As Holladay demonstrates, when translating a theophoric name, it is customary to supplement the literal phrase with the verb, “to be.” Hezekiah = “Yah (is) my strength”; Isaiah = “Yah (is) salvation.” Similarly, Elijah means “My God (is) Yah” and Eliab, “My God (is the) Father.” Theophoric names are not about the child; they are about the God of the parents. When we imagine Elijah's mother calling him for dinner, she's literally saying “My God (is) Yah(weh), it's time for dinner.” The child's name served to remind her who her God was. Similarly, these other names spoke of God's strength, salvation, and fatherhood. To interpret the named child of Isa 9:6 correctly, we must look at the previously named children in Isa 7 and 8. In chapter 7 the boy is called “Immanuel,” meaning “God (is) with us” (Isa 7:14). This was a historical child who signaled prophecy. Isaiah said, “For before the boy knows to reject evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned” (Isa 7:16). In Isa 8:1 we encounter “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,” or “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens.”[65] This child has a two-sentence name with an attached prophecy: “For before the boy calls, ‘my father' or ‘my mother,' the strength of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off before the king of Assyria” (Isa 8:4). Both children's sign names did not describe them nor what they would do, but what God would do for his people. Immanuel is a statement of faith. The name means God has not abandoned his people; they can confidently say, “God is with us” (Isa 8:10). Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz does not mean that the child would become a warrior to sack Damascus and seize her spoils, but that God would bring about the despoiling of Judah's enemy. When we encounter a third sign-named child in as many chapters, we are on solid contextual grounds to see this new, longer name in the same light. Isaiah prophecies that this child has the government upon his shoulder, sits on the throne of David, and will establish a lasting period of justice and righteousness (Isa 9:5, 7). This child bears the name “Pele-Yoets-El-Gibbor-Aviad-Sar-Shalom.” The name describes his parents' God, the mighty God, the eternal Father. Although this perspective has not yet won the day, it is well attested in a surprising breadth of resources. Already in 1867, Samuel David Luzzatto put forward this position.[66] The Jewish Publication Society concurred in their 2014 study Bible: Semitic names often consist of sentences that describe God … These names do not describe that person who holds them but the god whom the parents worship. Similarly, the name given to the child in this v. does not describe that child or attribute divinity to him, but describes God's actions.[67] The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV) footnote on Isa. 9:6 says, “As in many Israelite personal names, the deity, not the person named, is being described.”[68] Additional scholars advocating the view also include Holladay (1978), Wegner (1992), Goldingay (1999, 2015), and Williamson (2018). Even so, Keil and Delitzsch eschew “such a sesquipedalian name,” calling it “unskillful,” and arguing that it would be impractical “to be uttered in one breath.”[69] But this is to take the idea too literally. No one is going to actually call the child by this name. John Goldingay helpfully explains: So he has that complicated name, “An-extraordinary-counselor-is-the-warrior-God, the-everlasting-Father-is-an-officer-for-well-being.” Like earlier names in Isaiah (God-is-with-us, Remains-Will-Return, Plunder-hurries-loot-rushes), the name is a sentence. None of these names are the person's everyday name—as when the New Testament says that Jesus will be called Immanuel, “God [is] with us,” without meaning this expression is Jesus' name. Rather, the person somehow stands for whatever the “name” says. God gives him a sign of the truth of the expression attached to him. The names don't mean that the person is God with us, or is the remains, or is the plunder, and likewise this new name doesn't mean the child is what the name says. Rather he is a sign and guarantee of it. It's as if he goes around bearing a billboard with that message and with the reminder that God commissioned the billboard.[70] Still, there's the question of identifying Yahweh as שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar shalom). Since most of our translations render the phrase “Prince of Peace,” and the common meaning of a prince is someone inferior to the king, we turn away from labeling God with this title. Although HALOT mentions “representative of the king, official” for the first definition their second is “person of note, commander.”[71] The BDB glosses “chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince” as their first entry.[72] Wegner adds: “The book of Isaiah also appears to use the word sar in the general sense of “ruler.””[73] Still, we must ask, is it reasonable to think of Yahweh as a שַׂר (sar)? We find the phrase שַׂר־הַצָּבָא (sar-hatsava), “prince of hosts,” in Daniel 8:11 and שַׂר־שָׂרִים (sar-sarim), “prince of princes,” in verse 25, where both refer to God.[74]  The UBS Translators' Handbook recommends “God, the chief of the heavenly army” for verse 11 and “the greatest of all kings” for verse 25.[75] The handbook discourages using “prince,” since “the English word ‘prince' does not mean the ruler himself but rather the son of the ruler, while the Hebrew term always designates a ruler, not at all implying son of a ruler.”[76] I suggest applying this same logic to Isa 9:6. Rather than translating שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar shalom) as “Prince of Peace,” we can render it, “Ruler of Peace” or “Ruler who brings peace.” Translating the Name Sentences Now that I've laid out the case for the theophoric approach, let's consider translation possibilities. Wegner writes, “the whole name should be divided into two parallel units each containing one theophoric element.”[77] This makes sense considering the structure of Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which translates two parallel name sentences: “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens.” Here are a few options for translating the name. Jewish Publication Society (1917) Wonderful in counsel is God the Mighty, the Everlasting Father, the Ruler of peace[78] William Holladay (1978) Planner of wonders; God the war hero (is) Father forever; prince of well-being[79] New Jewish Publication Society (1985) The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler[80] John Goldingay (1999) One who plans a wonder is the warrior God; the father for ever is a commander who brings peace[81] John Goldingay (2015) An-extraordinary-counselor-is-the-warrior-God, the-everlasting-Fathers-is-an-official-for-well-being[82] Hugh Williamson (2018) A Wonderful Planner is the Mighty God, An Eternal Father is the Prince of Peace[83] My Translation (2024) The warrior God is a miraculous strategist; the eternal Father is the ruler who brings peace[84] I prefer to translate אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) as “warrior God” rather than “mighty God” because the context is martial, and  גִּבּוֹר(gibbor) often refers to those fighting in war.[85] “Mighty God” is ambiguous, and easily decontextualized from the setting of Isa 9:6. After all, Isa 9:4-5 tells a great victory “as on the day of Midian”—a victory so complete that they burn “all the boots of the tramping warriors” in the fire. The word פֶּלֶא (pele), though often translated “wonderful,” is actually the word for “miracle,” and יוֹעֵץ (yoets) is a participle meaning “adviser” or “planner.” Since the context is war, this “miracle of an adviser” or “miraculous planner” refers to military plans—what we call strategy, hence, “miraculous strategist.” Amazingly, the tactic God employed in the time of Hezekiah was to send out an angel during the night who “struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians” (Isa 37:36). This was evidently the warrior God's miraculous plan to remove the threat of Assyria from Jerusalem's doorstep. Prophecies about the coming day of God when he sends Jesus Christ—the true and better Hezekiah—likewise foretell of an even greater victory over the nations.[86] In fact, just two chapters later we find a messianic prophecy of one who will “strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked” (Isa 11:4). The next phrase, “The eternal Father,” needs little comment since God's eternality and fatherhood are both noncontroversial and multiply attested. Literally translated, שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar-shalom) is “Ruler of peace,” but I take the word pair as a genitive of product.[87] Williamson unpacks this meaning as “the one who is able to initiate and maintain Peace.”[88] That his actions in the time of Hezekiah brought peace is a matter of history. After a huge portion of the Assyrian army died, King Sennacherib went back to Nineveh, where his sons murdered him (Isa 37:37-38). For decades, Judah continued to live in her homeland. Thus, this child's birth signaled the beginning of the end for Assyria. In fact, the empire itself eventually imploded, a fate that, at Hezekiah's birth, must have seemed utterly unthinkable. Of course, the ultimate peace God will bring through his Messiah will far outshine what Hezekiah achieved.[89] Conclusion We began by considering the phraseוַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo). We noted that the tense is perfect, which justifies a past-tense interpretation of the child who had already been born by the time of the birth announcement. I presented the case for Hezekiah as the initial referent of Isa 9:6 based on the fact that Hezekiah’s life overlapped with Isaiah’s, that he sat on the throne of David (v7), and that his reign saw the miraculous deliverance from Assyria's army. Furthermore, I noted that identifying the child of Isa 9:6 as Hezekiah does not preclude a true and better one to come. Although Isa 9:6 does not show up in the New Testament, I agree with the majority of Christians who recognize this text as a messianic prophecy, especially when combined with verse 7. Next we puzzled over the subject for phraseוַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo.) Two options are that the phrase פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ אֵל גִּבּוֹר (pele yoets el gibbor) functions as the subject or else the subject is indefinite. Although the Jewish interpreters overwhelmingly favor the former, the lack of definite articles and parallel constructions in Isaiah make me think the latter is more likely. Still, the Jewish approach to translation is a legitimate possibility. I explained how a passive voice makes sense in English since it hides the subject, and settled on “his name has been called,” as the best translation. Then we looked at the phrase אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) and considered the option of switching the order of the words and taking the first as the modifier of the second as in “mighty hero” or “divine warrior.” We explored the possibility that Isaiah was ascribing deity to the newborn child. We looked at the idea of Isaiah calling the boy “Mighty God” because he represented God. In the end we concluded that these all are less likely than taking God as the referent, especially in light of the identical phrase in Isa 10:21 where it unambiguously refers to Yahweh. Moving on to אֲבִיעַד (aviad), we considered the possibility that “father” could refer to someone who started something significant and “eternal” could merely designate a coming age. Once again, though these are both possible readings, they are strained and ad hoc, lacking any indication in the text to signal a non-straightforward reading. So, as with “Mighty God,” I also take “Eternal Father” as simple references to God and not the child. Finally, we explored the notion of theophoric names. Leaning on two mainstream Bible translations and five scholars, from Luzzatto to Williamson, we saw that this lesser-known approach is quite attractive. Not only does it take the grammar at face value, it also explains how a human being could be named “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father.” The name describes God and not the child who bears it. Lastly, drawing on the work of the Jewish Publication Society, Goldingay, and Williamson, I proposed the translation: “The warrior God is a miraculous strategist; the eternal Father is the ruler who brings peace.” This rendering preserves the martial context of Isa 9:6 and glosses each word according to its most common definition. I added in the verb “is” twice as is customary when translating theophoric names. The result is a translation that recognizes God as the focus and not the child. This fits best in the immediate context, assuming Hezekiah is the original referent. After all, his greatest moment was not charging out ahead of a column of soldiers, but his entering the house of Yahweh and praying for salvation. God took care of everything else. Likewise, the ultimate Son of David will have God's spirit influencing him: a spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of God (Isa 11:2). The eternal Father will so direct his anointed that he will “not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear” (Isa 11:3). In his days God will bring about a shalom so deep that even the animals will become peaceful (Isa 11:6-8). An advantage of this reading of Isa 9:6 is that it is compatible with the full range of christological positions Christians hold. Secondly, this approach nicely fits with the original meaning in Isaiah’s day, and it works for the prophecy’s ultimate referent in Christ Jesus. Additionally, it is the interpretation with the least amount of special pleading. Finally, it puts everything into the correct order, allowing exegesis to drive theology rather than the other way around. Bibliography Kohlenberger/Mounce Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament. Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2012. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1917. The Jewish Study Bible. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. Second ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Net Bible, Full Notes Edition. Edited by W. Hall Harris III James Davis, and Michael H. Burer. 2nd ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Edited by Carol A. Newsom Marc Z. Brettler, Pheme Perkins. Third ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. The Stone Edition of the Tanach. Edited by Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz. Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1996. Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures: The New Jps Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. 4th, Reprint. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985. Translation of Targum Onkelos and Jonathan. Translated by Eidon Clem. Altamonte Springs, FL: OakTree Software, 2015. Alter, Rober. The Hebrew Bible: Prophets, Nevi’im. Vol. 2. 3 vols. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2019. Ashkenazi, Jacob ben Isaac. Tze’enah Ure’enah: A Critical Translation into English. Translated by Morris M. Faierstein. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017. https://www.sefaria.org/Tze’enah_Ure’enah%2C_Haftarot%2C_Yitro.31?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. Baumgartner, Ludwig Koehler and Walter. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Edited by M. E. J. Richardson. Leiden: Brill, 2000. Brown, Raymond E. Jesus: God and Man, edited by 3. New York: Macmillan, 1967. Carlson, R. A. “The Anti-Assyrian Character of the Oracle in Is. Ix, 1-6.” Vetus Testamentum, no. 24 (1974): 130-5. Curtis, Edward L. “The Prophecy Concerning the Child of the Four Names: Isaiah Ix., 6, 7.” The Old and New Testament Student 11, no. 6 (1890): 336-41. Delitzsch, C. F. Keil and F. Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Finnegan, Sean. “Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity.” Paper presented at the One God Seminar, Seattle, WA, 2008, https://restitutio.org/2016/01/11/explanations-to-verses-commonly-used-to-teach-that-jesus-is-god/. Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Gesenius, Wilhelm. Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910. Goldingay, John. “The Compound Name in Isaiah 9:5(6).” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no. 2 (1999): 239-44. Goldingay, John. Isaiah for Everyone. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Holladay, William L. Isaiah: Scroll of Prophetic Heritage. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1978. III, Ben Witherington. Isaiah Old and New. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ggjhbz.7. Luzzatto, Samuel David. Shi’ur Komah. Padua, IT: Antonio Bianchi, 1867. O’Connor, Bruce K. Waltke and Michael P. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, IN: Esenbrauns, 1990. Ogden, Graham S., and Jan Sterk. A Handbook on Isaiah. Ubs Translator's Handbooks. New York: United Bible Societies, 2011. Oswalt, John. The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39. Nicot. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986. Péter-Contesse, René and John Ellington. A Handbook on Daniel. Ubs Translator’s Handbooks. New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1993. Roberts, J. J. M. First Isaiah. Vol. 23A. Hermeneia, edited by Peter Machinist. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Walter Bauer, Frederick W. Danker, William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Wegner, Paul D. “A Re-Examination of Isaiah Ix 1-6.” Vetus Testamentum 42, no. 1 (1992): 103-12. Williamson, H. G. M. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary, edited by G. I. Davies and C. M. Tuckett. New York: Bloomsbury, 2018. Yitzchaki, Shlomo. Complete Tanach with Rashi. Translated by A. J. Rosenberg. Chicago, IL: Davka Corp, 1998. https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Isaiah.9.5.2?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. Young, Edward J. The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-18. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965. End Notes [1] Throughout I'll refer to Isaiah 9:6 based on the versification used in English translations. Hebrew Bibles shift the count by one, so the same verse is Isaiah 9:5. [2] Paul D. Wegner, “A Re-Examination of Isaiah Ix 1-6,” Vetus Testamentum 42, no. 1 (1992): 103. [3] BHS is the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, the standard Hebrew text based on the Leningrad Codex, a medieval Masoretic text. [4] In Hebrew the perfect tense roughly maps onto English past tense and the imperfect tense to future tense. [5] See NRSVUE, ESV, NASB20, NIV, NET, LSB, NLT, NKJ, ASV, KJV. [6] See translations by Robert Alter, James Moffat, and Duncan Heaster.  Also see Westminster Commentary, Cambridge Bible Commentary, New Century Bible Commentary, and The Daily Study Bible. [7] See New English Bible. [8] See Ibn Ezra. [9] See An American Testament. [10] “Held” means “hero” in German. In the Luther Bible (1545), he translated the phrase as “und er heißt Wunderbar, Rat, Kraft, Held, Ewig -Vater, Friedefürst,” separating power (Kraft = El) and hero (Held = Gibbor) whereas in the 1912 revision we read, “er heißt Wunderbar, Rat, Held, Ewig-Vater Friedefürst,” which reduced el gibbor to “Held” (hero). [11] See fn 4 above. [12] See New American Bible Revised Edition and An American Testament. [13] See New English Bible and James Moffatt's translation. [14] See Ibn Ezra. [15] See Duncan Heaster's New European Version. [16] See Word Biblical Commentary. [17] See Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, the Koren Jerusalem Bible, and the Complete Jewish Bible. [18] In the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1QIsaa 8.24 reads “וקרא,” the vav-conversed form of “קרא,” translated “he will call,” an active future tense. This reading is implausible considering the unambiguous past tense of the two initial clauses that began verse 6: “a child has been born…a son has been given.” [19] “Here the Hebrew begins to use imperfect verb forms with the conjunction often rendered “and.” These verbs continue the tense of the perfect verb forms used in the previous lines. They refer to a state or situation that now exists, so they may be rendered with the present tense in English. Some translations continue to use a perfect tense here (so NJB, NJPSV, FRCL), which is better.” Graham S. Ogden, and Jan Sterk, A Handbook on Isaiah, Ubs Translator's Handbooks (New York: United Bible Societies, 2011). [20] H. G. M. Williamson, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27, vol. 2, International Critical Commentary, ed. G. I. Davies and C. M. Tuckett (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018), 371. [21] Wilhelm Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910), §106n. [22] Bruce K. Waltke and Michael P. O’Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake, IN: Esenbrauns, 1990), §30.5.1e. [23] John Goldingay takes a “both-and” position, recognizing that Isaiah was speaking by faith of what God would do in the future, but also seeing the birth of the son to the king as having already happened by the time of the prophecy. John Goldingay, Isaiah for Everyone (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015), 42. [24] Jewish authors include Rashi, A. E. Kimchi, Abravanel, Malbim, and Luzzatto. [25] See 2 Kings 18:3-7. [26] Unless otherwise noted, all translations are my own. [27] J. J. M. Roberts, First Isaiah, vol. 23A, Hermeneia, ed. Peter Machinist (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), 153. [28] Ben Witherington III, Isaiah Old and New (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017), 95-6, 99-100. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ggjhbz.7. [29] Translation of Targum Onkelos and Jonathan, trans. Eidon Clem (Altamonte Springs, FL: OakTree Software, 2015). [30] Shlomo Yitzchaki, Complete Tanach with Rashi, trans. A. J. Rosenberg (Chicago, IL: Davka Corp, 1998). https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Isaiah.9.5.2?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. [31] Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi, Tze’enah Ure’enah: A Critical Translation into English, trans. Morris M. Faierstein (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017). https://www.sefaria.org/Tze’enah_Ure’enah%2C_Haftarot%2C_Yitro.31?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. [32] Square brackets in original. The Stone Edition of the Tanach, ed. Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz (Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1996). [33] Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, ed. W. Hall Harris III James Davis, and Michael H. Burer, 2nd ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019), 1266. [34] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 249-50. [35] As mentioned above, the Hebrew is not actually passive. [36] The LXX reads “καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ” (kai kaleitai to onoma autou), which means “and his name is called.” [37] Rober Alter, The Hebrew Bible: Prophets, Nevi’im, vol. 2, 3 vols. (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2019), 651. [38] John Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39, Nicot (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986), 247. [39] Delitzsch, 252. [40] The אֵלֵי גִבּוֹרִים (eley gibborim) of Ezek 32.21 although morphologically suggestive of a plural form of el gibbor, is not a suitable parallel to Isa 9:6 since אֵלֵי (eley) is the plural of אַיִל (ayil), meaning “chief” not אֵל (el). Thus, the translation “mighty chiefs” or “warrior rulers” takes eley as the noun and gibborim as the adjective and does not actually reverse them. [41] Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-18, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965), 338. [42] Translator's note A on Isa 9:6 in the NET states, “[I]t is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way.” Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, 1267. [43] “The Messiah is the corporeal presence of this mighty God; for He is with Him, He is in Him, and in Him He is with Israel. The expression did not preclude the fact that the Messiah would be God and man in one person; but it did not penetrate to this depth, so far as the Old Testament consciousness was concerned.” Delitzsch, 253. [44] See Wegner 104-5. [45] See R. A. Carlson, “The Anti-Assyrian Character of the Oracle in Is. Ix, 1-6,” Vetus Testamentum, no. 24 (1974). [46] Oswalt, 246. [47] Isa 43:10-11; 44:6, 8; 45:5-6, 18, 21-22; 46:9. Deut 17:14-20 lays out the expectations for an Israelite king, many of which limit his power and restrict his exaltation, making deification untenable. [48] Wegner 108. [49] See Exod 4:16; 7:1. The word “God” can apply to “any person characterized by greatness or power: mighty one, great one, judge,” s.v. “אֱלֹהִים” in Kohlenberger/Mounce Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament.. The BDAG concurs, adding that a God is “that which is nontranscendent but considered worthy of special reverence or respect… of humans θεοί (as אֱלֹהִים) J[ohn] 10:34f (Ps 81:6; humans are called θ. in the OT also Ex 7:1; 22:27,” s.v. “θεός” in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. [50] See Exod 21.6; 22:8-9. The BDB includes the definition, “rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power,” s.v. “אֱלֹהִים” in The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon [51] Thayer points this out in his lexicon: “Hebraistically, equivalent to God’s representative or vicegerent, of magistrates and judges, John 10:34f after Ps. 81:6 (Ps. 82:6)” s.v. “θέος” in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [52] Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, 1267. [53] Raymond E. Brown, Jesus: God and Man, ed. 3 (New York: Macmillan, 1967), 25. [54] Williamson, 397. [55] Delitzsch, 253. See also fn 40 above. [56] Edward L. Curtis, “The Prophecy Concerning the Child of the Four Names: Isaiah Ix., 6, 7,” The Old and New Testament Student 11, no. 6 (1890): 339. [57] Ibid. [58] Sean Finnegan, “Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity” (paper presented at the One God Seminar, Seattle, WA2008), https://restitutio.org/2016/01/11/explanations-to-verses-commonly-used-to-teach-that-jesus-is-god/. [59] Jabal was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock (Gen 4:20) and Jubal was the father of those who play the lyre and the pipe (Gen 4:21). [60] Jesus told his critics, “You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires” (John 8:44). [61] Job called himself “a father to the needy” (Job 29:16) and Isaiah prophesied that Eliakim would be “a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Isa 22:21). [62] Williamson, 397. [63] For references to Yahweh as father to the people see Deut 32:6; Ps 103:13; Prov 3:12; Jer 3:4; 31.9; Mal 1.6; 2:10. For Yahweh as father to the messiah see 2 Sam 7:14; 1 Chron 7:13; 28:6; Ps 89:27. [64] William L. Holladay, Isaiah: Scroll of Prophetic Heritage (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1978), 108. [65] See NRSVUE fn on Isa 8:1. [66] והנה המכוון במאמר פלא יועץ וגו’ הוא כי האל הגבור שהוא אבי עד ואדון השלום, הוא יועץ וגוזר לעשות פלא לישראל בזמן ממלכת הילד הנולד היום, ואח”כ מפרש למרבה המשרה וגו’. ולפי הפירוש הזה לא לחנם האריך כאן בתארי האל, כי כוונת הנביא לרמוז כי בבוא הפלא שהאל יועץ וגוזר עתה, יוודע שהוא אל גבור ובעל היכולת ושהוא אב לעד, ולא יפר בריתו עם בניו בני ישראל, ולא ישכח את ברית אבותם. ושהוא אדון השלום ואוהב השלום, ולא יאהב העריצים אשר כל חפצם לנתוש ולנתוץ ולהאביד ולהרוס, אבל הוא משפילם עד עפר, ונותן שלום בארץ, כמו שראינו בכל הדורות. Chat GPT translation: “And behold, the intention in the phrase ‘Wonderful Counselor’ and so on is that the mighty God, who is the Eternal Father and the Prince of Peace, is the Counselor and decrees to perform a wonder for Israel at the time of the reign of the child born today. Afterwards, it is explained as ‘to increase the dominion’ and so on. According to this interpretation, it is not in vain that the prophet elaborates on the attributes of God here, for the prophet’s intention is to hint that when the wonder that God now advises and decrees comes about, it will be known that He is the Mighty God and possesses the ability and that He is the Eternal Father. He will not break His covenant with His sons, the children of Israel, nor forget the covenant of their ancestors. He is the Prince of Peace and loves peace, and He will not favor the oppressors whose every desire is to tear apart, destroy, and obliterate, but He will humble them to the dust and grant peace to the land, as we have seen throughout the generations.” Samuel David Luzzatto, Shi’ur Komah (Padua, IT: Antonio Bianchi, 1867). Accessible at Sefaria and the National Library of Israel. [67]The Jewish Study Bible, ed. Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, Second ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 784. [68] The New Oxford Annotated Bible, ed. Carol A. Newsom Marc Z. Brettler, Pheme Perkins, Third ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 991. [69] Delitzsch, 249. [70] Goldingay, 42-3. [71] Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, ed. M. E. J. Richardson (Leiden: Brill, 2000). [72] See s.v. “שַׂר” in The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon [73] Wegner 112. [74] Keil and Delitzsch say the sar of Dan 8:11 refers to “the God of heaven and the King of Israel, the Prince of princes, as He is called in v. 25,” Delitzsch, 297. [75] René and John Ellington Péter-Contesse, A Handbook on Daniel, Ubs Translator’s Handbooks (New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1993). [76] Ibid. [77] Wegner 110-1. [78] The main text transliterates “Pele-joez-el-gibbor-/Abi-ad-sar-shalom,” while the footnote translates as indicated above. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation (Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1917), 575. [79] Holladay, 109. [80] Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures: The New Jps Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text (4th: repr., Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985), 634. [81] John Goldingay, “The Compound Name in Isaiah 9:5(6),” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no. 2 (1999): 243. [82] Goldingay, Isaiah for Everyone, 40. [83] Williamson, 355. [84] An alternative is “The warrior God is planning a miracle; the eternal Father is the ruler of peace.” [85] For גִּבּוֹר in a military context, see 1 Sam 17:51; 2 Sam 20.7; 2 Kgs 24:16; Isa 21.17; Jer 48:41; Eze 39:20; and Joel 2:7; 3:9. [86] See 2 Thess 2:8 and Rev 19:11-21 (cp. Dan 7:13-14). [87] See Gesenius § 128q, which describes a genitive of “statements of the purpose for which something is intended.” [88] Williamson, 401. [89] Isaiah tells of a time when God will “judge between nations,” resulting in the conversion of the weapons of war into the tools of agriculture and a lasting era when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa 2:4).

24_10_05 -Ep.332 - Run With Horses Podcast - Everyday Missionary Podcast: rwh.podbean.com Website: www.runwithhorses.net Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rwhpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RWHpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwh_podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/RWH_podcast Susan's New book – Parenting Manual https://a.co/d/8L7GWIo Norman's New book – Pursuing Godliness Together - It's a practical, quick read! https://a.co/d/c7Y7F04 ***(28:00)*** END ***(27:00)*** Last week I asked what is a self-feeding Christian and how do I become one? This week we continue looking at the goals of our discipleship pathway and turn our attention to becoming an everyday missionary. Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goal is to help you thrive as a follower of Jesus. The spiritual life is both incredibly simple and potentially the most difficult part of your life. God invites you to live intentionally and on His mission. It's very cool that we can do that together! Thank you for joining me today! If you are new to the show, you can find our past shows on our website, runwithhorses.net. I have spent several weeks focusing on a definition of the church and the current discussion about a discipleship pathway is best understood in the context of our broader look at the church. If you have been enjoying the show, I would appreciate it if you would leave a review wherever you are listening! And as always, your questions, comments and feedback are welcome. Write me at norman@runwithhorses.net. And now, on with the show... ***(27:00) ***END***(23:00)**** Habits – Abide in Christ Abide carries the meaning to Wait on, remain in, persist with, keep on, etc. John 15:4-8 Not passive. An active choice to remain in Christ. Similar to Paul urging Timothy to pursue godliness. 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17 ***(23:00)***END***(0:00) What is an everyday missionary? How do I become one? Merriam- Webster : Missionary - a person undertaking a mission. Everyday - 1, encountered or used routinely; 2, used, suitable for, or seen every day An everyday missionary is someone who lives with the mission of Jesus at the center of their lives, everyday. "Everyday missionaries are those who practice a life on mission where God has placed them."- REF (https://calvarydothan.com/everyday-missionaries/) An Everyday Missionary is a Disciple Maker, working on the mission of Jesus where they are. We have to start with a clear understanding of the mission of Jesus. REF (https://discipleship.org/blog/mission-of-christ/) Two-fold mission of Jesus 1. To make redemption for every person possible. Only Jesus could do this. No other name. ***Acts 4:12 Sinless life and perfect sacrifice. ***Hebrews 7:22-28 "It is finished." ***John 19:28-30 **Redemption is now possible for all.** Justifies through Faith. ***Romans 3:21-26 ***(00:00)*** END PART 1*** ___________________ ***(27:00) ***BEGIN PART 2 ***END ***(5:00)*** 2. To start of movement of messengers of redemption. These messengers are called disciples by Jesus and were prepared by Him to take the message of redemption to the world from generation to generation. Disciples are Ambassadors for Christ. ***2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Disciple have A New Relationship. ***John 13:12-17 Disciple follow A Clear Command. ***John 13:34-35 Disciples Carry a Clear Message. ***1 Corinthians 5:1-6 - The message requires us to repent and believe, turning from our old ways to follow Jesus, becoming His disciples and joining His mission. The messengers of the Redemption message gather in assemblies Jesus calls the Church. The Church gathers to use their gifts to support mutual spiritual growth and progress toward Christ-likeness. The New Testament calls this edification. It is the building up of the Church for works of service. Our spiritual growth has a purpose. Ultimately God's Glory, accomplished through obedience to His commands. An Everyday Missionary lives with this mission and message in view. Choices are made that keep them engaged in the mission. It is an intentional lifestyle. Looking for conversations that keep Jesus at the center. ****(5:00) ***END***( 1:00)*** DOCTRINE October – Bible Authority of the Bible Matthew 4:4 2 Timothy 3:16 Psalm 19:7-11 2 Peter 1:19-21 Matthew 28:18 **(1:00)**END**(00:00) Thanks for joining me again today! If you enjoyed the show you can listen to all the past shows wherever you listen to podcasts. A good place to start is at runwithhorses.net. You can also write me at norman@runwithhorses.net or leave a comment on the Run With Horses Podcast facebook page. Take time today to pause and thank God for His work in your life and keep running. (00:00) Parenting Manual and Pursuing Godliness Together Susan's New book – Parenting Manual https://a.co/d/8L7GWIo My wife has a new book out. She took some of the lessons from Scripture that helped us as parents and put them together into a parenting manual written as one thought a day from the Bible. You can find it on Amazon by searching for Susan Jane Smith, Parenting Manual. I also have a link in the show notes. If you are a parent or know a parent who is interested in raising godly children, this book can point you to Scripture that will help you keep your focus as you take the journey with your children. The book is $5 and is available as a paperback or kindle book. If you read it, leave her a review, it really does help others find it! Thanks!

The book of Ecclesiastes highlights the difference between a life lived by faith and a life based on sight alone. After surveying the evidence for life's emptiness, the author realizes that what he sees does not tell the whole story. On Wednesday's Mornings with Eric and Brigitte, our guest Dr. John Koessler tells us that a truly biblical view of life must also consider the unseen God and those aspects of His plan that we cannot see. Ultimately God will have the final say. What Are We Here For? The Book of Ecclesiastes- September 2024 - TITWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heavy Hearts, 8 of 9 August 11th, 2024 “Ultimately God moves everyone from shame over our failure to wonder at God's character.” Ezekiel 38-39 by Michael Lockstampfor (@miklocks) SUMMARY Explore the mysterious prophecy of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39. The central message revolves around God's ultimate control over all nations and His desire to reveal His character to the world. We learn that evil cannot coexist with peace and that challenges will arise even in times of prosperity. However, God's purpose is not just to protect Israel but to demonstrate His power and holiness to all nations. This passage reminds us that no matter how dire circumstances may seem, God is always in control. God is orchestrating events to fulfill His greater plan. As we grapple with uncertainties in our own lives, we're encouraged to trust in God's sovereignty and to find wonder in His love and mercy, even in the face of our own failures and shortcomings. REFLECTION & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Advent is a season where we remember the first coming of Christ and look forward to His second coming. Zachariah's story reminds us of how God sees us and understands our suffering. Ultimately God redeems our longings, as we see through the broken and longing people whom God writes into the first advent of Jesus Christ. Scripture: Luke 1:5–23; 76–79. 

Listen in as Julie Lowe shares stories and principles for addressing anxious children. She reminds us that healthy relationships are vital for anxiety; especially a relationship with YOU the parent. Ultimately God offers Himself to meet our children in their anxiety - His presence is the answer to our children's anxiety. 

Welcome to week two in our series "The Presence". This week's message comes primarily out of John 4:21-24. We pray that God speaks to you through this message, and that it will ultimately encourage you to begin/deepen your relationship with Christ. Pursuit Church on Social Media: facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PursuitChurchDenver/?ref=bookmarks instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pursuit_church/ Pastor Jordan Green on Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordan.green.98622 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordangreenpursuit/ Pursuit Worship on Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pursuit-Worship-671274439695803/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pursuit.worship/

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read Proverbs 3:19-22. It says, “The Lord founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding. By His knowledge the watery depths broke open, and the clouds dripped with dew. Maintain your competence and discretion. My son, don't lose sight of them. They will be life for you and adornment for your neck. It would be easy in a spiritual practice or worship to ignore the physical and focus only on the spiritual. But in God's way of doing things, there is no separation. It's simply Who He is and what He does. And while we are so accustomed to the physical reality and often ignore the spiritual, true worship is actually harmonizing both. Proverbs is entirely practical. Yes, God is interested in how you do the work you do. How does God work? Yes God works. And He does it well. Everything He does is done with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. So what is wisdom? Scripture spends more time describing it than defining it. Ultimately God is the definition. So how about we just say that wisdom is the skill that God has within Himself to do things well. This is why the universe just works. It's why it's so beautiful and wondrous. Because God is a genius and full of skillful wisdom.  And then the passage quickly pivots to you. The writer tells you to “Maintain your competence.” To keep it up and keep going. To see that your skill remains sharp. To use your abilities regularly. And why? Because they are “life” for you. Adornment for your neck. Why would God care about your work? Because you are an extension of Him. Work is good. Do you feel that way? What are you good at? You're good at something - maybe many things. You should use it AND maintain. God does things - you should do things. And it will be a kind of glory for you.  God cares how you spend your day. Don't waste it frivolously or sit on your hands. Use the skill you have to build on the beautiful world He has made. You never know what will come of it. “God You are a genius - a wonderful creative! Everything You do is done well. I want to join You. Breathe fresh energy into my work and bless it in amazing ways!”

Happy Easter Weekend! For Christians today when we think of the passover we often jump to Jesus and his sacrifice as our passover lamb. We observe his blood as covering us and our sins similar to how the blood of the lamb covered the doorposts of the Israelites the night before they fled from the Egyptians. As we look back on that original passover story we can learn so much from seeing the parallels of creation and destruction through plagues in Egypt. Ultimately God will attempt to recreate a new opportunity for His people to live with Him on the other side of exile. This story also parallels our relationship with God. Before putting faith in Jesus we live apart from his good plan and cause evil and destruction in the world. As we put our faith in Jesus and follow Him though we find new relationship with God and an opportunity to live in His good order forever.

The Book of Esther: God Working in the ShadowsA Survey of the BibleFor bulletin in. PDF form click here. Message SlidesEsther Chart - Ken WilsonEsther - Tim MackieEsther in the Persian Court - Walt KaiserThe Tombs of Four Persian Kings - Bible Reading ArchaeologyEsther - John A. MartinContext: Who, When, Where, and Why?• Who composed Esther?• When did he write? • Where were he and his audience? • Why was he writing? Content: How and What?• How is Esther organized? A The splendor of the Persian king + Two banquets (1:1-8) B Esther becomes Queen + Mordecai saves the king (1:9-2:20 + 2:21-23) C Haman elevated to power (3:1-6) D Haman's decree to destroy the Jewish people (3:7-15) E Esther and Mordecai's plan to reverse the decree (4:1-17) F Esther's 1st banquet + Haman plans Mordecai's execution (5:1-8 + 5:9-14) PIVOT: Haman humiliated & Mordecai exalted (6:1-14) F' Esther's 2nd banquet + Haman executed instead of Mordecai (7:1-10) E' Esther and Mordecai plan to reverse the decree (8:1-8) D' Mordecai's counter-decree to save the Jewish people [8:9-14] C' Mordecai elevated to power (8:15-17) B' Queen Esther and Mordecai save the Jewish people (9:1-19)A' Two feasts + The splendor of Mordecai (9:20-32 + 10:1-3)• What is the message of Esther? Conviction: So What?• What should we believe? • God is faithful in spite of our unfaithfulness. • Ultimately God will deliver His people from all threats and harm. • The opposition of the world is terrifying and requires courage and wisdom. • The victory of God's people is guaranteed. • God is working, even when we don't see it.• How should we behave? • Live distinctive lives of Christian Witness in a hostile world. • Courageously trust God no matter where you find yourself. • Celebrate when God delivers you.• Where does this fit? • A continuation of the story of God's faithfulness during His people's failure. • A narrative that acknowledges the reality of opposition to God's work and plan for our lives. • An example of the often hidden work of God in our lives to further His Plan.Next Steps• Honestly evaluate your life to see if you have capitulated to the culture.• Look closely to see where you need deliverance.• Trust God to deliver you in keeping with advancing His purposes.This Week's Growth GuideGod's Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.•. Monday - Esther 1:10-22•. Tuesday - Esther 2:8-20•. Wednesday - Esther 2:21-3:15•. Thursday - Esther 5:1-14•. Friday - Esther 7:1-6; 9:1-10Home ChurchOur Home Churches meet weekly to facilitate quicker relational depth, study the same passage taught Sunday to help apply Scripture in the context of community, and pray with one another. Home Church helps our body seek God's best for one another. Home Church Questions • Read Esther 5:9-6:14. • Was there anything new or insightful in this message?• Was there anything you know you can or should immediately apply?• What did you struggle with in this message? What did not make sense or caused you to evaluate your own life more deeply?• How would your life personally, or the life of your family be different if you fully live out the truths in this message?• Ken presented a relatively negative picture of Mordecai and Esther based on contrasts with Daniel in similar circumstances. Do you agree with this negative evaluation? What biblical evidence is there to see them more positively?• How does it change the message of the book if we see Mordecai and Esther through a negative lens, or see them as morally ambiguous, or as role models of courage and wisdom?• Is the Bible generally more about role models or God's story of grace? What is the balance?• God is obviously orchestrating events, and yet the people of God must fight in chapter 9. What lessons can we draw from this observation?• What lessons might we learn about celebrations from this book?FinancesWeekly Budget 31,390Givng For 03/12 49,433Giving For 03/19 26,718 YTD Budget 1,192,810Giving. 1,252,222 OVER/(UNDER) 59,412 Crucifixion Dinner - April 7 | 6:30 p.m.Mark your calendars to join us on Good Friday as we remember together what Christ did on the cross through the Crucifixion Dinner. Child care for ages 6 and under by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332.New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you joined the Fellowship Family to worship this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Men's Muster | April 21-23 | Shepherd of the Ozarks Whether in a Home Church or not, we encourage you to deepen your connection at Fellowship by attending Men's Muster. Grab some bacon and stop by the Muster table in the atrium to meet some of the men's ministry team. Scholarships are available by emailing men@fellowshipconway.org. Cost is $169 for men and $85 for young men 17 and under. For more information and to register, go to fellowshipconway.org/register. Easter Offering 2023Easter Sunday we will take up a special mission offering for our October Operation Christmas Child Packing Party. The Gospel boxes we will pack that evening will go to children in difficult areas to reach people with the gospel. You can also give online at fellowshipconway.org/give. Grill Out and Silent Auction | April 12 | 5:30 -8:00 p.m.Fellowship Student and College Ministries would like to invite you and your entire family to our youth and college mission trip fundraiser, Wednesday, April 12, 5:30-8:00 p.m. Free dinner (grilled hamburgers and hotdogs), child care provided (birth thru pre-school by RSVP, text Shanna at 501-336-0332), games, and great opportunities to support our 70 youth and college missionaries this summer. Plan now to join us! Fellowship 101We invite you to join us Sunday, April 16, 9:00 a.m. to learn more about Fellowship. This is a great opportunity to learn about our mission, values, and ministries. If you're new to Fellowship, join us in the conference room (first floor) to hear what God is doing and where He is taking us. You will meet some of our ministry leaders and ask questions. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. Fellowship Women's BrunchLadies, plan to join us on April 29 here at Fellowship for the Fellowship Women's Brunch. Child care will be provided. More details to come!

What does it look like to honor our parents throughout our lives? Learning to honor them when we are young, teaches us to honor employers, government, and leaders as we get older. But ultimately, honoring our parents teaches us how to honor God. Our relationship with them mirrors our relationship with Him.

Ephesians 2:20-22 — What is the most important part of a building? Some may think the walls or the floor, but it is always the foundation. In the church, it is no different. In this sermon on Ephesians 2:20–22 titled “Fitly Framed Together,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues teaching a further understanding of the nature of the church and the application that truth has for the Christian. Previously, Dr. Lloyd-Jones expounded on the importance of the foundation (apostles, prophets, and Christ being the cornerstone), but he turns to the stones being placed on the foundation—the church. First, each stone must be “truly and rightly related to that foundation” and to each other. Each stone (or church member) is different, but is still inseparably tied to the rest of the building. Also, each stone must be connected to the foundation. Ultimately God is the builder, but as Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes, God uses pastors (1 Cor 3:10-15). Dr. Lloyd-Jones issues a warning for pastors that they are careful what they build the church with. Ploys can be used to build big churches, but only those who have a “vital union” with the foundation—Jesus—will last. God is building His church to be “harmoniously fitted together” with true believers of every type of person.

23OCT22 (22cO30). We often take part in unhealthy comparisons. Either placing us in worse life situations than other people or thinking of ourselves as better than other people. Ultimately God loves each of us individually not in comparison. The only comparison we should do is between us and Jesus and we will lose every time. That puts us in the right place to pray with the Tax Collector “O God, have mercy on me a sinner”.

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read Proverbs 3:19-22. It says, “The Lord founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding. By His knowledge the watery depths broke open, and the clouds dripped with dew. Maintain your competence and discretion. My son, don't lose sight of them. They will be life for you and adornment for your neck. It would be easy in a spiritual practice or worship to ignore the physical and focus only on the spiritual. But in God's way of doing things, there is no separation. It's simply Who He is and what He does. And while we are so accustomed to the physical reality and often ignore the spiritual, true worship is actually harmonizing both. Proverbs is entirely practical. Yes, God is interested in how you do the work you do. How does God work? Yes God works. And He does it well. Everything He does is done with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. So what is wisdom? Scripture spends more time describing it than defining it. Ultimately God is the definition. So how about we just say that wisdom is the skill that God has within Himself to do things well. This is why the universe just works. It's why it's so beautiful and wondrous. Because God is a genius and full of skillful wisdom. And then the passage quickly pivots to you. The writer tells you to “Maintain your competence.” To keep it up and keep going. To see that your skill remains sharp. To use your abilities regularly. And why? Because they are “life” for you. Adornment for your neck. Why would God care about your work? Because you are an extension of Him. Work is good. Do you feel that way? What are you good at? You're good at something - maybe many things. You should use it AND maintain. God does things - you should do things. And it will be a kind of glory for you. God cares how you spend your day. Don't waste it frivolously or sit on your hands. Use the skill you have to build on the beautiful world He has made. You never know what will come of it. “God You are a genius - a wonderful creative! Everything You do is done well. I want to join You. Breathe fresh energy into my work and bless it in amazing ways!” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Show Notes:In this episode Josiah and Danielle share about their change of seasons from newlyweds to parenthood  reflecting on time. Sharing honestly about their shortcomings with using time wisely and making the best use of it according to Gods plan, that He directs and, not their own. Ultimately God desires obedience over what we deem success. Saying yes to Christ may look different from societal norms or conventional ways of living. To be able to reflect on our lives, content wherever we are, giving our yes, our years and, our desired life to Christ is the ultimate win. Song Mentionedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxuhwGvrIBEScripture Read:Matthew 6:19-21https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206%3A19-21&version=NIVFollow me on Instagram: wifemotherfrndhttps://z-p42.www.instagram.com/wifemotherfrnd/?hl=en

Thank you for listening. Check out more at www.seekGodtogether.com Today we will read Proverbs 3:19-22. It says, “The Lord founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding. By His knowledge the watery depths broke open, and the clouds dripped with dew. Maintain your competence and discretion. My son, don't lose sight of them. They will be life for you and adornment for your neck. It would be easy in a spiritual practice or worship to ignore the physical and focus only on the spiritual. But in God's way of doing things, there is no separation. It's simply Who He is and what He does. And while we are so accustomed to the physical reality and often ignore the spiritual, true worship is actually harmonizing both. Proverbs is entirely practical. Yes, God is interested in how you do the work you do. How does God work? Yes God works. And He does it well. Everything He does is done with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. So what is wisdom? Scripture spends more time describing it than defining it. Ultimately God is the definition. So how about we just say that wisdom is the skill that God has within Himself to do things well. This is why the universe just works. It's why it's so beautiful and wondrous. Because God is a genius and full of skillful wisdom. And then the passage quickly pivots to you. The writer tells you to “Maintain your competence.” To keep it up and keep going. To see that your skill remains sharp. To use your abilities regularly. And why? Because they are “life” for you. Adornment for your neck. Why would God care about your work? Because you are an extension of Him. Work is good. Do you feel that way? What are you good at? You're good at something - maybe many things. You should use it AND maintain. God does things - you should do things. And it will be a kind of glory for you. God cares how you spend your day. Don't waste it frivolously or sit on your hands. Use the skill you have to build on the beautiful world He has made. You never know what will come of it. “God You are a genius - a wonderful creative! Everything You do is done well. I want to join You. Breathe fresh energy into my work and bless it in amazing ways!” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

JUDGES: A Faithful God in a Broken World "Deborah: The Right Woman in the Wrong Time"(Judges 4:1-24)For bulletin in PDF form click here. Message SlidesIntroduction: West Side Story, The Lord of the Rings, and The Bible The Need for Salvation (4:1-3)The world often appears to have superior weaponsand be assured of victory.The Source of Salvation (4:4-7)The Lord is the Hero of every true salvation story.The Surprise of the Story (4:8-10)The Lord frequently uses unconventional meansto bring about salvation.The Story of Salvation (4:11-16)The Lord sovereignly orchestrates the events of history to accomplish His salvation.The Stunning Reality and Cost of Salvation (4:17-22)The salvation the Lord brings is often violent and always costly.The Hero of Salvation (4:23-24)Ultimately God subdues all of our enemies. The Lord is the sovereign Hero of every true salvation story.Next Steps Truth God's hands are not tied by hesitant leaders. Warning Hesitant leaders mar their own legacy. Challenge Engage in the work of God no matter who or where you are.This Week's Growth GuideGod's Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.• Monday - Luke 19:1-10• Tuesday - John 4:1-14• Wednesday - John 4:15-26• Thursday - John 4:39-42• Friday - Judges 5:1-31Home ChurchOur Home Churches meet weekly to facilitate quicker relational depth, study the same passage taught Sunday to help apply Scripture in the context of community, and pray with one another. Home Church helps our body seek God's best for one another. Home Church Questions • Read Judges 4:1-24. • What stands out in this passage or from the message? • Discuss this post from Michelle Knight: “Judges might as well be subtitled “Beyond Culture Wars.” The people in Judges were so worried about the threat “out there” that they missed the threat they themselves posed to the world God loved. They identified Canaan as their enemy, but they adopted all of their ways. We can oppose “culture” all we want, but if our churches bear the marks of consumerism, if they perpetuate racism, if they embrace secular political allegiance, then they are adopting the very values of the world they set out to oppose. The people of Judges were adept at seeing outsiders as “the problem,” but in their fear of those same outsiders, they turned to what *seemed* to work for the cultures around them—their gods, their way of life, their style of leadership. The most heinous crimes in Judges are committed by God's people. They were so blasted focused on protecting themselves from the outsiders (Jebus), they became just like them—or worse (Gibeah). By the end, they didn't need the hardship of foreign occupation or the allure of “secular culture” to compromise their calling. In moral indignation, they attacked each other, legitimizing ever-increasing evils in the process. All of this because they didn't heed the wisdom of Joshua: You don't have to be afraid. Don't you realize who goes before you? We, dear church, should read Judges again. And again. It is the word for our times.”FinancesWeekly Budget 28,846Giving For 10/03 24,377Giving For 10/10 35,095YTD Budget 432,692YTD Giving 423,568 over (9,125) Generations CampaignTotal Pledge 1,535,065Received-to-date 1,612,627 Operation Christmas child Today is the day – we are officially launching The 2021 Operation Christmas Child collection season! Today you can start picking up your wrapped shoeboxes. Today you can start packing. Today you can start praying. Today you can start signing up to work in our Central Drop Off. Today is the day you can start recruiting your family, neighbors, and co-workers to fill boxes. Today is the day and this is the opportunity that God has prepared in advance for us. Filled boxes need to be turned in during National Collection Week November 15-22. As we charge forward toward our goal of 6,100 shoeboxes, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” Hebrews 10:24New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you joined the Fellowship Family to worship this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect” section of your bulletin, tear it off, and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Father/Son CampOut Attention fathers with sons ages 5-18 years. We are planning a great campout for October 29-30, Friday-Saturday, at The Blass Scout Reservation in Damascus. Plan now to make memories of camping and fishing with other men from Fellowship. Join a Small GroupFellowship's Home Church Ministry has launched, but there is still time to join a small group of believers focused on connecting, growing, and serving together. For more information, go to fellowshipconway.org/homechurch for more information. Griefshare - Surviving the HolidaysHelp and hope as you navigate the Christmas season. Wondering how you will survive the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas? Are you dreading these holidays, knowing that everything has changed and that happy memories from past years can't be recreated? Our Surviving the Holidays seminar is especially for people who are grieving a loved one's death. For more information, contact Joe and Mary Garner at 501-339-4222.Get Informed and Get Involved!Three ways to be informed are the bulletin, the weekly Fellowship eNews, and occasional social media posts. If you have found yourself feeling out of the loop, make sure you are on the email list for receiving the Fellowship eNews. If email is not your preference, everything is also posted in the Sunday bulletin. You can also find the Sunday bulletin and outline on our website, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. A place For YouFinding just the right area to serve can sometimes be intimidating, but knowing what opportunities are available and the time commitment is to fulfill the role could help you make the right connection. Go to fellowshipconway.org/serve to see current and ongoing service opportunities for a good fit and try out what interests you.

JUDGES: A Faithful God in a Broken World"Deborah: The Right Woman in the Wrong Time"(Judges 4:1-24)For bulletin in PDF form click here. Message SlidesAppealing to the Heart - Michelle KnightGod Is A Warrior - Lomngman and ReidGod's Sovereignty and Willing Vessels - YoungerIntroduction: West Side Story, The Lord of the Rings, and The Bible The Need for Salvation (4:1-3)The world often appears to have superior weapons and be assured of victory.The Source of Salvation (4:4-7)The Lord is the Hero of every true salvation story.The Surprise of the Story (4:8-10)The Lord frequently uses unconventional meansto bring about salvation.The Story of Salvation (4:11-16)The Lord sovereignly orchestrates the events of history to accomplish His salvation.The Stunning Reality and Cost of Salvation (4:17-22)The salvation the Lord brings is often violent and always costly.The Hero of Salvation (4:23-24)Ultimately God subdues all of our enemies. The Lord is the sovereign Hero of every true salvation story.Next Steps Truth God's hands are not tied by hesitant leaders. Warning Hesitant leaders mar their own legacy. Challenge Engage in the work of God no matter who or where you are.This Week's Growth GuideGod's Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.• Monday - Luke 19:1-10• Tuesday - John 4:1-14• Wednesday - John 4:15-26• Thursday - John 4:39-42• Friday - Judges 5:1-31Home ChurchOur Home Churches meet weekly to facilitate quicker relational depth, study the same passage taught Sunday to help apply Scripture in the context of community, and pray with one another. Home Church helps our body seek God's best for one another. Home Church Questions • Read Judges 4:1-24. • What stands out in this passage or from the message?• Talk about the apparent advantages of today's dominant culture over the church and the work of God. What are the seemingly overwhelming advantages the world has over the people of God?• Why are we reluctant to be involved in the redemptive work of God?• The glory always belongs to the Lord but we can participate in His story in significant ways. What tensions does that raise?• Does God need us? Why does He invite us into His story as significant players?• What do you think about the role of Deborah (prophetess and leader) and Jael (assassin) in this story?• What do you think about Barak (not Obama)?• Trace the providence of God in the entire story. What little details are significant to ensure the outcome?FinancesWeekly Budget 28,846Giving For 09/26 32,185Giving For 10/03 24,377YTD Budget 403,846YTD Giving 388,473 over (15,374) Generations CampaignTotal Pledge 1,535,065Received-to-date 1,611,337OCC Packing Party October 11, noon - 2:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. October 12, 10:00 a.m.- noon and 6:00-8:00 p.m. Our annual packing party for Operation Christmas Child is spread over two days with 4 time slots. During these two days, we will pray for 2400 children, their families, and communities as they receive boxes filled with goodies and presented with the Gospel of the Greatest Gift, Jesus Christ. Get your fingerprints on global missions as we send the hope of Jesus to children around the world. Evening sessions will provide childcare for ages six and under, text Shanna at 336-0332 to RSVP. New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you joined the Fellowship Family to worship this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect” section of your bulletin, tear it off, and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Get Equipped at FellowshipFellowship invites people to enter God's story, equipping and releasing reproducing disciples of Jesus Christ. Let's get equipped! • Church History: Resurrection to time 325 A.D. - October 10 - November 7 For a full description and to register go to fellowshipconway.org/equipped. Fellowship Kids Pumpkin Patch - October 16, 10-12 NoonBring the family and join us at Schaeffers/Collins Pumpkin Patch for some fun. Enjoy the hay and horse rides, animal petting barn, pumpkin picking, and concessions while making memories. Father/Son CampOut Attention fathers with sons ages 5-18 years. We are planning a great campout for October 29-30, Friday-Saturday, at The Blass Scout Reservation in Damascus. Plan now to make memories of camping and fishing with other men from Fellowship. Join a Small GroupFellowship's Home Church Ministry has launched, but there is still time to join a small group of believers focused on connecting, growing, and serving together. For more information, go to fellowshipconway.org/homechurch for more information. A Place For YouFinding just the right area to serve can sometimes be intimidating, but knowing what opportunities are available and the time commitment is to fulfill the role could help you make the right connection. Go to fellowshipconway.org/serve to see current and ongoing service opportunities for a good fit and try out what interests you.

Pastor Brian Steinbach-Writing to a people who are displaced from thier home and persecuted in foreign lands, Peter give three important attitudes. Recognize thst all relationships have a hierarchy and we are to submit to those in authority over us. Humility is required by God to serve Him and those He wishes us to serve. Ultimately God is with us in all things and can be trusted to bring us to where He wants us.

Why does God have to be involved in the forgiveness of sins? Ultimately God granted us the power to destroy the fabric of being.  Father teaches of how that is possible and how God allows us and wants us to return to a state of grace.  The podcast Father and Joe brings us, as individuals, closer to the Holy Spirit and His Church.Seek Peace. Be Open to God and Love. Learn from Your Sufferings. Thank you for listening.FatherAndJoe@gmail.comAlso you can find is on twitter @FatherAndJoe    

Life hits hard and can break us down. Jenny shares about a time when life hit its hardest and her life broke down. Ultimately God taught her about how he heals and how life with him is about relationship. Join us for this comforting story of God's Love.

1 peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Today is sunday from hallelujah everyday it's good morning to you.i am your friend and host pastor LEKE TOBA. When God formed you he formed you with a purpose and a destiny assignment. He didn't beg for you to live,he didn't beg for you to make it in life,he didn't beg for things to cooperate with you .he put a breath of his purpose in you.His word says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. All things required for destiny was deposited and a preset of alignment predestined into you,that at every stage in life you will be and do what God has prepared before the foundation of the earth for you to achieve. Hear this Jesus said he came to do the will of the father For this purpose was the son of man made manifest that he may destroy the works of the devil. He knew and understood his purpose. do you know and understand your purpose? .Are you aligning with your purpose? .Are you ready for your purpose.? Are you running from your purpose. Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Outside of divine purpose we are nothing. Jesus had a purpose Salvation had a purpose Every divine instruction has a purpose. Every purpose has a drive when you connect .Our purpose in life is the very meaning of our existence Act 13:36 says Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. He fulfilled his divine purpose. If you refuse to serve the purpose of God that means you are of the devil. " (Exodus 9:16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth). Pharaoh mistakenly thought that he was in control. However, God put him in the place of being an Egyptian leader for His purpose. God has a purpose for everyone—including those who resist Him. Ultimately God will get the glory no matter the person because He is the Giver of purpose in every life whether they live for Him or not. Your purpose in life is to glorify God. Your purpose in life is to praise and worship God. Your purpose in life is to grow in character. Your purpose in life is to tell others about Jesus’ love for them. Your purpose in life is to develop and use your gifts. Your purpose to humanity must not fail. Today,remind your self it isnt by mistake you are here there is a purpose.Always be a blessing to people,add value. Now I pray You will not be a spectator in destiny fulfilment .you will fulfil God's plan for your life. You will not be cut down by evil in the name of jesus.Powers that summon glories to the grave will not see you.Wicked personalities that cage destinies over your life they will be openly disgraced. Who ever that's born of a woman preparing you for evil manifestations let them become spiritual dustbins in the name of jesus. Peddlers of evil and rumours about you let them recieve angelic slap. Anyone putting spiritual padlock over your life and purpose fulfilment let the chains from God almighty chain them forever in jesus name.i cover all prayer requests on health recovery,marriage, fruitfulness, financial and business restoration,deliverance,divine interventions. i cover them all with blood of jesus.amen amen and amen. On The 9th of march coming tuesday .Hallelujah EVERYDAY victory hour will be live on zoom and facebook live.Its going to be a one hour prayer meeting and word ,God willing.8pm to 9pm west African time.i trust the holy spirit to meet all requests and those who connect.be part of it and Invite friends,family and those neighbours .The zoom Id remains as usual.Meeting ID: 444 649 0351 Password : 12345 . Get ready. its God speed for the month in Jesus name.

Robert Knuth’s sermon today from Psalm 29 focused on what God’s voice actually does for, in and to his people. Ultimately God’s voice is our eternal hope.

Join us today with Kristina Risinger as she shares her story of grief and loss.  Her story of resilience and finding hope again is one you will not want to miss. We all go through so many fires in our lives.  As Christians, we are not promised an easy life. Four years ago,  Kristina and her husband were pregnant with their fourth child when they were given the devastating news their unborn daughter was diagnosed with trisomy 18. They were told this diagnosis was incompatible with life. Kristina and her husband chose not to terminate the pregnancy even though they had been given the option.  Instead, they chose to deal with it in prayer. God gave them ten months with their daughter Isabella after she was born. She believes God designates our path and purpose here on earth.  While it may not be comfortable, and it may be something that brings us to our knees. Ultimately God knows what is best for us. Kristina can be contacted at the following: www.kristinarisinger.com The Faith Breathed Hope Podcast on Apple Podcasts Kristina Risinger on Facebook Krisitinarisinger_ruach on Instagram  

Talk 11   Love, the Basis of Christian Behaviour (8:1-13)   Introduction to Chapters 8-10   The main theme of chapters 8-10 is that love does not insist on its own rights (cf. 13:5  Amplified Bible).    This principle is applied to the question of meat offered to idols in chapters 8 and 10 and to the rights of an apostle in chapter 9.   The question of meat offered to idols is a very specific topic which was of immediate relevance to the early church and is of less significance to Christians in Britain today.  However, the principles taught here are always relevant and have a very real application in a variety of areas in our Christian lives.   In seeking to understand this section we need to bear in mind two main facts:   It was the common practice to have a meal in the temple with your friends. It was almost like going to a restaurant. But this involved you in pagan worship. When an animal was sacrificed,   part was burnt as an offering to the god, part was given to the priest and part to the worshipper who shared it with his friends in a cultic meal.   The Gentiles who had become believers in Corinth had probably attended such meals all their lives as every kind of occasion was celebrated in this way.   Since the priest would get far more than he could eat, it would be sold off in the market. Most of the meat you could buy in the market would have come from this source, having been already sacrificed to an idol. However, the customer could never be sure whether what he bought in the market had been sacrificed to an idol or not.   Fee’s Reconstruction Now before getting into the text of chapter 8, it will be helpful to mention Fee’s understanding of the issues addressed in chapters 8-10.  He argues that   although the traditional understanding of these chapters is that Paul is dealing with the eating of food bought in the marketplace (see 2 above), the real issue is the eating of sacrificial food at the cultic meals in the pagan temples (as in 1 above).   This explanation seems to make the best sense of chapters 8-10 as a whole, which Fee sees as a response to the Corinthians’ letter to Paul. He reconstructs the situation as follows:   Some of the Corinthians had returned to the practice of attending cultic meals. Paul in his previous letter had probably forbidden this. But they disagreed with him and in their letter made four points:   We all know that idols aren’t real, so attending the temple has no significance one way or the other. We all know that food is a matter of indifference to God, so it doesn’t matter what we eat or where we eat it. Our baptism and participation in Communion will keep us from falling anyway. (Paul’s strong warning about the danger of falling - see 10:1-13 - seems to indicate that they may have held such a view). What authority has Paul to forbid us on this matter anyway? (This may account for Paul’s strong defence of his apostleship in Chapter 9).   Paul’s overall response to all this may be summarised as follows:   Love rather than knowledge underlies Christian ethics. Attendance at cultic meals is forbidden because:   it involves fellowship with demons (10:18-22), it may stumble weaker Christians (8:7-13) indulging in pagan revelry may lead to destruction (10:1-11)   However, buying food in the market-place, even though it may have been offered to an idol, is not forbidden, unless in certain particular circumstances it may cause a brother to stumble.   Whatever rights I may feel I have as a Christian, I must be willing to give them up for the sake of my fellow-Christians.   Now to the text of chapter 8:   1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.   Knowledge here means knowledge that the idol is nothing (cf. v4). However, knowledge puffs up (with pride), but love builds up (cf. 13:4).    2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.   True knowledge begins when we realise how little we know (cf. 13:9  we know in part).   3 But the man who loves God is known by God.   God knows the man who loves him. Love is more important than knowledge - even theological knowledge.  The Corinthians knew that an idol was nothing and therefore reasoned that they could eat meat offered to it.  But there are circumstances in which love dictates otherwise.   4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.   There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). However, compare 10:20 where Paul says that the things sacrificed to idols are sacrificed to demons.   5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),   6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.   The terms ‘god’ and ‘lord’ are used interchangeably in verse 5. Applying the same principle to v 6, we see a clear testimony to the deity of Christ.             for whom we live   The whole purpose of our existence is for God. The Corinthians should not have been insisting on their rights, but acknowledging God’s rights over them.       7 But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.   There were Christians who were not yet able to shake off the feeling that the idol was somehow real.  They still felt as though the food were being sacrificed to a god. So they felt that they were doing wrong in eating meat offered to it.  These weak Christians were condemned by their own conscience.    Our conscience is moulded by our upbringing and environment.  That is why people’s consciences differ.  Ultimately God wants our conscience to come into line with Scripture, but until it does our conscience is a fallible guide.  Nevertheless, we are answerable to it and must live in accordance with it.  That is why to cause a man to act against his conscience - even if his conscience is misguided - is to cause him to sin.   8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. What we eat does not affect our spiritual or moral standing.  Despite the OT food laws the NT teaches very clearly that nothing we eat makes us unclean.  Note Jesus’ very definite teaching on this matter in Mark 7:14-20, esp. v19. Compare 1 Timothy 4:3-5.  However, those Christians who understand this must make allowances for those who do not and should seek not to offend them.  Consider Romans 14:13-18.   9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.   The word is proskomma - an object against which one strikes one’s foot.  However, in v13 the verb skandalizo is used.  The skandalion was the part of a trap that triggers off its mechanism (e.g. the spike on a mouse-trap).  Seeing another Christian eat meat offered to an idol could ensnare, or even destroy, a weaker Christian.       10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?   Many Greeks, on rationalistic grounds, had given up belief in the gods, but for social reasons would eat with their friends in an idol shrine.  Could not a Christian do the same?  Perhaps it would even encourage the weaker Christians to realise that there was nothing in the idol.  No, says Paul.  By following your example they will be acting against their own conscience, and therefore sinning.  Compare Romans 14:23:  Everything that does not come from faith is sin.   11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.   By your example (of doing something which is perfectly in order, both according to Scripture and according to your own conscience), you may cause someone to transgress the law of his (so far uneducated) conscience, and so to backslide and to perish.   12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.   Although it may not be a sin in itself, because it causes a weaker brother to stumble, it is a sin - against him, and against Christ!   13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.   An extravagant statement, but the principle is that the strong must adapt their behaviour to the conscience of the weak.   In summary, it’s not what I know that matters. It’s not my rights that matter. What matters is love, a love that sacrifices its rights in order to save someone from perishing.   Point to ponder: Are there areas in my life where by insisting on my rights I might cause someone else to stumble?

Introduction: The Whirlwind (2 Kings 2): 3. never leaves. (v15-25) God is with you: Trust His direction. (2 Kings 2:2-6) God is with you: rely on His Power , not your own. (2 Kings 2:7-14) God is with you: know that He Never Leaves. (2 Kings 2:7-15-25) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 2 Kings 2What was your big takeaway from this week’s sermon?Did you ever have a difficult time trusting God’s direction? How can we guard our relationship with God during those times?Ultimately God is the only one with the power to restore us, but what are ways that we can support or show God’s love to a grieving brother or sister in Christ?It is easy for “God is with you” to become a truth that we ignore, or don’t fully absorb. Why is that? How can we avoid trivializing God’s presence, and how could that strengthen us through losing someone?BreakoutPray for each other that may see and feel God’s presence from within the whirlwind.

In this message, we look at the story of Jacob's search for a wife which brings him to Rachel and Leah in Genesis 29. We find that despite how things seem to be so much more in Rachel's favor that God had big things in store for Leah. Ultimately God uses people that were never good enough! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marysvillechristian/message

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Shannon Q is joined by our longtime friend and co-host, Matt Dillahunty. Welcome back to the co-host chair Matt, we’re glad you are here to join us! (Shannon is taking the reins this week!)Let’s get to calls. Our first caller is Jenna from California. She’d like to discuss how her current boyfriend is freaking out about COVID and thinks they would be better off believing in his previous religion (JW) because we are clearly in the “end times.” Next up, Ricky from Georgia says Matt, theologians, and philosophers are all wrong about morality. He also talks about social cohesion and how it relates to morality. But, he seems to agree with Matt for most of the call...so, how again is Matt wrong?Pack it up folks, AXP is done. The next caller says Matt already believes in God. James is saying this in a roundabout way by intentionally manipulating words and trying to pull a “Gotcha!” Boring, NEXT!Next up, Mike in California misinterprets some of Matt’s previous videos. Ooh, and he wants to talk about slavery and the context in which the Bible (specifically Exodus 21) was written. This should be fun!Chandu in Canada calls asking if it is righteous to practice a worldview where everyone is equal. Dualism, non-dualism, and how is this an atheist vs. theist problem?James in California suggests that God is an aspirational archetype and Shannon has a great retort! Whose God? What definitions? Would these definitions be able to change for the good of all? Ultimately God as an aspirational archetype isn’t always a benefit to society and Shannon explains why. WHOA!Greg in Ohio asks if we know who Jesus really was. His actual question was if we know who Jesus was historically. We can’t reasonably demonstrate that he actually existed, but he may have been 1 of 7 people back then, or a rabbi during this time. Shrug?Journey in North Carolina is a returning caller who was hung up upon before who would like to make definitions and defend God. Not an actual god, mind you, but the word “god”...yawn.Alex in New Jersey needs help with fully distancing themselves from spirituality. He is really struggling because of being raised in the church and feeling as though his mental illnesses are holding him back. We feel for you Alex, it’s a tough road, but credit where credit is due, YOU’RE doing the hard work. We are glad to be here for you. That’s our episode for today, please be safe and healthy out there!

Study Notes Ed Underwood Micah: God’s People in Court He has told you, O man, what is good and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God. (Micah 6:8) The seventeen Books of Prophecy record the messages of the writing prophets (those whose messages are preserved in writing) God raised up to speak for him following the ministries of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The failings of the Divided Kingdom Era prompted God to speak to Israel in the north and Judah in the south. They continued to speak to God’s people for over 400 years, including the exile to Babylonia and the return to the Promise Land. (1 Kings 12-Esther) The prophets spoke for God to His people concerning the enforcement of terms of their covenant relationship with God. Each spoke to a specific generation of Israel or Judah to enforce the conditional covenant (Mosaic) in the context of the unconditional covenants flowing from the Abrahamic Covenant. Their message can be summed up in these sentences: You are mine! (Unconditional covenants, Romans 11:29). Walk with me and I will bless you. Walk away from me and I will call you back to myself through loving discipline (Conditional covenant, Romans 9-11). Micah prophesied in the days of Jotham (739-731 BC), Ahaz (731-715 BC), and Hezekiah (715-686 BC), kings of Judah. Although Micah dealt primarily with Judah, he also addressed the northern kingdom of Israel and predicted the fall of Samaria (1:6). Much of his ministry, therefore, took place before the Assyrian captivity of Israel in 722 BC. His strong denunciation of idolatry and immorality also suggest that his ministry largely preceded the revival and sweeping reforms of Hezekiah. During Micah’s time, the kingdom of Israel continued to crumble inwardly and outwardly until its collapse. The Assyrian Empire under Tiglath-pileser III, Shalmeneser V, Sargon II, and Sennacherib reached the zenith of its power and became a constant threat to Judah. A contemporary of Hosea in the northern kingdom and of Isaiah in the court of Jerusalem, Micah was not as aware of the political situation as Isaiah, but he showed a profound concern for the sufferings of the people. His prediction of future Babylonian captivity for Judah (4:10) must have seemed ridiculous to his countrymen since Babylon was still under strong Assyrian domination and Hezekiah’s future successful campaign against the Assyrians seemed impossible. Micah’s message alternates between threat and hope—threat of judgment due to disobedience to the Mosaic Covenant, and hope of restoration due to God’s promises to His people. Like Amos, Micah exposed the people’s failures in social justice. Unlike Amos, Micah encouraged the believing remnant with exciting insights into the career and kingdom of its coming King. “Micah’s doctrine of the remnant is unique among the Prophets and is perhaps his most significant contribution to the prophetic theology of hope. The remnant is a force in the world, not simply a residue of people, as the word ‘remnant’ (she’erit) may seem to imply. It is a force that will ultimately conquer the world (4:11-13). This triumph, while presented in apparently militaristic terminology (4:13; 5:5-6), is actually accomplished by other than physical force [cf. Matt.5:3-12]. By removing everything that robs his people of complete trust in him (5:10-15), the Ruler from Bethlehem will effect the deliverance of his people. The source of power for God’s people in the world is their absolute trust in him and his resources.” (T.E. McComiskey, “Micah,” in Daniel-Minor Prophets, vol. 7 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p 399.) The Book of Micah divides between three oracles, each beginning with the command to “listen.” Each message of judgment is important, but there is also mention of restoration of a remnant. Ultimately God would restore the descendants of Jacob to a position of world leadership under their Messiah. I. LISTEN, ALL YOU NATIONS! Judgment is coming on Israel and Judah, but the nation will ultimately be restored. (chapters 1-2) Micah: The Ruler from Bethlehem will establish justice in this world. Until then, promote justice; be faithful, and live obediently before your God! Beginning with a general declaration of the condemnation of both Israel and Judah, Micah declares both kingdoms will be overthrown because of their rampant treachery. He uses a series of wordplays on the names of several cities of Judah in his lamentation over Judah’s coming destruction (1:10-16). This is followed by some specific causes for judgment: premeditated schemes, covetousness, and cruelty. Nevertheless, God will regather a remnant of his people (2:12-13). II. LISTEN, YOU LEADERS OF JACOB, AND YOU RULERS OF THE NATION ISRAEL! Blessing will follow judgment. (chapters -5) In the previous oracle Micah emphasized judgment and devoted only two verses to blessing (2:12-13). In this oracle 1/3 contains judgment (chapter 3), while 2/3 emphasize blessing (chapters 4-5). Micah systematically condemns the princes (3:1-4) and the prophets (3:5-8) and concludes with a warning of coming judgment (3:9-12). Then Micah moves into a two-chapter message of hope, which describes the reinstitution of the kingdom (4:1-5) and the intervening captivity of the kingdom (4:6-5:1), concluding with the coming Ruler of the Kingdom (5:2-15). The prophetic focus gradually narrows from the nations to the remnant to the King. III. LISTEN, TO WHAT THE LORD SAYS! The third oracle summarizes what the prophet has already said and adds an appeal to God on behalf of his countrymen. (chapters 6-7) In his two controversies with His people, God calls them into court and presents an unanswerable case against them. The people have spurned God’s grace, choosing instead to revel in wickedness. Micah concluded with an amazing series of appeals to the character of the Lord and His promises to pardon Israel’s iniquity and renew the nation in accordance with His covenant. MICAH AND YOU: Micah’s writings provide some of the clearest day-to-day guidance for God’s people of every generation. That guidance is summed up in the theme verse of the book, Micah 6:8: He has told you, O man, what is good and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God. 1. Promote justice! Live and encourage the principles of what will be true in the world to come—the Kingdom of God—in the here and now world. (2:1, 8-9; 3:11; 6:11) Two questions: (1) Do you factor in God’s love for the poor in your politics? (2) Are you involved in a ministry to the poor and oppressed in your community?   2. Be faithful! Love God and others loyally by delivering on your capacity and commitments to meet their needs in the power of Christ. The prophecy of Micah gives us hope, in spite of the injustices and wickedness of this world. Our unshakeable confidence in Jesus Christ, the Ruler from Bethlehem, gives us courage to extend mercy to those in our world, to love them loyally. We live for the world to come, when He will reign and this world will be perfectly just! (2:13; 4:1-7; 5:1-9) 3. Live obediently before your God! Walk humbly and without arrogance in fellowship with God pursuing His priorities and will for your life instead of your own. God’s grace gives us power. Our absolute trust in Him and His resources is the source of our power (5:10-15). His unconditional love for His people is the source of our confidence (7:18-20). Messiah: Micah 5:2 is one of the clearest and most important Old Testament prophecies: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” This prophecy about the birth and eternality of the Messiah was made seven hundred years before His birth. The chief priests and scribes paraphrased this verse in Matthew 2:5-6 when questioned about the birthplace of Messiah.

Why matters in life, culture, and society deteriorate so quickly and the way they do is disappointing but not surprising. Ultimately God is the sovereign authority and man, whom He created to be in a personal and unique relationship with Him, is in rebellion against Him. The One to be honored and obeyed is the One who is dishonored and disobeyed because of the nature of sin and its author, the devil himself. God's plans and purposes will not be hindered, thwarted or denied as He continues to demonstrate His willingness and patience to continue His offer of forgiveness and new life. God in His sovereignty brings in various ways, various degrees, and in times of His choosing, the consequences of rebellion against Him to bear on the rebellious. Those who are His children come under His care and protection, never out of His sight nor mind. The darker the tenor of the times we live the brighter will shine the light of Christ through those who are His followers. The darkness of sin and death has been defeated by Christ's death and resurrection so the victory is certain as each believer must live out their life, where they are, as His light by faith, not by sight, by fear, or by feelings. The faithful follow in the triumph of Christ.

Hank Hanegraaff believes that as serious as the present pandemic is, we desperately need perspective. While trillions in government assistance may well be needed, what is needed far more acutely is to turn our hearts and our hopes toward God. Ultimately God, not the government, holds the answer to our futures in this life and in the life to come. Hank's friend Elijah has exhorted Hank in the Holy Spirit to call the Body of Christ to “pray three times a day for 21 days in one accord” in response to the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus chronicled in John 17: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”Listen to Hank's podcast and follow Hank off the grid where he is joined by some of the brightest minds discussing topics you care about. Get equipped to be a cultural change agent.Archived episodes are on our Website and available at the additional channels listed below.You can help spread the word about Hank Unplugged by giving us a rating and review from the other channels we are listed on.

Episode Summary: If you have ever experienced an unforeseen trial and wondered how God could possibly use it for good, then this episode is the perfect show for you. I talk with my guest, Gina Kelly, about how God can use the absolute worst circumstances in our life for good and for His glory. My guest today experienced a significant tragedy as a young child that threatened her life. Doctors expected her to either die, or to have significant brain injury and to never walk or talk again. You’ll want to hear her story and what she learned about God’s faithfulness. Even in our most difficult circumstances, God can use them to comfort others who are going through difficult trials. During those times, God will show us how He can be trusted. Children can be so cruel to other children who are different in some way, but when we can maintain our faith in God, they will come to see that and admire it. And God will bring circumstances in our lives to help us value our own differences. Furthermore, God will use our differences for His glory. God truly does give beauty for ashes, and what the enemy intends for harm, God will use for good. Sometimes God uses our adversity to help us learn that He can be trusted. Ultimately God has to be our source of hope, and our source of peace, and our source of confidence. The enemy is defeated by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. So our testimony has the power to impact the lives of others. Quotables from the episode: God is big enough and patient enough to handle our reactions to our trials. Healing often starts when others love on us and speak truth into our lives. God will use our differences for His glory. God truly does give beauty for ashes, and what the enemy intends for harm, God will use for good. Sometimes God uses our adversity to help us learn that He can be trusted. Scripture References: Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Recommended Resources: Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award The Faithfulness of God Our God is Greater God Will See You Through Trusting God in Hard Times -7 Lessons Learned About Gina Kelly Gina Latta Kelly is wife to her husband Brian, and mother to her two teenagers, Joy and Joseph. She works as a pediatric physical therapist in an outpatient clinic and also does some contract work in a cyber school system where she lives in south central Pennsylvania. She served as a missionary in Peru, South America prior to getting married. Gina says she still feels as if she left a piece of her heart in Peru with the families she worked with when she was there. Gina loves to be active and breaking boards in TaeKwonDo is one of her favorite ways to spend a Friday night. Gina and her family serve in their church by teaching the 4 and 5-year-old Sunday School class. Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson Social Media Links for Host: For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book HopePrevails /  Website  /  Blog  / Facebook / Facebook Twitter (@DrMBengtson)  /  LinkedIn /  Instagram  / Pinterest / YouTube  

Taylor Paslay was adopted at birth and she grew up knowing all of her family, even her biological parents. She grew up in an amazing and healthy family. Adoption to her is so normal! Her and her brother were both adopted and that’s the life they always knew. Because of this Taylor has always had a passion to adopt children of her own. She now has three children. Two that are biological and then an 8 month old who was adopted from birth. They also received a call a few weeks ago and are moving into another open adoption with a little girl.Taylor is a wife, mama, and also works with those wanting to adopt. Adoption is a part of every aspect of her life. The desire to adopt was birthed in her story. Her husband has also always had a desire to adopt. When they first met they connected right away knowing that they both desired to adopt. It has always been a core aspect of their marriage. They never knew when it would all happen, but God called them and spoke to them when it was time.It took them 2 1/2 years to finish their adoptions but it was so worth it in the end. Taylor begin working to help people adopt half way through their own adoption process. She loves to help people walk through open adoptions because that has been such a positive and special part of her story. She loves helping people address their fears and concerns and finding hope in it all.With three kids transitioning to four soon the Paslay family has learned the value and importance in intentionality. All of their kids receive love, discipline, and communication differently. The family has learned what is most important to each child and how they can meet their love needs in simple and small ways each day. One of her greatest goals is that every child feels loved and cared for at the end of the day. Practically they have monthly dates with each child where they get special one on one time with each parent.When they set out on their adoption journey Taylor felt unprepared on what to do with mixing biological children with adopted children because it was so different from her upbringing. Ultimately God met her and gave her the help and guidance that she needed to navigate this season. The family did lots of training but God has been the main guide in their transracial adoptions.The family has decided to involve their kids in every step of the way. They make the process age appropriate but they also want their kids to be a part of the real life journey of adoption. Life is hard and there are so many times that we fall down and in this process of adopting their kids got to see their parents falling yet letting God pick them up again. They got to watch their parents be vulnerable and give everything to Jesus. They learned from a young age that not everything goes perfectly but ultimately they can always trust God.Their goal is to raise their children to be their adopted siblings biggest advocates. Teaching them that they are siblings through and through.Taylor’s biggest piece of advice for people thinking about adopting is that fear is a nasty beast. There is so many unknowns but when we submit ourselves to truth we find peace even in the unknown. The first hurdle to overcome is learning to come to the understanding that you can. You can love your kids the same. You can raise enough money. You can take care of both biological and adopted children. The second hurdle is finances. God will not call you to something that He will not sustain you through. He will provide.God pulls through for family every single time!Don’t miss out on the joy that awaits you on the other side because of the hard stuff you’ll have to go through in the middle.Faith is being willing to take the first step even when you can’t see the top of the staircase. There is a sovereign God who has worked everything out for you. He will take care of you in this process.

Ephesians 2:20-22 — What is the most important part of a building? Some may think the walls or the floor, but it is always the foundation. In the Church, it is no different. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his series on Ephesians, continues to mine 2:20-22 for a further understanding of the nature of the church, and the application that truth has for the Christian. Previously, Dr. Lloyd-Jones expounded on the importance of the foundation (apostles, prophets, and Christ being the cornerstone), but he turns to the stones being placed on the foundation—the church. First, each stone must be “truly and rightly related to that foundation,” and to each other. Each stone (or church member) is different, but is still inseparably tied to the rest of the building. Also, each stone must be connected to the foundation. However, who is building this temple? Ultimately God is the builder, but as Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes, God uses pastors (1 Cor 3:10-15). Here, Lloyd-Jones issues a warning for pastors—be careful what you build the church with. Ploys can be used to build big churches, but only those who have a “vital union” with the foundation—Jesus—will last. God is building his church to be “Harmoniously fitted together” with true believers of every type of person.

Ultimately God is in control; Past, Present and Future. Daniel 07:01-28

Evil is real. The devil is real. Ultimately God wins. But he needs YOU today. He needs you to say yes and act for Him! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bonibella/support

Paul after having explained the depravity of carnal man now explains the glorious truth about the Holy Spirit. It is the coming of the Holy Spirit that changes everything about our old sinful life. Holy Spirit enables us to call God as Father. Without the Spirit, there would be no holiness possible. The Spirit of God also gives us true assurance of our salvation.But despite being a child of God, sufferings in life are inevitable. Groanings, sufferings are an integral part of Christian life which will eventually lead to Glorification of the Saints. A child of God groans because of tribulations, because of the decadent nature and also because he/she longs for the presence of God. Ultimately God is the heritage and exceedingly great reward of His Children. The post From Groan to Glory – Romans 8:14-23 [Sermon] appeared first on Borivali Assembly.

Whether we're 20 or 60 years old, so many of us have our sex life out of order. But luckily, God explains His heart on sex in the book of Proverbs. God sets boundaries for sex, something the world doesn't always do. Ultimately God wants the best for our sex lives, and through His word He'll help us get that area in order.

Today, as we read the daily Mass readings, we'll see the Egyptians try to get rid of the Israelites. No matter how hard they tried, however, they would not succeed. Ultimately God would prevail and we would receive a Messiah. We'll also be visited by Fr. Jeff Kirby, who will discuss the Blessed Mother. Pull up a chair, relax and get ready to spend 30 minutes with Gary talking about Jesus!

How should Christians relate to the government?  In this sermon, Vince Finnegan works through Romans 13 to show how we should relate to the powers that be.  Ultimately God is in charge of raising up and tearing down regimes and nations over the course of human history.  Our goal is to love one another as Read more about Podcast 73: Relating to the Government (Vince Finnegan)[…]

A Centered Life - John 15:1-8: Who do you want to be when you “grow up?” Not WHAT do you want to be, but WHO? We all can think of others whose lives reflect God in beautiful ways… and we long for that in ourselves. It is easy to get caught up in the “list” of things that we think we must do to make that happen. Or to retreat into the attitude that it is all up to God. Ultimately God is the only one who can change us, AND in his grace he calls us to participate in his transforming work. . We build space into our life for him to work, behaviours that embody all he calls us to, and practices that shape us in his image. This weekend using the framework of a Rule of Life, we will be challenged to choose rhythms that help us to intentionally abide in Christ so he can transform us for his glory.

A Centered Life - John 15:1-8: Who do you want to be when you “grow up?” Not WHAT do you want to be, but WHO? We all can think of others whose lives reflect God in beautiful ways… and we long for that in ourselves. It is easy to get caught up in the “list” of things that we think we must do to make that happen. Or to retreat into the attitude that it is all up to God. Ultimately God is the only one who can change us, AND in his grace he calls us to participate in his transforming work. . We build space into our life for him to work, behaviours that embody all he calls us to, and practices that shape us in his image. This weekend using the framework of a Rule of Life, we will be challenged to choose rhythms that help us to intentionally abide in Christ so he can transform us for his glory.

A lot of us think that faith is just a private idea that should meet our individual needs, but God calls us to live our lives on mission for Him. In Colossians 4, Paul shows us what people who live on mission look like: they are devoted to prayer, have needs that matter, have opportunities that matter, and have conversations that matter eternally not just for this world. Ultimately God does the saving, but we are provided with opportunities to work for Him that may make an eternal difference in someone's life. Are you living on mission for God?

A lot of us think that faith is just a private idea that should meet our individual needs, but God calls us to live our lives on mission for Him. In Colossians 4, Paul shows us what people who live on mission look like: they are devoted to prayer, have needs that matter, have opportunities that matter, and have conversations that matter eternally not just for this world. Ultimately God does the saving, but we are provided with opportunities to work for Him that may make an eternal difference in someone's life. Are you living on mission for God?

A lot of us think that faith is just a private idea that should meet our individual needs, but God calls us to live our lives on mission for Him. In Colossians 4, Paul shows us what people who live on mission look like: they are devoted to prayer, have needs that matter, have opportunities that matter, and have conversations that matter eternally not just for this world. Ultimately God does the saving, but we are provided with opportunities to work for Him that may make an eternal difference in someone's life. Are you living on mission for God?

This world offers a lot of distractions that can lead us away from God. But Paul reminds us in Colossians 2 that we have to get back to the basics of the Gospel when we lose our way. Jesus is the fullness of God and in Him we have access to the fullness of God. Jesus strengthens our stance against the distractions of this world and gives us a solid foundation. Jesus satisfies our searching and our identity is found in Him. Jesus severs our sin nature when we surrender so we can abide in Him. Ultimately God is the best master we could serve because He loves us and sets us free. All we need is need and to come to Him with those needs, surrendering our lives to God.

This world offers a lot of distractions that can lead us away from God. But Paul reminds us in Colossians 2 that we have to get back to the basics of the Gospel when we lose our way. Jesus is the fullness of God and in Him we have access to the fullness of God. Jesus strengthens our stance against the distractions of this world and gives us a solid foundation. Jesus satisfies our searching and our identity is found in Him. Jesus severs our sin nature when we surrender so we can abide in Him. Ultimately God is the best master we could serve because He loves us and sets us free. All we need is need and to come to Him with those needs, surrendering our lives to God.

This world offers a lot of distractions that can lead us away from God. But Paul reminds us in Colossians 2 that we have to get back to the basics of the Gospel when we lose our way. Jesus is the fullness of God and in Him we have access to the fullness of God. Jesus strengthens our stance against the distractions of this world and gives us a solid foundation. Jesus satisfies our searching and our identity is found in Him. Jesus severs our sin nature when we surrender so we can abide in Him. Ultimately God is the best master we could serve because He loves us and sets us free. All we need is need and to come to Him with those needs, surrendering our lives to God.

Ultimately, God

Pastor Lane highlights three contrasts in Psalm 1 that show a blessed life. Christians live in the way, recognize the benefits, and enjoy the reward of God's blessing. Ultimately God blesses the person who walks daily with Jesus beyond all...

Isaiah's Jesus trailers anticipated the coming Messiah. Years turned into centuries, but eventually the fulfillment arrived in person. When he did, his presentation of Isaiah 61 stirred violent anger against Him, even though he came to give all God's good gifts. Ultimately God's good gifts are offered globally, to all people. And the Messiah was prepared to give everything in order to put God's plan into full effect.

GOD DOES HIS WORK TILL IT IS DONE. Phil 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Ultimately God’s actions and work in history reached their climax in the person and the finished work of Jesus Christ.