Podcasts about Zeal

This message on Romans 12:11 was preached by Pastor Mark Gladwell. It was delivered at our Lord's Day Evening Worship. If you have any comments or questions we would love to hear from you. Please email us on: pastor@gbcb.org.uk

Sunday Sermon from the book of John from John Bourgeois on September 27, 2026. Our hope for you is that you will know, love, and follow Jesus Christ -- leading to personal transformation, intimate community, and a life of radical mission. You are always welcome to join us for worship at West End Community Church.For more info, please visit the WECC website at westendcc.org

“Zeal in the day-to-day is about being alive to the important things around us. It is about being awake to God, aware of His presence and calling especially in those hidden moments of our day.” —Uche Anizor, "Overcoming Apathy"

Go to sermon webpage: PSALM 73

            In this section that they have a zeal for God but not according to real knowledge here's the first thing they didn't have a need feel a need for salvation see Paul's heart is that they may be saved and that's what he wants and that should be all of our hearts folks is if we have family and loved ones that don't know the lord we should be praying for them and trying to get the gospel to them and let people know that they need to be saved.

In this podcast, Pastor Justin delivers a word on how our expectations are essential to seeing God move in extraordinary ways. Support the show

Go to sermon webpage: PSALM 20

Sermon by Ps Darren Hendricks on Sunday 20th September 2026

Dr. Frank Gagliano

Jesus invites the people to live for the Lord with conviction, empowering our faith in God to direct our lives. (Lectionary #445) September 16, 2026 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

Before Demascus, the Zeal of Saul brought fear and death to believers of Jesus. Why would he think that was ok?

Welcome to the Daily Compliance News. Each day, Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, brings you compliance-related stories to start your day. Sit back, enjoy a cup of morning coffee, and listen in to the Daily Compliance News. All from the Compliance Podcast Network. Each day, we consider four stories from the business world, compliance, ethics, risk management, leadership, or general interest for the compliance professional. Top stories include: Collapse of the ‘Montessori Ponzi.' (NYT) Winning big on Polymarket against KPMG clients. (WSJ) Ex-Ukraine PG accuses ABC chief of falsifying documents. (Meduza) Prince Michael of Liechtenstein says AML disclosure rules have gone too far. (FT) My first work of general non-fiction is now out: Deluge Before Dawn, the story of the 2025 flood in Kerr County, Texas, which killed 119 people and devastated a county. It is a story of tragedy, heartbreak, survival, and resilience. It is available on the following sites: Amazon.com Stoney Creek Publishing Barnes and Noble Texas A&M University Press Bookshop.org Google.Books Walmart This week only, the Kindle e-book version is available for $0.99 on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go to sermon webpage: THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

The song that broke him out is called Slow Me Down. He posted it on Instagram, and his life hasn't been the same since. Which is a strange thing to build a career on, because everything about a platform says go faster. Charles Weems is 23. He started leading worship at 14, and he still leads Sundays at a church of about 100 to 150 people while he travels the rest of the week. In this conversation he talks about the year and a half he spent setting up sound gear in a middle school with one other guy, and the complaining that went with it. He explains how to receive a prophetic word without wearing it like a crown you never take off. And he gives the most honest answer to comparison we've heard: someone can be on a stage in front of a million people and be out of God's will, while you lead ten people and are exactly where He asked you to be. If you're the one doing setlists, charts, and setup alone, Worship Online gives your team a way to show up already knowing their parts. Learn more at https://worshiponline.com/   Mentioned In This Episode Slow Me Down   If you like what you hear, please leave us a review! Also, shoot us an e-mail at podcast@worshiponline.com. We want to know how we can better serve you and your church through this podcast.  Don't forget to sign up for your FREE 2-week subscription to Worship Online at WorshipOnline.com!  The Worship Online Podcast is produced by Worship Online in Nashville, TN. 

Potent Intercession // James Aladiran (Zeal for His House Session 3) @PrayerStormTV --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For more information visit; https://goldstreetgarden.com

The Pilgrimage of Prayer // James Aladiran (Zeal for His House Session 1) @PrayerStormTV  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For more information visit; https://goldstreetgarden.com

Welcoming the Lord into Painful Places // James Aladiran (Zeal for His House Session 2)  @PrayerStormTV  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For more information visit; https://goldstreetgarden.com

Sunday Evening, September 6, 2026Given by Dr. Kevin DeYoung | Senior Pastor, Christ Covenant ChurchThe Minister's ZealJohn 2:13-17Watch on YouTubeDownload our mobile app

Outline: “Hot, Cold or Lukewarm” I. Introduction: The Challenge of Being Lukewarm Opening encouragement: “We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Illustration about coffee: Some prefer it hot. Some prefer it cold. Few prefer it lukewarm. Connection to spiritual life: Jesus desires people who are spiritually hot or cold, rather than lukewarm. Primary text: Revelation 3:14–22 II. Background: The Message to the Church at Laodicea The passage came to the preacher during a three-day fast and prayer. Jesus gives John the Apostle a revelation while John is on the Isle of Patmos. John was elderly and exiled because of his faithful proclamation of Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:19 provides the framework for the book: Things John had seen. Things that were happening. Things that would take place afterward. Revelation chapters 2–3 contain messages to seven literal churches in Asia Minor: Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia Laodicea III. The Purpose and Pattern of the Seven Messages Each message begins with a revelation of who Jesus is. Each generally contains: A commendation. A rebuke or correction. Counsel about how to respond. Smyrna and Philadelphia received commendation without rebuke. Laodicea uniquely received rebuke without commendation. The messages to the first-century churches remain relevant to believers today. Application: Scripture is given for teaching, correction, reproof, and training. Believers should examine themselves rather than constantly examine others. IV. Jesus' Standard for Evaluating His Church Jesus does not primarily evaluate churches according to: Attendance. Buildings. Money/budget. The preacher contrasts the “ABCs”: Attendance Buildings Cash Jesus emphasizes the D: Discipleship. The goal is not merely making decisions or gathering spectators. True disciples: Follow Jesus. Learn from Him. Live like Him. Contribute through faith and service. The emphasis is quality rather than quantity. Jesus looks at the inward condition of the heart rather than outward appearance. V. The Four C's of the Message 1. The Christ — Revelation 3:14 Jesus identifies Himself as: The Amen The faithful and true witness The beginning/source of God's creation Jesus alone is qualified to judge the heart and soul. “Beginning” refers to His supremacy, source, and preeminence—not that Jesus was created. Jesus is both authoritative and loving. Believers should measure themselves by: Jesus. God's Word. Avoid comparing yourself with other people because comparison produces: Pride. Insecurity. 2. The Complacency — Revelation 3:15–17 Jesus says the Laodiceans are neither hot nor cold. Their lukewarmness makes Him want to spit/vomit them out. Hot represents: Passion. Spiritual hunger. Prayer. Scripture. Commitment. Pursuit of God. Cold represents: Clearly recognizing one's distance from God. Awareness of one's need for God. Lukewarm represents: Indifference. Going through religious motions. Lack of spiritual passion. Being comfortable with just enough Christianity to avoid real transformation. Background of Laodicea: Nearby Hierapolis had hot springs. Cold water was also available from another nearby source. By the time water reached Laodicea through aqueducts, it became lukewarm. Jesus used the city's familiar experience to communicate a spiritual truth. Warning against becoming like the Pharisees: Religious outwardly. Spiritually corrupt inwardly. Self-righteous and judgmental. Complacency often develops gradually through compromise. The danger of prosperity: “I am rich.” “I have everything I need.” Material sufficiency can produce spiritual self-sufficiency. True wealth is being rich toward God. Without Jesus, possessing everything amounts to nothing. With Jesus, even without worldly possessions, a person possesses what truly matters. 3. The Counsel — Revelation 3:18–19 Jesus counsels the Laodiceans to receive from Him: Gold refined by fire — true spiritual riches. White garments — righteousness and purity in Christ. Eye salve — spiritual sight and understanding. Jesus again speaks in terms familiar to Laodicea: Financial/banking center → gold. Textile/fashion industry → clothing. Medical/eye treatment → eye salve. The central message: Stop trusting worldly resources. Come to Jesus for what truly satisfies. Jesus could command, yet He lovingly says, “I counsel you.” Isaiah 55 reinforces God's invitation to receive His provision without money. Jesus' rebuke comes from love: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” The appropriate response is: Zeal. Repentance. Change. 4. The Call — Revelation 3:20–22 Jesus says: “I stand at the door and knock.” The original context is striking: This message was addressed to a church. Jesus is pictured as outside, knocking to be let back in. Jesus continues pursuing people even when they have become: Complacent. Lukewarm. Backslidden. His invitation: Hear His voice. Open the door. Fellowship with Him. The promise to those who overcome: They will sit with Christ on His throne. Main emphasis: There is still hope. There is still grace. There is still restoration. There is still a future. VI. Personal Self-Examination The sermon shifts from examining the church to examining oneself. Questions for believers: Am I spiritually hot, cold, or lukewarm? Have I become complacent? Am I more influenced by culture and social media than Scripture? Am I following Jesus or merely participating in church? Have prosperity and comfort made me less dependent on God? Do not judge yourself by comparison with others. Judge yourself according to God's Word. The preacher uses his own experience of receiving a medical diagnosis as an illustration: An accurate diagnosis is not condemnation. It identifies the problem so healing can begin. Likewise, God's conviction exposes spiritual problems so restoration can occur. VII. Communion and the Call to Examine Ourselves Transition to 1 Corinthians 11:23–32. Communion is presented as a moment of self-examination. Believers are instructed to examine themselves before partaking. God knows: Sin. Rebellion. Compromise. Hidden struggles. Yet He continues to knock and invite people into fellowship. God does not demand that people fix themselves before coming to Him. The invitation is: Come as you are. Repent. Surrender. Allow God's grace to transform you. VIII. Final Appeal Stop living below God's calling and purpose. Move from: Complacency → zeal. Compromise → surrender. Lukewarmness → spiritual fire. Self-sufficiency → dependence on God. Judge yourself rather than others. Recognize that correction can be an expression of love. A true friend tells the truth rather than simply affirming everything. Jesus is still knocking. The response required is simply to open the door. Closing invitation: Examine your heart. Hear Jesus. Open your heart. Repent. Receive His grace. Restore your relationship with Him.

Go to sermon webpage: THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

Pastor Jaden Henry preaches out of Revelation & Matthew on zeal and having garments for the wedding day. He encourages us to deny ourselves, disown our lives, and do the good works God has prepared for us to do. Afterwards, we break into discussion groups.

September 2 | Judges 17:1-18:21, John 2:12-25, Psalm 103:13-22, Proverbs 22:15 //  Needing more biblical wisdom? Subscribe and listen to the Wisdom Words podcast with Pastor Dale and Pastor Joel at lifereachresources.com/wisdomwords.   

What does it take to send missionaries who are prepared not only to go, but to stay and faithfully serve for the long haul? Alex and Scott talk with Brooks Buser, president of Radius International, and Pat Daly of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary about the church's role in sending well-equipped missionaries. They also discuss the upcoming Missionary Conference and its focus on helping churches recover a biblical vision for taking the gospel to people who have little or no access to it. Brooks and Pat make the case that zeal for missions must be matched by deep biblical knowledge and practical preparation. They explore why language is an important way to identify where gospel access is still lacking, how churches and training organizations can work together, and what can happen when workers enter cross-cultural ministry without adequate preparation. Key Topics: Why the local church must take the lead in sending missionaries Reaching unreached language groups with the gospel The need for both theological and practical missionary training Moving young missionaries from zeal to lasting biblical conviction The dangers of syncretism when cross-cultural ministry moves too quickly How churches, seminaries, and missions organizations can work together to prepare workers Explore your calling to global missions at ABWE's 24-Hour DEMO event. These events, held throughout the year, help individuals and churches explore how they can help fulfill the Great Commission and explore God's calling on their life and church. Learn more at demo.abwe.org. Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber! Premium Subscribers get access to: Exclusive bonus content A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts Invite-only webinars A free gift! Support The Missions Show and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionsshow.com/premium The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionsshow.com.

Go to sermon webpage: THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

In this sermon, Doug challenges believers us to avoid harsh assumptions, cultivate a personal zeal for God's holiness, and actively invest in the faith of future generations.

Send us Fan MailDispensationalism isn't just an “end times preference” when it rewires how you read the whole Bible. We dig into why the Israel versus church split collapses the unity of Scripture, how prophecy gets shoved into a manufactured future, and why that move often pulls attention away from the one fulfillment that actually matters: Jesus Christ and his finished gospel.We also talk about the real-world fallout, from constant Antichrist speculation to fear-based teaching on the mark of the beast and a rapture escape plan. Then we get practical and controversial: study Bibles and reference notes. When a publisher drops man-made commentary right alongside God's Word, many readers absorb opinions as if they're Scripture, and generations can be discipled by footnotes instead of the text.From there we return to Romans 10 and slow down on Paul's point: zeal has to be governed by knowledge. Trying to establish our own righteousness is the oldest trap in religion, and the law was never meant to be a ladder into God's favor, but a mirror that drives us to faith alone in Christ alone. If you want a Christ-centered way to read the Bible that stays coherent from Genesis to Revelation, press play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us Fan MailA lot of Christians can quote prophecy, argue about the Antichrist, and still miss what the Bible is actually doing: pointing everything to Jesus. We start by tackling dispensationalism and why we believe it fractures the story of Scripture by forcing a separation between Israel and the church, then pushing fulfilled promises into an imagined future. When that happens, the spotlight drifts from Christ's finished work to timelines, political theories, and endless speculation, and the gospel gets treated like a prologue instead of the center.We dig into why prophecy fulfillment belongs to Christ, not to modern nation-states or headline-driven end times charts. Along the way we talk about how passages like Daniel 9 get reinterpreted, why reducing “Antichrist” to one future figure can blind us to antichrist systems at work right now, and how fear-based teaching about tribulation and the mark of the beast can leave believers unprepared for real-world pressure on faithfulness. The goal isn't to win a label fight, but to guard the honor of Jesus and keep our doctrine anchored to what he has already accomplished.Then we return to Romans 10 and the practical heart of it all: zeal must be joined to spiritual knowledge, and righteousness is not something we build through effort, tradition, or sincerity. God's righteousness is provided in Christ and received by faith alone. We also challenge the hidden influence of study Bibles and reference notes that can train you to read a system into the text rather than letting Scripture interpret Scripture. If this helped you think more clearly about dispensationalism, covenant theology, and a Christ-centered reading of the Bible, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us Fan MailPaul's words in Romans 10 feel uncomfortably current: “They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” We sit with Romans 10:1-4 and trace how Paul can teach hard truths about God's purposes while still aching for real people to be saved. That mix of conviction and compassion is something many of us lose, especially when we confuse religious identity, family tradition, or church activity with the new birth. We talk through why zeal, sincerity, and moral effort can look impressive and still leave someone alienated from God. Paul's charge is not that Israel had too little religion, but that their religious energy aimed at the wrong target. The conversation keeps coming back to the core gospel message: the righteousness that saves is not something we manufacture. It is the righteousness God provides in Christ, received by faith. That is what it means that Christ is “the end of the law for righteousness” to everyone who believes. From there, we get practical about discernment. We challenge the habit of treating knowledge as a threat to spirituality, and we push back on the idea that passion can substitute for truth. Ben also asks for clarity on dispensationalism, and we define it, explain why it separates the church and Israel, and why we believe it distorts the way Christians read prophecy and fulfillment. If you care about Romans 10, salvation by faith, the righteousness of God, and how to spot misplaced zeal before it hardens into pride, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves Scripture, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

What happens to your faith after God answers your prayers? Like Hannah, who remained devoted after receiving Samuel, our zeal shouldn't fade when the blessing arrives. Keep your fire burning! Discover how to serve God faithfully beyond the miracle today.

Go to sermon webpage: THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

00:00:00 Numbers 1 – Numbering the Men of War from Twenty Years Old and Upward00:07:24 Numbers 2 – Order of the Camps and Standard of the Host of Israel00:11:55 Numbers 3 – Charge of the Levites and Redemption of the Firstborn00:19:08 Numbers 4 – Service of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites00:26:26 Numbers 5 – Restitution for Trespass and Water of Jealousy00:31:02 Numbers 6 – Vow of a Nazarite and the LORD Bless Thee and Keep Thee00:35:11 Numbers 7 – Dedication Offerings of the Twelve Princes of Israel00:45:54 Numbers 8 – Lighting the Seven Lamps and Cleansing of the Levites00:49:33 Numbers 9 – Passover Kept in the Wilderness and Cloud Covering the Tabernacle00:53:16 Numbers 10 – Two Trumpets of Silver and Departure from Mount Sinai00:58:00 Numbers 11 – Burning at Taberah, Quails, and Seventy Elders Endued with the Spirit01:03:32 Numbers 12 – Miriam's Leprosy for Speaking Against Moses01:05:43 Numbers 13 – Twelve Spies Sent to Search out the Land of Canaan01:09:47 Numbers 14 – Murmuring of the People and Forty Years Wandering Proclaimed01:16:11 Numbers 15 – Offerings of the Land, Sabbath Stoning, and Fringes on Garments01:21:40 Numbers 16 – Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and the Earth Opening Her Mouth01:28:45 Numbers 17 – Rod of Aaron Budded, Blossomed, and Yielded Almonds01:30:37 Numbers 18 – Portion of the Priests, Levites, and Tithes of the Tithes01:36:16 Numbers 19 – Sacrifice of the Red Heifer and Water of Separation01:39:55 Numbers 20 – Moses Smiteth the Rock at Meribah and Death of Aaron01:43:58 Numbers 21 – Serpent of Brass and Defeat of Sihon and Og01:49:08 Numbers 22 – Balak Sendeth for Balaam and the Ass Speaketh01:55:21 Numbers 23 – Parables of Balaam: God Is Not a Man That He Should Lie01:59:24 Numbers 24 – Prophecy of a Star Out of Jacob and Sceptre Out of Israel02:03:07 Numbers 25 – Whoredom at Baalpeor and Zeal of Phinehas02:05:34 Numbers 26 – Second Census of the Children of Israel in the Plains of Moab02:13:42 Numbers 27 – Inheritance of the Daughters of Zelophehad and Joshua Set Before Eleazar02:16:57 Numbers 28 – Daily Continual Burnt Offering, Sabbath, and Feast Days02:21:13 Numbers 29 – Offerings for Feast of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles02:26:21 Numbers 30 – Vows of Maidens, Wives, and Husbands Disannulling Them02:29:04 Numbers 31 – Vengeance upon Midian and Division of the Prey02:35:25 Numbers 32 – Reuben, Gad, and Half Tribe of Manasseh Settle Transjordan02:41:16 Numbers 33 – Journeys of the Children of Israel from Rameses to Moab02:46:48 Numbers 34 – Borders of the Land of Canaan and Princes Appointed02:50:13 Numbers 35 – Levite Cities and Cities of Refuge for the Slayer02:55:13 Numbers 36 – Inheritance of Daughters Marrying Within Their Own TribeDownload One-Year Reading Plan:https://andrewhorval.substack.com/p/kingjamesbibleinoneyearBooks:https://andrewhorval.substack.com/p/booksPodcast & More:https://andrewhorval.substack.com

Title: Comfortably Numb: Waking Up from Lukewarm ChristianitySpeaker: Pastor Ben SmithDate: 14th January 2026Location: Vancouver, Canada Summary "We don't want to be a people who are comfortably numb." A Pink Floyd lyric turns up in an unlikely place here, and it lands. The subject is lukewarm Christianity, approached through two passages: Jesus warning that love would grow cold as lawlessness increased, and his blunt verdict on the church at Laodicea, a fellowship so comfortable it had decided it was doing just fine. The name Laodicea means power of the people, and that is offered as the clue to what went wrong. A group can end up led by the mood of the room rather than by God's word and still feel entirely settled about it. The answer sits in the next verse: the one who endures to the end will be saved. Endurance does not earn salvation, but it is what faithfulness looks like stretched over years, and it is thin on the ground in a throwaway culture where marriages and commitments get dropped faster than they get repaired. Hebrews adds the practical edge: give earnest heed, so that what you have heard does not quietly slip away. That turns into a question worth asking often. Am I more zealous than I used to be, or less? Zeal and repentance are where revival has always started, ground also covered in Enduring to the end. Key Points Jesus listed increasing lawlessness and love growing cold among the signs that would mark the time before his return. The church at Laodicea was judged lukewarm, and comfort was the likely cause. A settled socioeconomic climate led them to conclude they were fine when they were not. Laodicea means power of the people, a fellowship steered by the general mood rather than by God's word. Endurance does not earn salvation. If it did, salvation could be worked for. Endurance is what faithfulness looks like over the long haul. Commitment is getting harder in a throwaway culture, and people walk away from marriages and fellowships rather than resolve what needs resolving. The warnings against slackening off were written into the early letters, which suggests the concern was live even then. Letting things slip is discouraging well beyond the person it happens to, and holding steady has the opposite effect. Repentance and zeal are the conditions revival has always come out of, and comfort is what dulls both. Reference Scriptures Matthew 24:12-13 Revelation 3:14-22 John 14:15 John 13:34-35 Hebrews 2:1-3 Hebrews 10:25-26 1 Corinthians 10:12 Hebrews 12:1 Listen to the entire Podcast Revival library by visiting https://podcastrevival.com The Revival Fellowship is a Bible-directed, Spirit-filled Church and we welcome visitors to our meetings at any of our locations worldwide. To find your nearest venue visit https://therevivalfellowship.com © 2026 The Revival Fellowship. All Rights Reserved.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Go to sermon webpage: THE GOOD SHEPHERD RECAP

There is a great mercy hidden within these unsettling sayings from the Evergetinos. The Desert Fathers do not speak to us about spiritual warfare in order to make us preoccupied with the devil. They speak about it so that we might become sober, humble, and utterly dependent upon Christ. This is one of the great blessings the Desert Fathers continue to offer the Church. They expose what ordinarily remains hidden. Modern man tends to imagine temptation almost exclusively in terms of dramatic moral choices. We think of sin as something obvious placed before the will: Will I do this or will I not? But the Fathers understood the human heart far more subtly. Long before the temptation becomes an obvious choice, something has often already begun moving within us: a thought entertained, an irritation indulged, a desire awakened, an image cherished, a conversation replayed, praise secretly enjoyed, an injury remembered, a judgment formed, prayer postponed. The enemy rarely begins by asking us to renounce God. He asks only that we become slightly inattentive. And so Abba Simon gives us one of the most important sentences in tonight's reading: “Keep watch inside your cell, and keep watch outside it.” The brother cannot understand why he leaves his cell, becomes caught up in the distraction of others, laughs when they laugh, talks when they talk, and then discovers upon returning that the peace he formerly possessed has disappeared. He wants to move between recollection and distraction without consequence. Abba Simon tells him gently but firmly: That is impossible. The heart carries within itself what it consents to. This is why nepsis—watchfulness—is so central to the spirituality of the desert. The Fathers discovered that the cell is not merely a physical room. Ultimately, the cell is the heart. We must learn to inhabit it wherever we are. Solitude without vigilance will not save us, nor will activity necessarily destroy us. What matters is whether the heart remains awake before God. The modern elders say the same. St. Porphyrios continually warned against becoming fascinated with darkness. We do not overcome darkness by staring at it. We turn toward Christ. St. Paisios likewise spoke with great realism about the suggestions of the enemy, yet his emphasis was always upon humility and trust in God. St. Silouan and St. Sophrony understood perhaps most deeply that spiritual warfare is finally a battle over where the heart will abide: in itself or in Christ. This is precisely why these passages must never be read merely intellectually. We can study the taxonomy of temptation and still remain utterly blind to ourselves. Indeed, that may itself become another temptation. The moment I read these sayings and begin identifying the passions of other people, I have already missed their purpose. The proper response is much simpler: There but for the grace of God go I. “Satan Is Not Dead” Perhaps the most sobering saying tonight is the Elder's response to the man who declares, “I am dead to the world.” “You may say that you are dead, but Satan is not dead.” What extraordinary spiritual realism. The Fathers distrust premature declarations about ourselves. I have conquered this passion. I am beyond that temptation. This no longer affects me. I have reached dispassion. I understand myself now. No. The desert teaches us never to presume upon yesterday's victory. This is not because the Fathers are pessimistic about grace. Quite the opposite. They are so convinced of the power of grace that they refuse to confuse grace with human self-confidence. A man who knows his weakness can be extraordinarily strong because he clings to Christ. A man convinced of his strength is already standing dangerously alone. This is why the account of the dying monk is so striking. Satan says, “You have eluded me,” and even then the Elder replies: “I do not yet know whether I have eluded you.” There is no spiritual swagger here. No confidence in accomplishments. No inventory of virtues. Only vigilance until the final breath. The Trembling of Agathon Then comes Abba Agathon. He has spent his life seeking God. Yet as death approaches and the brothers ask whether he is confident that his deeds have been pleasing to God, he answers: “God's judgment is one thing, man's another.” This is not neurotic scrupulosity. It is humility purified of illusion. Agathon knows something we continually forget: we cannot finally stand outside ourselves and judge our own souls. Even our virtues may contain admixtures we cannot perceive. Generosity may conceal a hunger to be needed. Zeal may conceal anger. Orthodoxy may conceal pride. Asceticism may conceal self-reliance. Service may conceal the desire for recognition. Even repentance itself can become subtly self-absorbed. Therefore Agathon places himself entirely before God. And notice how the story ends. He dies in joy. This is crucial. The humility of the Desert Fathers does not lead to despair. It leads to freedom. Agathon has nothing left to defend. Nothing to prove. Nothing to claim for himself. He places everything into the hands of God and ascends “as one who greets his friends and loved ones.” True humility ends in joy because it has surrendered the impossible burden of saving itself. The Vessels of the Enemy The extraordinary vision of Abba Makarios brings all of this together. The devil appears covered with vessels containing different means of temptation. One attacks prayer with drowsiness. Another Scripture with physical discomfort. Another obedience. Another chastity. Another speech. Another appetite. Another humility through pride. Another virtue through vainglory. Another remembrance of eternity through forgetfulness. The image may seem strange to us, but its psychological and spiritual insight is profound. The enemy studies where we are vulnerable. He does not tempt everyone identically. And more importantly, he frequently attacks us precisely where we are seeking God. When we pray, suddenly we become tired. When we seek silence, a hundred apparently urgent thoughts arise. When we begin fasting, food occupies our imagination. When we perform some good work, we begin wondering whether anyone noticed. When God gives us spiritual insight, we subtly begin thinking ourselves spiritually insightful. When we experience grace, we may begin secretly believing that the grace belongs to us. Even virtue can become the material of temptation. This is why Makarios sees vessels around the devil's neck filled with pride and human glory. The enemy does not care whether he captures us through obvious vice or apparent virtue. He cares only that the gaze of the heart moves away from Christ and returns to itself. And perhaps the most frightening vessel is the one containing forgetfulness. The enemy makes “the memory of these things disappear.” Forgetfulness is not simply poor memory. In the language of the Fathers, it is an existential forgetfulness of God. We forget who we are. We forget whose we are. We forget death. We forget judgment. We forget mercy. We forget the Kingdom. We forget the presence of Christ. And once remembrance disappears, almost anything can enter. This is why the Jesus Prayer is so powerful. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” It is remembrance restored. The Name gathers the scattered heart. The Name interrupts the conversation with the logismoi. The Name returns us to Presence. Sitting With the Fathers This is why we need to journey with the Desert Fathers rather than merely read them. Their sayings are not curiosities from an exotic period of Christian history. They are maps of the human heart. We should read them slowly enough that they begin reading us. Where am I inattentive? Where have I become confident in myself? What thought do I repeatedly entertain? Where do I seek human approval? What happens to my heart after certain conversations? What destroys my recollection? What makes prayer difficult? Where has forgetfulness entered? And above all: Where am I relying upon myself rather than Christ? These questions should not produce anxiety. They should produce humility. The Desert Fathers were not obsessed with demons. They were captivated by God. Precisely because they desired God so intensely, they learned to recognize everything that sought to draw the heart away from Him. And they knew they did not fight alone. We live within the communion of the Church. The angels surround us. The saints intercede for us. The Mother of God shelters us. The prayers of the Church carry us. Our guardian angel accompanies us. And the Name of Jesus is placed upon our lips. The evil one may indeed be relentless. But he is not sovereign. Christ is. Makarios can interrogate the devil precisely because Christ has already conquered him. The powers of darkness are exposed because the Light has come into the world. And so vigilance is not fearfully watching for Satan behind every movement of life. Vigilance is keeping the heart turned toward Christ. The safest person spiritually is therefore not the one who thinks, I would never fall into that. It is the one who whispers: Lord, without You I could fall into anything. Keep me. Guard my heart. Give me remembrance of You. Send Your holy angels to protect me. Through the prayers of Your saints, preserve me from deception. And then we understand why we must keep returning to the desert. The Fathers know the terrain. They have watched thoughts arise and disappear. They have suffered temptation. They have fallen and risen. They have learned the terrible danger of self-confidence and the astonishing strength hidden in humility. They take us by the hand and teach us to watch. Inside the cell. Outside the cell. Until our final breath. Not because we are terrified of the darkness, but because we have discovered something infinitely more beautiful that we do not wish to lose sight of: the face of Christ. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:08:04 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Volume 3 page 54 number 3 00:56:55 James Hickman: In the past year or so, certain Catholic exorcists have come under attack for describing a bit of their healing ministry. For instance, some attack the priests for revealing that the devil has told them x, y, or z. The attackers, who only seem to attack the priests behind their backs, say that the priests are either lying or that they've been misled by the devil, for the demons can't be trusted. I trust these priests, and here Abba Macarius is just one more witness to the power of the Church to compel the demons, if it be God's holy will, to share what otherwise we wouldn't know. I suppose I'm sharing this hoping more of us will pray for these exorcists and for priests in general. Abba Macarius, pray for us! 01:04:00 Forrest: The appearance of the Devil in this story reminds me of an earlier hypothesis where a great saint laughed at a group of demons struggling to lift a single feather.  How hard it was for them! Here the Prince of Demons wears many vessels with feathers attached. 01:04:25 Adam Paige: The 35 Doctors of the Church: Revised Edition by Rev. Christopher Rengers, O.F.M. Cap 01:18:27 Rebecca Thérèse: Uriah the Hittite 01:20:25 Julie: Thank you

"Phineas' Zeal"Series: Book of NumbersSpeaker: Kunle AdeyemoSunday MorningDate: 9th August 2026Passage: Numbers 25:1-18

Our Iives are a gift from God.  What we do with our lives is our gift to God.  We have the opportunity to live with enthusiasm and zeal, expecting only our highest good. Click below for resources on Zeal from Unity.

Go to sermon webpage: THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

Romans 1 presents the Christian life as a wholehearted love for God that overflows into love for people. Paul begins with thanksgiving and prayer, reminding believers to intentionally encourage others by recognizing their faith instead of criticizing their faults. In a culture marked by isolation and distraction, these practices build genuine community and strengthen those who are faithfully following Christ, knowing that spiritual fruit often brings spiritual opposition. Paul also calls believers to live with generous, persistent love that gives more than it takes. Faithful friendships are marked by sacrifice, loyalty, and a refusal to give up on people, while the church's greatest obligation remains proclaiming Jesus above every competing priority. Thanksgiving, prayer, generosity, perseverance, and gospel witness work together to form a community that reflects Christ's love and advances His kingdom.

These Are Our People Max Kozak Download Psalm 106,Praise the Lord!Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise?3 Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them,5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.6 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.Mark Twain famously said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes. That's why I love reading narrative nonfiction. Whether it's Shackleton, or John Adams, there is something uniquely “sticky” about gleaning important lessons other men have learned in the context of hearing their stories. And that's what we'll see the Psalmist setting out to do here, in Psalm 106.Similar to last week, the bulk of this Psalm is another recounting of Israel's history. And the story pretty much picks up where we left off last week. God has demonstrated his mighty power and covenant love by rescuing his people out of Egypt — and now, finally, Israel is about to cross the Red Sea and be on their way to the promised land. But although the story continues, the focus shifts. Psalm 106 has been described as “the dark counterpart to Psalm 105,” because its main focus is on the sin and rebellion of God's people. And we need to see both. Let's pray again, and then we'll jump in.Father, you are a mighty God who shows steadfast love to his covenant people. That was true when you led Israel out of Egypt to the promised land — and it's true now, as you lead us by your Spirit, through your Word. Help us to see and receive what you want to show us this morning in your Word, I pray in Jesus name, amen.1. The Tension: Blessing Belongs to the RighteousBefore we get into the story, we notice that there is a tension introduced in the first few verses that continues throughout this Psalm.After calling Israel to praise the Lord and give him thanks (v.1–2), the Psalmist reminds Israel that blessing belongs to the righteous: “blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.” (v. 3)He then personally appeals to God's blessing — asking that he would get in on the prosperity, gladness, and glory of God's covenant people (v.5). He says remember me (when you show favor to your people). Help me (when you save them). He wants to be included in their prosperity and the blessings of their inheritance.But if you read ahead, you'll say time out, this makes no sense.First, we'll see later in the Psalm that Israel is in exile when this psalm is written. The “prosperity and gladness” that he wants to get in on is far from Israel's current reality.Second, he's just linked God's blessing to righteousness, but the history that he then goes to great lengths to recount reveals that Israel's track record is the opposite of righteousness. And remember, God's covenant with Israel includes not just blessings for obedience, but also, curses for disobedience (laid out famously in Deuteronomy 28). And as we go through the story we'll see that it's the curses, not the blessings that fit Israel's track record.So that's the elephant in the room — the tension from the start is this: if blessing belongs to the righteous, how can the psalmist identify himself with Israel's wickedness, and yet appeal to God's blessing?2. Israel's Dark Pattern of SinThe story picks up in v.6:“Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.”Now, before we analyze the story, it's important to recognize what he's not doing and what he is doing. First, He is not denouncing or rejecting his heritage. It's clear in verses 4 and 5 that he has tied his identity to God's chosen nation. “Ride or die,” he has linked his fate to that of God's covenant people. At the same time he is not hiding their wickedness. He calls sin, sin, no matter where he sees it. There is no protecting reputations or sugarcoating here.It's also worth noting that he is not “taking on” or “repenting for” his father's sins. There is no “group guilt” going on here. Scripture is clear:“Each will give an account of himself to God.” (Rom 14:12)And yet, he's honest enough to see himself in their story. He does not say “well if it were me in that wilderness, man, I'd do better” — the arrogant attitude that C.S. Lewis calls “chronological snobbery.”Instead, he leads us through a hard, honest look at Israel's history, and a hard honest look at his own heart to identify the dark pattern of sin and rebellion that cuts through every human heart. “Both we and our fathers have sinned.”If last week's history lesson was meant to show us: “wow, this is our God,” this week's history lesson reveals the flip side of the coin: “uff, these are our people.”The Red Sea (vv. 7-12)And we see their first failure at the Red Sea. Israel is on the cusp of leaving Egypt. They are about to walk free after 400 years of slavery. God had absolutely humiliated Pharaoh. Round after round, demonstrating both his power and his covenant love through his Judgement on Egypt, culminating in the death of every firstborn, and making Pharaoh finally relent and let Israel go. So here they are — their Fourth of July moment. And we see rebellion right at the starting line.“Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.” (v. 7)Pharaoh changes his mind, the Israelites see the chariots coming, and they turn on Moses and God saying “did you bring us out here to die?! Didn't we tell you in Egypt to leave us alone?”The Psalmist's first charge begins with “they did not consider God's works” — literally, they gave them no thought — “And forgot the abundance of his love.” Not paying attention, and forgetting, are high-stakes moral offenses, when it comes to our posture towards God. Remembering is a reflection of what we value, and God has given his people provisions for our remembering with many rhythms, disciplines, and reminders to reinforce our attentiveness to Him. Take advantage of them! Meditate on his word daily, tell of his wondrous works to one another, teach them to your children!But instead, Israel's forgetting here reveals their disregard for God and it results in rebellion. Yet God still intervened: He split the sea, destroyed the Egyptian army, and brought them out of Egypt. And for a brief moment, “they believed his word and sang his praise” (v.12). And they lived happily ever after … right?No, instead, we see the fickleness of their trust immediately in the next verse.Wilderness Cravings (vv. 13-15)“But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. 14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; 15 he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.” (v. 13)Instead of delighting in the Lord who just saved them, they forget again, and their hearts are corrupted by disordered desires.They had “wanton cravings” for food — literally translates “they crave-craved” food — to the point of putting God to the test: trying to manipulate God into proving himself to them on their terms.There is nothing wrong with their desire for meat, nor with asking God to provide good things we crave. But when you combine forgetting God and disordered desires, our cravings become deadly. Yet God gives them the meat they wanted, and his anger came with it in a wasting disease, where many people died, giving that place the name “graves of craving.”The Coup Against Moses (vv. 16-18)We'll skip over verses 16-18, but basically a group of prominent men, driven by jealousy rises up against Moses in a coup … God intervenes … the ground opens and swallows the leaders alive … and fire from heaven consumes the rest.The Golden Calf (vv. 19-23)Then comes the infamous golden calf episode. Verse 19:“They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. 20 They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. 21 They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, 22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. 23 Therefore he said he would destroy them—had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.”Israel forgets again, and this time the whole nation rebels in idolatry. Instead of worshipping God, their savior, they chose to worship pretty much the most pathetic thing they could find. An ox, (that's a male cow) that eats grass. It was pathetic, but more importantly, it was deeply wicked, and a betrayal of their God. And we see its seriousness in verse 23:“Therefore he said he would destroy them—had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.”After everything from Abraham to Moses, God was ready to wipe them out and start over with Moses. That's the gravity of the situation. And there's no doubt that they deserved destruction, on the spot — ground opening up, or fire coming down. But Moses stands in the breach — a military image: when a wall has been breached, the city's about to get sacked except for a champion who steps into the gap, inserting himself to rescue the people.So what's going on here? Is Moses opposing God? Was God overreacting? Not at all. God is displaying here both the gravity of their sin, while also laying the groundwork for what it will ultimately take to deal with it. God wants Israel to know that the only thing that kept them from experiencing the just wrath of God was God's chosen one interceding on their behalf. And because of Moses' intercession, the flood of God's wrath is held back, at least for now, and without any delusions about what their sin deserves.The Spies Refuse the Promise (vv. 24–27)Then, on the very edge of the promised land, twelve spies are sent to scout it out. Ten of them give a cowardly report that ignites fear in the nation: “giants, fortified cities, no chance.” And Israel, again, ignores God's promise.“They despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise” (v.24).The result: an entire generation dies in the wilderness, without entering the promised land.Phinehas' Intercession (vv. 28–31)Fast forward to verse 28. Israel is now in Moab, right on the doorstep of the land, and they rebel again. This time they join themselves to the Moabites by worshiping their pagan idols and committing sexual immorality with them. So God's anger breaks out in a deadly plague against his people.And here in the midst of this plague, someone again intercedes — but this time it looks a little different. Phinehas (Aaron's grandson) sees a blatant demonstration of rebellion happening openly between a leading Israelite man and a prominent Moabite woman, so he grabs his spear, and executes judgment on both: with one thrust, deals with sin on the spot. And as the text says:“he intervened, and the plague was stayed, and that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever” (v.30–31).“Intervened” is an interesting choice of word. It's that intercession language again. Moses turned away God's wrath through intercessory pleading. Phinehas turns away God's wrath through intercessory action, executing justice for sin on the spot. Both are described as acts of intercession that hold back the flood of God's judgement against Israel, for now.And there's an important application for us here: Confront sin in your life head-on. Do not coddle sin, or it will destroy you. That requires calling sin what it is, and not concealing it. Phinehas confronted sin out of his righteous Zeal for the Lord and out of his love for his people. So confront sin starting with your own heart, and then commit to helping one another confront sin in Life Groups. The stakes are too high for a Minnesota-Nice coddling of sin. Sin dishonors God and when left unchecked will destroy you! Help each other root it out, in love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend.Defiling the Land (vv. 34–40)Fast forward to verse 34. Israel is finally in the promised land. You'd think, after everything they've been through, they would have learned. Instead, once they're finally in the land, they again, immediately disregard what God commands. God had told them to destroy the Canaanites, but instead…“They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, 35 but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. 36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; 38 they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. 39 Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds. 40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage;”Instead of obeying God and executing righteous judgement (like Phinehas) to remove the evil from the land, they became just like them. They served their gods, and polluted the land with the blood of their own sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to demons!These are dark, dark verses. It should make us sick to our stomach. And it's an important reminder of the trajectory of sin. It is never satisfied staying where it is. It always drags you further and further into darkness, long before you see it's true ugliness.What's our view of sin? Does it make us sick? There's an ever-present danger of minimizing sin and there are many reasons for this. For one, the world around us celebrates it, and it's easy to grow accustomed to it. But also, because we've never seen the full extent of it's depravity. Don't get me wrong, we've seen enough. But, throughout all of history, in countless ways, God always restrains sin from its full expression. Whatever wickedness you have seen (both in your own heart, and in the world around you), is just the tip of the iceberg. Don't underestimate it. And this Psalm helps us not to underestimate it. They sacrificed their own children to demons! Sin is infinitely offensive to God, and it will keep dragging you further and further into it's bottomless pit.So here they are, the ugliness of their hearts on full display. And God can't stand it. He abhors them. He says “Get Out.” Right back into the hand of the nations to be ruled by those who hate them (v.41).Verse 6 opened things up with “Both we and our fathers have sinned” and verse 43 bookends it with his summary:“Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity.”Or as the NIV puts it, “they were bent on rebellion.”This wasn't occasional, nor was it circumstantial. Bent. It's who they are and, if we're honest, it's who we are as well. This isn't just Israel's reality, or a uniquely wicked generation. It's the condition of the human heart. From Adam to us, history rhymes in a dark pattern of sin and rebellion against God.“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23)And it brings us back to our original tension: if blessing belongs to the righteous, how can the psalmist (and how can we) who identify with Israel's wickedness, appeal to God's blessing?Well, Psalm 106 doesn't fully resolve that tension. In a way, it is a true cliff-hanger. The main melody of Psalm 106 is Israel's dark pattern of rebellion and the psalm ends with Israel in exile. But even so, there is a powerful countermelody of God's mercy throughout this psalm, most clearly in verse 44 right after their rock bottom moment.3. God's Countermelody of Mercy“Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. 45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 46 He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive.”Unlike Israel, who forgets God's covenant at every turn, God never forgets his covenant. The great miracle of Psalm 106 is God's unwavering commitment to his people despite their sin. Time after time he preserves Israel when they deserve to be swept away in his righteous judgment. In every example we've walked through, anything short of Israel's utter destruction is an example of God's countermelody of mercy — his covenant love inserting itself between Israel's guilt and the judgement they deserve.But how? On what basis does “nevertheless” get to happen? God is no less just here than he was when he wiped out Korah's rebellion. So what holds the flood back?Our psalm has already alluded to it twice, both times incomplete. Moses stood in the breach — interceding through pleading, but absorbing nothing himself. Phinehas interceded through judgment — dealing with sin decisively, but only for one sin, not to mention that they were destroyed in the process. These examples highlight two halves of the same tension. What we need is someone to do both. Someone who will stand in the breach in our place, and satisfy God's justice on our behalf.The tension of Psalm 106 and it's hints of intercession both point forward in time to Christ's intercession on the cross once and for all. Romans 3:23-26 reminds us plainly: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”Jesus is God's answer to the tension. The Son of God became a man, lived the righteous life we couldn't, and stepped into the breach for us receiving the full judgement for our sins on the cross. He accomplished what Moses and Phinehas pointed to. He satisfied the judgment that our sin demanded, and displayed God's covenant mercy for all who trust in him. He takes the judgement for our sins, and we inherit the blessings of his righteousness. Intercession, completed.This is what makes the psalmist's plea in verse 47 possible.“Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.”He trusted that God in his mercy and justice would make a way to gather his people for worship and thanksgiving despite their track record. And it's why he can appeal to God's blessing despite his own sinfulness. Every “nevertheless” in Israel's history was borrowed against the cross. Every time God held back the flood, he was holding it back until it could finally, fully fall on his Son, in our place. That was true for Israel, and it's true for us. These are our people, and this is our God!And that brings us to the table.The TableThe table reminds us of where God's mercy and justice meet. No longer in tension, not in some uneasy compromise, but both fully satisfied at the cross.That's what this bread and this cup remind us of. His body, broken for us. His blood poured out for us. Christ took our sins upon himself, and we receive the blessings of His righteousness. We don't come to this table because our track record is any better than Israel's, we come because Christ stood where we should have stood, and declared “It is Finished.”As we celebrate the Lord's table together, this meal is a meal for the members of Cities Church, but if you have trusted in Jesus we invite you to eat with us.If you have not trusted in Jesus, we ask that you let the bread and the cup pass, but let this psalm be your invitation. As Tim Keller notes, you are more sinful than you know, and more loved than you imagine. Trust in Jesus today.

Send us Fan MailRomans 10:1–13 — Zeal Without Knowledge and Salvation by Faith Ken Corkins and pastor Rocky Ellison discuss Romans 10:1–13 (RSV) in season 18, episode 22, focusing on Paul's anguish that many Jews reject Christ despite serious religious zeal. They contrast rigorous Sabbath rules and man-made traditions with “God's righteousness,” arguing that Israel sought self-established righteousness rather than submitting to God. They unpack “Christ is the end of the law” as both fulfillment and the end of the Mosaic covenant as a means of salvation, replaced by the covenant of grace. Quoting Leviticus and Deuteronomy, they emphasize humans cannot perfectly keep the law, so salvation comes through confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in the resurrection, which Paul treats as justification. They explain Paul's Isaiah reference and conclude that salvation is for anyone—Jew or Greek—who calls on the Lord. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:34 Romans 10 Reading 02:27 Paul's Heart for Israel 04:06 Zeal Without Knowledge 05:18 Sabbath Rules Example 08:13 Cafeteria Faith Today 09:56 Christ Ends the Law 13:40 Law vs Faith Explained 17:46 Confess and Believe 20:40 Isaiah and Assyria Story 25:32 Everyone Can Be Saved 27:04 Wrap Up and JokeNEW!: Rate us at Podchaser  Find us at www.pondergmc.org. Feedback is welcome: PonderMethodist@gmail.com Music performed by the Ponder GMC worship team.Cover Art: Joe WagnerRecorded, edited and mixed by Snikrock 

By Neil Crane - In this message we'll explore the life of Josiah, a teenager thrust into the role of king. Though he had every reason to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, he chose to turn the nation back to God. We'll review his actions and take three lessons from his life that apply to us now.

July 14, 2026, 4pm; There is no retribution campaign against Donald trumps perceived political enemies, who, by the way aren't enemies at all, but public servants doing their jobs in every instance without Todd Blanches zeal for carrying it out.  For more from Nicolle, follow and download her podcast, “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace,” wherever you get your podcasts.To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.