#john can rest on jesus even in front of all the other disciples

[official-gospel-gang69]

John resting on Jesus during the last supper 🥺

"23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

[poorlywoventhread]

Supreme Sorcerer Pope

I recently watched the entirety of Jujutsu Kaisen anime & movie. Overall, it's enjoyable. Yet while watching the heavens suddenly opened up to me as a light came down from the sky, igniting my poor lobotomised brain with knowledge.

The Catholic Church is a front for European sorcerer society

I am not insane; I'm just correct; there's a minor difference. Firstly, tame your expectations, as I am here to shatter minds, not do thorough research. Although there are several indicators to prove I am unequivocally right, the sources include the voice in my head.

✯ A PRIESTS ROLE IN JUJUTSU SOCIETY✯

Let's get this gay once and for all. Both in Japan and in the Catholic Church, there is a clear ranking system ranking all sorcerers from grade 1-4. Must I add that the catholic alpha males underlings (Priests) must undergo insensitive education, what are they learning? Domain expansion.

Church goer — Grade 4

Nun — Window

Priest — Grade 3

Bishop — Grade 2

Cardinal — Grade 1

Pope — Special Grade. Because curses are weaker in Europe, it makes sense the Pope would live so long. When he is killed in battle, the Pope is replaced by another, who then becomes the head of the church and a special grade sorcerer.

Europe is big, so Priests rest after exorcizing curses. Churches are small bases of operation that allow Priests to operate and gather people in once place for a church seminar. Suguru Geto has proven it is affective to use religious fronts to amass curses and rid them. Priests change out every few years/months, the switch indicates they have a new mission.

✯ RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS ✯

In Episode 2 at 12:57 Gojo dumps some tasty exposition and slurping that up we can comprehend that Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College is known to the public as a private religious school to keep a low profile. The location is out of the way and secretive. Only a select few people are allowed in or out. It acts like a hub for Japanese sorcerers. The Vatican state, although not a super sneaky organisation (I'll get to that) is very guarded, while guided tours exist. Only the clergy and the Swiss guard are allowed to reside there which is 764 people, even less have access to the entire facility that's a front for sorcery. It acts like a hub for European sources. Although there are a lot more priests than Japanese sorcerers, priests are low ranking, which reflects on the types of curses they exorcize.

✯PROOF OF CURSED ENERGY IN THE BIBLE✯

In the cool book that is the Bible, it is common for people to hear the voice of God or the Devil, or even see demons. In this case, what the Catholic Church calls demons are just curses.

The Bible doesn’t explicitly tell me about an instance where one person sees a demon while another does not. However, there are parts where people perceive things that may or may not exist, for example; demons, angels, voices appearing to interact with someone. This was before schizophrenia was discovered, so it must be a curse!  In Luke 4:35, Jesus commands a demon to leave a possessed man. The demon recognizes Jesus, but the people around might not have seen the demon itself. Meaning Jesus is a sorcerer, the demon in this case a cursed spirit. In Daniel 10:7, Daniel has a vision of a man, but the men with him do not see the vision. Instead, they are overwhelmed with fear and flee. Some people cannot perceive curses even close to death, while Daniel could. Jesus’ Transfiguration: In Matthew 17:1-9, Peter, James, and John witness Jesus’ transfiguration and see Moses and Elijah talking with Him. The other disciples do not witness this madness. Jesus simply used his curse technique. The last point from this sections is brought to you by today's sponsor gateway.com. Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush… This can be explained simply as a form of cursed energy. Whether or not I'm implying God is a cursed spirit or a jujutsu sorcerer or even a being of faith, It is left up to interpretation and a theory for another day.

✯ HISTORY OF EUROPE✯

Although I haven't researched the fall of the Roman Empire, curses probably had something to do with it. In times of trouble, we turn to the Bible… Which contains many stories that can be linked to sorcery.

The church has a rich history of demons angels; demons, while being fallen angels in the cannon, are actually just curses. Catholic teachings are set up around living a life free of sin and moral teachings, which is an insanely smart excuse to subtly limit negative emotions and normies cursed energy under control. No wonder priests wear dresses, their jobs are so much easier than in Japan. The most compelling form of evidence is just the simple fact exorcisms are still preformed. According to the BBC In 2018, there was a notable increase in the demand for exorcisms, particularly within the Catholic Church. In Italy alone, it was reported that around half a million people sought exorcisms that year. The Vatican even held a special training course for 250 priests from 50 countries to meet this growing demand. To learn how to identify demonic possession, to hear personal accounts from other priests, and to find out more about the rituals behind expelling demons. That just sounds like normal sorcerer business to me… Back to the Bible, we can connect many events that happened in the Bible to cursed energy and curses.

Noah's Ark is a very famous Bible story, how in the seven gates of hell do you fit two of every animal in one boat? Simple, actually, Noah used his cursed technique to create a pocket dimension within the boat.

Although it is known that God sent down the 10 plagues of Egypt. All 10 plagues are just curses sent by God. Water turning into blood, frogs, boils, hail, darkness, and the death of a firstborn… All sound like an average curse activity. Moses has several stories from which he can be proven to be a sorcerer, When the Israelites reached the Red Sea Moses stretched out his hand and the waters divided, allowing his followers safe passage.

Jesus is Europe's equivalent to Tengen-Sama. Jesus died for everyone's sins. It is not a stretch to think he used his cursed energy for this goal — Similar to Tengen's barriers. Jesus would protect all of Europe's Jujutsu Society. This could also explain paying, but then again, what is a pray if not raising a vail? Gojo and Geto clearly recite a mantra before putting up a barrier in Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

Although it is unknown if in the universe of Jujutsu Kaisen if God and Jesus exist as physical beings or strictly as beings of faith, both would be beneficial to humanity. The church and Vatican work to spread their influence and teach God's values, which are often moral laws such as the 10 commandments. Belief in such morals would reduce negative emotions, resulting in weaker and lesser curses. Therefore, the Vatican is a public organisation to spread these teachings. To add onto this, many use God as a source of Hope and happiness, further reducing negative emotions. In conclusion: I will be absolutely burned at the stake for my theory. But just like Jesus, I will die for your sins of being wrong, while I am right.

After I had written this, my friend informed me cursed don't exist outside of Japan in the manga. My honest response is that the Supreme Sorcerer Pope is just superb at his job.

[lindajenni]

feb 25

not my will but Thine be done "then I said, “behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me." psa 40:7 i know that was written specifically about Jesus, but do you know each one of our lives are also written somewhere as well?  "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." psa 139:16 do you really believe that?  then let me tell you a little story. ------- a visitor at a school for the deaf and dumb was writing questions on the blackboard for the children.  by and by he wrote this sentence: “why has God made me to hear and speak, and made you deaf and dumb?” the awful sentence fell upon the little ones like a fierce blow in the face.  they sat palsied before that dreadful “why?”  and then a little girl arose. her lip was trembling.  her eyes were swimming with tears.  straight to the board she walked, and, picking up the crayon, wrote with firm hand these precious words: “even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight!” ------- what a reply!  it reaches up and lays hold of an eternal truth upon which the maturest believer as well as the youngest child of God may alike securely rest — the truth that God is your Father. do you mean that?  do you really and fully believe that?  when you do, then your dove of faith will no longer wander in weary unrest, but will settle down forever in its eternal resting place of peace.  that of “your Father's will!” are you familiar with this scripture?  "now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.  and His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  Jesus answered, “neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." john 9:1-3 you might well say, "but God wasn't glorified until he was healed," and that would be true in that instance.  and certainly we should pray for healing because the devil is hard at work against God's elect.  but just because the outcome is not what WE want, doesn't mean God doesn't have a plan.  who can tell what plans God has for another life?  it isn't always necessary healing that adds glory to His name.  fanny crosby became blinded for life and in spite of it all she write innumerable beautiful hymns along with following acts bringing comfort and aid to the multitude of lives she touched.  she once wrote this lyric: "oh, what a happy soul i am,although i cannot see! i am resolved that in this worldcontented i will be" can you be contented with what God has allowed in your life?  "can you still believe that a day comes for all of us, however far off it may be, when we shall understand; when these tragedies, that now blacken and darken the very air of heaven for us, will sink into their places in a scheme so august, so magnificent, so joyful, that we shall laugh for wonder and delight. — arthur christopher bacon no chance hath brought this ill to me; ’tis God’s own hand, so let it be, He seeth what i cannot see. there is a need-be for each pain, and He one day will make it plain that earthly loss is heavenly gain. like as a piece of tapestry viewed from the back appears to be naught but threads tangled hopelessly; but in the front a picture fair rewards the worker for his care, proving his skill and patience rare. Thou art the Workman, i the frame. Lord, for the glory of Thy Name, perfect Thine image on the same. what does the Holy Spirit speak to us through paul?  "i have learned in whatever state i am, to be content: i know how to be abased, and i know how to abound.  everywhere and in all things i have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." phil 4:11-23  Father God, i cry along with a multitude of others, "not my will but Thine be done."  to God be all the glory!

[net2ubiz]

Subject: Spreading The Fire Of The Holy Spirit

References: Matt 3:11, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1-4, Acts 2:17-19, 2:21, 38-39, 2:41,

Introduction: Primarily Fire Represent the Presense of God, as when Moses encountered God at the “Burning Bush” and later when God appeared in a Pillar of Fire to Lead His People in the Wilderness (Exodus 3:2; 13:21).

In Acts, the Tongues of Fire Represent the Presence of God, the Holy Spirit. Biblically, “Revival” means making alive again those who have been alive but have fallen into what is called a Cold, or Dead, State.

They are Christians and have a life, but they need reviving to bring them back to their First Love and Healthy Relationship With Their Father, Lord God Jehovah who Created them.

In the book of Malachi, we see God’s loving pattern of redemption. When there is brokenness between God and humanity, God reaches down to redeem and restore what needs to be mended. God will do what he needs to do to be in right relationship with his children.

A. The "Refiner's Fire":

A refiner’s fire melts down a metal, such as gold or silver, for purification purposes. Once a metal is in its melted down state, the dross in the metal rises to the top and is then removed from the metal before it cools.

God spoke this analogy through the prophet Malachi to describe how he purifies our hearts. Just as a refiner’s fire, God will draw out our dross, our broken, sinful ways, so that ‘We Will Stand Pure And Righteous Before Him’.

B. Fire On The Day Of Pentecost:

Holy Spirit’s fire can be vividly seen in the account of the Day of Pentecost. John the Baptist said that Jesus would Baptize with the Holy Spirit and with Fire (Matthew 3:11).

Jesus promised the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to the Disciples immediately before He Ascended to Heaven. “But you Will Receive Power When The Holy Spirit Comes On You (Acts 1:8).

He Commanded His Disciples to Go To Jerusalem And Wait For The Holy Spirit.

The Disciples were waiting and praying in an upper room for many days. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from Heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

They saw what seemed to be Tongues Of Fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to Speak In Other Tongues (Other Known Languages) (Acts 2:1-4).

So What Actually Happened To Jesus’Disciples?

1. They Heard Something; The Sound Of A Mighty Wind

2. They Saw Someting; They saw what seemed to be Tongues Of Fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

3. They Did Something; They began to speak in other tongues of the multitude of people who were gathered at Jerusalem.

Jesus told the Disciples they would become witnesses to the ends of the Earth when they received the Holy Spirit!

He Declared, “But you will receive Power when the Holy Spirit Comes On You; and You Will Be My Witnesses In Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the Ends of the Earth” (Acts 1:8).

Fire must spread! The Holy Spirit’s fire gave the Disciples The Power they needed to take the Godpel around the World.

This Heavenly Fire gave the uneducated Fiserman, Peter, the boldness to stand up in front of a huge crowd and begin Preaching.

Peter began Preaching With Holy Ghost Fire! Peter, quoting from the Prophet Joel, Proclaimed. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on All People.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, “I Will Pour Out My Spirit in those day. (Acts 2:17-18). Joel also tells us that one of the signs of the last times will be ‘Fire’ (Acts 2:19).

Three thousand (3,000people)were saved as a result of Peter’s Firery Sermon that day (Acts 2:41). The Story of Acts is the Story of the Spread of the Holy Spirit’s Fire. The Fire Inside of Each Disciple quickly became a wildfire no one could contain.

At Mt. Sinai 3,000 were judged because of idolatry; on the ground floor of the Jesus revolution atop Mt. Zion, 3,000 people came to faith in Jesus Christ The Messiah!

Christianity is an independent monotheistic religion and, like Islam and Judaism, goes back to Abraham, the progenitor of the Israelites. Christianity has the most followers worldwide with over 2.2 billion believers.

Now That’s How The Fire Of The Holy Spirited Added To The Church Of Jesus Christ Daily Started With Only 12 Disciples.

The Church of Christ Went From 12 to 2.2 Billion Christians World Wide.

We break every Power of Darkness that has entangled our progress. We destroy all the web of Satan against us. We loose Ourselves from all the Powers of Darkness in Jesus Holy Name, Amen.

WORD

Servant DCarlos Phipps

[dailychapel]

Mark 6:1–56 NLT - 1 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, "Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?" 3 Then they scoffed, "He's just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us." They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. 4 Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family." 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. 7 And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. 8 He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick--no food, no traveler's bag, no money. 9 He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes. 10 "Wherever you go," he said, "stay in the same house until you leave town. 11 But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate." 12 So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. 13 And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil. 14 Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying, "This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles." 15 Others said, "He's the prophet Elijah." Still others said, "He's a prophet like the other great prophets of the past." 16 When Herod heard about Jesus, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has come back from the dead." 17 For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip's wife, but Herod had married her. 18 John had been telling Herod, "It is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife." 19 So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod's approval she was powerless, 20 for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him. 21 Herodias's chance finally came on Herod's birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. 22 Then his daughter, also named Herodias, came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. "Ask me for anything you like," the king said to the girl, "and I will give it to you." 23 He even vowed, "I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!" 24 She went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother told her, "Ask for the head of John the Baptist!" 25 So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, "I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!" 26 Then the king deeply regretted what he had said; but because of the vows he had made in front of his guests, he couldn't refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John's head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison, 28 brought his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother. 29 When John's disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb. 30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat. 32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat." 37 But Jesus said, "You feed them." "With what?" they asked. "We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!" 38 "How much bread do you have?" he asked. "Go and find out." They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish." 39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. 41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves! 45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. 47 Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. 48 He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. 50 They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage! I am here!" 51 Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, 52 for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. 53 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore 54 and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, 55 and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went--in villages, cities, or the countryside--they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

[dfroza]

everything begins in the heart

“A person full of goodness in his heart produces good things; a person with an evil reservoir in his heart pours out evil things. The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s within your heart.”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 6th chapter of the book of Luke that begins with this note from The Voice:

The Pharisees think they have God all figured out. They claim to be experts in the sacred writings—the Hebrew Scriptures. But Jesus doesn’t fit in with their assumptions and expectations, and He doesn’t submit to their presumed expertise. So they are constantly criticizing Him and trying to trap Him in some obvious wrongdoing or unorthodoxy. But Jesus responds with questions instead of answers. He seems to decide that the best way to help them is by challenging them to think, to question their assumptions, to see things from a higher or deeper perspective. For example, they argue about what is permissible on the Sabbath Day (the seventh day, the day of rest); this is how Jesus gets them thinking about the deeper purpose of the Sabbath Day.

[Luke 6]

One Sabbath Day, some Pharisees confronted Jesus again. This time, they saw the disciples picking some grain as they walked through the fields. The disciples would dehusk the grain by rubbing the kernels in their hands, and then they would eat it raw.

Pharisees: Don’t You know the sacred law says You can’t harvest and mill grain on the Sabbath Day—the day on which all work is forbidden? Why do You think You can ignore the sacred law?

Jesus: Speaking of the sacred law, haven’t you ever read about the time when David and his companions were hungry? Don’t you remember how he went into the house of God and took the sacred bread of the presence—which, you may recall, only the priests were lawfully permitted to eat? Remember that he not only ate it, but he also gave it to his companions? Likewise, the Son of Man has authority over the Sabbath.

On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught there. In the congregation was a man who had a deformed right hand. The religious scholars and Pharisees watched Jesus; they suspected that He might try to perform a healing on that day, which they would use as evidence to convict Him of Sabbath-breaking.

Jesus knew about their plan, and He told the man with the deformed hand to come and stand in front of everyone. The man did so. Then Jesus spoke directly to the religious scholars and Pharisees.

Jesus: Here’s a question for you: On the Sabbath Day, is it lawful to do good or to do harm? Is it lawful to save life or to destroy it?

He turned His gaze to each of them, one at a time. Then He spoke to the man.

Jesus: Stretch your hand out.

As the man did, his deformed hand was made normal again. This made the Pharisees and religious scholars furious. They began discussing together what they would do to Jesus.

Around this time, Jesus went outside the city to a nearby mountain, along with a large crowd of His disciples. He prayed through the night to God. The next morning, He chose 12 of them and gave each a new title of “emissary.”

They included Simon (Jesus called him Peter) and Andrew (Simon’s brother); James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James (son of Alphaeus) and Simon (known as the Zealot); Judas (son of James) and the other Judas (Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus).

The whole crowd of disciples (including the 12 now designated as His emissaries) came down together, and they stood on a level area nearby. They were joined by an even greater crowd of people who had come from across the whole region—from all of Judea, from Jerusalem, from the coastal areas of Tyre and Sidon. These people came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed by Jesus of their diseases. Those who were troubled by demonic spirits were liberated.

Everyone wanted to touch Jesus because when they did, power emanated from Him and they were healed. He looked across the faces of His disciples.

Jesus: All you who are poor, you are blessed

for the kingdom of God belongs to you.

All you who are hungry now, you are blessed

for your hunger will be satisfied.

All you who weep now, you are blessed

for you shall laugh!

When people hate you,

when they exclude you

and insult you

and write you off as evil

on account of the Son of Man, you are blessed.

When these things happen, rejoice! Jump for joy!

Then you have a great reward in heaven

For at that moment, you are experiencing what the ancient prophets did when they were similarly treated by the ancestors of your detractors.

All you who are rich now, you are in danger

for you have received your comfort in full.

All you who are full now, you are in danger

for you shall be hungry.

All you who laugh now, you are in danger

for you shall grieve and cry.

And when everyone speaks well of you, you are in danger

for their ancestors spoke well of the false prophets too.

If you’re listening, here’s My message: Keep loving your enemies no matter what they do. Keep doing good to those who hate you. Keep speaking blessings on those who curse you. Keep praying for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other cheek too. If someone steals your coat, offer him your shirt too. If someone begs from you, give to him. If someone robs you of your valuables, don’t demand them back. Think of the kindness you wish others would show you; do the same for them.

Listen, what’s the big deal if you love people who already love you? Even scoundrels do that much! So what if you do good to those who do good to you? Even scoundrels do that much! So what if you lend to people who are likely to repay you? Even scoundrels lend to scoundrels if they think they’ll be fully repaid.

If you want to be extraordinary—love your enemies! Do good without restraint! Lend with abandon! Don’t expect anything in return! Then you’ll receive the truly great reward—you will be children of the Most High—for God is kind to the ungrateful and those who are wicked. So imitate God and be truly compassionate, the way your Father is.

If you don’t want to be judged, don’t judge. If you don’t want to be condemned, don’t condemn. If you want to be forgiven, forgive. Don’t hold back—give freely, and you’ll have plenty poured back into your lap—a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, brimming over. You’ll receive in the same measure you give.

Jesus told them this parable:

Jesus: What happens if a blind man leads a blind man? Won’t both of them fall into a pit? You can’t turn out better than your teacher; when you’re fully taught, you will resemble your teacher.

Speaking of blindness: Why do you focus on the speck in your brother’s eye? Why don’t you see the log in your own? How can you say to your brother, “Oh, brother, let me help you take that little speck out of your eye,” when you don’t even see the big log in your own eye? What a hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye. Then you’ll be able to see clearly enough to help your brother with the speck in his eye.

Count on this: no good tree bears bad fruit, and no bad tree bears good fruit. You can know a tree by the fruit it bears. You don’t find figs on a thorn bush, and you can’t pick grapes from a briar bush. It’s the same with people. A person full of goodness in his heart produces good things; a person with an evil reservoir in his heart pours out evil things. The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s within your heart.

What good is it to mouth the words, “Lord! Lord!” if you don’t live by My teachings? What matters is that you come to Me, hear My words, and actually live by them. If you do that, you’ll be like the man who wanted to build a sturdy house. He dug down deep and anchored his foundation to solid rock. During a violent storm, the floodwaters slammed against the house, but they couldn’t shake it because of solid craftsmanship. [It was built upon rock.]

On the other hand, if you hear My teachings but don’t put them into practice, you’ll be like the careless builder who didn’t bother to build a foundation under his house. The floodwaters barely touched that pathetic house, and it crashed in ruins in the mud.

The Book of Luke, Chapter 6 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 11th chapter of the book of Judges that tells of a vow made by a man that turned into a personal tragedy:

Jephthah the Gileadite was one tough warrior. He was the son of a prostitute, but Gilead was his father. Meanwhile Gilead’s legal wife had given him other sons, and when they grew up, his wife’s sons threw Jephthah out. They told him: “You’re not getting any of our family inheritance—you’re the son of another woman.” So Jephthah fled from his brothers and went to live in the land of Tob. Some riffraff joined him and went around with him.

Some time passed. And then the Ammonites started fighting Israel. With the Ammonites at war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. They said to Jephthah: “Come. Be our general and we’ll fight the Ammonites.”

But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead: “But you hate me. You kicked me out of my family home. So why are you coming to me now? Because you are in trouble. Right?”

The elders of Gilead replied, “That’s it exactly. We’ve come to you to get you to go with us and fight the Ammonites. You’ll be the head of all of us, all the Gileadites.”

Jephthah addressed the elders of Gilead, “So if you bring me back home to fight the Ammonites and God gives them to me, I’ll be your head—is that right?”

They said, “God is witness between us; whatever you say, we’ll do.” Jephthah went along with the elders of Gilead. The people made him their top man and general. And Jephthah repeated what he had said before God at Mizpah.

Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites with a message: “What’s going on here that you have come into my country picking a fight?”

The king of the Ammonites told Jephthah’s messengers: “Because Israel took my land when they came up out of Egypt—from the Arnon all the way to the Jabbok and to the Jordan. Give it back peaceably and I’ll go.”

Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites with the message: “Jephthah’s word: Israel took no Moabite land and no Ammonite land. When they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the desert as far as the Red Sea, arriving at Kadesh. There Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom saying, ‘Let us pass through your land, please.’ But the king of Edom wouldn’t let them. Israel also requested permission from the king of Moab, but he wouldn’t let them cross either. They were stopped in their tracks at Kadesh. So they traveled across the desert and circled around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came out east of the land of Moab and set camp on the other side of the Arnon—they didn’t set foot in Moabite territory, for Arnon was the Moabite border. Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites at Heshbon the capital. Israel asked, ‘Let us pass, please, through your land on the way to our country.�� But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to cut across his land; he got his entire army together, set up camp at Jahaz, and fought Israel. But God, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his troops to Israel. Israel defeated them. Israel took all the Amorite land, all Amorite land from Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan. It was God, the God of Israel, who pushed out the Amorites in favor of Israel; so who do you think you are to try to take it over? Why don’t you just be satisfied with what your god Chemosh gives you and we’ll settle for what God, our God, gives us? Do you think you’re going to come off better than Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Did he get anywhere in opposing Israel? Did he risk war? All this time—it’s been three hundred years now!—that Israel has lived in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the towns along the Arnon, why didn’t you try to snatch them away then? No, I haven’t wronged you. But this is an evil thing that you are doing to me by starting a fight. Today God the Judge will decide between the People of Israel and the people of Ammon.”

But the king of the Ammonites refused to listen to a word that Jephthah had sent him.

God’s Spirit came upon Jephthah. He went across Gilead and Manasseh, went through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there approached the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow before God: “If you give me a clear victory over the Ammonites, then I’ll give to God whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in one piece from among the Ammonites—I’ll offer it up in a sacrificial burnt offering.”

Then Jephthah was off to fight the Ammonites. And God gave them to him. He beat them soundly, all the way from Aroer to the area around Minnith as far as Abel Keramim—twenty cities! A massacre! Ammonites brought to their knees by the People of Israel.

Jephthah came home to Mizpah. His daughter ran from the house to welcome him home—dancing to tambourines! She was his only child. He had no son or daughter except her. When he realized who it was, he ripped his clothes, saying, “Ah, dearest daughter—I’m dirt. I’m despicable. My heart is torn to shreds. I made a vow to God and I can’t take it back!”

She said, “Dear father, if you made a vow to God, do to me what you vowed; God did his part and saved you from your Ammonite enemies.”

And then she said to her father, “But let this one thing be done for me. Give me two months to wander through the hills and lament my virginity since I will never marry, I and my dear friends.”

“Oh yes, go,” he said. He sent her off for two months. She and her dear girlfriends went among the hills, lamenting that she would never marry. At the end of the two months, she came back to her father. He fulfilled the vow with her that he had made. She had never slept with a man.

It became a custom in Israel that for four days every year the young women of Israel went out to mourn for the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

* * *

The Book of Judges, Chapter 11 (The Message)

A personal note:

people in ancient times sacrificed children to false gods, something horrible that should never be done. and Jephthah shouldn’t have rashly made such a vow as described in this chapter since such an act is deplorable to the True God and Creator of life on earth. Abraham was tested by God long ago with his son Isaac but it wasn’t God’s desire to have Isaac sacrificed since it was an act that pointed to the willingness of God to send the Son for us as a sacrifice on the cross for our sins, to take our place, just as the ram was sent to take the place of Isaac so long ago. God did institute through Moses the animal sacrifices in the Sanctuary and later the Temple as part of the first covenant that opened (pointed to) the new covenant of grace revealed in the Son. there were death sentences for certain sins according to Mosaic law, of which grace has cleansed for those who turn to receive it.

and something that can be seen in this chapter of Judges, even though tragic, yet Jephthah’s daughter asked to mourn for 2 months over her virginity and never being able to marry a man. what can be seen in this is that virginity is pure, just as the marriage bed is pure shared by husband and wife. this is the True nature of sexuality and marriage in our Creator’s natural design, which makes it sinful behavior to have sex with another outside of marriage. this also means that having sex with anyone of the same biological sex is sinful behavior as well. it isn’t even possible for marriage to exist between a man with another man, or a woman with a woman, which is forbidden by God who created a man and a woman to literally become as “One” body by sharing a physical and spiritual connection in Love.

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for friday, September 23 of 2022 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about seeking and finding:

What are you seeking today? (John 1:38) The Spirit of the Living God calls out, "Seek Me and live" (Amos 5:4). If you are feeling empty today, ask God to feed you with His life-giving food. Ask Him for energy, power, and strength... Seek the LORD and His goodness. He is faithful and true and will surely answer the sincere cry of the heart: "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer. 19:13).

Note that this verse includes the implication that we will discover that the LORD is the answer to our heart’s cry for love, significance, purpose, etc., when we search for Him bekhol levavkhem - with all our hearts (but not the other way around). In other words, if we do not search for God authentically - with the full passion of our hearts - then we will not find Him, since God only reveals Himself in the truth of reality. Some things in life are only known in the passion of faith... things like love, beauty, honor, and so on. As Pascal once said, “The heart has its reasons that reason knows not of...”

The problem with many of us is not that we are so hungry, but rather that we are not hungry enough... We settle for junk food when God spreads out his banqueting table before us. There is a “deeper hunger” for life, and I pray we are all touched by such hunger pangs; there is a "blessed hunger and thirst" that feeds our heart’s cry for God (Matt. 5:6); there is a “divine discontent” that leads to a deeper sense of contentment for the heart...

In the end, if we cannot say we have lived well, then nothing else matters... Seeking God is a process, a "how" of life, not a recipe or formula, no matter how venerated. Seeking God is the goal of life, and in the world to come, I am afraid that most of us will regret that we did not pursue the Eternal with all our hearts while we had the opportunity to do so... [Hebrew for Christians]

9.22.22 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

September 23, 2022

The Creation of Plants

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.” (Genesis 1:11)

One of the favorite biblical arguments used by Christian advocates of an old earth comes from a forced interpretation of this verse. While the verse seems to teach “sudden” creation, old-earth advocates interpret the verse to necessitate an indefinite time period, at least long enough for seeds to grow up into mature, seed-bearing plants. Plants differ widely and are thought to have evolved all throughout Earth history. The third day, then, must be understood as long enough to witness the appearance of all “kinds” of plants and is equated with a vast stretch of geologic time. However, there are many biblical problems with this view—a few of which follow.

Scripture teaches that “in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is” (Exodus 20:11; see also Genesis 2:1-4), and no meaning other than a solar day is biblically defensible. The “herbs” and “trees” mentioned can only mean small or woody plants that supposedly arrived late on the evolutionary scale, for the same words are used to identify food plants on Day 6.

Furthermore, the verb “bring forth” (Genesis 1:11) is also used when God made animals, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature” (v. 24), on the sixth day. It cannot be referring to the growth of a seed out of the ground but rather must imply the sudden creation of both plants and animals in abundance.

Such compromises are impossible biblically and are quite unnecessary. There are no true facts of science that are incompatible with the young-earth teaching of Scripture. We can be sure of its teachings. JDM

[santmat]

Light and Sound on the Path Blog/e Newsletter: If Your Eye Be Single, Your Whole Body Shall Be Full Of Light

Light and Sound on the Path: If Your Eye Be Single, Your Whole Body Shall Be Full Of Light

Podcast: The Sermon on the Light -- If Your Eye Be Single, Your Whole Body Shall Be Full Of Light: I begin by sharing this unique arrangement of passages on the theme of spiritual-mystical Light attributed to Jesus found in all of the available ancient texts. I call it, "The Sermon on the Light", since it really does read, and when said out loud, sounds like a spiritual discourse on the theme of Light spoken long ago in antiquity by a spiritual Master to some of his students. Also today, a discourse on how to find your third or single eye. "If your eye be single, your whole body shall be full of Light."

@ Youtube:

https://youtu.be/qhiiMy9uS8c

@ Podcast Website (Libsyn, Spiritual Awakening Radio): https://SpiritualAwakeningRadio.libsyn.com/website

@ The Radio Website: SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com  http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/index.html

@ Apple Podcasts/iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiritual-awakening-radio/id1477577384

@ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kqOaSDrj630h5ou65JSjE

@ Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9zcGlyaXR1YWxhd2FrZW5pbmdyYWRpby5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw

@ Gaana (India):

https://gaana.com/podcast/spiritual-awakening-radio-season-1

@ Audible (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Awakening-Radio/dp/B08K561DZJ

Stitcher, Podbean, Player FM, Pandora, TuneIN, or wherever you get your podcasts from.

Quotes during today's podcast come from: Jesus (Yeshua), Bible: New Testament, Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of John, Nag Hammadi Library (Gnostic Gospels): Apocryphon of James, Dialogue of the Saviour, Saint Jerome, Symeon, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, Sant Kirpal Singh, Sant Tulsi Sahib, Swamiji Maharaj, About the Ihidaya, Gospel of Thomas, Pistis Sophia (The Resurrection Gospel of Faith Wisdom), George Fox of the Quakers, Saint Isaac the Syrian, Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, Joseph the Visionary, John of Dalyatha, John the Solitary, and Dadu Dayal.

"Seek, all of you, after the Light, so that the power of your soul that is in you may live. Do not cease seeking day or night until you find the mysteries of the Kingdom of Light, which will purify you, make you into pure Light and lead you into the Kingdom of the Light." (Post Resurrection Gospel of Pistis Sophia, the Book of Faith Wisdom)

#InnerLight #Resurrection #ThirdEye #SantMat #Sant_Mat #SantMatSatsangPodcasts #SpiritualAwakeningRadio #JamesBean #Youtube #Spotify #Stitcher #Gaana #Podbean #Podbay #Pandora #PlayerFM #TuneIN #GooglePodcasts #ApplePodcasts #Audible #Libsyn #Podcatcher #Itunes #Overcast #CastBox #PocketCasts #Himalaya #RadioPublic #Spreaker #Deezer  #MyTunerRadio #ListenNotes

Also See This Earlier Podcast: The Yoga of LIGHT: An Introduction to The Third Eye Center and Inner Light Meditation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7wW1XfGN60&t=2s

Satsang Discourses from: Sawan Singh, Baba Somanath, Baba Ram Singh, and Kirpal Singh

"Love enables us to feel a kinship with all life on earth -- to feel that all are children of the same benevolent Father. All jealousy and 'otherness' disappear from the heart as soon as love comes in. Love is the path of complete self-sacrifice and giving one's heart away. Love is a constant and everlasting pull. A heart in which love has made a permanent abode is no longer subject to the mutations of time. It is free from transmigration. It is always enraptured with the ever-abiding sweetness of love. Love is a bond which can neither be loosened nor severed. Love is the vital sustenance of the world -- the life sap of our very existence. It is the foundation of purity and simplicity. Without it the world would be an abandoned wasteland. It is the vital essence that keeps our life flourishing and prosperous." (Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, My Submission)

"Until you understand the Truth, love will not enter your heart. And until the love manifests within you, that Almighty Lord, who is love personified, will not meet you.  A friendship is formed when the love of the Lord and the love of the soul become one, both without and within. When your within overflows with love, then that Loving Power will be attracted to you.  He will become your Friend." -- Baba Somanath Ji

Satsang And Meditation Are The Nutrients Of Our Soul, Spiritual Discourse by Baba Ram Singh (in the lineage of Baba Somanath and Huzur Baba Sawan Singh)

Santji would often say this, "Leave a hundred things and go and attend the Satsang. And leave a thousand things and sit for meditation." Because this is the true work for which God Almighty has given us this body.

All the other things that we are doing, we do for others. Whether it is nurturing of our children, it is for the children. Whether it is working in employment or farming or for a business, it is for that particular occupation or service or business. So, all of the things that we are engaged in is all work being done for others.

So, what is the work that we are really doing for ourselves for which we have been sent into this world?

Satsang and meditation are the nutrients of our soul.

Sant Ji used to often say, "Like we give food to the body, it is very important for us to give food and water for the soul."

So, the Satsang that we listen to is the water that we are giving to the soul and the Bhajan Simran that we are doing is the food that we are giving to the soul. When we give this food and water -- the Satsang and Bhajan Simran -- to the soul, the soul becomes stronger and the mind becomes weaker.

On the contrary, when we do our outward things, then the mind becomes stronger and the soul is becoming weaker. So, it is very important for us to give proper food and water to the soul.

It is very important for us to listen to Satsang every day and sit for meditation and do our Simran Dhyan Bhajan every day. Whenever we work out a schedule for the day, we should always prioritize our meditation and keep that first on the schedule and complete our meditation. And, only then, get on with the other duties.

We do the opposite. We usually give time for every other thing and then, if we have some spare time, we give it for meditation or Simran. And we often forget our Simran and meditation.

Now, when we do like this, mind becomes stronger, and then it takes us away from all of this.

As to why we do not do our meditation and we do not listen to Satsang regularly, it is because we do not have faith -- adequate faith -- in it. We do not have that much love and affection for our Master and for our Bhajan Simran. We are manifested completely outside. So, we are identifying ourselves with everything outside. We have complete faith in what we see outside and we have our full love and affection for everything that we are doing outside. And that is why we are not able to sit and do that meditation regularly and listen to Satsang regularly.

When we make it a habit of sitting regularly for our meditation and we make it a habit to listen to Satsang every day, then slowly, our mind will become weaker and we will be able to spend more time doing our meditation. And we will start enjoying that meditation more.

So, we should make it a part of our schedule, our daily schedule, and we should prioritize our Bhajan Simran and keep that as the first thing in the schedule. By doing that, our love and affection will grow towards our Master and towards Naam and meditation. And we will start, more and more, enjoying it and doing it.

So, the atmosphere is very quiet and nice and we should make the most of this. We should close our eyes and sit for our meditation.

(Morning Meditation Talk, Aug 8th, 2018, Guddella Ashram, Andhra Pradesh)

"Meditation is the process of withdrawing the attention from the world outside, and focusing it at the seat of the soul in the body, behind and between the eyebrows. This point is known as the inner eye, third eye, the single eye... In order to withdraw our attention and focus it on this point, mind must be controlled and stilled. Sit in one pose, and move not your head, limbs or eyes. Sit straight but relaxed with no tension in the body below. Sit still, please. Close your eyes as in sleep, and look sweetly, lovingly, intently into the middle of the darkness lying in front of you. You will see a dark veil. That which sees the dark veil within, without the help of your physical eyes, is the inner eye." -- Kirpal Singh

"True discipleship does not start until one has risen above body consciousness." -- Kirpal Singh

"He who has once been initiated by a competent Master is assured, once and for all, his liberation from the bondage of mind and matter; it is but a question of time. The seed of spirituality sown in him is bound to sprout and fructify. The spirituality when awakened and the spiritual experience gained must develop, and the Master Power cannot rest contented until the child owned is reared and taken home to the house of the Father.

"Man has got himself so enmeshed in mind and the outgoing faculties that his release from them can only be brought about by struggle and perseverance. His plight is, in a way, similar to that of a bird that has been kept in a cage for so many years. Even if you should open the door of the cage, the bird will be loathe to fly out. Instead, it will fly from one side of the cage to the other, clinging with its talons to the wire mesh, but it does not wish to be free and fly out through the open door of the cage.

"Similarly, the soul has become so attached to the body and the outgoing faculties that it clings to outside things and does not wish to let go of them. It does not wish to fly through the door that has been opened by the Master at the time of Holy Initiation, at the threshold of which the Radiant Form of the Master is patiently waiting to receive the child disciple. True discipleship does not start until one has risen above body consciousness." -- Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

[woven-in-christ]

Fearful Heart --> Courageous Heart

Conspiracy theories seem to be multiplying as people try to make sense of our world. What is really going on behind the scenes? Be it in the government, the health industry, the stock market, or the elite in Hollywood, conspiracy theories are becoming front-page news.  When we don’t know what is happening or what will happen in the future, we can become fearful. Isaiah 8:12 says, “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.”  How are we not to live in fear when the world around us seems to be so untrustworthy? We don’t know who to trust or what is true anymore. 

Fear controls some of us. We fear for our safety or our children’s safety. We fear what people may think of us. We are afraid to go where God is asking us to go or do what God is asking us to do because the risk seems too great. The Israelites were also controlled by fear. When they arrived at the edge of the Promised Land and spied out the people who lived there, they felt like the inhabitants were too strong and powerful to conquer. With their eyes, the cities seemed too great to overcome. Here’s what they said in Deuteronomy 1:28-33, “Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.’” Moses reminded them to be courageous because God is on their side. “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God, who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.” The Israelites only trusted what they could see, not what God promised them. They allowed their fear of men to stop them from gaining their inheritance.  

When we misplace our trust, fear will arise. We aren’t to put our trust in people’s opinions. We aren’t to put our trust in money. Instead, we are to put our trust in God.  It is God who goes before us. He fights for us. He has a plan. He will have the final victory. Do our hearts trust God when there are significant obstacles in front of us? Are our hearts full of fear or full of faith? Do we shy away from what God is asking us to do? Do we take a stand against injustice? Do we share the gospel? These steps of faith require us to have hearts of courage.  

God says to Joshua in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” God is encouraging Joshua to move forward to fight and retrieve the Promised Land. He had to lead in faith and courage while the Israelites felt fearful.  Our calling is to be strong in our faith and courageous also.  Children are growing up in the most anxious, fearful generation ever. They need us to bravely step up, moving forward in faith believing that God is with us, God goes before us, and God will have His plans accomplished in the end. 2 Samuel 10:12-13 says, “’ Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him.’ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.” We need to be courageous to fight the battles that will save the next generation: battles against sexual immorality, battles between our secular culture, and battles for the souls of the people around us.  

When God invites us to enter into His work and fight the good fight, He will be with us.  In 1 Chronicle 28:20, David reminds Solomon that God would be with him as he finishes the work God called him to do. “Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.” We can rest assured that God will be with us in whatever He calls us to accomplish. 

God promises us His presence. He does not promise that the world will become safer. When the disciples saw Jesus die, they cowered in a room for days, afraid that they too would be taken captive and killed. Yet, after Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to them and said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Jesus said this to them before he commissioned them to go and share the good news of salvation with others. There would be great risk, and many of them would eventually be martyrs for their faith, but Jesus promised He would give them peace as they stepped out in courage to share the gospel.  In the United States, we do not need to fear the same persecution that the disciples faced, yet many of us fear sharing about Jesus with others. This fear prohibits us from obeying Jesus’ command to make disciples. If we want to live as faithful disciples of Christ, we must gain a heart of courage. 

When God isn’t our focus, fear will take over. When we lack courage, we must go to God in prayer and read His Word.  Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.” Also, Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”  It is in His presence that we find the peace and courage to move forward and do what God wants us to do. Our fearful hearts can be transformed into courageous hearts when we focus on God and not our circumstances.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

15th January >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time 

   or 

Saint Ita, Virgin.

Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

Hebrews 4:1-5,11

None of you has come too late for God's promise

Be careful: the promise of reaching the place of rest that God had for the Israelites still holds good, and none of you must think that he has come too late for it. We received the Good News exactly as they did; but hearing the message did them no good because they did not share the faith of those who listened. We, however, who have faith, shall reach a place of rest, as in the text: And so, in anger, I swore that not one would reach the place of rest I had for them. God’s work was undoubtedly all finished at the beginning of the world; as one text says, referring to the seventh day: After all his work God rested on the seventh day. The text we are considering says: They shall not reach the place of rest I had for them. We must therefore do everything we can to reach this place of rest, or some of you might copy this example of disobedience and be lost.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 77(78):3-4,6-8

R/ Never forget the deeds of the Lord.

The things we have heard and understood,    the things our fathers have told us, these we will not hide from their children    but will tell them to the next generation: the glories of the Lord and his might    and the marvellous deeds he has done.

R/ Never forget the deeds of the Lord.

They too should arise and tell their sons    that they too should set their hope in God and never forget God’s deeds    but keep every one of his commands.

R/ Never forget the deeds of the Lord.

So that they might not be like their fathers,    a defiant and rebellious race, a race whose heart was fickle,    whose spirit was unfaithful to God.

R/ Never forget the deeds of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Ephesians 1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind, so that we can see what hope his call holds for us. Alleluia!

Or:

Luke 7:16

Alleluia, alleluia! A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people. Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 2:1-12

The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Saint Ita, Virgin

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Friday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

Either:

First Reading

Song of Songs 8:6-7

The flash of love is a flame of the Lord himself

Set me like a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is strong as Death, jealousy as relentless as Sheol. The flash of it is a flash of fire, a flame of the Lord himself. Love no floods can quench, no torrents drown.

Were a man to offer all the wealth of his house to buy love, contempt is all he would purchase.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Or:

First Reading

Hosea 2:16,17,21-22

I will betroth you to myself for ever

The Lord says this:

I am going to lead her out into the wilderness and speak to her heart. There she will respond to me as she did when she was young, as she did when she came out of the land of Egypt. I will betroth you to myself for ever, betroth you with integrity and justice, with tenderness and love; I will betroth you to myself with faithfulness, and you will come to know the Lord.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Either:

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 44(45):11-12,14-17

R/ Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words. or R/ The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet Christ the Lord.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words:    forget your own people and your father’s house. So will the king desire your beauty:    He is your lord, pay homage to him.

R/ Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words. or R/ The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet Christ the Lord.

The daughter of the king is clothed with splendour,    her robes embroidered with pearls set in gold. She is led to the king with her maiden companions.

R/ Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words. or R/ The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet Christ the Lord.

They are escorted amid gladness and joy;    they pass within the palace of the king. Sons shall be yours in place of your fathers:    you will make them princes over all the earth.

R/ Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words. or R/ The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet Christ the Lord.

Or:

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 148:1-2,11-14

R/ Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or R/ Alleluia!

Praise the Lord from the heavens,    praise him in the heights. Praise him, all his angels,    praise him, all his host.

R/ Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or R/ Alleluia!

All earth’s kings and peoples,    earth’s princes and rulers, young men and maidens,    old men together with children.

R/ Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or R/ Alleluia!

Let them praise the name of the Lord    for he alone is exalted. The splendour of his name    reaches beyond heaven and earth.

R/ Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or R/ Alleluia!

He exalts the strength of his people.    He is the praise of all his saints, of the sons of Israel,    of the people to whom he comes close.

R/ Your glory fills all heaven and earth. or R/ Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

John 14:23

Alleluia, alleluia! If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! This is the wise virgin whom the Lord found watching; she went in to the wedding feast with him when he came. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! Come, bride of Christ, and receive the crown which the Lord has prepared for you for ever. Alleluia!

Either:

Gospel

Matthew 19:3-12

Husband and wife are no longer two, but one body

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and to test him they said, ‘Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any pretext whatever?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’    They said to him, ‘Then why did Moses command that a writ of dismissal should be given in cases of divorce?’ ‘It was because you were so unteachable’ he said ‘that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning. Now I say this to you: the man who divorces his wife – I am not speaking of fornication – and marries another, is guilty of adultery.’    The disciples said to him, ‘If that is how things are between husband and wife, it is not advisable to marry.’ But he replied, ‘It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted. There are eunuchs born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by men and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Matthew 25:1-13

The wise and foolish virgins

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Luke 10:38-42

Martha works; Mary listens

Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[dailyaudiobible]

11/30/2020 DAB Transcript

Daniel 7:1-28, 1 John 1:1-10, Psalms 119:153-176, Proverbs 28:23-24

Today is the 30th day of November welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it's great to be here. I'm kinda giggling because I almost said it’s the 30th day of May, for no reason whatsoever. Maybe I’m already longing for springtime to get here. I don't know. Nevertheless, it is the final day of the 11th month of the year which means that tomorrow we will be heading into the home stretch, the final month of the year. So, what a…what a year it is been and there is so much out in front of us yet. So, let's dive in. We’re reading from the Christian standard Bible this week. We are in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament today. And this is gonna happen like I've already mentioned, both old and New Testaments are gonna speed up. We’re gonna be encountering shorter texts and so we’ll be moving through them more quickly. Today when we get to the New Testament, we will…we will be reunited with somebody that we spent a lot of time with, the evangelist John. And we will read first John or will begin to read first John when we get there. But first, Daniel chapter 7.

Introduction to first John:

Okay. As I mentioned just a few minutes ago when we get to the New Testament we’re moving into new territory and finding ourselves reunited with a voice that we got to know earlier in the year, the voice of John. Ironically, first John, like the letter, it…it doesn't make any mention of who it's from and doesn’t really make any mention of who it’s too. And, so, it would be easy enough to just conclude that the letter is anonymous similar to the book of Hebrews, but we would say in our church history that the church fathers in the mid-second century, so we’re talking about the mid-100s about like 50 years roughly after this letter was written, they attributed the letter to John the evangelist. And the authenticity of the letter and even its author didn't…didn’t find controversy or dispute when the New Testament was canonized. It's in more recent times that scholars have been examining the text and just wondering of the stylistic differences between like say the gospel of John and the letters of John, the epistles of John. But taking this as a letter of John you wonder like, why is this not addressed, like why isn’t it addressed to somebody specific? And the reason might be that the people that received this letter in the first place, they knew John really well. He's…he's an elderly person, an elderly…elderly saint, an elderly man at this point. And, so, he didn't need to introduce himself in the letter. It's also possible that the…the recipients of the letter weren't specifically named so that if the letter fell into the wrong hands they couldn't be tracked down. Maybe it was to protect them from potential persecution. But this letter, most likely was written from Ephesus pretty late in the apostle’s life…very late and the apostle’s life and the letter finds its dating, and again, dating letters has its challenges, but likely this is written in the mid-90s or maybe the early 100s. And…and John was writing really for one thing. He was undressing false teachings. This is interesting in the development of the church and in the development of the New Testament canon because during the time that all of these things that we are reading were written there wasn't a New Testament canon. And ideas about Jesus - who He was, what He represented, what His work was, where He came from, where He went - there were all kinds of things being said. Some of them would later be branded as heretical. Some of them are still just a part of the church library not part of the canon of Scripture, but are stories that have been passed down and still exist until this very day throughout generation after generation that…that actually provide us some of the church history that we have. So, some of the earlier forms of Gnosticism had begun to take hold and were forming theology and forming a whole written corpus around…around those beliefs. And if I had to…it's…it's hard…it's hard to summarize all of what's going on in Gnosticism because it's not just one thing, but the general understanding that the body is a bad thing and that our spirits are trapped within the body and that our spirituality and goal is to live an ascetic life, like depreciating bodily experiences in favor of spiritual ones so that we could achieve some form of enlightenment and deny…and deny bodily experience in favor of…of a spiritual experience. This is generally what we’re talking about. But there's also the early docetic view and John seems to be speaking specifically toward this view quite a bit in this letter. And that's a view that Jesus was indeed who He said He was, but He was not an actual human being. He appeared to be one more like, He was an apparition. And John also seems to be speaking against the view of Cerinthus who basically taught that Jesus was a human being, He was a person, but the divinity, the divine Christ nature actually entered Jesus when He was baptized and then affirmed by the dove by the Holy Spirit, “this is my beloved son”, and then Jesus operated in His ministry divinely, but at His crucifixion, He's dying, His…his body is dying, He's in the middle of an execution and He cries out, “my God, why have you forsaken me” and all this. And it's then the view of Cerinthus that the divine spirit that had embodied Jesus left Him at that point. And there are many, many others, many other different things that people believe, like Marcionism, which was a very, very wide populated group of people who had very different beliefs, believed very, very much in the writings of the apostle Paul, but really only took the gospel of Luke as something that could depict Jesus. And, I mean we could go on and on about different things like this all day. John is speaking against some of these things. And, so, it's here where we begin to see that the teachings about Jesus had spread and then some of the earlier church fathers including disciples of Jesus, like actually who walked with Him, like John, began to get into the process of forming orthodoxy. And we can only imagine that John, elderly as he might have been, would have authority to speak because He was there, like he was a part of Jesus inner circle and he'd been with Jesus from the beginning of his ministry. So, he could at least from an eyewitness perspective talk about what Jesus said and did. And that’s what we find him doing in first John. But just beyond just going after teachings that he was finding were getting kind of pretty far out there, this letter does provide contrasts for us, ways in which we can test the posture of our own heart. And, so, let's dive in. first John chapter 1.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for bringing us through these 11 months. Strange as they have been You have never left us. You have not forsaken us and we have learned in just beginning this letter of first John, that You are faithful and You are just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from wickedness if we'll confess our sins to You. And, so, there's a level of intimacy portrayed here, conversational intimacy, one in which we could come to You and confess and one in which You would restore us. This is what we want every waking moment and every sleeping moment to be like - aware of Your presence, aware of Your guidance, aware of where You are leading us - and that we can remain in conversation. And then we fail we can come and say we failed instead of getting all twisted up and estranged, instead of failing and then throwing up our hands in the air and just running into rebellion and crashing our lives, and then being angry at You, only to eventually get crushed into powder and return again. We see this story repeated over and over and over and over in the stories of the Bible and we see that we have repeated the same patterns. We don't want that to be the pattern of our life anymore. We want to lock in for the rest of our days into the grand adventure of the life that You have given us to live and we want to be joyful in it because we get to live it and we get to walk with You. You father us. You show us all the beautiful vistas and views when we don't run into a brick wall of rebellion. So, come Holy Spirit. We want to lock in as we move into the final push, the final month of the year. We want to finish this year stronger than we have finished any year in our life's and that will require our submission to Your authority and our paying attention, our continually being aware that there is no where we can flee to escape Your presence. You are here with us right now. Come Holy Spirit. Help us to stay awake we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is the website, its where you find out what’s going on around here, around the Globe Campfire. So, check it out.

I’ve been mentioning for a couple days now, now that we’re kind of officially into the holiday season that the Daily Audio Bible Shop is available and there are some wonderful resources in there from things to write in, a great…a great journal that we've developed over the years. Things to write with, like all of the line of Black Wing pencil stuff that we have, that I use, I love. I don’t know. It was a few years ago. I just kind of went old-school, accidentally went old-school and found that I love to sharpen a pencil and I love to write with a pencil and…and within my own hand and kind of move away from the word processor and something just old-school about the whole thing. And, so, we’ve had that for a couple of years now. And it's been really, really helpful. It's fun to sit down and write with things that you want to be writing with on things that you want to be writing on. So, check that out. That’s all available in Daily Audio Bible Shop. The entire Global Campfire line is in the Daily Audio Bible Shop and right now while supplies last…and these won’t last, these won’t last for long. Normally we have Klean Kanteens a couple of times a year and there a wonderful…wonderful…like the best thing I have ever found to drink a cup coffee out of because I like to sip my coffee and it gets cold, right? And then after that it tastes terrible. But this can hold my coffee all day long and you’re drink…drinking hot coffee all day long. And, so, we made these a few years ago and they go superfast because we don't keep them in stock. They’re just really, really expensive to make. And, so, Daily Audio Bible Klean Kanteens Global Campfire edition are available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop right now while supplies last. So, those of you that have been…have been here in years gone by and weren’t able to get one or whatever, this is the one time we’ve got them now. So, check those out in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well and I thank you. That is how we are here, that we are in this together taking these steps forward every day. And, so, I thank you with all my heart for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if you prefer, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit a Hotline button in the app and share from there or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi, I’m Melissa from New Castle Australia. Been listening this year. I’m a first-time caller. I’m a mom of 5. 3 grandchildren and a grandchild on the way. My two boys are special needs as well as my oldest granddaughter. They’ve been learning…I’ve been learning this year to cast my problems and issues with my kids and my marriage that for the past six years out of the past 26 has been deteriorating. I can’t change any of this. God is the only one that can change this. Please pray that He’s working in all our hearts and refresh my heart and allow His light to shine through me and allow me to be a blessing for Him and show me the way that I should be going. Please also pray for my two boys. I have an 11-year-old boy Russell and a nine-year-old boy Axel. I’m with ­__ dad. I have the same issues. They are getting older. They are having meltdowns every day and I’m having troubles controlling them. So, I’m just asking for the cursing and violence to just stop and just give me a breather. I don’t think there’s any other thing, yeah, that I can think of but yeah that’s…that’s my points for today. I’m praying for you’s all. Have a blessed day. Bye.

Hi family this is Janice calling from the mountains of Phoenix Arizona and have a special request. Please pray with me for my best friend of 50 years. Her name is Sherry and Sherry’s very ill and the doctors…there’s a lot she’s failing, and nobody really knows why. And she’s now…I don’t know 62. So, Sherry is suffering and we…she is a Christian but she’s mostly worried about her son Michael who’s in another state. And, so, we need to pray for Sherry and Michael and Lord we just need you to come down and be real to this family Lord. Break through to Michael. Get through to his brain. Let him know that You are not the God of confusion. Lord he’s running away from You. Lord please reach down with Your love and bring them home. And Lord please reach down and save my dear friend. We’ve been together for so long and she needs You desperately. And she’s feeling so alone, and everyone is confined at home with this Covid scare. And Lord we just need You big time and we know You’re there and we have faith in You, and we trust that You will see us through this all. And we just want to give You praise and honor and glory. And thank You for my DAB family Lord. I love them so much. Please bless each and every one of these praying warriors. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Bye guys. Talk to you soon.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone this is Joyful Jay from the Everglades. I just listened to the daily podcast and there was a husband praying for her wife in Georgia who’s been bedridden for three months with nausea. She’s a longtime listener. Oh Lord right now at 5:30 AM on Thanksgiving I pray that you will calm this woman’s stomach, that you will settle her inner ear. Lord have her get up. Lord, have her get up so her husband will know that his prayer for her is answered. And I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. And that somebody who’s on my heart often is Rebecca from Michigan and Lacey from Cape Cod. Rebecca, I know your mom is in the hospital and I know your heart for her. Lord I just thank You for those hearts of daughters towards their parents. Rebecca, I just love you, I love your heart. My heart pops every time I hear you speak with a little bit of joy. Lord, Rebecca has asked you to heal her mama. And in the name of Jesus I believe that ask is answered in Rebecca’s favor. Amen. And Lord for Lacey, I haven’t heard from her for a while. I pray for her often. I know she says she’s lonely and her little dog is sick. Lord we need…I need to hear an update. And prompt her heart Lord that she will call in with an update. I pray that she will just find what she needs to resolve this issue of loneliness.

Good morning to my Daily Audio Bible community. My name is Tony Rome. That’s what I go by. I’m so thankful to God for this forum and this community. I called this morning after my daily listening to the studies of brother Hardin and thankful for the message that was given. First, I would like to ask if the community would offer a prayer for my grandson. I call him by the name or the initials KJ. He has been plagued with some bouts of schizophrenia if you want to call it that. But just keep him…lift him up in prayer for he’s such a beautiful spirit, such a sweet young man and I love them so much. I’m a very infrequent caller but a constant listener to this community. I thank God for the message in regards to faith this morning. Where would we be without it? I think on the opposite end of the spectrum is fear. So, we often times act in one or the other and that dictates or determines our future outcomes. I thank brother Hardin for the lesson of faith and where we would be without it. Had Moses parents…had not set him in that basket there would be no Moses and no story of Moses today. And what is our story? And where would we be? I just thank God for all as I pray in Jesus’ name.

Happy Thanksgiving to my DAB family this is Danny from Southern Oregon. I’m down here in Southern California spending Thanksgiving with my parents and I’m just so thankful that I’m able to do that make them Thanksgiving dinner that I know that they appreciate so much. But I wanted to start my day out of course listening to the DAB of course as I always do but I just decided to go for a long walk and listen to Brian’s Heart album. And, gosh, within the first 60 seconds I was just balling tears of thankfulness for our heavenly Father. You know, no matter what life throws at us He’s there. I don’t know…I don’t know what I would do without God. I’m just so grateful. And I know you all are too and I’m so grateful for you all. And, so, I just told myself I wasn’t gonna to ask God for anything today I was just gonna praise Him all day long and not ask for a thing. And I didn’t realize how hard that is, that how much I ask of God when I’m prayer with Him. And when I start to ask for something, I’m like, “no. I can’t do that. I need to just praise God. Just today. just give thanks.” And, so, oh heavenly Father I am just in awe of what you do for us every single day and when the world is falling apart all around us and we’re struggling with fear, anxiety, and everything else You lift us up. I’m so thankful for you. I love you DAB with…

Good afternoon it’s such a joy to be able to listen to the word and know that…hi my name is Nelly…and to know that other people are also listening to the word and that they’re…they’re also praising and worshiping God at the same time. And I’m new so I don’t know most…most…most of the people but I’ll begin to start listening more and more and more so I can…so I can start praying for people and worship with other believers. So, I thank you from San Juan Capistrano California. May the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Yeshua __ bless you and just fill your hearts with…with praises and thanksgiving for all the things that He is done throughout the year, that there’s some hidden…there’s some hidden treasures in all the situation. For myself being in…in this this first pandemic, it has drawn me closer to the Lord Jesus to where now He’s number one in my life and I am so joyous because He’s finally sitting on the throne where he belongs.

[lawrenceop]

Holy Land Retrospective - Day 7

Reminder: clicking on the link for each photo (links are all in red text) will take you to the Flickr page where you can see the photo in larger sizes.

Start with DAY 1, or flip through DAY 2, DAY 3, DAY 4, DAY 5, or DAY 6. Or just read on!

THE LORD’S DAY IN JERUSALEM

“Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre.” – Mt 28:1

This was my first Sunday in the Holy City of Jerusalem, and it was the Third Sunday of Easter. So, on this day, after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, I went with a very few other pilgrims, to go and see the Holy Sepulchre. 

We were told it opens at 5 a.m. so we left the hotel at 4:30 a.m., and we walked the short distance to the church of the Holy Sepulchre, pausing three times as we went. At each pause, I read one of the Gospel accounts of the first Easter morning, from one of the Synoptic Gospels. 

“And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?"” – Mk 16:2-3

As we walked in silence, I observed the light in the sky, and felt the coolness of the morning air, trying to imagine what those women saw as they went to the tomb with such devotion, with spices to anoint the body of Jesus, hence the question about how they would gain access to the tomb.

“And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body.” – Luke 24:2-3

The forecourt of the church was silent, all was still, and there were only one or two monks around. Inside, the doors of the Holy Sepulchre were closed as the round of Divine Liturgies were already taking place inside. In fact, the vigils and prayers and liturgies from the various Christian groups do not stop inside this church even when the doors are locked. 

PHOTO 31: Pausing for a quick prayer outside the Holy Sepulchre, we continued to this hidden chapel just a stone’s throw from the Empty Tomb of Christ. Standing in this place, I read from the Easter account from the Fourth Gospel:

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.” – John 20:1-10

Why had we come here? The photo above shows you what we saw. What is it? This is the entrance to a tomb, from the time of Jesus; a 1st-century Jewish grave cut into the rock. Jesus was buried in a tomb like this, and the Empty Tomb itself, now surrounded by the Aedicule, and covered in marble and silver and silk would once have looked very much like this. Indeed, some say that this is the tomb that Joseph of Arimathea made for himself after he had given away his tomb to Jesus. And the stone that would have covered the opening and sealed it is not here; rolled away. 

So, on an Easter morning, I had wanted to trace the footsteps of the holy women, of St Mary Magdalene, and to stand and pray in front of an empty tomb that looked much like what the disciples would have found that first Easter morning. 

“And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; -- it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him.” – Mk 16:4-6

Some of us went into this tomb, others went away in silence to pray by the Holy Sepulchre itself, and I went to the Catholic chapel of St Mary Magdalene, to that area where it is believed that the Risen Lord met Mary:

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.” – Jn 20:11-18

Then, like the first disciples, having visited the Empty Tomb early that Third Easter Sunday morning in 2019, we went back to our hotel rooms.

PHOTO 32: As we were about to leave the Holy Sepulchre, just by the door leading out to the courtyard, I noticed this. Typically, these stairs are crowded with people making their way up to Calvary, to the site of the Crucifixion. But at this time, early in the morning, it was possible to see these beautiful stones, ancient and worn by countless pilgrims’ feet; elegantly curved and bathed in golden light. 

Seen in the light of Easter, the Cross becomes a sign of hope; a promise of life after death; a doorway in our ascent as pilgrims to eternal life in heaven. 

“We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” – 1 Cor 1:23-25

PHOTO 33: For the rest of the group, after our early rise on Saturday for the Stations of the Cross, this Sunday was to be a more relaxed day. After a leisurely breakfast, we walked along the outside of the walls of Jerusalem to the Lions Gate which opens onto the Muslim Quarter, and leads to the Via Dolorosa. The minaret of the Al-Aqsa mosque, the most important Muslim holy site in Jerusalem, which was built on the Temple Mount, is visible in the background of this photo. 

The focus of this shot, however, are these deep red poppies. One of the things I did not expect in the Holy Land is the variety and colour and size of the flowers growing throughout the land. These wild poppies grew among the graves that surround the external walls of the city; many pious souls of all three religions want to be buried facing Jerusalem. 

In Britain, red poppies like these are always displayed in November, the month of remembrance, and they are a reminder of our soldiers fallen in battle because they grew in abundance in the fields of Flanders where countless soldiers had died in the First World War. Seeing them growing among the graves around Jerusalem reiterated the point, that these flowers are a summons to remember the dead, and the blood that was shed in war. However, the beauty and vibrance of these blood red poppies are also, it seems to me, a sign of the Resurrection, a promise of life after death through the blood of Jesus Christ which he shed for our salvation.

“But you have come to Mount Sion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel.” – Heb 12:22-24

PHOTO 34: Going through the Lions Gate, it was a short walk to the church of Saint Anne which, rather unusually, sits on grounds which belongs to the Republic of France. Within these grounds are the substantial ruins of a Byzantine church that stood over some pools of water fed by springs. This is the Pool of Bethesda where, as told in John 5:1-13, Jesus healed a paralytic: “Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, which has five porticoes.” (Jn 5:1) 

At the time of Christ, the Gate nearby wasn’t called Lions Gate but the Sheep Gate since the sheep from the fields outside the city were driven into the city through this gate, and they were led into this area where there was a cattle market next to the pool where the cattle would have drunk. Here, the cattle would be sold for the Temple sacrifices; the Temple Mount is nearby. However, this place of the healing miracle wasn’t our main destination, for right next to this archaeological site was a large 12th-century church.

For the father of Our Lady, St Joachim, was one of these cattle owners, and his home was next to the cattle market by the pool of Bethesda. So, from the earliest days, a Marian church was built over the site of the cave shown in this photo for this is where St Joachim and St Anne had their home. This is the birthplace of Mary! Hence the Gate nearby has another name in Arabic, the Bab Sitti Maryam, ‘Lady Mary’s Gate’.  

The church that stands on this site is the one that survives from the time of the Crusaders who built it in the early Gothic style, and it is renowned for its acoustics. In fact I found it to be not particularly remarkable, not significantly different from the fine acoustics of any stone medieval church since these buildings were made for sung Masses and the sung Divine Office. However, I couldn’t resist joining the choirs singing in this sacred space so I sang the Dominican ‘Regina Caeli’ which one of our pilgrims recorded. 

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia, Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia, Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia, Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia. O Queen of heaven, be joyful, alleluia, For He whom you have humbly borne for us, alleluia, Has arisen, as He promised, alleluia, Offer now our prayer to God, alleluia.

PHOTO 35: From St Anne’s church, it was a short walk, maybe fifteen minutes, to the Temple Mount, or at least to the site of the Wailing Wall. As it was a Sunday, it wasn’t as busy as it might have been, but there were many families present and celebrating the bar mitzvah of their sons; teenage boys nervously (and even in tears) chanting from the Torah for the first time as their proud parents looked on encouragingly. Jewish cantors led processions to the Western Wall, singing and banging drums, and playing instruments while a canopy was held over the boy at the centre of all this attention as he had reached the age of moral maturity. There’s a video somewhere of my group getting caught up in one such procession, and an enthusiastic cantor grabbed me by the hand and led us in a dance on the street!

I was very moved by these sights and sounds and by these celebrations, and moved to be at the foot of the Temple Mount, at this ancient place of prayer. In the photo above, we see a man in prayer with phylacteries (or tefillin) wrapped around his arms and on his head. 

Jesus and his family and his disciples knew this place well; it was the focus of their prayer and worship, as it still is for so many Jews. I imagined Jesus, as a boy around the age of these boys, coming to Jerusalem with his family for festal celebrations. I thought of him, aged 12, found here at the Temple, teaching his elders from the Torah. And I recalled that as an adult he was frequently in the Temple, observing the people, teaching them, and engaged in debate with others. He was “at home” here, for this was his Father’s house. 

“After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them.” – Lk 2:46-50

PHOTO 36: From these ancient places of worship, we went for Sunday Mass in a place of significance for Catholics but which is relatively recent. Built in 1869, and beautifully renovated in 1985, we celebrated the Third Sunday of Easter in the Franciscan church of the Holy Saviour (San Salvatore), which is the parish church for Latin rite Catholics in Jerusalem.  

On that Sunday, we heard this reading proclaiming Jesus as our holy Saviour:

“Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."” – Acts 5:29-32

Indeed, standing here in the Holy Land on this Third Easter Sunday, we are witnesses to these things!  

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

This afternoon, the group was taken to lunch by the Dead Sea, and we spent the rest of the afternoon there relaxing in the water, or by a watering hole, baking in the mud, or riding a camel!

Tomorrow: Carmel and Cana.

[lechemoflife]

Getting out of Comfort Zone or remain in God’s Zone of Grace?

What comes to our mind when we hear the combination of words of “Comfort Zone”?  I’m sure a lot of motivational speeches and inspiring quotes flashes across our minds. It’s because we often hear that we must move out from our Comfort Zone to succeed. On the other day I was listening to this Tedex Talk where I heard, “Successful life begins at the end of Comfort Zone”. So what do you think is Comfort Zone? Should we remain within comfort zone or move out of it? Well, personally for me, this is quite debatable. I’ll be trying to elaborate this on both the school of thoughts as listed below:

Step out of your comfort zone; success begins at the end of  your comfort zone

Never come out of the Comfort Zone. Keep     learning, keep expanding your Comfort Zone

Let us take a look at the first point. Does “stepping out of comfort zone” refer to some sort of adventure? We understand that it’s quite traditional to think that we must move out of our comfort zone in order to succeed. It has naturally become such a widely accepted thought. Yes, we must. We must get up and get out of our bed early morning even during the winters. We can’t lazy around like the way I do sometimes. We must get out of our homes to get to our respective work place. We can’t just sit and expect our rice-n-noodles bowl to come to our table on its own. We have to get up and get going. With respect to our professional life, areas where we feel we need to upgrade, we must step out, step up and open ourselves to learn the new methodologies, new technologies, adapt to new processes, pick up new skill sets and upgrade ourselves.  We must open the door of our commitment levels; open and get out; open to learning, to practicing and be more effective. This is applicable to our jobs, business or even our personal lives. When we learn about Peter, we see him stepping out of his comfort zone. Peter seeing Jesus walking on the water, dares to step out of the boat in faith. Below is the excerpt from the passage; Gospel of Mathew 14: 24-29: 24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

To step out from the boat on the stormy sea can be seen as a case of someone girded with a robust degree of faith and be perceived as an apparent case of stepping out of comfort zone. It takes courage and a mind that is incredibly faith-conditioned to do something seemingly so bizarre. It isn’t quite an informal affair…Is it?

Now, let us move to the other side of the table, to a school of thought that is poles apart. Let us turn to few references from The Word. Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

 Let me tell you something you may already know; “The wisdom of this world is always contrary to the divine Wisdom of God”. However, if you notice I quoted from The Word in support of the first school of thought. And perhaps one could serve even more references to support the same; and this is because The Word of God is a two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), and we the children of God need to discern by His divine Grace what means to whom, when, in what context and why. God’s Word has repeatedly mentioned about 6 times directly or indirectly that means “the JUST shall live by FAITH” (Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38, Ezek 18:9,  Ezek 18:22). If that is the case, then why step out from the secret place? Why step out from under His wings? Why shouldn’t we abide under the shadow of the Almighty? Now Bible says in Hebrews 11:1 that “Now faith is the substance of the things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. 

The wisdom of this world that promotes stepping out of our Comfort zone needs to take a back seat at least until the end of this article. I leave it up to you if you would want to bring it back to the front seat. Allow me to take you back to investigate the scenario of Peter deciding to step out of the boat into the raging sea to walk toward Jesus and a little further. Mathew 14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

Imagine this whole episode prudently may be with your eyes shut just as it happened. You’ll learn that Peter’s mind wasn’t fully conditioned with the kind of faith that Jesus talks about in Mathew 17:20. Faith of Peter, it was a momentary excitement seeing Jesus walking on water. If Peter had a high degree of faith-conditioned mind, he would have stepped out of the boat just as if he’s stepping inside the boat. Friends, when Jesus is walking on water, when Jesus the creator and the master of this Universe is walking on the water, when Jesus who gave us the authority to be called as the children of God through his name (John 1:12) is walking on the water; then why can’t we too simply step out of the boat and join him on an evening walk talking to him with his loving hands resting upon our shoulders?

 I call this phenomenon as “Expanding the Comfort Zone” which is a greater challenge than stepping out of the comfort zone. For instance, in our professional life too, we need to take up the process of learning and development as a routine and not some sort “stepping out” ceremony. A true child of God, doesn’t need to step out from God’s zone of Grace but needs to keep conditioning his faith to perfection like how an athlete conditions his body for his race (I Tim 4:7 ….exercise thyself rather unto godliness). Let me reiterate, “The wisdom of this world is always contrary to the divine Wisdom of God”. Remember…. while most of us believe in the phrase “Survival of the fittest” that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory, God teaches us something that is altogether conflicting in its entirety. Let us turn to the Gospel of Mark 8: 35 “For whosoever will save his life shall loose it; but whosoever shall loose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it”. This verse is just so brilliant and if you notice, is the precise inverse of Darwin’s theory, which simply means don’t try to safeguard yourselves or your life to survive and sustain; because in doing so, you’ll LOSE your life. And what Jesus further puts forth is also very significant.

 Consider the professional athletes; an athlete has to step out of his comfort zone early morning and be on the training tracks regardless of summers or winters. He keeps conditioning his body every single day for years no matter what comes his way, certainly not to lose the race right? The pursuit of a true athlete is not just limited to winning the race on the track but also many associated reasons; Respect, Honour, Expectations, Anticipations, Pride, Signature identity, Mending broken relationships. It could be any reason; I can tell you these because I was myself a trained athlete for 800mtrs track event in school. However, what do we see in the Gospel of Luke 13:30 “And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last”. I understand this verse doesn’t mean literal but spiritual.  Whatever the case, in God’s word “race” is always referred to as a “Quest” or a “Pursuit” of certain accomplishment. In I Corinthians 9:24-25 this accomplishment is referred to as “an incorruptible crown”. Further in I Tim 4:7-9, it’s advised to “….exercise thyself rather unto godliness” and while this world and its wisdom tells us to focus on physical fitness and endurance, the God’s word sets the tone straight; “…bodily exercise profiteth little”

 Remember Noah whom God commanded to create an ark? Noah took about 120 years to create an ark, a 120 years to create a zone of comfort, a zone of safety, a zone of prayer and fellowship with his family and loved ones. God specifically told Noah to get locked up in an ark, and while he built the arc, he kept preaching too for 120 years.  He built the ark exactly as per the mandate and blueprint that God gave to Noah. Because it was God’s will that Noah remains sealed in His grace.

 Remember the garden of Eden? …where the first man Adam and Eve stepped out of the comfort zone to try some sweet adventure? This wonderful garden was created especially for both to remain within the divine grace and with all the comforts. That little adventure affair of disobedience had to be paid by the cost of having to step out of the garden forever losing the grace in God’s sight.

 Remember Cain who ran away after killing his brother Abel? He was distanced and out of sight, fallen from God’s grace. Jesus says in the Gospel of Mathew 11:28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you “rest”. Jesus isn’t calling us for an adventure but rest and comfort. Honestly, stepping out of comfort zone is way easier than staying within the comfort zone and to keep conditioning our faith.

 David, one of my favourite personalities, on many occasions of prayers and supplications mention that God is his hiding place. He never seemingly wants to be separated from God but always wants to be in His hiding place, in His safety and comfort. He keeps talking to God with so much of intimacy that it immaculately reflects in his Psalms. Let us look at few of them:  Psalm 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble... Psalm 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield... Psalm 17:8 …hide me under the shadow of thy wings Psalm 27:5  …in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me... Psalm 31:20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man... Psalm 64:2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked… Psalm 143:9 …I flee unto thee to hide me. Psalm 61:3 For thou hast been a shelter for me… Talking about Psalms, I recall Solomon the wise’ Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Yes, the righteous runs into it NOT out of it. Let’s examine if we are indeed righteous because we don’t see anyone running out or “Stepping out” and still remaining safe. Our strong tower is Jesus. I solemnly clinch on to the school of thought that a true child of God doesn’t need stepping out of God’s Zone of grace and run away into the wild, out of sight, distanced and fallen from His grace. Rather it’s so much more challenging to remain within God’s comfort zone. I’m strongly of the conviction that one should never come out of their comfort zone; rather keep learning, keep conditioning the faith, keep surrendering to God’s will and His divine grace, keep expanding your comfort zone (God’s Zone of Grace), invite others under your roof of prayer and worship, into your fellowship, share the gospel, keep advancing in your spiritual journey and intimacy with God”. Moses also kept listening to God. He kept learning and depending on God’s grace. And he did quite well. From Egypt to the Mount Sinai for an appointment to meet God, from a stammerer to a great evangelical and prophetic speaker, He was an “Exceeds All” Performer altogether. Wherever he went, he was confident because he was within the divine comfort zone, obeying and surrendering himself to the divine will of God.

 Shall we meet Peter again who stepped out of the boat? By God’s grace, in His cover of comfort and assurance and by faith, every “stepping out” would become “stepping in”. Let’s depend more and more on God’s grace and be found sealed within His hiding place. And in this pursuit, may our focus be on conditioning of our faith. Praise God.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Mon., Aug.4, 2020

Prophet Ezekiel (6th c.B.C.)

The Holy Prophet Ezekiel lived in the sixth century before the birth of Christ. He was born in the city of Sarir, and descended from the tribe of Levi; he was a priest and the son of the priest Buzi. Ezekiel was led off to Babylon when he was twenty-five years old together with King Jechoniah II and many other Jews during the second invasion of Jerusalem by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnessar.

The Prophet Ezekiel lived in captivity by the River Chebar. When he was thirty years old, he had a vision of the future of the Hebrew nation and of all mankind. The prophet beheld a shining cloud, with fire flashing continually, and in the midst of the fire, gleaming bronze. He also saw four living creatures in the shape of men, but with four faces (Ez. 1:6). Each had the face of a man in front, the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle at the back (Ez. 1:10). There was a wheel on the earth beside each creature, and the rim of each wheel was full of eyes.

Over the heads of the creatures there seemed to be a firmament, shining like crystal. Above the firmament was the likeness of a throne, like glittering sapphire in appearance. Above this throne was the likeness of a human form, and around Him was a rainbow (Ez. 1:4-28).

According to the explanation of the Fathers of the Church, the human likeness upon the sapphire throne prefigures the Incarnation of the Son of God from the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who is the living Throne of God. The four creatures are symbols of the four Evangelists: a man (St Matthew), a lion (St Mark), an ox (St Luke), and an eagle (St John); the wheel with the many eyes is meant to suggest the sharing of light with all the nations of the earth. During this vision the holy prophet fell down upon the ground out of fear, but the voice of God commanded him to get up. He was told that the Lord was sending him to preach to the nation of Israel. This was the begining of Ezekiel’s prophetic service...keep reading OCA

Venerable Symeon of Emesa fool-for-Christ (590) and fellow Venerable John

The Monks Simeon, Fool-for-Christ, and his Fellow-Ascetic John were Syrians, and they lived in the sixth century at the city of Edessa. From childhood they were bound by close ties of friendship. The older of them, Simeon, was unmarried and lived with his aged mother. John, however, although he was married, lived with his father (his mother was dead) and with his young wife. Both friends belonged to wealthy families. When Simeon was thirty years old, and John twenty-four, they made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Venerable and Life-Creating Cross of the Lord. On the journey home the friends spoke of the soul’s path to salvation. Dismounting their horses, they sent the servants on ahead with the horses, while they continued on foot.

Passing through Jordan, they saw monasteries on the edge of the desert. Both of them were filled with an irrepressible desire to leave the world and spend their remaining life in monastic struggles. They turned off from the road, which their servants followed to Syria, and they prayed zealously that God would guide them to the monasteries on the opposite side. They besought the Lord to indicate which monastery they should choose, and they decided to enter whichever monastery had its gates open. At this time the Lord informed Igumen Nikon in a dream to open the monastery gates, so that the sheep of Christ could enter in.

In great joy the comrades came through the open gates of the monastery, where they were warmly welcomed by the igumen, and they remained at the monastery. In a short while they received the monastic tonsure.

After remaining at the monastery for a certain time, Simeon desired to intensify his efforts, and to go into the desert to pursue asceticism in complete solitude. John did not wish to be left behind by his companion, and he decided to share with him the work of a desert-dweller. The Lord revealed the intentions of the companions to Igumen Nikon, and on that night when Saints Simeon and John intended to depart the monastery, he himself opened the gates for them. He prayed with them, gave them his blessing and sent them into the wilderness.

When they began their life in the desert, the spiritual brothers at first experienced the strong assaults of the devil. They were tempted by grief over abandoning their families, and the demons tried to discourage the ascetics, subjecting them to weakness, despondency and idleness. The brothers Simeon and John remembered their monastic calling, and trusting in the prayers of their Elder Nikon, they continued upon their chosen path. They spent their time in unceasing prayer and strict fasting, encouraging one another in their struggle against temptation...keep reading OCA

1Corinthians 11:31-12:6  KJV

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

Matthew 18:1-11 NKJV

Who Is the Greatest?

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

Jesus Warns of Offenses

6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of [a]offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into[b]hell fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 For[c] the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Matthew 18:7 enticements to sin

Matthew 18:9 Gr. Gehenna

Matthew 18:11 NU omits v. 11.

[ftpthemovement]

Reaching the lost

It’s says in scripture John 6:44 “For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.” Pay attention and you would do well to notice that this statement was during Christ time on earth, before the resurrection, and before the Holy Spirit was given to us.

That scripture can easily be misinterpreted and can leave large margins for error. It’s easy to say, “I cant draw them near to him, only God can.” But, we have been called to “To do the work of an evangelist” 2 Timothy 4:5. Matthew 28:18-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans‬ ‭10:14-15‬

You starting to get the picture here?

There’s no such thing as a private relationship with Jesus. Your relationship with Christ is meant to be a public spectacle for all to see. It’s easy to make the excuse of, “Only God can draw them near,” but to those of you who choose to go against scripture and not do the work of an evangelist... My question is, though you already stand in error, if your point had validity, wouldn’t it be rooted in scriptural truth?

Isn’t the same spirit that lives in Christ now living in you? Am I making that up, or is that Romans 8:11? And if that scripture be true, then didn’t Jesus also say “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.” That’s scripture also, correct? John 14:12 to be exact. Doesn’t scripture also say,

“To whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.—Colossians 1:2”

Is that not the answer to, “Only God can draw them near?” Christ being in us? Remember the beginning of this message? The part where when Christ made that statement it was before his resurrection, and ascension back to heaven? See, when Christ gave us the Holy Spirit it was the deposit guarantee of our entire inheritance with God through Christ! Not only that, but now that, but now the same spirit that lives in Christ, lives in us! As Colossians says, “Christ in us the hope of glory.”

Since only God can draw them near, he placed himself in you through the Holy Spirit to go draw others near! It’s your God given opportunity as a true follower of Christ to be an ambassador of his good news! It’s the joyful duty of spreading the gospel. There is not room for excuses in the kingdom of heaven, because “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3

Listen, I know it’s uncomfortable to share your faith. But, God gave you the great comforter for a reason. He knew you would be uncomfortable. But nothing worth value comes cheap, and most things worth doing are difficult at times. Yet God has given you the amazing opportunity to represent him in all that you do, while you are here on this earth. You literally have been blessed with the opportunity to represent Christ in everything that you do.

The great commission was not the mission of a few men, rather it was the commission sent to all believers by Christ through God The Father himself. “That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” 2 Corinthians 5:19

I’m encouraging you this very moment to make uncomfortable your new comfort. You don’t have to go hold a sign and scream at people in parks lol. But, if you would just take the time to study Gods word you would realize, a life without Christ is not a life at all. You were created to interrupt people’s lives with the gospel. You are there to be an absolute blessing to everyone you encounter, by showing them what a renewed life through Christ looks like.

If it’s not all about you, and it’s truly about him, then remember that, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

If you’ve read the New Testament you know that Christ speaks on hell a lot. When you read what hell is described as, it’s horrible beyond imagination. Imagine an enteral existence void of the presence of God. Eternity without God, that’s worse than any horror movie that could ever be made. This is not a guilt trip, but I truly hope you remember that everytime you look into they eyes of a lost soul that is far from Christ. Remember, we all fall short of the the glory of God we known through the gospel. There is no favoritism and all of us were dead in our transgressions. But Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good, he came to make dead people live.

This is your opportunity to be the torchbearer of your generation. God has a mission, purpose, and calling for you life. It’s time to have the courage to follow it. I pray that you boldly represent God in all matters, in everything that you do, you do for God and his glory. His generosity has been bestowed upon us, so that we may be able to live a life that is richly filled with his abundance of faith, love, hope, grace, and mercy. May the peace of God rest upon you, and wisdom and discernment be your guide.

I pray you leverage all your time, talents, and resources for the kingdom of heaven. The time is short, and your opportunity is now. Let’s go show the world what true ambassadors of Christ really look like. Let’s go show the world what it means to love free of judgments and condemnation. Let’s allow God in us, to draw them near, showing no favoritism, but making the gospel available to everyone freely.

Someone might say, “I want to reach people with the gospel, but I don’t know how to.”

I want you to know the app in your hand has the ability to reach the entire world with the gospel. It puts a free bible In everyone’s hand and its absolutely free! Simply open the app, and then tap the top left button. A list will pop down and you then select front he list the opinion labeled “hit share this app.” Once you hit that button, it will bring up options on how to share it. You can send a message to everyone in your entire phone, you can copy the link and share it through social media, and ask others to do the same.

None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something. So go love the people hard to love, go pray for your enemies, and be generous to the poor. Go look after widows and orphans in their affliction, and keep yourself from being polluted by the world. Go be the change you want to see, go be FTP

From the front lines, ES

[renee-writer]

Redemption Chapter 31 Coming Home Part 3

Gabriella is nervous the next morning. She intends to walk down the aisle, making her commitment to Jesus official and to join the church.

But, this isn't the biggest reason she is nervous. Kim, makes her the most nervous. She isn't looking forward to seeing her in Sunday School. How will she act?

She is finishing getting ready when there is a knock on the door. The sound makes her jump before she hurries downstairs to answer it.

"Good morning beautiful." Eli greets her.

"Oh Eli," her relief makes her weak.

"Gabriella, are you okay?" She has turned white. The little bit of make-up she had on stood out in stark relief.

"Yes. I just thought.."

"Oh, that I was Kim. She has you that shook up?"

"I was just thinking, wondering how she wil act this morning." He lead her back in and sits her down.

"If she is there and starts to act like she did yesterday, I will remove her from class."

"You can do that?"

"I can and will. Would you and Evie like to ride with me this morning?"

"We would love too."

Kim had got to church early. She waits in her car, parked a few cars down from where Eli always parks. She hopes for an opportunity to talk to him before Sunday School. Before he is around her. Her heart starts to pound when he pulls up. She starts to get out when she sees he isn't alone.

Eli pulls up and gets out, opening the door for Gabriella. He then reaches in the back and helps Evie out. None of them see Kim, who had tucked back into her car when she saw Gabriella and Evie. They head straight upstairs. Kim follows ten minutes later.

Gabriella informs Evie's Sunday School teacher about her flu, explaining that she has no fever and, is still on the anti-viral meds. Miss Ruby assures her that it is no problem. She thanks her and heads up the next floor, where Eli waits.

Gabriella walks into the room two minutes before Kim does. They are the only three in the room. Eli had debated, since yesterday, about confronting her. The three alone, was a God-giving opportunity he can't pass up.

"Kim, I have a very real problem with you coming to Gabriella's house."

"Really! Well, I really don't care what you think. I don't like how it looks for you to be bringing Gabriella and her 'sister' into church with you. But, you don't care. Can't even see what is in front of you."

Gabriella, put off by the way she said 'sister', starts to jump into the conversation. Eli puts his hand over her's, calming her.

"What can't I see? I see a young woman obsessed with a relationship that is only in her head. You need to calm down Kim. There was never an 'us'. There wouldn't be no matter what so, please, for your own sake, relax."

Kim, ignores all he says past his first question says," Do you know her conversion is real? Do you know Evie is really her sister?"

"Why you!" Gabriella starts to jump up. This time Eli has to physically hold her back.

"Kim, that is enough. I think it is better for you to find another class." It isn't a suggestion.

"Oh, she has you wrapped around her finger, all right," is her parting shot as she leaves the room.

"Do you need to see Evie's birth certificate?"

"No baby. She is just trying everything in her arsenal. I am so sorry about all this."

"She isn't your fault. She is obsessed, maybe even mentally ill. Let's pray for her."

"Great idea baby. I am also going to talk to John about her. I will have to explain why I kicked her out of class."

"Will you get in trouble?" She worries.

"No. Don't worry about me."

He gives her a quick kiss before the others start to enter the room. The rest of the class goes smoothly. Beth, again, requests prayer for her husband. Gabriella does for Kim.

They enter the sanctuary after picking up Evie. Gabriella had packed extra crayons and coloring books as, she intends to leave Evie in the full service today. They are presently surprised to see Jade.

"How can I be anywhere else but here when my best friend is changing her life?" Gabriella hugs her tight.

"Thank you Jade."

"Aunt Jade, do you wanna see my picture?"

The service presides as normal. Evie is one of the first ones up to join Eli when he calls the children up. He brings her back to the pew when the other children head to children's church.

Brother John preaches on missions ahead of the collection of the Christmas missionary offering. Gabriella smiles knowing she is sitting beside someone who shows all the values he is preaching on. She silently vowes to God to be as intentional about introducing others to Jesus as Eli is.

They stand for the invitation hymn. Gabriella heads down as soon as they start. Brother John meets her with a warm smile and kind eyes. He takes her hands in his as she explains to him about being led to Christ with Eli Friday night.

"I came down to make it official. To confess Him before men."

"Very good Gabriella. Welcome to the family." When the hymn is over, he introduces her to her church.

"It seems my co-minister has been doing some missionary work himself. He lead this young lady to Christ Friday night. I am pleased to introduce Gabriella Grant, who come confessing Christ and seeking membership. If you agree, and promise to disciple her and pray for her, say amen."

"Amen!" echoes back. Gabriella is directed to stay standing so her church can greet her. Eli and Evie, join her. Jade is the first to come up.

"Are you standing up here cause' you are friends with Jesus? Evie asks her sister. Brother John smiles at her.

"Yes young lady."

"Cool."

"Welcome to the family officially." Eli says with a smile.

Jade gives her a tight hug and takes a seat to wait as the church passes by. She is welcomed with hugs and congratulations from everyone. There is no sign of Kim, to her relief.

After, Eli invites them all to his house for a celebratory lunch. Jade begs off, explaining she has work to catch up on.

"On Sunday. Really Jade?" Gabriella questions.

"Yes. I have an order that has to be shipped out today. Want me to take Evie?"

"Ah. No thanks. I think it would be better to have her there." She says, blushing.

"You may be right."

"She is. Hey Evie, would you like to come to my house and have lunch?"

"Depends. What are you having?"

"I was thinking liver and onions." He teases. At her disgusted look, he adds," just joking. How about homemade pizza?"

"Much better." They say goodbye to Jade and head to Eli's.

[matthewisthebesttt]

introduction of matthew

My name is Matthew and I was a tax collector. One day, something amazing happened to me that would change my life forever, it begin when I was sitting in my tax collector’s booth and collecting taxes, just like any other normal day. a man named Jesus and a few people following behind him walked up to my booth and he said “come follow me and become my disciple”. I was surprised because we tax collectors are seen as sinners because many people think that we are scamming them but truth be told, some of us are actually just doing our job. I quickly agreed to follow him, but the guard standing outside my booth saw me and he quickly stopped me, in spite of that, I didn’t cared and I got out of my booth and followed Jesus while the guard is still shouting at me to get back. Later that evening, I decided to invite Jesus and his disciples and a few of my other tax collector friends to my house for dinner, but then some Pharisees saw us and they asked some of Jesus disciples on why Jesus wants to eat with sinners like us, however, Jesus said that he wants to find people who knows that they are a sinners and not righteous people and he asked the Pharisees to understand the meaning of this scripture ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’. I was amazed with the wise words from Jesus. One day, a disciple of John the Baptist came and asked Jesus why me and the other disciples don’t fast, and Jesus replied with many different examples stating that we do not need to fast when Jesus is here and that we only fast when he dies. While he was talking about this, the leader of a synagogue ran and knelt in front of Jesus and he told Jesus that his daughter is dying and he begged Jesus to heal her. We were all very excited to see a miracle from Jesus. We started to follow Jesus to the leader’s house and suddenly Jesus asked “who touched my robe?” We were all very confused as why Jesus would ask this because theres a big crowd following behind him and anyone could have accidentally touched his robe, but Jesus kept on searching and a women came out amongst the crowd and said that she suffered from bleeding constantly for twelve years and nothing can heal her except when she touched Jesus’s robes and Jesus told her that her faith had healed her. While this is happening the messengers told the leader that his daughter is already dead and there is no use asking help from Jesus, in spite of that, Jesus went to the house and only allowed Peter, James, and John to follow him and the rest of us and the crowd stayed outside. I didn’t know what was happening inside but I heard people inside the house laughing and then they all left. I was scared that the miracle would not work but suddenly, the girl walked out of the house! Everyone was stunned by this but Jesus told us not to tell anyone about this.