BeachCast.TV: Bible Exploration, Apologetics and Church History with Dr. Chase A. Thompson:

Happy Lord's Day, Brothers and Sisters! Today, I am livestream preaching out of 1st Thessalonians 5 for the church that am a pastor at, Valley Baptist Church in Salinas, California. I'd love for you to join us on the livestream at 11am Pacific time zone, or to just head on over to our Facebook page whenever, and check out the video. Throw out a comment to let me know you are there - just search for VBC Salinas on FB, and that will get you to us. Get to the site from our webpage - Bible Reading Podcast, home to well over 600 pages of transcript from the show -every episode has a blog entry there that you can read and look up what you might have missed. Today's Bible readings on this shorter than normal episode are: Leviticus 23, Psalms 30, Ecclesiastes 6 and 2nd Timothy 2. Our focus passage remains in Timothy, and we are talking about one of the most well known Bible passages/commands- "Flee youthful lusts!" Many, many times (especially as a youth pastor) I have talked about this passage in ministry, almost always with the gist being that we are to stand against other temptations, but flee from sexual lust - especially when we are young. For example, I've probably taught along these lines a quite a few times: "In Ephesians 6:10-12 you are commanded to make your stand against the devil. In James 4:7 you are given the promise that if you resist him, he will flee from you. Nevertheless in II Timothy 2:22 you are commanded to flee youthful lust. It is rather amazing that you are commanded to be strong, take your stand, and fight against fallen angels, while at the same time, you are commanded to flee with fear from youthful sexual desire. This demonstrates that the youthful lust of your flesh and the unbridled sensuality of your culture is more dangerous than a face to face battle with the devil." But what If I told you that we might be actually missing what this very important verse is saying to us? The word here that we are supposed to flee from is ἐπιθυμία epithymía. Interestingly, it doesn't actually mean lust, not exactly - at least not the way we usually use the word 'lust' in society. For instance, see Luke 22:15 Luk 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire G1939 I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: The word in Greek more appropriately means Over-desire, heavy desire. So - We are supposed to flee from ungodly over-desires. Which ones are Paul talking about in 2 Timothy? Let's read the passage and then come back and discuss. Don't get me wrong - I believe we SHOULD flee lust - and every other sin and temptation, but that doesn't seem to be the context of what Paul is talking about here. Let me tag in pastor Ray Ortlund, who does a great job explaining this passage: The "youthful passions" in this context are not sexual. Paul has in mind the passion for controversy, that feeling inside that relishes a fight and loves to be proved right and even prophetic. Instead, "The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, . . . patiently enduring evil" (2 Timothy 2:24). But there is something about us, especially in our youthful immaturity, that lusts to raise protests and set the world right and make sure everyone cares as passionately as I do, because I'm on the side of the right, I'm the defender of the downtrodden, I get it more than others do, etc. In this world of blatant, horrible wrongs, it is not hard to get angry. It is hard not to get angry. But "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." It just doesn't. Because it can't. No matter how right the cause is, the anger of man only makes things worse. Sometimes the youthful don't see how clever evil is, how easy it is for us to add to evil while intending good, how hard it is for us to be angry and not sin and complicate things further. Exposing and confronting wrongs — real wrongs with real victims — is good, but not simple. Not for us. What is simple is creating more victims by rushing to judgment with guns ablazing and a golden heart pursuing a noble cause. Personally for me, as a pastor, I long to be the kind of man that sinners want to move toward, not away from. Inevitably, for every one of us, there will come a moment when we have sinned so stupidly that our future is in peril, or when we have been sinned against so destructively that we fall into despair. When that happens — not if it happens — to whom will we go? Not to the fault-finders and finger-pointers. Desperate people will go, if they have any courage left, to a pastor who is known for good news of great joy for all kinds of people. They will go to a man who is known for being kind to everyone, a man who understands sowing and harvesting shalom for other people. And if the pastors within the acquaintance of a person in serious trouble are not like that, if those pastors are known only for their trenchant criticisms — Oh, what a loss! There is a continuum in pastoral ministry, with rebuke at one end, comfort at the other, and various st

Happy Saturday, Brothers and Sisters! Today's Bible passages include Leviticus 22. Psalms 28 and 29, Ecclesiastes 4, and 2nd Timothy 1. Sharp-eared listeners probably noticed yesterday that we skipped over Ecclesiastes 4, and went straight for 5. Today, we rectify that mistake by reading chapter 4, and tomorrow we will go to Ecclesiastes chapter 6. I know that is confusing, and I feel like if Robert Murray M'Cheyne were alive today, he'd be quite disappointed in my performance. Our focus passage is from 2nd Timothy 1, which contains all sorts of wonderful nuggets of Scripture. We could focus on vs 12, which is fantastic and was made into a song that I sang much in my youth: But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. 2nd Timothy 1:12 We could tie into our discussion yesterday on fear with verse 7 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. 2 Timothy 1:7 We could talk about holding on to sound teaching and guarding it by the power of the Holy Spirit: 13 Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. 2 Timothy 1:13-14 Or, we could talk about how Paul imparted a spiritual gift to Timothy by the laying on of his hands: 6 Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Timothy 1:6 But as great as all of those might be, we're actually going to focus on verses 9-10, which is one of those short passages in the Bible that are miles and miles deep. This is one of the briefest yet deepest and most theological summaries of the Gospel/Good News in the entire Bible: 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10 This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:9-10 Let's go read the whole chapter in total, even though we just read several chunks of it. It's quite helpful to read it all fully in context to understand what's going on. So - here are some giant diamonds of truth from just verses 9-10. #1 God Has Saved us and CALLED. He didn't save us because of our good deeds, or our goodness, but by His intentional choice and grace. Salvation begins in the heart of God not the mind of man. When did God decide to extend grace to us - BEFORE TIME BEGAN. HOW did God decide to extend grace to us? In the person of Jesus! His plan, which Paul says was a mystery in past times, was made realized and obvious by the appearance, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. What did Jesus do? #1 He ABOLISHED death. Interesting Greek word there - it means Jesus rendered death inoperable, ceased it, destroyed it, caused it to no longer function. How did He do this? By Himself overcoming death! Remember the promise of John 14:19 "Because I live, you too will live!" Yes, believers in Christ will still die if He doesn't return soon, but that death doesn't work anymore - it doesn't end things - it doesn't cease! Progressive revelation is a principal of hermeneutics (or, Bible interpretation) that shows how the Bible truths, covenants, commands, etc, progress over time from Genesis through Revelation. Remember Luke 24 - Jesus with Cleopas and his friend on the Emmaus road, and then Jesus with the disciples in the locked room? In that chapter, Jesus explained to the disciples all of the Scriptures that were written in the Old Testament concerning Himself. The appearance of Jesus brought the Old Testament messianic prophecies into much clearer understanding as He fulfilled each prophecy. New Testament believers knew more about the nature and character of God - and His commands - and the future because of the ministry of Jesus and the teachings of the apostles. This is especially true of life after death, and the eternal fate of those who have trusted in Jesus. There is definitely hope for an afterlife in the Old Testament, but because Jesus had not defeated death yet, it was a foggy and unclear hope. Maybe you remember two days ago when we read Ecclesiastes 3 - perhaps you noticed that Solomon's conception of the afterlife was not what you might have expected? The reason for this is, of course, that he was unfamiliar with what Jesus would do, and how Jesus would overcome death and provide eternal life in Him: 19 For the fate of the children of Adam and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile. 20 All are going to the same place; all come from dust, and all return to dust. 21 Who knows if the spirits of the children of Adam go u

Happy Friday! I'm getting started on the pod late tonight, so I must cut out a lot of the normal banter, and funny jokes you normally hear in this space. That was actually my funny joke for the day, as I know my other jokes aren't actually that funny. Our Bible readings today are Leviticus 21, Psalms 26 and 27, Ecclesiastes 4 and 1 Timothy 6. Our focus question comes from Psalms 27, and in this passage David discusses how he will not give into fear, because God is his stronghold. As we have talked about before, I suspect fear around the world is at its highest level in my lifetime, so our Big Bible question is all about how to NOT be afraid. Let me caution you upfront, so that I am not the spiritual equivalent of a used car salesman. I do believe that the Bible gives us multiple way to overcome fear, but because we are human, there is no permanent cure for fear in the sense that you take it once and poof! you are cured forever. In the same way that people need daily food to live on, Christians need daily bread from God to live on. Part of that provision is the Word of God to help us overcome sin, to resist temptation, and to walk in faith, rather than fear. Here is my experience and testimony: I have not had a life that has been characterized by fearfulness, but I have had many extended times in my life where fear and anxiety have taken hold, and enveloped me in some sort of spiritual wrestling match where I was pinned to the mat far more often than I overcame. In those times of trial, fear, and anxiety, I have been humbled, and my courage has often trickled away like water out of a leaky bucket. My only hope in those times - the only antidote to fear and anxiety that I could find, was a constant and persistent clinging to the Word of God and prayer. Seeking God and immersing myself in His Word has always overcome fear in my life, but - to be very frank - it usually comes back, and one serving of God's Word and abiding in Him is not adequate medicine to eradicate the virus of fear from my soul. The reason for this is not a fault in the medicine of God's Word and Abiding through prayer, but the reason is a fault and weakness in my own soul + the Divine purpose and wisdom of our Creator. God did NOT create man and give him the ability to overcome every obstacle by his own power. God created man to be incapable of overcoming apart from ABIDING in His Creator, and the greater the battle that comes against us, the greater the abiding in God and His Word needs to be. So - I say this to you who are battling anxiety, depression, weariness, fear, sorrow, and hopelessness right now: In Christ, you face a winnable battle, and here is your promise to rest on: 9 Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up. Galatians 6:9 Cling to the Cross. Believe the gospel and read it in the Word every day. Remind yourself frequently that Jesus died to pay the price for your sins, and that 'because He lives, you will live too.' Consume the Word. Pray constantly. Trust God. When your eyes stray from Him and fall on something that makes you fear, tear your eyes away from that and fix your eyes on Jesus. Looking to Him will enable you to overcome, even when you are weary and fainthearted, so says Hebrews 12:1-3. So - in a spiritual war with fear, whether it is constant in your life, or only occasional, how do we overcome? Step one is making sure the 'anchor' of your life - your faith and trust - is in Jesus. I'm not merely being spiritual here. Ask yourself when you are afraid what you are hoping in. Maybe you're afraid of the coronavirus...what is your deepest hope? Is it that science will discover a cure? That politicians will make the right decisions? That you will be protected by your excessive prudence and hygiene practices? All of those things are good, but none of them are our anchor. Our anchor is Jesus. Step one in overcoming fear is looking to Jesus. Some have already been doing that, but even if you haven't already been doing that, then there is still time to hold fast to the anchor of Jesus. I love Tim Keller's message on Psalms 27, so I want to briefly tag him in here to talk about how the Lord is our stronghold, and we overcome fear by looking to Him: Somebody may ask, "What part of David's life would this have been part of? When was this? When did this happen?" The answer is it could have been anytime because David is continually in trouble. If you read his life, he is always struggling. He is always wrestling. When he is a young man before he becomes king, what is he doing? He is out in the wilderness running for his life. He is on the lam. As soon as he becomes king, when he is a young king, where do we see him? When he becomes king, his enemies come in, and they decide they're going to attack him before he gets established. The next thing you know, he has to flee the capital. He is out in the wilderness running for his life. Then he is an old man. It's different now. He is

Hello everybody and happy Thursday to you. Today brings us to a controversial topic among modern Christians that is not very controversial in terms of the Bible - at least from a grammatical place. You'll notice that the question we are covering is phrased in two different ways: CAN Christians drink wine, and SHOULD Christians drink wine. There is a reason for this, because each of the questions has a slightly different answer from the Bible. Today's Bible passages are Leviticus 20, Psalms 25, Ecclesiastes 3 and 1 Timothy 5. The reason the topic of wine is coming up today is from our focus passage in 1st Timothy 5, where Paul gives this word of advice to Timothy: 23 Don't continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. 1 Timothy 5:23 This is an interesting passage, and it brings up a large amount of questions. First - is this a command to us, or to Timothy or BOTH? And that is an excellent question to consider from the Word of God. At the beginning of this chapter, Paul writes to Timothy, "Don't rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters with all purity." Is that a command to Timothy, or to Christians, or both? I think almost all Bible teachers would say both for 1 Timothy 5:1-2. We generally consider commands in the Word spoken authoritatively to individuals or churches (for instance, a command of Jesus to Peter, a letter from Paul to the Ephesians, a letter from Peter, etc) to apply to all of us. However, there are some cases where commands in the Scripture do not apply to ALL who read them. For instance, I don't believe 1st Timothy 4:12 is very applicable to senior saints, "Don't let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. " Likewise, 1 Peter 3:7 is a powerful and important passage, but it is not binding or applicable to my 8 year old daughter. "Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered." Ultimately, I don't believe that our focus passage is a COMMAND for ALL that they MUST drink wine. That's our first issue to discuss. Our second is a little more complex. What does the Greek word for wine (οἶνος oînos) actually mean? Does this word refer to intoxicating wine, or new/unfermented wine. There are three basic views on this subject. I'm not going to go very deep into them, but they are worth recounting at a basic level. View #1 - Oinos is usually or often unfermented/sweet wine. In other words, the wine that Paul is telling Timothy to drink and the wine that Jesus made at the Wedding in Cana were what we would call grape juice - perhaps with a trace of alcohol, but not nearly enough to become intoxicated. This view has been held by many people throughout church history, and you can find some very long arguments on the internet that seem to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the correct view, until you actually research some of the other views. I recall that Donald C. Stamps, the author of the study notes in one of my first ever study Bibles, bought for me by my wife when we were dating, was very much in favor of this view. I loved Mr. Stamps and his notes, and I recall that he argued vociferously and uncompromisingly that oinos always meant unfermented wine, and that Jesus would NEVER ever make wine that could make somebody intoxicated. This view is generally called the two-wine view, and it asserts that when the Bible says something positive about wine (such as this passage, The Last Supper, the wedding at Cana, etc) that unfermented grape juice is in view. But when the Bible says something negative about wine - fermented wine is being discussed. View #2 Oinos can indeed contain alcohol, but not in the same proportion as current wines, and certainly nowhere near as much of an ABV as stronger drinks of modern times like vodka, whisky, scotch, etc. Currently our modern wine is usually around 12-14 percent ABV, but can be as low as around 5 percent, and get a little higher. Though there is no way to be certain, I've read some research that seems to indicate that first century and Old Testament wine would be of a lower ABV than modern wine. If this is the case - and it is hard to be definitive if it is - then Paul's advice to Timothy would be about a very weak wine compared to what is called wine today. Charles Spurgeon - and many others - were strong proponents of this view: YOU know the narrative. Jesus was at a wedding feast, and when the wine ran short, he provided for it right bountifully. I do not think that I should do any good if I were to enter upon the discussion as to what sort of wine our Lord Jesus made on this occasion. It was wine, and I am quite sure it was very good wine, for he would produce nothing but the best.

Happy Four Weeks in Quarantine, everybody - maybe your quarantine has been less than ours? Our Bible readings today are Leviticus 19, Psalms 23 and 24, Ecclesiastes 2 and 1 Timothy 4. For many people in the past, Psalm 23 was almost as popular and well-known as John 3:16. I am not quite sure that is the case for younger generations, but my generation of church kids was frequently exposed to this Psalm, and for good reason - it is one of the most comforting passages in Scripture! Let's read it and then come back and discuss it. (We'll add Psalms 24 in the reading too, but mostly focus our discussion on 23): The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live. Psalm 23 The Shepherd metaphor is abundantly used in Scripture. In modern society, it is considered an insult to call people 'sheep,' or 'sheeple,' but it does not appear to have had the same connotation in Bible times. Human shepherds could be men or women (Rachel, wife of Jacob, was a shepherdess), and though it was not necessarily a high-level job in society, many of the Old Testament's prominent people (Abraham, Moses, King David, Jacob, Abel, the prophet Amos) were shepherds at some point. As we see above, God is a shepherd of his people, and Jesus, in John 10, identifies Himself as 'The Good Shepherd.' 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn't own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn't care about the sheep. 14 "I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:11-15 In Ezekiel 34, God calls to account the leaders of His people, chastizing them as bad shepherds: 34 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them, 'This is what the Lord God says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn't the shepherds feed their flock? 3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. 5 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd; they became food for all the wild animals when they were scattered. 6 My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them. 7 "'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. 8 As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—because my flock, lacking a shepherd, has become prey and food for every wild animal, and because my shepherds do not search for my flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord!10 "'This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against the shepherds. I will demand my flock from them and prevent them from shepherding the flock. The shepherds will no longer feed themselves, for I will rescue my flock from their mouths so that they will not be food for them. Ezekiel 34:1-10 This gives us great insight into HOW the Lord is our shepherd. He had appointed human leaders and priests to take care of His people, but they were neglecting their 'sheep,' and only taking care of themselves. So God says He is going to do their job, which includes: strengthening the weak, healing the sick, bandaging the injured, bringing back the strays and seeking the lost. Charles Spurgeon has some great insight into this passage, so let's turn to him and read his verse-by verse commentary: I hope we all know this Psalm by heart; may we also know it by heart-experience! It is a sweet pastoral song just suited to our Sabbath evening worship. There is here no din of arms, no noise of war; but there is a delicious hush, only broken by the gentle tinkling of the sheep bell. God give us that sweet rest to-night! Verse 1. The LORD is my shepherd; All true rest begins with Jesus, as all the comfort of the sheep is provided for them by their shepherd. "The Lord is my shepherd." Is it so? Can you look up, poor defenceless sheep, and say, "The Lord is my shepherd"? Then comes the blessed inference:—

Happy Tuesday, friends! Tomorrow will mark our 4th week in quarantine here in California, a sentence I never thought I would write for a variety of reasons. Hope you guys are holding tight out there - holding tight to Jesus and His promises, holding tight to each other in love and humble service, and holding tight to the inner-workings and leadings of the Holy Spirit of God! Today, we are continuing in our pursuit of a biblical gender studies degree in discussing a topic that is somewhat controversial, but probably not as much as yesterday's topic. Here is our big Bible questions: What is a deacon, and does the Bible allow women to serve as deacons? Today's Bible passages are: Leviticus 18, Psalms 22, Ecclesiastes 1 and 1 Timothy 3. So, when I was a kid, I went to church, and I remember two important things about deacons. #1 Deacons were the guys who were most likely to wear a suit to church. #2 I remember going to more than one church service where deacons were ordained, and that was a fascinating thing. The deacon being ordained would sit in a chair - or kneel on the ground - and the other deacons would come and lay hands on him, and whisper in his ear. I think that they were probably praying for him, but young Chase thought they were sharing secrets that were for deacons only, and that was pretty interesting. I'd have given up a pretty hefty amount of my childhood treasures to hear some of those secrets. So - what are deacons, anyway? Are they besuited men that are solemn and tell each other secrets a few times a year? Not really. Let's go to the Bible: Acts 6:1 6 In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. 2 The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, "It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." 5 This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch. 6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:1-7 A couple of translations of verse 2: HCSB: "It would not be right for us to give up preaching about God to handle financial matters. NLT: teaching the word of God, not running a food program. Wycliffe: we leave the word of God, and minister to boards. MAYBE THE BEST and MOST ACCURATE: International Children's Bible stop our work of teaching God's word in order to serve tables. All of these are attempting to translate this phrase: Διακονέn Diakoneōn τράπεζαis trapezais, which means to serve/minister to 4 foots. Deacons were called to bring unity to the early church - to take care of the people's needs and SERVE. A deacon, therefore, is a leader servant who ministers, or a minister who serves in a leading way, or a minister-servant, who leads the rest of the church in ministry/service. Deacons have a lead role in churches as ministers and as servants. Servant is a bad word to many people, but we must remember that Jesus came as a servant, exalted servanthood in His teaching, and proclaimed that - if anybody on earth wanted to be great, they MUST be a servant. Deacons get a head start on that. Let's go to 1 Timothy 3 and read about the qualifications for deacons, and then return and discuss them. There are a few named deacons in the Bible, and they didn't just help out the church with table-waiting type things. Stephen was a deacon who preached the Word of God powerfully - with SIGNS and WONDERS accompanying his message (see Acts 6:8.) Some teach that only the apostles taught with signs and wonders, but this is not the case. Philip was also a deacon, and he also proclaimed the message of God accompanied by signs/miracles and wonders. So - deacons were and are important in the church and carry out practical and spiritual acts of ministry/service. What about women? Are women allowed, according to the Bible, to serve as deacons? As I explained in yesterday's show, I am theologically what is known as a Complementarian, which means that I believe men and women have equal value and worth, but different roles in the Kingdom of God and the family. Paul wrote yesterday in 1 Timothy 2, that he did not allow a woman to have authority over a man, and in 1 Timothy 3, and Titus, he is going lay out two major offices in the church: Elders/overseers and deacons. We'll talk about elders/overseers in a few days - probably when we get to Titus, but most (but not all!) Protestants equat

Happy Monday, friends! How was your celebration of the resurrection yesterday? Ours was obviously radically different. For one, the quarantine, for two, all of us lived in Alabama until the Summer of 2018, so this was our second Easter apart from our family back home in Dixie. Our church was not able to gather together in person in one room or place, but two interesting things happened. First, for the live-stream of our church's Easter celebration, we had so many people play a role. Three different worship teams - one a husband, wife and friend who led from our church building, another one of our deacons leading from his home, and then my wife and our two eldest daughters leading from our house, with an assist from my son reading Scripture. In addition to that, we had testimonies and encouraging words and Scriptures from at least seven other families, and then a short message from me. I was exhilarated and encouraged by hearing from so many of our church family. As we discussed last week, the church isn't just made up of a pastor and worship team, but a whole family gifted to reach the lost, build each other up, and serve the King. And then, we had an extra treat in the afternoon. My wife and daughters, joined with our pastor neighbor and his family for a time of worship outside in the afternoon. They played and sang from their yard, and we from ours, maintaining more than six feet of distance. Other neighbors came and joined in - all maintaining distance, with one family across the street. Four churches were represented. It wasn't a huge crowd, and it wasn't the most polished worship set ever, but it was really amazing and exhilarating to experience. Our together-celebration was lowered, but our proclamation was increased in a variety of ways. Thanks be to God. As you might have noticed, I sometimes steer clear of controversy on this show. There is a reason for that, and it is not that I want to avoid controversy. The main reason I avoid it is because biblical controversy is best handled in a local church setting, in the midst of relationships and leadership and pastoring. Where questions and discussion can happen face to face and unfold via relationship. A podcast just doesn't allow that to happen. I don't avoid every controversial passage, but do dance around a few that I'd be much rather cover in our local church context. That said, we're not going to steer so broadly around controversy today. We're going to turn the bow of this ship into the storm. We're not going straight into the middle of this storm, and by that metaphor, I mean I am not going to answer every possible objection and issue some might have with 1 Timothy 2, but I do want to give at least the beginnings of an answer. Batten down the hatches! 1st Timothy 2 is quite the controversial passage. Who does Paul think he is to tell women how to dress and to be quiet? Well, I'm not going to dive deep into this, but I will share a couple of things. In 1st Timothy 2, Paul does indeed tell women to dress in Kosmios/κόσμιος apparel. This is a difficult word to translate well, because it only appears twice in the Bible. The other time it appears is in 1 Timothy 3: An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy. 1 Timothy 3:2 The same word that is translated as 'modest' in 1 Timothy 2 is translated as 'respectable' in 1 Timothy 3. So, Paul in one passage tells women to dress in this way, and in the second passage tells church leaders to behave and have this kind of character. Sensible/modest/appropriate. Who does this guy think he is? And the answer is that he is, under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, writing the Words and commands of God. That's what the Word of God is for. It is to tell us how God wants us to live, how to please Him. Sometimes that manifests itself in how we dress, sometimes in how we behave. We are followers of God, and we follow Him via His Word: 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 Ok, I hear you saying - I guess some of that makes sense, but what about this WOMEN MUST BE SILENT business. That just sounds ridiculous, sexist, and old-fashioned. I can appreciate where you are coming from, but I don't think that 'sexism' is the right conclusion, and I think I can come pretty close to proving that. First, allow me to say that I am what is called a biblical Complementarian theologically. That means I believe that God has given men and women equal worth and value, but different roles in the earthly Kingdom of God. Not everybody agrees with that, but I believe that it is beautiful when practiced biblically, with no hint of selfish sexism. Take Ephesians 5: 22 Wives, s

Happy Resurrection day, friends! On this day, and every day, let us rejoice and celebrate the most significant event that has ever happened - the day death was defeated. Shoutout to the guy in the Greensboro/High Point North Carolina area who downloaded 95 episodes of the show yesterday. I don't see who downloads the show, of course, but when somebody downloads 95 episodes in one day, it jumps out on the stats, and I always look where they are from. 95 episodes of this show would equate to well over 50 hours of content. I'll be praying for you, brother or sister. ;) Whether you are quarantined in your house, or somehow able to gather with other believers - nothing diminishes the glory and joy of the resurrection of Jesus! If you don't have an online church to worship with, allow me to invite you to join the livestream of Valley Baptist church today at 11AM pacific. Just go to Facebook and type in VBC Salinas, and join us! On almost every episode of the show so far, we have focused on the Bible passages we read for the day, and we will continue in that vein, by and large. Today is an exception. Today, we briefly focus on the glorious resurrection of Jesus! Our Bible passages will include: Leviticus 16, Psalms 19, Proverbs 30 and 1 Timothy 1. Our focus question comes from Luke 24: On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. 5 So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. "Why are you looking for the living among the dead?" asked the men. 6 "He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, 7 saying, 'It is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day'?" 8 And they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-8 Why, indeed, were the women coming to the tomb to embalm the body of Jesus? Hadn't He told them that He would be raised from the dead on the third day?! In answering that question, I'd like to read you a portion from my book Easter Fact or Fiction, which is available on Amazon, and when you buy a copy, you can get out of one hour of purgatory. Okay, that's probably not true. I know it is old school and quite dated, but I love the song "He's Alive" by Don Francisco. That old hippie can sing, and every time I hear the song, I cry tears of gratitude. If you aren't familiar with the song, here is the first part of the lyrics: The gates and doors were barred And all the windows fastened down I spent the night in sleeplessness And rose at every sound Half in hope of sorrow And half in fear the day Would find the soldiers breakin' through To drag us all away And just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall The gate began to rattle And a voice began to call I hurried to the window Looked down into the street Expecting swords and torches And the sound of soldiers' feet But there was no one there but Mary So I went down to let her in John stood there beside me As she told me where she'd been She said they've moved Him in the night And none of us know where The stone's been rolled away And now His body isn't there We both ran towards the garden Then John ran on ahead We found the stone and empty tomb Just the way that Mary said But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in Was just an empty shell And how or where they'd taken Him Was more than I could tell Oh something strange had happened there Just what I did not know John believed a miracle But I just turned to go Circumstance and speculation Couldn't lift me very high 'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him Then I saw Him die. (He's Alive - Don Francisco) I'm getting teary-eyed just reading the lyrics! The truth that Francisco's song captures so well is the fact that the disciples DID NOT EXPECT JESUS TO RETURN FROM DEATH! Even though He had told them multiple times that He would rise again on the third day, they either didn't understand, or take Him seriously at all, despite the fact that, according to Matthew, He plainly told the disciples THREE times, at least, that He would die and be raised up again. In fact, Matthew 27:63 notes that even the chief priests and the Pharisees knew that Jesus had said He would rise again; that is why they requested a guard to prevent anybody from rolling the stone away from the tomb! So, of course, since Jesus told them that He would rise again on the third day, the disciples made a field trip to the graveyard that Sunday to wait, right? Right?! This is something I have never really understood about those guys. I don't know that I would have believed that Jesus could come back from such a terrible and bloody death as the one represented by His crucifixion, but I do think I would have made the walk over to the cemetery Sunday morning just to see if

Happy Easter-Eve, friends! Whether you celebrate Easter or not, do allow me to prod and urge you to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this Sunday - and EVERY Sunday! Our celebration in many churches will be muted in the sense that we won't physically be together, but I have resolved to make my proclamation of the resurrection louder than ever, and I hope you join me! We've even 'decorated' outside this year, for perhaps the first time ever. Not with bunnies and eggs, but with messages about the resurrection, and I'm planning on giving away as many resurrection books as I possibly can tomorrow and Saturday to those that walk by our house. (We live in a very walky neighborhood.) Our front yard, thanks to my wife and kids! Shoutout to Pradeep Kumar who left an interesting comment on the Biblereadingpodcast.com site yesterday: Comment: Dear sir Please explain what's end times and how can we save ourselves from this Dire consequences. Thanking you Yours sincerely Pradeep kumar Pradeep - I have good news for you! Today we are indeed talking about the end times and salvation from its dire consequences through Jesus, the savior and deliverer. Our focus passage today is mostly based on yesterday's reading, which was split into a two parter, as I am endeavoring now more than ever to keep episodes just under 30 minutes a day as often as possible. That said, one of our readings today, 2nd Thessalonians 3, seems to echo back to 2nd Thessalonians 2, so that is something to consider. 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen and guard you from the evil one 2 Thessalonians 3:3 Our Bible readings for today include Leviticus 15, which is on bodily discharges, and is a chapter I would not at all be able to read through in sixth grade without losing it. And also, Psalms 18, Proverbs 29 and the aforementioned 2 Thessalonians 3 passage. I'm cheating a bit, hope that's ok, but the focus question is mostly derived from yesterday's reading of 2 Thessalonians 2: 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God's temple, proclaiming that he himself is God.5 Don't you remember that when I was still with you I used to tell you about this? 6 And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, 8 and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan's working, with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders, 10 and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 So - to quickly summarize yesterday, Paul is telling the Thessalonians church (and us, by extension) that, though they may have heard about rumors that Jesus had come back, to not be alarmed, because He hasn't returned (at the time of Paul's writing) and that TWO very noticable and important things would have to happen BEFORE Jesus returned. Those two things are the apostasy/rebellion we discussed yesterday, and the revealing of the Man of Lawlessness that we will discuss today. Before we discuss more about this individual, let's talk a little about one practical implication of what Paul is saying here. One way to read this passage is to say that, there's no way whatsoever that Jesus' return is imminent - could happen at any moment - because the apostasy hasn't happened and the lawless man hasn't been revealed. The problem with that statement is that Jesus taught His return would be a bit of a surprise - even to believers - and that we wouldn't know when it would be. The possibility exists that the man of lawlessness has indeed been revealed (I doubt he will have an M.O.L. tattoo on his forehead), and the apostasy that Paul has spoken of might have happened, or be happening. The western church has seen a remarkable amount of professing believers turn away in the last decade or so - could that be the apostasy? I don't think so, but it COULD be. My favorite theologian, Wayne Grudem, addresses this issue by quoting a number of Bible passages that declare the seeming imminence of the return of Jesus, and then The end of all things is at hand. (1 Peter 4:7) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and all the works that are upon it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10) The time is near. (Rev. 1:3) Behold, I am coming soon. (Rev. 22:7) Behold, I am coming soon bringing my recompense, to repay everyone for what he has

Happy Good Friday, friends! It is going to be incredibly strange celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus this weekend while under quarantine, but that is not going to damper my celebration. The best news in history cannot be dampened by a silly pandemic, nor was it dampened by any of the dozens of pandemics that have happened since the first century. In Christ Alone is one of my favorite modern Christian songs, and on this good Friday, I glory in the truth of this verse: There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain: Then bursting forth in glorious day Up from the grave He rose again And as He stands in victory Sin's curse has lost… In Christ Alone, Stuart Townend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kvFtXphmMU Do yourself a favor, and watch the video above and worship! Today is a day of celebration and thanksgiving. Thanks be to God the Father and to the Son for His enormous, incomprehensible sacrifice. Today's Bible passages are Leviticus 14, Psalm 17, Proverbs 28 and 2nd Thessalonians 2. Our focus passage, and the topic of our discussion both today and tomorrow will be based on the 2nd Thessalonians passage. Here is the pertinent part: Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God's temple, proclaiming that he himself is God.5 Don't you remember that when I was still with you I used to tell you about this? 6 And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, 8 and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan's working, with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders, 10 and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, 12 so that all will be condemned—those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness. 2nd Thessalonians 2:5-12 Paul says here - very clearly, and unmistakably, that the Second Coming/Return of Jesus will NOT occur until TWO things happen: #1 The Apostasy (or Great Apostasy) and #2 The revealing of the Man of Lawlessness. Tomorrow our focus will be on WHO the Man of Lawlessness might be, and today our focus is on what in the world this apostasy is all about. First, let's talk about the word Paul uses - 'apostasy,' because it is not a very common word. In English, the word means, "the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief." It comes from the Greek word that Paul uses here, "ἀποστασία apostasía" which means to "forsake," or "fall away," and itself comes from a word that indicates a divorce. This is a concept that is developed powerfully in the Old Testament, where God often describes Himself as a Bridegroom, and His people Israel are a bride that has been unfaithful, and fallen away. For instance, this passage in Jeremiah 3: If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Wouldn't such a land become totally defiled? But you! You have prostituted yourself with many partners— can you return to me? This is the Lord's declaration. 2 Look to the barren heights and see. Where have you not been immoral? You sat waiting for them beside the highways like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. 3 This is why the showers haven't come— why there has been no spring rain. You have the brazen look of a prostitute and refuse to be ashamed. Jeremiah 3:1-3 Hosea also compares Israel's falling away from God the same as an unfaithful spouse. Indeed, God commands Hosea the prophet to marry an unfaithful woman named Gomer, who ultimately cheats on him, so that the unfaithfulness of Israel can be demonstrated in vivid and devastating ways. Note the promise at the end of Hosea, however: I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for my anger will have turned from him. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon. Hosea 14:4-5 To apostatize, then, is to renounce or fall away from faith in the same sort of way as an unfaithful spouse breaks away from a marriage to be with another. Notice the RELATIONAL language

The world has changed. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost; for none now live who remember it. Time no longer has any meaning. Is today Thursday, or is it all just one long endless day? Oh wait, I mean - Happy Thursday and welcome into the REAL episode #100 of the Bible Reading podcast! I'm going to celebrate by taking the day off. See you tomorrow! Okay, maybe not. Today's Bible readings include Leviticus 13. Psalms 15 and 16, Proverbs 27 and 2nd Thessalonians 1. Today's Big Bible question is from Proverbs 27:6: Better an open reprimand than concealed love. The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive. Proverbs 27:6 I don't know about you, but I'd generally rather be greeted by a holy kiss, rather than a friendly wounding, but Proverbs here is telling us something significant. An enemy might give excessive kisses, compliments, flattery, etc, but when a real friend wounds you, then you can be sure that those wounds are trustworthy. What is up with that, and why are we wounding each other anyway - shouldn't we just encourage each other and stay away from wounding altogether? Let's read the Proverb and come back and talk about whether or not it is appropriate to sometimes wound your friend. Think about the worst injury you've ever had. For me, the worst physical injury I've had was a shoulder injury that I obtained one morning in 1991 when a friend of mine and I skipped school, and went caving in a remote area. I was attempting to climb up a wall in the cave when the rocks under my feet gave way, and all my weight was hanging on my right arm, which promptly dislocated, and did so six other times as I tried to climb out of the chasm I was in. Despite two surgeries, one by one of the best surgeons in the world - Dr. James Andrews - My shoulder has literally hurt almost every day since then. Not 100 percent of the time, but enough. If a friend had offered to kick me in the shins that day, and given me a bruise of a wounding, instead of a lifetime of shoulder pain, I would have been a fool to turn it down. Yes, the shin-kick would hurt, but a million times less than the shoulder injury has hurt. This is the dynamic the Proverbs is telling us about. The wounds from a friend help us to avoid the often permanent and sometimes catastrophic maimings from sin. I have had the privilege of having a number of high caliber, high quality friends. People that weren't just in it for the fun of it, or to have a good time, or to their own advantage, but faithful friends and brothers who were great teammates, and helped me to be a better man. I can think of multiple times in my life where a friend stepped in front of me when I was headed towards trouble, and had a hard conversation with me - warning me and (lovingly!) wounding me, to spare me from much greater and more catastrophic injury. I can think of several times in my life - times that I am immensely grateful for now - when a loving friend has stepped in my way and wounded me in order to help me. Once, in the mid 90s, I had become disillusioned with church - with the hypocrisy and the loving of traditions instead of the love of God and His Word. I was befriended by a group that seemed passionate and on fire for God. Some thought they were a cult, but all I could see was their refreshing passion! I began to meet with them some. Not whole hog, but some. A Christian friend grew very concerned about that, did some research, and had a very hard meeting with me in which he solemnly warned me about joining that group. It wasn't hard because he was mean, but it was hard because it was awkward, and I didn't listen at first. He won me over, however, and I am eternally grateful that he chose to wound me, rather than let me suffer a fate worse than wounding. In the latter 90s, I had a friend who valued integrity walk beside me and lovingly wound me many times over my habit and sin of lying and telling half truths. Over the course of years, and many faithful wounds, I was brought to repentance, and learned to value the truth in a much greater way, probably saving myself and my family the damage that would have been done by thousands of lies and half-truths. This same friend also lovingly wounded by in the early 2000s over my habit of pirating music and games. Digital thievery surely wasn't as bad as physical thievery, right? More wounds, more repentance, and more maimings from sin avoided. I can recount countless other times, but the point is that when somebody loves us and wants the best for us, we can trust that their wounds are designed for our best. Jesus Himself gives us a pattern for those types of helpful woundings: 15 "If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he won't listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established. 17 If he doesn't pay attention to th

Happy Wednesday, friends! Today marks THREE weeks of sheltering in place for those of us in central California, and it is for me, a personal record for sheltering in place/staying home and social distancing, beating my previous record of 5 days when I had the flu in 5th grade and two weeks when my mom's car was hit by a moving van when I was 8 or so. Are you going crazy yet? I sort of see some signs that my family is, therefore I am planning on building a temporary shelter/respite place in the laundry room for me and the boy, because he still seems mostly sane. Today's Bible readings include Leviticus 11 and 12, Psalms 13 and 14, Proverbs 26 and 1 Thessalonians 5. Yeah, Robert Murray M'Cheyne kind of went crazy on us today! Today's big Bible question: Will College Football Happen this year?! I go live to my special guest, Ryen Russillo for his take. Oh, wait, that's actually a topic for a different show - our actual question is: Will it be possible for Christians to know that that the coming of Jesus is soon? Well...what do you think? Don't guess yet - let's read 1 Thessalonians 5, then come back and discuss it, and then we will read our other 50 Bible chapters for the day. Here's the pertinent part of 1 Thessalonians to help us answer the question: About the times and the seasons: Brothers and sisters, you do not need anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 When they say, "Peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4 Will Jesus REALLY come back in 1994? Spoiler alert: NO! The picture for today's episode of the show is a copy of the book 1994?, with my desktop and microphone in the back. Yes, that is a CVS prescription bottle that is acting as a space on my microphone boom arm. More importantly, is the book 1994? one of my great theological treasures! You can't tell from the picture, but the book is a 551 (!) page, well researched book by author and radio host Harold Camping that was written in 1992 and makes the very bold claim that Jesus will return in 1994. In fact, the back of the book contains this stunningly wrong prediction: "Whether we like it or not, the end of history is almost upon us. Abundant biblical information focuses on 1994 as the likely end of the world. This information should be declared to the world because it severely and eternally impacts each and every individual of the more than 5.5 billion people of the earth." 1994? 1992, by Harold Camping I'll be honest with you. I haven't read this book, and I've barely opened it. I bought it for 25 cents at a Trussville library sale as an illustration of the fact that people have been trying to predict the exact date of the second coming for hundreds of years, and have struck out every time. Tonight, for the first time, I read a few paragraphs of this book, and I've got to tell you that my mind is blown. Some how, some way, Brother Camping calculates that the date the world began was on 11,013 B.C. I am afraid that I have no idea whatsoever how Camping arrived at that date, as I turned to page 442, and just started reading. I do not have time to read a whole 550 page book of nonsense, even if I wasn't doing a daily Bible podcast. So, the world apparently began on 11,013 B.C., and here is how, according to Camping, we get to 1994: Especially interesting is Jacob's age when he came under the care and protection of Joseph. When asked of Pharaoh his age, he answered in Genesis 47:9 "And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. From this verse, Camping makes the following conclusion, "We can't help but see the parallel between this account and the pilgrimage of believers in this world. When do we escape the evil days of this earth? In one sense we escape them when we become saved, but the final escape is the end of the world. We see again how 13000 years, or the year 1988 stands out as the end of the world. This is the sort of reasoning you get in books of this ilk - books that attempt to pin down the exact date of the return of Jesus. Many, many attempts have been made to this in the past. The Jehovah's Witnesses predicted the second coming, and other important Bible prophecy events, would happen in 1878, 1881, 1914, 1918, 1925 and more, but all of these events were busts, and had to be retconned. Camping himself recalculated his dates, and came up with a "beyond a shadow of a doubt" return of Jesus that would happen on May 21, 2011. When that failed, he moved the date to October 21, 2011. When that failed - he very wisely, and humbly

Greetings and salutations, friends, and happy whatever day it is. I think it is Tuesday today, but the days are running so much together, that I am only pretty sure it is April, and that we are still, sadly, in 2020, the most remarkable and craziest year of my life. Yesterday our eight year old was talking about the NEXT time a pandemic came along, and wondering what we might do then, and my first thought was that pandemics are very rare, my second thought was I hope there is no NEXT pandemic, and my third thought was that this particular pandemic, for an 8 year old, is going to take up a significant portion of her life if it stretches much further. Perhaps such things will be somewhat normal in her mind. I hope that this never becomes normal, however. Hope you all are holding up well! Today's Bible readings are Leviticus 10, Psalms 11 and 12, Proverbs 25 and 1st Thessalonians 4. Our focus passage is derived from Psalms 11:1, "I have taken refuge in the Lord." In today's short episode, I'd like for us to consider two things about this passage: What it means, theologically, that the Lord is a our refuge AND practically, how can we take refuge in Him? Let's read those two Psalms passages, and come back and discuss. So -what is your favorite hymn? Mine changes, but I think my usual answer is a Mighty Fortress is Our God by Martin Luther: A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. This hymn is based upon passages like Psalm 11:1, and also, even more specifically, it is based on Psalms 46: God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. 2 Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, 3 though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil.Selah 4 There is a river— its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. 5 God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns. 6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when he lifts his voice. 7 The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.Selah 8 Come, see the works of the Lord, who brings devastation on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze. 10 "Stop your fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth." 11 The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.Selah Psalm 46:1-11 Verse 5 is one of the most quoted verses on Instagram, but we should probably point out that the 'her' in this case is not a particular female that God will keep from failing or toppling, but the City of God - the Refuge of God, the Shelter of God that we are talking about today. Many times in the Scriptures, particularly in the Psalms, we are pointed to God's protection over His people - that HE HIMSELF is our shelter/refuge/fortress. Consider these comforting truths: I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple. 5 For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Psalms 27:4-5 19 How great is your goodness that you have stored up for those who fear you and accomplished in the sight of everyone for those who take refuge in you. 20 You hide them in the protection of your presence; you conceal them in a shelter from human schemes, from quarrelsome tongues. Psalm 31:19-20 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:2-3 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May you shelter them, and may those who love your name boast about you. 12 For you, Lord, bless the righteous one; you surround him with favor like a shield. Psalm 5:10-12 for you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy. 4 I will dwell in your tent forever and take refuge under the shelter of your wings.Selah Psalm 61:3-5 So - how does God protect us? How is He a Shelter? I offer three ways here (and note that this is NOT an exhaustive list. ) 1. He supernaturally protects us by His sovereign Will. Consider Romans 8:26-28, "26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.28 We kno

Happy Monday, Friends! Today is DAY 20 of Quarantine/Shelter In Place/Stay Home Order for us in rainy central California. Yes, I said rainy. Boo. I'm not complaining about shelter in place, because it actually seems to be working, and I am kind of glad that California was the first to begin issuing those sorts of orders, but like you, I'm praying for God to heal our land, and things return to the new normal. If you're paying attention to the numbers and the graphs, today was an interesting day for the U.S. Maybe a good day, but let's see if its an anomaly, or a trend. I'm praying for a trend! Today's Bible passages are: Leviticus 9, Psalms 10, Proverbs 24 and 1st Thessalonians 3. Our focus is on standing firm, which is the thing that prompted Paul to write his letter to the Thessalonians in the first place. The thing is, the Thessalonians were in a very similar place to where many of our churches are right now. The were undergoing a heavy, heavy trial. Not a plague of virus, but more a plague of persecution. Paul and Silas founded the church in Thessalonica, and initially things were going well. They preached in the Jewish synagogues there, and several Jews converted and began to follow Jesus, along with several God-fearing Greeks (who were Greek/Gentile people that had adopted some of the beliefs and customs of the Jews) and several prominent Thessalonian women. So the young church was a rather eclectic mix of Jews, Gentiles that had adapted Jewish customs, and then just regular old Greeks. Unfortunately, many of the remaining Jewish people in the synagogue - many of whom had rejected Paul and Silas' teaching - they were apparently very upset and the founding of this new church, and the teaching of Paul and Silas, and they ignited a city-wide riot, which led to Paul and Silas leaving the city in order to help restore peace. Paul and Silas travelled to Berea and preached there, but the incensed Jewish people of Thessalonica sent a band of agitators to Berea, and they also vigorously opposed Paul and Silas. So - this church in Thessalonica was just weeks or perhaps months old, and had very immature leadership, and their pastors/church planters were forced to leave the city. Again and again, Paul and Silas tried to come back and visit the Thessalonian church to encourage them, but again and again they were prevented from doing so. And this made Paul more and more concerned that the church might be undone by these attacks, and not standing firm. So, he sent Timothy to encourage the church and check on their wellbeing, and the letter of 1st Thessalonians is Paul's response to the news that the church was doing well and walking in faith. Let's read the short chapter now, paying special attention to Timothy's report. 6 But now Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news about your faith and love. He reported that you always have good memories of us and that you long to see us, as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction, we were encouraged about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy we experience before our God because of you, 10 as we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face and to complete what is lacking in your faith? 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10 You can tell that Paul is absolutely brimming with joy when he hears that the church is STANDING FIRM in the Lord. Considering how young that church was, and considering how strong the opposition against them was, it is a genuine miracle that they were standing firm. The good news is that, even though their human pastors had left, their chief pastor/shepherd - Jesus, the head of the church, had never abandoned them. I am reminded of His promise: 14 "I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep...27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one." John 10:14-15 and 27-30 That passage, in turn, reminds me of the wonderful song In Christ Alone by Stuart Townend - one of my favorite modern worship songs, that my wife and daughters led our church to sing during our livestreamed worship time yesterday. No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the power of Christ in me; From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand: Till He returns or calls me home, Here in the power of Christ I'll stand. In Christ Alone, Stuart Townend This passage and the song it is based on give us our first clue and our first hope in standing firm during affliction: The power to stand does not come

Happy Lord's Day, Friends! I trust that, even if you are among the millions who are sheltering in place, that you know that your heart and your Spirit are not shackled. This is the day that the Lord has made - let us REJOICE and BE GLAD in it. Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again - REJOICE! Easter Sunday - when the church celebrates the glorious resurrection of Jesus - is one week away. It is looking like many hundreds of thousands of churches will not be able to meet in person in sanctuaries, and that might mute our together-celebration of the greatest event in history, but let it not mute your proclamation. In fact, allow me to encourage you this year, in 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, to AMPLIFY your proclamation. Decorate your house. Your sidewalks. Your car. Your windows. Fly the Banner: HE IS RISEN. SHOUT it to the mountaintops. Maybe our gatherings will be less, but may our PROCLAMATION be the LOUDEST ever! Today's Bible passages are Leviticus 8, Psalms 9, Proverbs 22 and 1st Thessalonians 2. Our question is all about ministry to people, and it isn't just applicable to pastors. All Christians are ministers in some way or another. Perhaps teaching Sunday school, or kids, or youth, or adults, or whatever. How should Christians minister to each other? Let's read 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, and pay particularly close attention to verses 5-11. 5 For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness— 6 and we didn't seek glory from people, either from you or from others. 7 Although we could have been a burden as Christ's apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nurse nurtures her own children. 8 We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God's gospel to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers. 11 As you know, like a father with his own children, 12 we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to live worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:5-11 Interesting wisdom there, right? We usually think of leaders as bold, brash, loud, confident, and charismatic, but Paul uses words here like gentle, nurturing, comfort, care and encourage. The overall image of a leader is a gentle/soft/meek leader. I am reminded here about two descriptions of Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords: Tell Daughter Zion, "See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Matthew 21:5 15 Jesus was aware of this and withdrew. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them all. 16 He warned them not to make him known, 17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not argue or shout, and no one will hear his voice in the streets. 20 He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick, until he has led justice to victory. 21 The nations will put their hope in his name. Matthew 12:15-21 Jesus is Lord of all, and yet He did not ride on an ostentatious war-horse entering into Jerusalem, but a humble donkey. He was so gentle, that He would not even break an already weakened peace of stubble, nor blow out a struggling candle. Paul, likewise, ministered among the Thessalonians as a gentle nurse might take care of a child. In fact, no less than 5 times in the letters of 1-2 Timothy and Titus, Paul required and commanded pastors and leaders in the Body of Christ to be GENTLE. In a world that looks for leaders with the characteristics of a Lion, the Word looks for those who follow the LION and behave like LAMBS. So - let's talk about meekness. The meekness of Jesus, and the promise of Jesus that the meek will inherit the Earth. To lead us in that talk, I'd like to tag in Pastor Tim Keller from New York City. The following excerpt on meekness is from a sermon he taught on the woman caught in adultery: Today we're going to look at another one of the traits of character Jesus Christ reveals in himself that is given to us as well as characteristics of the heart we should be cultivating in ourselves. If you go to Paul's famous catalog in Galatians 5, which is called the fruit of the Spirit, near the very end you get to a little word that, in the modern translations, is usually translated gentleness. I'm going to show you why … Even though it's a worse word, it's a little bit of a better word. In the older translations it's called meekness. Paul says one of the fruit of the Spirit is meekness. Jesus says, "Blessed are the meek." Why? Why didn't he say, "Bles

Happy Saturday, friends! Here in sunny and cold California, our shelter in place order has turned into a STAY HOME order, which is a little more restrictive. We've been sheltering in place now since March 18 and STAYING HOME starts today. We're still allowed to go to the store for essential needs, and we can go for walks while maintaining #socialdistancing, so it doesn't change things a ton for us. Today we took a nice family walk on a trail through rolling hills near our house, and had a good old time playing in trees and dry river beds and such. Normally, we would focus on 1st Thessalonians for today's pod, but it just so happens I'm preaching on 1st Thessalonians this Sunday, so I didn't want things to be redundant for our church family, many of whom listen to this pod. Which brings us to a fascinating passage in Psalms 7: My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a righteous judge and a God who shows his wrath every day. 12 If anyone does not repent, he will sharpen his sword; he has strung his bow and made it ready. 13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he tips his arrows with fire. Psalms 7:10-13 That's kind of terrifying, right? I have a pretty nice bow, but I'm not a bow hunter. I also have a few nice swords, a couple of which are pretty deadly, but I am not a knight or Samurai warrior. If you got word that I was coming after you with my bow, I guess you should be pretty nervous, but honestly, I'm no Robin Hood, and you'd probably be fine, especially if you are moving. I'm a little better with the sword, but one time I chopped off the tip of my own toe with a sword, so you might escape from that situation pretty well too. However...to have God stringing His bow? That's just terrifying. Not only that, but He apparently has other DEADLY weapons and HE TIPS HIS ARROWS WITH FIRE? What in the world is going on here?! Let's read our Psalms passages and then come back and talk about what is going on. So - really scary stuff. Those who do not repent, God sharpens His sword, strings His bow (and those fiery arrows), and gets His other deadly weapons ready. Let's talk about repenting first. What does it mean? The Hebrew word is שׁוּב/Shub and it means to turn back or return. In the New Testament, the Greek word is Μετανοήσατε (Metanoēsate) and it is the FIRST word out of Peter's mouth when people respond to his message at Pentecost in Acts 2: 37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: "Brothers, what should we do?"38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:37-39 The word there means to change your mind. So both the Old Testament and New Testament words for repentance essentially mean to turn away from one direction and turn towards another direction - in the context of Psalms 7, to turn your mind and thinking away from sinful ways or human ways and to turn towards God's ways. As John Piper notes, the Greek word for "repent" refers to "a change of the mind's perceptions and dispositions and purposes. . . . Repenting means experiencing a change of mind that now sees God as true and beautiful and worthy of all our praise and all our obedience." Let's consider some other explanations of repentance from various pastors and theologians: The first principle we see [in learning about repentance] is the putting off and the putting on. We touched on it, but we have to hit it. The putting off and the putting on. Putting off means stop doing something, and putting on means start doing something. Everybody knows that change is two-factored, right? Everybody knows that in order to turn, metanoia (repentance means to turn), you can't turn toward unless you turn away. You can't turn away without turning toward something else. It's two-factored. That seems so obvious. Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013). Repentance is a discovery of the evil of sin, a mourning that we have committed it, a resolution to forsake it. It is, in fact, a change of mind of a very deep and practical character, which makes the man love what once he hated, and hate what once he loved. Charles Spurgeon Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged. J.I. Packer You might have noticed that I am talking about 'repentance' far more in the last 30 days than I did in the first 60 days of this podcast. There's a reason for that. Almost every time I turn to God and His Word and pray in the midst of this pandemic, I get the word to 'repent,' as I've mentioned before. I certai

Happy Friday, friends! For many of us out there, the days are kind of just running into each other right now. I had two different pastor friends share that same thought with me at different times today. Our current situation is a bit surreal, isn't it? Almost like it is a dream. The world is shaking, but God is our refuge in times of trouble. Isaiah was written to the Israelites, but followers of Christ are also inheritors of the promises of God to Israel, because we have been grafted into the same vine that they are in, according to the Bible. That means that we can rest in the beautiful promise of Isaiah 43: Now this is what the Lord says— the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel— "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. 2 I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior. Isaiah 43:1-2 Today's Bible readings are Leviticus 6, Psalms 5-6, Proverbs 21 and Colossians 4. Our focus passage today is Colossians 4, specifically verse 2. Let's read the whole passage and then come back and focus on prayer. 2 Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2 Let me admit something to you: Once, twice, three times a day, this coronavirus thing shakes me up. Maybe it is when I'm reading the stats and looking at the graph of the rising cases in America. Earlier it was when I was watching the graphs and rising cases in Italy, and wondering if it would hit the U.S. that hard. Spoiler alert, it appears to be doing just that. Sometimes I get concerned about my children, my wife, our church family and all of the precious saints there. My mom and dad and sister and brother and other family in Alabama, and my church family there. These are troubled times, to be sure, and it gets to me every day. 2008-2009 was an interesting period in my life. I had been in ministry for many years at that point, but I was just beginning a role as the full time senior pastor of a church in my hometown, and I was as excited as I could be, and I came in boldly. Until, that is, a crippling attack of anxiety and fear hit me from out of nowhere. One of the things about Covid 19 is that its novel - new, and our bodies don't have any sort of built up defense against it. I was in a similar place in 2008-2009. Anxiety and fear were new to me, in large part. It was something I had never significantly struggled with in the past (except for my irrational fears of sharks, ghosts and spiders - the unholy trio of things that scare me.) I was completely and utterly unprepared to deal with fear and anxiety, and it just hit me like a Category 5 hurricane hitting an old mobile home. I crumpled, and crumpled for a long time. The ONLY thing that helped - literally - was the Word of God and prayer. I had believed that prayer was important before, but had never had to rely on God like a lifeline until that storm of anxiety hit. I saturated myself in the Word and in prayer, and in due time - gradually, God pulled me out of the miry clay, so to speak. At this point, I am not at all near where I was in 2008, but the anxiety level has increased. Hurricane 2008 taught me to turn to God in His Word and Prayer at the first sign of rain, and God has graciously led me back to that place again in this pandemic season. Each night when the podcast is done - even if its late - I go out and walk and pray, and God meets me there and that time with Him has been an anchor in a storm that is getting fiercer every day. Many of you are scared. Some more than me, some less than me, and some about that same. Allow me to exhort you: Whether you think this thing is a big deal or not, take heed of the command in God's Word: "Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving." What does DEVOTE mean? The Greek word there is made up of two Greek words - one means towards, or to, and the other means endure. In other words, the Word of God is calling us to ENDURE TOWARDS or INTO PRAYER. This is a season that I believe the Holy Spirit is waking up the Body of Christ to ENDURING TOWARDS Prayer. Have you heard the call of the Spirit to increased times and devotion to prayer? His command is pointing us that way - we MUST heed that call. This is also a Romans 12:12 hour: Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Romans 12:12 To be clear, it is ALWAYS a Romans 12:12 and Colossians 4:2 season, but this is an hour and season where it is ACUTELY IMPORTANT that the people of Jesus be devoted in prayer, rejoicing in hope, patient in affliction and persistent in prayer. This podcast is listened to in several different countries, and all of them are absolutely up against the ropes right now, and the church of Jesus in every corner of the world sh

Happy Thursday, Friends! Day 16 of shelter in place here in Sunny and windy central California. We have not resorted to cannibalism yet. We have resorted to all sorts of pranks, however, including my daughters pretending to be burglars breaking in last night at 1am and filming me coming outside with a machete to see what was going on. We also had every picture in our house today covered with Shrek faces, and my monitor covered with Kim-Jong-Un pictures, so that is something. Shout out to my brother or sister in Harare, Zimbabwe yesterday who downloaded a bunch of episodes of the show! Today was actually one of the best days ever for the show, with over 400 downloads in one day, which is awfully nice of you people - I'm glad you are listening and that we are hearing the Word of God together! Shoutout also to KRF78 for her or his most encouraging iTunes/Apple podcasts review! Excellent podcast for daily Bible study!☆☆☆☆☆I love this podcast. I love the combination of a reading plan with a daily study of pertinent Bible study questions. Highly recommend!Krf78 Today's Bible passages are Leviticus 5, Psalms 3 and 4, Proverbs 20 and Colossians 3. Our focus passage today is derived from Colossians, and is yet again focused more on one verse than the whole passage: 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16 Today we are going to talk about how the Body of Christ - the Church - was set up in the New Testament. Before we do, I need to remind you that I am the pastor of a church that you should come visit online at: https://www.facebook.com/VBCsalinas/ I would like you to visit in person also, but I guess it's not yet time for that. #pandemic. Anyway - I am a pastor, have been one for a long time. I like pastors. Some of my best friends are pastors. Some of my spiritual heroes are pastors. Keep that in mind when I say this: Far too often, the modern Western church is way, way too pastor-centric, when you compare it to the way "church" is described in the Bible. I present the above passage as exhibit 1. For exhibit two, I invite you to go and search for how many times the word 'pastor' shows up in the Bible. Go ahead...I'll wait. I'm just kidding. The word pastor appears exactly ONCE in the CSB and the NIV, and ZERO times in the ESV. Yes, it appears 9 times in the KJV, but 8 of those times are in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, and they aren't referring to church pastors, because that book was written hundreds of years before the birth of the church in Acts 2. So - what gives, are pastors illegit? No, I don't believe so. If you search for 'shepherd' and 'elder,' you will find quite a bit more hits, and I believe both of those words are synonymous with pastor when used in the context of the people. You will find that Paul appointed elders (plural) in every church, so they were definitely important - especially those who focused on preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17) Even then, however, you do NOT get the idea from the New Testament that the church was very pastor-centric. Instead, it was very Jesus-centric and very member-centric. Consider some of these gifts of the Spirit passages: 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God's words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. 1 Peter 4:10-11 7 A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: 8 to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, 9 to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. 11 One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 26 What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, another tongue, or an interpretation. Everything is to be done for building up. 27 If anyone speaks in another tongue, there are to be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, that person is to keep silent in the church and speak to himself and God. 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. 30 But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. 32 And the prophets' spirits are subject to the prophets, 33 since God is not a God of disorder but of

Happy Wednesday, friends! Today is officially episode 94, but only because I messed up yesterday and skipped a number. Therefore, episode #92 never officially existed. Or maybe it did, and had the 8 secrets of humanity on it, but the Illuminati got a hold of it and deleted it. The illuminati is always messing up things like podcasts, and the world and stuff. Alas. Speaking of numbers, today is day #15 of shelter in place for us central Californians. I heard lots of criticism around the country - some of it extreme and absurd - for that move when it happened, but it actually seems to have kept cases on a lower level here for now, which is actually a blessing. I never thought I'd see the day when I would defend a broad-reaching government order to stay sheltered in place, but the world has gone mad, so there you go. I had the privilege of talking on the phone today to a first-responder/fire-fighter who is a daily listener to the show. Shout out to you, Rooster. Very interesting conversation! He told me all of the precautions and such that first responders are having to take now in the midst of this coronavirus catastrophe, and it was pretty extreme to hear. These are unnerving times for all of us. Pray for our first responders - our firefighters, medics and police officers. Pray for our nurses and doctors and other medical care and support staff too. Double shout-outs to all of you guys and ladies who are on the front lines of this scary situation. May the Lord bless you and keep you and shine His grace and favor on you! Thank you from the bottom of the hearts from the rest of us. Today's Bible readings are Leviticus 4, Psalms 1 and 2, Proverbs 19 and Colossians 2. Our focus passage today is actually a focus verse, which is found in Proverbs 19: The fear of the Lord leads to life; one will sleep at night without danger. Proverbs 19:23 Let's talk about the fear of the Lord, shall we? We haven't focused much on Proverbs so far in the pod, but this is an excellent place for us to begin, and this is an excellent time for us to discuss the fear of the Lord. I suspect that, if you could measure the net amount of fear in the world by some sort of tangible measurement - perhaps a GigaPhobe, than I believe that the amount of fear in the world, and the amount of fear in the United States of America hasn't been higher in my lifetime. People were shook during and shortly after the 911 attacks, but there was also great confidence that our nation's military and leadership would be able to battle back against terroristic attacks, and better defend the country. People are more shook, I perceive, by this coronavirus threat - primarily because our best minds and our best leaders and all of our money has been of no avail to us at this point. And yet, one of the most common and repeated commands of the Bible is to "fear not." Conversely, one of the most commonly repeated commands of the Bible is also to fear the Lord! In this paradox, we find some important wisdom, that I believe Jesus beautifully, and terrifyingly sums up: 28 Don't fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's consent. 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:28-31 To sum up - don't fear murderers and scary things. Don't fear diseases and illness. DO fear God the Father. But, overall - don't be AFRAID. Interesting advice - and quite paradoxical at first glance. Looking back at our Proverb - it is also a little paradoxical, isn't it? It seems a bit self-contradictory to say that the fear of the Lord will lead to life AND will help you sleep well at night! And yet, that's precisely what the fear of the Lord does! That brings us to our main question - what exactly does it mean to fear the Lord? I'm glad you asked. I've heard preachers and pastors try to explain the fear of the Lord in terms of respect, or obedience, or reverence - and all of those are definitely aspects of the fear of the Lord, but are we actually supposed to be afraid of the Lord? In answering the question, let's begin with the Hebrew word used: יִרְאָה yirʼâh, yir-aw. It is a noun, but in terms of etymology, it is from a Hebrew verb which means, "to be afraid." Most of the time when this word is used in the Old Testament, it is used in the context of the fear of the Lord, so those passages don't exactly illuminate the type of fear of God that we are to walk in. Psalm 55:5, however does give us a good idea what the word itself means: My heart shudders within me; terrors of death sweep over me. 5 Fear and trembling grip me; horror has overwhelmed me. Psalm 55:5 Yiraw and trembling grip me, says the Psalmist - horror has overwhelmed me. I'd say that is a pretty good indication that the fear of the Lord means exactly what it

Happy Tuesday, Friends! Our Bible passages today are: Leviticus 2 and 3, Proverbs 18, John 21 and Colossians 1. Our focus passage is in Colossians 1, which contains yet another hymn/creedal statement about Jesus - very similar to Philippians 2. Before we get there, however, I'd like to focus just a bit on the post resurrection appearances of Jesus as described in John 21. Some of the disciples have gone out on the lake to fish, and they have spent all night fruitlessly trying to catch fish, and coming up utterly empty. Upon their return, a mysterious person near shore (100 yards away, approximately) calls out to them and tells them to lower their nets. This is unusual, and not at all the place to lower their nets - probably too shallow, but they do, and catch an incredible haul of fish. John notices that the mysterious person is, in fact, Jesus, and Peter - ever impulsive - jumps into the water and swims 100 yards over to Jesus, leaving the other guys to drag the nearly bursting nets, which contain 153 large fish. Now, I love fishing - it is one of my favorite things to do, so I took a break from writing this article to actually go and research what type of fish that John, Peter and the guys might have caught. Interestingly - the Sea of Galilee/Sea of Tiberias here is actually a lake - a pretty big lake, but not massive. Chances are, the fish that the disciples caught (which the Bible does not name) was a species of tilapia - some of which are known as the Saint Peter's fish, because that was traditionally thought to be the kind of fish that Peter caught with a coin in its mouth. But I digress...a lot. My bad. Back to the story - the disciples have caught all of those fish, and the RESURRECTED KING Jesus is meeting them on shore. And what has He done for them - the LORD OF ALL who has already given His life and suffered for their sins? HE HAS COOKED THEM BREAKFAST!! How cool is that? He grilled them some fish, and had breakfast ready. I had not really noticed that before until reading John 21 earlier today, and it struck me what a kind and loving thing that was to do for a bunch of hungry guys who had been out fishing all night. But, again, that isn't our focus passage today. Our focus passage is Colossians 1 - let's read it together, and then return to discuss this amazing hymn/description of Jesus in verses 15-20. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:15-20 What a powerful description of Jesus - it is stirring, and I would encourage you to read it in the Bible yourself a few times, as passages like this have a beautiful way of focusing on the nature and character of Jesus. Jesus is the Image of God - He is the creator AND sustainer of all things. He is the head of His body - the church, the people of Jesus. He is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead. He is the FULLNESS of God. He is the reconciler who brought sinful man and Holy God into a right relationship by making peace and covering our sin with His blood, which was poured out on the cross. Man, oh man - praise Him! What do we learn about Jesus from this passage? Let's ask Spurgeon and Piper: In order to preach the gospel fully, there must be a very clear description of the person of Christ; and we preach Christ as God,—not a man made into a God, nor a God degraded to the level of a man, not something between a man and a God; but "very God of very God," one with his Father in every attribute,—eternal, having neither beginning of days, nor end of years; omnipresent, filling all space; omnipotent, having all power in heaven and on earth; omniscient, knowing all things from eternity; the great Creator, Preserver, and Judge of all, in all things the equal and the express image of the invisible God. If we err concerning the Deity of Christ, we err everywhere. The gospel that does not reveal a Divine Saviour is no gospel at all; it is like a ship without a rudder, the first contrary wind that blows shall drive it to destruction, and woe be to the souls that are trusting to it! No shoulders but those almighty ones which bear the earth's huge pillars up can ever carry the enormous weight of human guilt and human need. We preach to you Christ the Son of Mary, once sleeping in his mother's arms, yet the Infinite even while he was an infant; Christ the reputed Son of Joseph, toiling

Happy Monday, everybody! Godspeed and safety and rich blessings to all of you essential workers out there - may the Lord bless you and keep you safe as you serve this country! Nurses, doctors, scientists, first responders, and medical folks - we are rooting for you and praying for you! Thank you for being healers and servants of Jesus and His people in these crazy times. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe and shower His comfort on you! Today is day 13 of shelter in place for many of us in Central California, yesterday most of my family enjoyed a lovely hike together on trails near our house (which is allowed under our order!). For those who are under shelter in place and it's allowed - try to get out and walk in the sunlight every day. It is a wonderful time to pray and walk in your city and neighborhood - to seek the Lord and bathe in His light. Today's Bible readings are fantastic, and I had to choose between multiple topics that would have been excellent to cover. Leviticus 1, Proverbs 17 (which has some great quarantine wisdom!), John 20 (THE EMPTY TOMB!) and Philippians 4. I came very close to focusing on Philippians 4 today, with the questions: What exactly does "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me mean? Does it mean I can score all the touchdowns, and be successful in life, or something different?" But I think we will hold off on that discussion until we come back around to Philippians 4, Lord willing. Our focus today - surprise - is the empty tomb of Jesus. How important is it to Christians - especially when the whole world is shaking in its boots about the spread of a scary illness? So - let's read John 20 together, and then come back and hear from Gary Habermas, one of the best teachers I've ever had, and a prominent expert on the resurrection. I have had some great professors in my seminary days, and Gary Habermas was one of the best. He teaches apologetics primarily, and his focus is on the resurrection of Jesus. He is one of the foremost experts in the world on the resurrection, and has debated many prominent atheists. He was a fantastic and riveting teacher, and that class left a huge impression on me. I'd like to turn to Dr. Habermas to give us some reasons to believe that the empty tomb of Jesus was a historical event, and not merely a religious belief. Major Arguments for the Empty Tomb (1) Perhaps the most powerful argument favoring the empty tomb concerns its location and the events surrounding it. The Gospel accounts are unanimous that Jesus was buried in a tomb that was located in Jerusalem. Few critics question this, holding that Jesus died and was buried in the city. Most also agree that early Christian preaching took place here, leading to the birth of the church. But it is precisely since Jesus' grave was located nearby that we have a serious problem if it was anything but empty. Unless Jesus' tomb was unoccupied, the early Christian preaching would have been disproved on the spot. How could it be preached that Jesus had been raised from the dead if that message were starkly confronted by a rotting body? Exposing the body would kill the message and be an easy disproof of Christianity before it even gained momentum. Thus, Jerusalem is the last place for the early Christian teachings to gain a foothold unless Jesus' grave was empty. A Sunday walk to the tomb could have settled the matter one way or another. A creative response might be to assert that perhaps the body was indeed in the tomb, but that, very soon afterwards, the body would have been unrecognizable, due to its decomposition. Or perhaps the tomb was still simply closed without being opened for inspection.1 But these questions miss entirely the point of the Christian preaching that the tomb was empty. Therefore, if any body was found in Jesus' tomb, whether Jesus' or even someone else's, or if it were still closed, this would have contradicted the teaching that it was empty. In Jerusalem, the mistake would have been exposed in no time. (2) The most-mentioned argument in support of the Gospel accounts is the unanimous agreement that women were the first witnesses to the empty tomb. While it is not strictly true that women were disallowed from testifying in a court of law, it was clearly the case that there was a strong prejudice against using female testimony for important matters.2 Notwithstanding this common stance, the Gospel accounts insist in their proclamation that the women were the star witnesses to the empty tomb. But why should these writers highlight female testimony unless the women really were the first to discover this fact? To do so would be to weaken their case considerably in the eyes of most listeners. Given this situation in first century Palestine, we can only conclude that the Gospel authors were clearly convinced that the women had discovered the empty tomb. They were more interested in reporting the truth than they were in avoiding criticism. This argument is very widely recogni

Happy Lord's Day, dear friends! If you don't have a streaming church home - or if you do, and you want more, I guess, then please allow me to invite you to join our church - Valley Baptist Church in Salinas - for a livestreamed time of worship, Word and prayer tomorrow. Our church is going through the book of Proverbs, and the message is on Quarantine wisdom - because there is a surprising amount of applicable wisdom in Proverbs for those of us who are quarantined or close to it. Our website is: https://www.facebook.com/VBCsalinas/ Come join us! Today's Bible passages include Exodus 40 - the Glory of the Lord fills the Tabernacle - what an awesome passage for the Lord's Day. We are also reading Proverbs 16, John 19, and Philippians 3 - a particularly rich day of feasting on the Word in the New Testament passages. Because I am recording this on Saturday night/early Sunday, it will be a shorter than normal podcast, because I want to maintain focus on celebrating the Lord's Day today with the church I am pastoring. Our focus today is the crucifixion of Jesus in John 19, and in this passage we hear the last Word of Jesus, which He said right before He died. I vividly remember a sermon that our pastor preached on this word when I was in college eons ago, and I vividly remember the word to this day - 'Tetelestai," Which simply means, "It is finished." We are going to focus this episode on that one BEAUTIFUL Word of Jesus, because it loudly proclaims the Good News in and of itself. I very rarely discuss grammar here on the podcast, but this Word of Jesus deserves more scrutiny than normal. For one, it is in the perfect tense, which has some important implications according to one of my Greek grammar textbooks: The perfect tense in Greek corresponds to the perfect tense in English, and describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. Jesus' last cry from the cross, TETELESTAI ("It is finished!") is a good example of the perfect tense used in this sense, namely "It [the atonement] has been accomplished, completely, once and for all time." Larry Pierce, Tense Voice Mood (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.). In further discussing this amazing word, let's start with one old school Baptist - Herschel Hobbs, and then close out with an older school Baptist - Charles Spurgeon. With a clear voice Jesus uttered one last word from the cross: tetelestai (John 19:30). The papyri throw great light on this word. If a promissory note were paid, the one holding the note wrote "telelestai" across it. A deed to property was not in effect until it was dated and signed. When this was done, the clerk wrote "tetelestai" across it. Another example of its use was when a father sent his son on a mission. The son was not to return until he had performed the last act of the mission. When he did return from a successful mission, he used tetelestai to report it. What do these meanings say to us? In eternity the Son gave the Father a promissory note that He would pay the price for humanity's redemption (see Heb. 10:5–7). On Calvary the note was paid-in-full. Tetelestai! The Son reported His completed mission to the Father. Tetelestai! Perhaps when the waiting hosts in heaven heard of the completed work of Jesus heaven rang with it. TETELESTAI! And the Father smiled His approval. Herschel H. Hobbs, My Favorite Illustrations (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1990), 218. And now, here are some blessed words from friend of the show, Charles Spurgeon: IN the original Greek of John's Gospel, there is only one word for this utterance of our Lord. To translate it into English, we have to use three words; but when it was spoken, it was only one,—an ocean of meaning in a drop of language, a mere drop, for that is all that we can call one word. "It is finished." Yet it would need all the other words that ever were spoken, or ever can be spoken, to explain this one word. It is altogether immeasurable. It is high; I cannot attain to it. It is deep; I cannot fathom it. "Finished." I can half imagine the tone in which our Lord uttered this word, with a holy glorying, a sense of relief, the bursting out of a heart that had long been shut up within walls of anguish. "Finished." It was a Conqueror's cry; it was uttered with a loud voice. There is nothing of anguish about it, there is no wailing in it. It is the cry of One who has completed a tremendous labour, and is about to die; and ere he utters his death-prayer, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," he shouts his life's last hymn in that one word, "Finished."... Dear friends, once more, take comfort from this "It is finished," for the redemption of Christ's Church is perfected. There is not another penny to be paid for her full release. There is no mortgage upon Christ's inheritance. Those whom he bought with blood are for ever clear of all charges, paid for to the utmost. There was a handwriting of ordinances against us; but

Happy Saturday, friends - how's everybody out there doing in quarantine land? I hope you are getting a walk everyday, if that is possible where you live. Allow me to urge you to press into the Lord in prayer right now. We must pray in the midst of this crisis - let the son of God find faith on earth in His people now! (Luke 18:1-9). I was enjoying a nice evening walk last night before bed, engrossed in a podcast, when I was nudged by the Spirit to pray, and it was a wonderful time of communion and intercession with God. May we prioritize abiding in Christ right now more so than ever in this season! Today's Bible passages are Exodus 39, Proverbs 15, John 18 and Philippians 2, which is our focus passage. In that chapter, Paul gives us one of the deepest descriptions of the person and character of Jesus. Let's read it, focusing in our attention on verses 5-11: 5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 Many scholars believe the above verses are an early hymn of the church, or a creed that was repeated among Christians, or both, which is why these verses are set apart in many Bibles. Paul wrote them in a chiastic structure, which is indicative of ancient and modern poetry. Further, this section doesn't use words and word order in quite the same way that Paul usually wrote, which seems to indicate the possibility that somebody other than Paul wrote this hymn/creed, and Paul was sharing it - not in a plagiaristic way - but as a reference that they would all be familiar with. (Certainly, Paul could have also written the creed/hymn as well) From a scholarly point of view, this passage is important, because Philippians was probably written by Paul in the mid 50s AD, but this creed would have been earlier than that - perhaps much earlier. It demonstrates that early Christians - prior to the writing of this letter - worshipped Jesus as Lord. But, we aren't here to talk about scholarly things - we are here to talk about the character of Jesus! Notice the intro here - Christians are to 'adopt' the same attitude that Jesus had. More literally, Paul is saying that Christians should have the mind, or mindset of Christ. What does this mean? It means several things, reading through the passage. *Christians are saved children of God, but like Jesus, we are not to seek to EXPLOIT that status or use it to our advantage. *Like Jesus, we are to take the form and nature and character of a SERVANT (the Greek word is doulos - often translated as 'slave,' but more in line with a bondservant than the monstrosity of racial slavery perpetuated in many Western countries in previous centuries. *Like Jesus, we are to HUMBLE ourselves, and be willing to SERVE others - even in menial ways. *Like Jesus, we are to humble ourselves and OBEY God - even when He calls us to difficult things. The good news is that Jesus - living a humble, obedient and servant-hearted lifestyle that was characterized by suffering was greatly glorified by His Father afterwards. That promise is also given to Christians who follow the mindset and attitude of Jesus in 2nd Timothy 2:12 "if we endure, we will also reign with him." In this same light, consider Romans 8 16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:16-17 Likewise 2nd Corinthians 1:7 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:7 Pastor Tim Keller has a wonderful take on this passage, and I'll close with it here: What did he do? Here's what he did. This is the heart of it all. Right in the center of this passage it says, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing …" Do you know what that Greek word is? Kenosis. Does that sound familiar to you? It says he emptied himself. Though he was God, he emptied himself. The big question theologians have been asking for about 2,000 years is, "Emptied himself of what?" It doesn't say; it just says he emptied himself. Some people say, "Of course, he was God, so he emptied himself of his deity, he emptied himself of his divinity." That's not what it says. It never says he gave up being God. It says he start

Hello everybody, and welcome in to day #8 of Shelter in place for those of us in Central California. I should have marked a week yesterday, but hours sort of bleed into days now, and days bleed into weeks. Things are surreal here, but Heaven is NOT shook. The King is on His Throne and Jesus is at the right hand of the Father ever living to intercede for His people. Let us be praying to Him for repentance, forgiveness, and healing of our land as we face this plague - He is FAITHFUL! Today's readings include Exodus 38, Proverbs 14, John 17, and Philippians 1. John 17 is our focus passage today, as we look at the longest prayer of Jesus recorded in the entire Bible. I'm not going to make you wait very long to see what Jesus prayed THREE times for when praying to His Father for Christians that would come after His ascension - let's read the passage, and find out! 20 "I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. 21 May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. John 17:20-23 Did you catch it? Three times He prayed that His followers would be ONE - not just any type of oneness either. Review those verses - Jesus was praying that His future followers - US! - would have the same oneness with each other, as Jesus and the Father have. In other words, COMPLETELY ONE! This is an incredible prayer, and, I think a tremendous tragedy that Christians do not take this call to unity more seriously. Far too often, Christians are ready to separate from each other for various doctrinal, personal injury, or personal belief issues. The net result of this is incredible division in the church - tens of thousands of denominations - and an incredible confusion of our message of the Gospel to the World. As Jesus notes, when Christians are in unity with each other - experiencing the oneness that is shared by the Holy Trinity - then the world BELIEVES that the Father sent Jesus. I don't think it is a leap in logic at all to affirm the converse of that statement - that the people of the world have no idea what to believe when Christians are not in unity. 35 years ago, the comedian Emo Philips wrote a joke that was voted as the funniest joke in religion. I actually think it is more sad, than funny, but I will read it to you (without endorsing Emo, because I am unfamiliar with most of his comedy) because I find the joke very insightful: Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too!" Northern Conservative†Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/29/comedy.religion I believe that many outside of Christianity view the church in this sort of way - there are so many splinters in christendom that they either laugh, or dismiss us, or don't know who to turn to for big questions and help during a crisis. Our disunity disrupts our message, and that is sad, and a deadly danger to the church. I have seen deep, deep Christian brothers and sisters separate over issues that don't involve major sin, or compromise, or even a disagreement over major doctrines, but over far more minor and disputed issues. Every time I see it, it grieves me, because that is NOT at all what Jesus prayed for in His people, and I'm not always sure how we can justify separation from other believers over such things when Jesus clearly seems to be praying for the opposite. It's not just the Church (big 'C' I am very blessed to experience remarkable unity in the last two churches I've served in, really the last three) I'm concerned about either. Consider this striking teaching of Jesus in the context of what is going on right now in the United States of America (or the United Kingdom...or your country, if it is very divided): 25 Knowing their thoughts, he told them: "Every kingdom divided agains

Answer to question #2: I don't know. Today's podcast would be the easiest and shortest Bible Reading podcast ever, if the only question we had to deal with was "where is the Ark of the Covenant?" Because, despite being one of the top daily Bible podcasters in all of South Salinas, I have no earthly idea where the Ark currently is. In fact, of the two famous Arks that I am familiar with - Noah's and this one, I know where neither are, although I do recall watching a great documentary on it when I was a kid. If I had to guess where both Arks were, I'd guess EurasiCA, which is to say, somewhere in Europe, Asia or Africa. That's pretty specific, so you all should get looking! I will say this, however...by the end of today's episode, I may not be able to tell you where the Ark of the Covenant is NOW, but I do think we can discover where it WILL BE SOON! In the meantime, I've got a Bible Podcast to do, and today's readings include our focus passage, Exodus 37, Proverbs 13, John 16 and Ephesians 6. Today we are talking about Arks - one specific ark, to be clear, but before we do that, we need to try and clear up some confusion. Have you ever wondered why the Ark of the Covenant and Noah's Ark are both arks, but they are radically different from each other?? Me too! I can't tell you how many nights of sleep that I have lost trying to figure this mystery out. Actually I can - so far, it is zero, but if this opening lasts much longer, it might be one. So - here's the thing - counterintuitively, the Hebrew word for Noah's ark is actually the word, " תֵּבָה têbâh," and it is translated as "a chest, an ark, or a coffer." The only other place the word is used is in the early chapters of Exodus, to refer to the floating basket that Moses was put in before it was sent down the river to the household of Pharaoh. It is a curious word, and probably best for us to think of it as a floating box, rather than a 'boat.' It does not appear that Noah's ark was really made for anything but to be a floating container, while a boat or ship is for transportation and other uses. The Ark in our focus passage today is a different Hebrew word entirely, " אָרוֹן ʼârôwn" An arown can be a chest, or even a coffin (Joseph was buried in an 'arown) and comes from a Hebrew verb meaning to gather, pluck (like fruit) or collect, and hence you might put what you gather or collect into an arown. The similarity, of course, is that both words indicate a container type of thing. In Koine Greek, in which the New Testament is written, you find that both words for ark are conflated into one word: κιβωτός, κιβωτοῦ Kibotos, or Kibotou. I'd think things would have been simpler to translate them as slightly different words in the Greek (and subsequently, the English,) but the New Testament authors never asked my opinion for some reason, so we now have one word for two slightly different kinds of arks. The first mention of the Ark of the Covenant is in Exodus 25. You might be wondering, "well, why didn't we cover this way back when we were reading in Exodus 25?" And my answer would be, "Well, mr. Smarty pants: I was hoping to find the location of the Ark of the Covenant between that episode and now, because that would have made for a better podcast, but I didn't." Then I would wink at you so you'd know I was joking, but I probably wouldn't reveal the real answer to you, because it is above top secret. Oh yeah, here's that first appearance: 10 "They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. Exodus 25:10 So now, let's go read about the Ark being made by Bezalel, and then come back and discuss it a little more. The Ark was about 52 by 31 by 31 inches, and was covered in hammered gold all around, with four gold rings in each of the corners to carry it with via poles. The ark was made of shittim wood, which is a word that you have to be sure to pronounce correctly as it does not sound like you'd think it does based on looking at it. This wood comes from the red acacia tree, which is a thorny tree that grows to about 30 feet tall, and is found throughout parts of Africa and the Middle East. On top of the Ark is the mercy seat, or kapporet, which is probably the most significant part of this object. A good description can be found at Gotquestions.org, so I'll just borrow it and give them credit: The real significance of the Ark of the Covenant was what took place involving the lid of the box, known as the "Mercy Seat." The term 'mercy seat' comes from a Hebrew word meaning "to cover, placate, appease, cleanse, cancel or make atonement for." It was here that the high priest, only once a year (Leviticus 16), entered the Holy of Holies where the Ark was kept and atoned for his sins and the sins of the Israelites. The priest sprinkled blood

Most of the time I apologize for it when I have a click-baity title, but not this time. This time, I'm almost proud. You know what click-bait is, right? It is a title to an article that somebody shares on social media, or is an ad on a website that is worded so that you click on it. Maybe you've seen some of these ads - my least favorite are the ones that show what appears to be a disgusting skillet full of boiled bananas and a caption like, "gut surgeons say - don't eat this one vegetable." OR - "Gut surgeons say to eat this one vegetable to be regular," Or something like that. Well, on today's podcast, I am actually going to tell you the real and ultimate hidden Levitical secret code for being regular every day, and it is found in the book of Exlaxodus, chapter 2. Okay. I'm not proud of that joke. I apologize. Day six of shelter in place has got me so worked up, that my comedy material has sunk to new lows. More seriously, I would urge you to pray for each other, and pray for me and pray for all believers as we go through these scary times. If there is a way I can pray for you, please reach out and leave a comment at Biblereadingpodcast.com - it would be a privilege to lift you up in prayer, and a great encouragement knowing that you are praying for my family of seven hunkered down in Salinas, California. Today's Bible readings include Exodus 36. Proverbs 12, John 15 and Ephesians 5. Our focus passage for the day remains in John, and we are looking at a critically important teaching of Jesus. There are a lot of important passages in the Bible, and a lot of important teachings of Jesus, but I want to be really clear that this one, in particular is crucial. Consider the way that Jesus talks about this passage. Getting the truth of it means that you will bear much fruit, which shows that you are a follower of Jesus. Not walking in the truth of it puts you in danger of being the kind of branches that are gathered up and tossed into the fire. Not only that, but walking in the truth of this passage opens up a deeper, richer and more effective prayer life, as Jesus says that following His teaching here is a critical key to having answered prayers. So - enough dancing around it. What is this key teaching of Jesus? It is simply this: To ABIDE in Him like a branch that is connected to the grapevine. (ESV, NASB, KJV) To REMAIN in Him (CSB). To STAY JOINED to Him. (CEV) The word picture is that we are a branch grafted into the vine. Just like a branch removed from a vine rooted in the earth will NOT bear any fruits, so we will not bear any fruits with our lives if we are not rooted and grounded in Jesus the true vine. Let's read the passage, and come back and discuss it. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples. John 15:1-8 John is not the only place in the Bible that discusses our relationship with Jesus using a kind of garden metaphor. Colossians 2 and Ephesians 3 also do the same thing: Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7 New Living Translation 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14=19 The one big question that should occur to us, upon seeing the importance of abiding is - HOW?! How do we abide in Jesus? I think the answer is given to us in verse 7, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you " In order for us to abide in Jesus, HIS WORDS MUST FILL US - live in us, dwell in us. We must go to the Bible daily and more so that the Words of

Happy Tuesday, friends! Today is day #6 of shelter in place for many of us, and things are pretty scary right now. Let me encourage you, as I have before, to not let the Word of God be overwhelmed in your mind by the reports of the world. Don't stick your head in the sand - by any means - but DO stick your head in the Word, first, foremost and most! Today's Bible readings are Exodus 35, Proverbs 11, John 14, and Ephesians 3 and 4, because I inexplicably left off Ephesians 3 from yesterday's episode - shame on me! Exodus 35 is focused on the sabbath which - I promise - we will cover in depth very soon. Also on the slate for a future show: Do Old Testament passages like Psalm 91 promise Christians living in the pandemic age that God will keep them from getting sick? Today's topic is one of the most important we've ever covered, and it will possibly cost us some listeners, because it is one of those hard truths from the Bible that not everybody likes. That said, it is a teaching of the Bible that is absolutely indisputable. Over and over again, the Bible clearly, consistently and unequivocally points to Jesus as the only way of salvation. I'd like to start this discussion by discussing a bestselling book and movie that some might be familiar with - The Shack. I wrote a book on the Shack a few years ago that challenged the universalist theology found therein called UnShackled: Facing Suffering With The REAL Jesus. It is available on Amazon, and if you buy a copy today, I will send you an autographed square of toilet paper - an invaluable prize! Most critics of The Shack tend to point out the female representations of deity as being the most disturbing problem about this book. I believe, however, that the most concerning and unbiblical aspect of The Shack is its universalism. What, precisely is universalism? It is the belief that all humans will spend eternity with God in Heaven. Young's particular viewpoint is that the death of Jesus on the cross essentially saved every human whether they come to Jesus in their lifetime or not. Witness this exchange between Papa and Mack: Papa sat forward and crossed her arms on the table. "Honey, you asked me what Jesus accomplished on the cross, so now listen to me carefully: through his death and resurrection, I am now fully reconciled to the world." "The whole world? You mean those who believe in you, right?" "The whole world, Mack. All I am telling you is that reconciliation is a two-way street, and I have done my part, totally, completely, finally. 'Papa' is making the case here that the death of Jesus on the cross accomplished universal reconciliation – the world is now fully reconciled to her through what Jesus did on the cross. While that may sound nice and comforting, it is not what the Jesus of the Bible teaches. You can also see Young's universalism come out in the fact that Papa, and Jesus (and Mack, his wife and all of their kids too) are huge fans of Bruce Cockburn, the Unitarian-Universalist musician from Canada. Such an odd and seemingly random detail, mentioned several times in the book, is not added lightly. That Young intends his book to espouse his universalistic views is made clear in his follow-up theology book, called Lies We Believe About God. In that book, which details the theology that underlies the fiction of The Shack, Young writes: "God does not wait for my choice and then "save me." God has acted decisively and universally for all humankind. Now our daily choice is to either grow and participate in that reality or continue to live in the blindness of our own independence. Are you suggesting that everyone is saved? That you believe in universal salvation? That is exactly what I am saying! Here's the truth: every person who has ever been conceived was included in the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus." What is the problem with universalism? Doesn't God love everybody? Yes! He does love everybody, but the Bible is VERY clear (and Jesus is the CLEAREST of all) that NOT everybody will be saved. Universalism has generally been considered a heresy (meaning unorthodox/contrary to the clear teaching of the Bible) by all major branches of Christianity since the beginning, and rightly so! Consider these specific proclamations of Jesus: "The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him." John 3:36 "Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God." John 3:18 "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:46 "Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. On that day ma

Happy Monday, friends! Today begins day #5 of shelter in place for us in central California. Yesterday, when my son and I went for a walk in our neighborhood - which is in the city of Salinas, California - we happened upon a gaggle of turkeys atop our neighbor's house. It would seem the animals are retaking their former territory with less and less humans on the street. I, for one, welcome our new turkey overlords, as long as they can clear up this coronavirus thing...you can count on me to vote straight turkey in the November elections. Now on to more serious things - today's Bible readings include Exodus 34, Proverbs 10, John 13 and Ephesians 3. Our focus passage is from Exodus 34, which has long been one of my favorite passages in the Old Testament. Some people who have not actually read the Bible have the idea that the 'God of the Old Testament' is harsh and judgmental and terrifying, but the 'God of the New Testament' is merciful and kind. Well, the fact is - the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are quite the SAME, and He doesn't change. He is both kind/merciful and Holy/a consuming fire. I heard a great Tim Keller sermon today on this dynamic that talked about how Jesus was a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, according to Hebrews. For a Jewish person, this would have been a most astonishing statement. For them the priests were the ministers of health and mercy in their society -the social workers, the medics, the nurses, and the ministers all in one, really. This is why Jesus commanded the cleansed and healed lepers to go show themselves to the priests in Luke 17. Those lepers were healed, but the priests, in their compassion/social work function, would need to have a record of them being cleansed. They were the compassionate arm of the governmental leadership of the people of God. The kings, on the other hand, were far more focused on justice. If you did wrong, it was the king and his administration's job to punish evil and protect the citizens. This can be pretty clearly seen in Romans 13, where Paul describes the role of the King and the high judicial authorities: 2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God's command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. 4 For it is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God's servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Romans 13:2-4 The king brings justice and carries the sword, but the priest is a minister of mercy, compassion and kindness - two wildly different offices. The thing about Melchizedek, however, is that he alone in the Old Testament was a priest AND a king. In fact, as we've discussed before, I consider Melchizedek to be a Christophany - an Old Testament appearance of Christ. Jesus, like Melchizedek, was and is a KING and a PRIEST. He is a FOREVER PRIEST, and He is the KING OF ALL KINGS - He combines the justice/judgment/holiness/authority of the King with the compassion/mercy/tenderness of the priest. And, as you might expect, Jesus is like His Father who was also abounding in mercy AND a just/Holy and almighty Judge. Let's read Exodus 34 and see how God describes HIMSELF: 5 The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name Yahweh. 6 Then the Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers' wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:5-7 Such an interesting passage! In particular, I am stirred by the fact that God says He is rich in "faithful love," and that He maintains that "faithful love," to a thousand generations. Back in my seminary days, I took a Hebrew exegesis class, and one of our assignments was to write a long paper on ONE word. I thought it was going to be one of the toughest and most boring assignments I've ever had. First, because Hebrew was a very hard language to learn. Entirely different characters, no punctuation, no vowels per se, and the script reads right to left, rather than left to right. Nevertheless, this assignment has become one of my favorite and most fruitful assignments I've ever had. Almost no other assignment in seminary quite revealed the character of God to me like studying this ONE Hebrew word: סֶד cheçed, kheh'-sed. We don't really have an English equivalent for that word, but faithful love or covenant love is an approximation. I'd like to share a little bit about that word, if you'll let me. Not as an academic study, but to illuminate for u

Happy Lord's Day, dear friends. Today is Shelter in Place day #4 for all of us Californians. Yipee! I want to remind you that if you are also sheltering in place, your flesh may be locked down, so to speak, but we are people of the Spirit of God - we are NOT locked down! The Body of Christ is not stymied by this because the Word of God is not muffled and neither the Head of the Church, Jesus, nor the Holy Spirit are under any sort of restrictions whatsoever. God reigns supreme now, and we are His people. I'd like to invite you to join our church today for its worship, prayer and Word livestream Sunday morning at 11am Pacific time at: https://www.facebook.com/VBCsalinas/ Today's Bible passages include Exodus 33, Proverbs 9, John 12 and Ephesians 2. Our focus passage is Ephesians 2, and we are talking about what the church is from that passage. As a reminder, our podcasts on Sunday are usually the shortest of all for several reasons. 1, to not take away at all from your local church celebration of the Lord's Day, and also because I am a pastor, and my focus on Saturday should mostly be on preparing for our own church gathering. So, it's great for you, if you like a shorter podcast, but don't worry if you like the long-winded ones - usually Monday's podcasts are especially lengthy. The book of Ephesians, though short, has some of the deepest insights into the church -the Body of Christ - in the entire Bible. Yesterday's Ephesians passage began the discussion about the church in the last few verses: He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens— 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. Ephesians 1:20-23 So - we learn here that the church is something that is born out of the resurrection of Jesus, and that Jesus Himself is the HEAD of the church. We also learn that the church is, in some way, the Body of Jesus. We learn even more about the church in Ephesians 2: 17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God's dwelling in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:17-22 Now, this is profound. We learn here that the church is NOT a building, not a service, but a PEOPLE - a PEOPLE in which God's Spirit lives in them. What kind of PEOPLE is the church? Well - we aren't strangers or foreigners to each other...much more than that! We are, in fact, MEMBERS OF GOD's HOUSEHOLD - FAMILY MEMBERS! Some of us are lonely. I have good news - if you are in Christ - your loneliness is temporary. You have a beautiful eternal family that you will spend your eternity with. Some of us have had bad families and bad fathers - I have good news...this family has a wonderful Father, and incredible Head in Jesus, and your eternal brothers and sisters are going to be made wonderful, precious, and not the least bit annoying by the sanctification of Jesus. In many places around the world right now, the church is not able to gather physically because of the current pandemic situation. This is a tragedy in that we miss seeing the church, which is the PEOPLE. The building is nothing more than that - bricks, stones, wood, concrete, desks, chairs, etc. Useful to have, but NOT the church, according to Ephesians 2. I love how Spurgeon expounds on this passage in one of his sermons: Remember, again, the saying of the apostle Paul at Athens, "God that made the world and all things in the world, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made with hands." When men talk of holy places they seem to be ignorant of the use of language. Can holiness dwell in bricks and mortar? Can there be such a thing as a sanctified steeple? Can it possibly happen that there can be such a thing in the world as a moral window or a godly door post? I am lost in amazement, utterly lost, when I think how addled men's brain, must be when they impute moral virtues to bricks and mortar, and stones, and stained glass. I wonder how deep does this consecration go, and how high? Is every crow that flies over the edifice at that time in solemn air? Certainly it is as rational to believe that, as to conceive that every worm that is eating the body of an Episcopalian is a consecrated worm, and therefore there must necessarily be a brick wall, or a wide g

Hello Friends - we've made it to the weekend, not that it means as much as it used to. Our family went for a walk today - still allowed under day three of the California Coronavirus shutdown - and my sixteen year old son asked what day it was tomorrow. Upon finding out it was Saturday, he sort of sadly remarked, "I guess that doesn't really mean anything anymore." And honestly, at least in the short term - I suppose he's right to some degree. How rapidly the world has changed, and yet, how constant is the character and love of God: 5 "I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the hired worker, the widow, and the fatherless; and against those who deny justice to the resident alien. They do not fear me," says the Lord of Armies. 6 "Because I, the Lord, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. Malachi 3:5-6 He is still on His throne. Yes, He is shaking the world, but He is good, and we are not consumed because of His great mercy. Today's Bible readings include Exodus 32, Proverbs 8, John 11 and Ephesians 1. Exodus 32 contains what may be one of the most unintentionally funny passages in the Bible - a passage that shows us 80+ year old men are capable of coming up with excuses for their bad behavior that are just as bad as the excuses of children and teenagers: 21 Then Moses asked Aaron, "What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin?"22 "Don't be enraged, my lord," Aaron replied. "You yourself know that the people are intent on evil. 23 They said to me, 'Make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don't know what has happened to him!' 24 So I said to them, 'Whoever has gold, take it off,' and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!" Exodus 32:22-24 Our focus passage today is John 11, and our big Bible question comes from verses 23-26 23 "Your brother will rise again," Jesus told her.24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:23-26 Things are scary right now, and if most of us are being honest, our great fear is all about death. Maybe we aren't ourselves afraid to die, but maybe we are afraid somebody close to us will, and that is why the world is shaking from this coronavirus situation. To be clear, this is NOT another flu, or a spicy flu. Consider Italy, which is being devastated by the Coronavirus. During this flu season from October to January 20 approximately 2.7 MILLION people in Italy got the flu (certainly more have since then) During that time period, around 240 people died. 2.7 MILLION infected and 240 deaths. That's bad - that's a lot of flu, and a lot of sadness to lose 240 people. However, the Coronavirus is quite different. Thus far, since January, 47000 Italians have gotten the coronavirus and more than 4000 have died. I'm NOT saying this to frighten you in the least, but to sober us up - especially those of us who are dismissing this as overhyped and overblown. This thing is bad, and it is devastating Washington, California and New York right now in a way that shows us Americans are NOT exempt in the least from this thing. So - what is our response? To be afraid?? No, actually. My son tonight sent me a fantastic video from Francis Chan that underscored one important theological truth that we should all be aware of right now: The MOST OFTEN REPEATED COMMAND IN THE BIBLE IS, "FEAR NOT!" So - HOW can we not give into fear in the midst of this scary pandemic? I'm glad you asked - let's read John 11, and then come back and talk about it. The reason that we don't give into fear in the face of a very real and powerful enemy like coronavirus is because the worst it can do is kill. You might think that is pretty bad, and it is pretty bad...but it is not an ultimate bad. It is a temporary bad. I recall when I was a teenager - the exact age of my son now - I was riding on my ten speed in the slanted cul-de-sac that our home was located on. I was wearing shorts, and spinning in ever tightening circles until all of the sudden, my bike lost leverage, and I skidded across the asphalt. Unfortunately, that skid took off almost a square foot of flesh from the side of my thigh - which was horrible painful. It took about a month or more to heal, and it was miserable for that month, because it would 'weep' or drain through my bandages and my clothes. GROSS! But you know what? That was so long ago, and so temporary, that I chuckle about it now, and don't even cringe. Death will be like that when we are standing in the promise of Jesus being the resurrection and the life. Consider this paradoxical promise

Hello friends, and welcome into the Bible Reading Podcast. This is Day 3 of Shelter in Place for us Californians, and such decisions are likely coming for many across the United States. These are strange and scary times, but the Body of Christ is no stranger to tribulation and trials! Today's Bible passages are Exodus 31, Proverbs 7, John 10 and Galatians 6. One day soon we will discuss one of the bigger Bible questions out there: Do the Old Testament Sabbath Commands still apply to New Covenant Christians? But today our focus is more pastoral, and less theological. Consider this beautiful passage in Galatians: 9 Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. Galatians 6:9-10 This is such an important passage for the time we find ourselves in. We will be fruitful in this season as the blood-bought church of the Living and Resurrected Jesus IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP. And, in the midst of this pandemic, we must WORK FOR THE GOOD OF ALL - especially for those who are in the faith. Just briefly, let us consider the part of this command that many of us aren't going to get, unless it is shouted at us a bit. Paul, under the inspiration and AUTHORITY of the Holy Spirit, commands us to Work for the GOOD of ALL. Who does ALL include? I'm glad you asked. If you are a die-hard Republican, ALL includes Democrats. and Vice-versa. If you are a big Alabama fan, ALL includes Auburn fans, and vice-versa. You love the 49ers? ALL includes the Raiders, and vice-versa If you are a saved follower of Jesus who believes He is the only way to salvation (as I do!) then ALL includes Islamic people, atheists, agnostics, and people who think Christians are fools. If you are a cessationist, all includes charismatics and contiuationists. (and vice-versa) If you are a Calvinist, ALL includes Arminians! If you are a Baptist, ALL includes Methodists (and vice versa) Maybe you are getting it now. I hope I am! Aside from this command to do good to all - which is an excellent reminder for us right now, I want to focus on the promise in Scripture that we will REAP and be fruitful IF WE do NOT give up! Let's talk a little about perseverance, beginning with a few Bible passages to spur us on and encourage us NOT to give up: Ten Bible Verses on Perseverance and NOT Giving Up: But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up. 2 Corinthians 4:1 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25 12 A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 3 And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5 2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 10 Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will have affliction for 10 days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10 17 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, 18 but not a hair of your head will be lost. 19 By your endurance gain your lives. Luke 21:17 8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9 11 This saying is trustworthy: For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; 13 if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2nd Timothy 2:11-13 "A society of good Christian people will split into pieces over a petty quarrel, or mere matter of opinion, while all around them the masses are perishing for want of the gospel. A miserable little mouse, which no cat would ever hunt, takes them off from their Lord's work. Again, intelligent men will spend months of time and heaps of money in inventing and publishing mere speculations, while the great field of the world lies unploughed. They seem to care nothin

Hello friends, and welcome to Shelter in Place, Day #2. We managed to survive the first day, but already the kids are growing restless. Today's Bible passages are Exodus 30, Proverbs 6, John 9, and Galatians 5. One of these days, I'd like to explore John 9:41, but today is not that day. "If you were blind," Jesus told them, "you wouldn't have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains. John 9:41 Today is the day we consider the Bible's teaching on the fruit (singular!) of the Spirit. This comes from Galatians 5: 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:19-26 Those that are of the flesh, that is to say - those that are untransformed humans will live their lives in a way that is dominated by the works of the flesh - there will be outbursts of anger, hatreds, strife and jealousy, as well as the pursuit of drunkenness, sexual promiscuity with multiple partners outside the bounds of marriage, cliques, coveting and jealousy, and basically of the things that one can see celebrities modeling on Instagram on any given day. These represent the values and vices of the world - those things that humans pursue and desire and give their lives to, along with those weaknesses in humanity that come out in unfiltered ways among those are are not transformed by the Gospel and the Spirit. Paul is not merely saying that the BAD people of the world display the works of the flesh, but that EVERY human will live and breathe the works of the flesh, because they have been corrupted by the Fall in Genesis 3, and their hearts are bent towards the evils mentioned here, and bent away from the character traits of God. Consider God's assessment of unredeemed humanity in Genesis 6: 5 When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, 6 the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved. Genesis 6:5-6 So - when you see 'works of the flesh,' don't think bad guys, think humanity. However, as Paul has been sharing with us, those who believe the Gospel are transformed. This isn't a work of self-discipline in the same way that somebody who is out of shape can work very hard and become extremely physically fit - the transformation from God is not an outer effort of the flesh like working out, but an inner ministry and re-creation of the Holy Spirit that transforms the very nature, desires and inclinations of a person. Indeed, that transformation is so radical and complete that Paul talks about it in terms of death - the death of the 'old man' - the man of flesh and humanity and the new life that comes from the indwelling Spirit of Christ: 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. Galatians 2:19-21 That transformation and salvation, says Paul, does NOT come from the efforts of the flesh, or through works, or through obedience to all of God's commands - the transformation happens by grace, through faith, and is an activity of the Spirit. Growth and sanctification also do not come as a work of the flesh or through human effort, but it is a continuous and ongoing work of transformation by the Spirit. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? 4 Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? Galatians 3:2-4 An issue we have, however, is that the flesh desires things that are often the opposite of what the Holy Spirit would have us desire. 16 I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don't do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18 The ol

Happy Shelter in Place Day, Friends! I find myself living in the part of Central California right now that has been essentially shut down for the next 22 days, and our Shelter in Place order just went into effect about an hour ago. These are strange, strange times! So – sometimes people ask me how it's going doing a daily podcast. I can tell you that each episode takes just a little under 3 hours from start to finish, which includes writing the episode, recording it, editing it in Audacity, and entering all of the pertinent information into a WordPress and Libsyn post. Longer episodes take longer, shorter episodes can be around 2 hours of time. Last night was one of the later nights for the show. One of my daughters wanted to watch a show with me, and I'll take just about any excuse I can to spend time with them, so we watched a show together, which began after midnight. Then I wrote a fairly long pastoral email to the congregation of the church I pastor about the coronavirus pandemic. When I say fairly long, I mean over 1800 words, so about 6 pages worth. We're in California, and on a virtual lock-down, so hopefully they had a little extra time to read. One of the problems being in a church that is pastored by somebody who fancies himself as a writer is that you can get very long emails from time to time. If you are a leader at the church I pastor, you got a 2100 word email from me AND an 1800 word email from me within the space of 4 days. I should repent in sackcloth and ashes for that, I suppose, but these are trying times we live in right now, filled with dangers like novel viruses, lack of toilet paper, and novel-length emails from pastors. ANYWAY, the point of what I was trying to say earlier before I rambled was that I didn't start WRITING the podcast until around 3AM. Fortunately, I had some great material from pastor David Platt to use, so I didn't have to write a ton of original material myself. It was, however, one of the few times since I began this daily podcast in January that I kind of just wanted to go to bed, and not spend 2 hours or so on a podcast. HOWEVER – when I got to the point of recording it, and I got to the part where I was just reading the Scriptures into the microphone, that's when I noticed something that happens practically every time I do the podcast: THE WORD OF GOD ENCOURAGED ME. It gave me HOPE. It built me up. It elevated my mood. Almost every time I record this show, I come away encouraged. Not because I like recording and editing a podcast – that can get a little tedious…but because the WORD of God is powerful, and supernatural, and it just builds me up in faith, because faith comes by HEARING THE WORD OF GOD. I just wanted to share that with you as a benefit. You can get that same benefit – without the 2-3 hours of writing, recording and editing by simply READING (or listening!) to the WORD OF GOD! If you haven't done so yet, allow me to encourage you to listen to the other half of today's episode – episode #78 – I split today's show into two parts so it wouldn't be too long. In today's reading, we encounter the story of the woman caught in adultery, known to scholars as the Pericope Adulterae. Many scholars, including many evangelical ones, consider this passage to be a later edition to the New Testament, and in most modern Bibles, this part of John is set apart to show doubt about the passage. So – what's going on here, and was this story original to John's Gospel, or was it a later edition? The Pericope Adulterae, found in John 7:53-8:11, is surrounded by more controversy and conjecture than any other New Testament Passage with the possible exception of the ending of Mark. The authorship and placement of this pericope has been hotly debated at least since the fifth century, and there are still scholars lined up on opposite sides of the issues surrounding this passage. Attempting to extract meaning and application from this passage is almost meaningless without first wrestling with the genuineness of the text and the mass of evidence for and against it. The issue is simple to grasp – if this pericope is a genuine and accurate happening in the life of Jesus, then it carries just as much weight as the rest of the New Testament. Conversely, if the passage is a later edition with no basis in fact (i.e. it never happened) then the passage is notable only for its historical value and the question of how it became inserted into many manuscripts of the New Testament. Though it will be argued that there is no way to be certain of the historicity of this passage, the preponderance of the evidence points to it being a genuine happening in the life of Jesus, and as such it does have application in the modern church and it can inform how we live and interact with each other. Summary of the Passage 7:53-8:2 The Pericope Adulterae begins with a somewhat awkward[1] transition from the previous narrative. The stage is set here; Jesus has spent the night at the Mount of Olives and daw

Happy Shelter in Place Day, Friends! I find myself living in the part of Central California right now that has been essentially shut down for the next 22 days, and our Shelter in Place order just went into effect about an hour ago. These are strange, strange times! So – sometimes people ask me how it's going doing a daily podcast. I can tell you that each episode takes just a little under 3 hours from start to finish, which includes writing the episode, recording it, editing it in Audacity, and entering all of the pertinent information into a WordPress and Libsyn post. Longer episodes take longer, shorter episodes can be around 2 hours of time. Last night was one of the later nights for the show. One of my daughters wanted to watch a show with me, and I'll take just about any excuse I can to spend time with them, so we watched a show together, which began after midnight. Then I wrote a fairly long pastoral email to the congregation of the church I pastor about the coronavirus pandemic. When I say fairly long, I mean over 1800 words, so about 6 pages worth. We're in California, and on a virtual lock-down, so hopefully they had a little extra time to read. One of the problems being in a church that is pastored by somebody who fancies himself as a writer is that you can get very long emails from time to time. If you are a leader at the church I pastor, you got a 2100 word email from me AND an 1800 word email from me within the space of 4 days. I should repent in sackcloth and ashes for that, I suppose, but these are trying times we live in right now, filled with dangers like novel viruses, lack of toilet paper, and novel-length emails from pastors. ANYWAY, the point of what I was trying to say earlier before I rambled was that I didn't start WRITING the podcast until around 3AM. Fortunately, I had some great material from pastor David Platt to use, so I didn't have to write a ton of original material myself. It was, however, one of the few times since I began this daily podcast in January that I kind of just wanted to go to bed, and not spend 2 hours or so on a podcast. HOWEVER – when I got to the point of recording it, and I got to the part where I was just reading the Scriptures into the microphone, that's when I noticed something that happens practically every time I do the podcast: THE WORD OF GOD ENCOURAGED ME. It gave me HOPE. It built me up. It elevated my mood. Almost every time I record this show, I come away encouraged. Not because I like recording and editing a podcast – that can get a little tedious…but because the WORD of God is powerful, and supernatural, and it just builds me up in faith, because faith comes by HEARING THE WORD OF GOD. I just wanted to share that with you as a benefit. You can get that same benefit – without the 2-3 hours of writing, recording and editing by simply READING (or listening!) to the WORD OF GOD! If you haven't done so yet, allow me to encourage you to listen to the other half of today's episode – episode #78 – I split today's show into two parts so it wouldn't be too long. In today's reading, we encounter the story of the woman caught in adultery, known to scholars as the Pericope Adulterae. Many scholars, including many evangelical ones, consider this passage to be a later edition to the New Testament, and in most modern Bibles, this part of John is set apart to show doubt about the passage. So – what's going on here, and was this story original to John's Gospel, or was it a later edition? The Pericope Adulterae, found in John 7:53-8:11, is surrounded by more controversy and conjecture than any other New Testament Passage with the possible exception of the ending of Mark. The authorship and placement of this pericope has been hotly debated at least since the fifth century, and there are still scholars lined up on opposite sides of the issues surrounding this passage. Attempting to extract meaning and application from this passage is almost meaningless without first wrestling with the genuineness of the text and the mass of evidence for and against it. The issue is simple to grasp – if this pericope is a genuine and accurate happening in the life of Jesus, then it carries just as much weight as the rest of the New Testament. Conversely, if the passage is a later edition with no basis in fact (i.e. it never happened) then the passage is notable only for its historical value and the question of how it became inserted into many manuscripts of the New Testament. Though it will be argued that there is no way to be certain of the historicity of this passage, the preponderance of the evidence points to it being a genuine happening in the life of Jesus, and as such it does have application in the modern church and it can inform how we live and interact with each other. Summary of the Passage 7:53-8:2 The Pericope Adulterae begins with a somewhat awkward[1] transition from the previous narrative. The stage is set here; Jesus has spent the night at the Mount of Olives and daw

Download the other episode too - it contains the discussion of the Woman Caught in Adultery!

Happy Tuesday, friends! Another short podcast today, due to an incredibly long pastoral letter written tonight. This should help make up for our very long episode yesterday! Today's Bible passages are Exodus 28, Proverbs 4, John 7 and Galatians 3 - which is our focus passage. Our big question is focused in on one of the deepest and most beautiful - and central! -truths of Christianity: That salvation and justification (being made righteous in the eyes of God) is NOT by our actions, works, or internal goodness, but by BELIEVING in Jesus - the one who does the action and has the internal goodness. Let's read Galatians 3, and then come back and discuss Justification by faith. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? 4 Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? 5 So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard— 6 just like Abraham who believed God,and it was credited to him for righteousness? Galatians 3:2-6 We see and hear Paul's heart VERY clearly in Galatians, because he is wearing it on his sleeve, and he is PLEADING with the Galatians NOT to abandon the core of Christianity - saved by grace, through faith - in favor of the core of RELIGION: salvation by works and earning God's favor. He reminds the Galatians that the presence of the Holy Spirit was NOT given to them because they completely followed the law, but because of their BELIEF! He reminds them that growing in the Christian life is also not by striving works, but by a work of the Spirit through grace and faith. The illustration he uses so that they will understand what he is telling them is the illustration of Abraham. God didn't choose Abraham and save Abraham because Abraham was special - God chose Abraham in grace, and saved him because ABRAHAM BELIEVED God's promise! Let's turn to our friend pastor David Platt to help us understand that God CHOSE Abraham by grace (not Abraham's merit): First, for Abraham to believe God means that he was transformed by the sovereign grace of God. I want you to think about this with me. This whole story started at the end of Genesis 11 and beginning of Genesis 12. Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldeans. This is a pagan people in a pagan place. We have no indication whatsoever in Genesis 11 or 12 or anywhere else that there was something in Abraham that caused God to say, "I need to make him the father of my people." The initiative is completely with God. You see it in Genesis 12:1–3. Five times God says, "I will do this." You see no emphasis on what Abraham is doing in this picture. It's all based on the gracious initiative of God. God is saying, "I'm going to bless him." It is God calling out Abraham. Why Abraham? We know Job was living around this time. I'm sure there were other people that, maybe, even were better people. Why did God choose Abraham? What we're seeing here is that it's nothing more than the sovereign grace of God at work. He called out Abraham. He chose Abraham by His grace, and that's the story we're going to see in the rest of Abraham's life. Let's admit it: this father of faith in the Bible is not always the most stellar character. This is a guy who's willing to lie on a couple of different occasions in order to try to protect his life. This is a guy who almost gives his wife away to the king of Egypt. This is a guy who struggles with his faith numerous different times, but the picture is that this is intentional. God is showing us that the picture of His covenant is not going to be based on what is found in man and what man can produce on his own. It's going to be found in the grace of God, and the picture is that Abraham's entire life, his faith itself, is evidence of God's grace in his life. He was transformed by the sovereign grace of God. David Platt, "Believing God," in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2010), 2392–2393. Next, let's consider what it means that Abraham was JUSTIFIED by FAITH. It is important to realize that WE are also justified by faith - that's why I think it is super important for us to understand what Paul is saying here. We'll go back to our friend David Platt to help us understand what faith involves: Paul builds this whole picture of Abraham being justified by faith, Abraham having righteousness credited to him because he believed God, because he believed the promises of God, because he had faith. But then what's so cool is you get to the end in verse 22. It's talking about faith and Abraham. He says, "This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.' " But listen to this. "The words 'it was credited to him' were not written for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead" (Rom. 4:23–24). The whole picture i

Hello friends, and welcome in to the show. I hope you are staying safe out there! This Sunday, yesterday, was the first time in over 25 years of ministry that I have been part of a church that cancelled the Sunday gathering for anything that wasn't storm - snow/tornadoes/hurricane related. It was heart-wrenching to do so. I think it was the right choice, but it bothers me in a deep place, and I guess that's the thing about leading in a crisis - sometimes there is no GOOD choice. May the Lord give us all wisdom as we navigate through this time! I read a quote today from a school superintendent who said, " "In the end, it will be impossible to know if we overreacted or did too much, but it will be QUITE apparent if we under reacted or did too little." If you are interested, we live-streamed our worship and prayer time, and I preached - from the Living room of our house, with family present - on "Pandemic wisdom." You can watch the video here: CLICK HERE. Note that we had a little bit of lighting and sound difficulties, but it was our first time broadcasting worship, word and prayer from our house. I think we'll learn from it and improve, Lord willing. Stay safe out there, brothers and sisters and radiate the love and comfort of grace through His Word and His Gospel! Today's passages are Exodus 27, Proverbs 3, John 6 and Galatians 2. Our focus passage is in John 6, and it is honestly one of the most controversial passages in the entire Bible. For one, Jesus addresses head on a topic that I have seen many Christians and some churches split over: predestination. Perhaps more jarringly, John 6 contains this remarkable and jarring verse: 53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, 55 because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. John 6:53-56 Honestly, if I had been one of Jesus' disciples and heard Him say this, I might have pulled Him aside and did what Peter did when Jesus announced His plans to be crucified. I'd have tried to dissuade Him from speaking on such a topic. I suppose I would have received the same as Peter did, but the fact remains that this particular teaching of Jesus is worded in such a way that we are stunned to read it, and wonder what in the world Jesus could be referring to. Let's read John 6 together, and then come back and discuss it. Where does Food come from? Kids today would say Walmart, or Safeway, or Publix. People one hundred years ago would say that food came from plants and animals...from the fields and hunting the forests. Vastly different today. Similarly, if I were to ask you- what is the staple food of our region? What food do all of us live on? That would be an odd question, because we live on such a wide variety of food. Billions, however, around the world would answer that question with "rice" or "rice and fish" Similarly, in first century Israel, the people ate bread and fish as their staple food. Morning, noon and evening. That was their food. Bread was their sustenance. That was their food. Keep that in mind today as we listed to Jesus teach us through His word. One more question: Why do you work? Well, I guess to make money, right? Why do you make money? To buy stuff, and pay bills on the stuff that you already bought. Here's the thing - in the first century….something like 85 percent of laborers wages went to FOOD. So if you asked them then why do you work, they would look at you and say, "why, i work to eat!" These things we need to understand in order to get John 6. I'ma go all Bible code on you for a moment: The word bread appears 250 times in the entire Bible. There are 1189 chapters in the Bible, hence the word appears, on average, 1 in every 4.8 chapters. In John 6, however, the word bread appears an astounding 19 times - at a frequency OVER 95 times greater than what is to be expected. This is one way we can arrive at the theme of a passage. :) The topic of predestination is, as mentioned earlier, one of the most controversial theological topics there is. It might just be #1. I have seen 3 families leave one church - 11 years ago, or so - because two people that were not teaching brought up the topic of predestination at a Wednesday night Bible study, and signalled that they agreed with it. So, I don't intend to ignite a controversy amongst listeners, but lets at least brush by this issue, in preparation for a deeper dive coming up soon: 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me,...39 I should lose nothing of all that he has given me...44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (more than just about His disciples) 65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted h

Hello friends, and welcome in to episode 75 of the Bible Reading Podcast. I hope you are all staying safe out there and walking in faith. Today's podcast covers Exodus 26, Proverbs 2, John 5 and Galatians 1. We will have a bit of a short episode today, because it is Saturday night, and one wants to be ready for the gathering of believers tomorrow. Speaking of - how are you all doing church this week? Our church had originally decided, as of Wednesday, to meet with extra, extra precautions. However, in a sort of emergency meeting on Saturday, we decided to go to online church for this Sunday. We might continue that, or not, but we have a bit more work to do to ensure protection for all. It breaks my heart not to meet, but we will be broadcasting worship and Word from our living room today. Join us! I'll share it on my Facebook page - feel free to connect with me there, and also share in our church FB page: VBC Salinas. Our big Bible question of the day is all about wisdom: How do we get wisdom? It is an important question, considering the command in Proverbs 4:7, " Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding " The problem is that wisdom does NOT come easy. Let's ask Spurgeon what he has to say about the topic: Brethren in the ministry, you who are teachers in the Sabbath school, and all of you who are learners in the college of Christ Jesus, I pray you remember that prayer is your best means of study: like Daniel you shall understand the dream, and also the interpretation, when you have sought after God; and like John you will see the seven seals of precious truth unloosed, after you have cried out much. "Yea, if you cry after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then shall you understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." Stones are not broken, except by an earnest use of the hammer; and the stone-breaker usually goes down on his knees. Use the hammer of diligence, and let the knee of prayer be exercised, too, and there is not a stony doctrine in Revelation which is useful for you to understand, which will not fly into shivers under the exercise of prayer and faith. "Bene orasse est bene studuisse" was a wise sentence of Luther, which has been so often quoted, that we hardly venture but to hint at it. "To have prayed well is to have studied well." You may force your way through anything with the leverage of prayers. Thoughts and reasonings may be like the steel wedges which may open a way into truth; but prayer is the lever, the pry-bar which forces open the iron chest of sacred mystery, that we may get the treasure that is hidden inside for those who can force their way to reach it. The kingdom of heaven still suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Take care that you work away with the mighty implement of prayer, and nothing can stand against you. C. H. Spurgeon, "The Golden Key of Prayer," in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 11 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1865), 152. slightly modernized To Spurgeon's excellent word about praying for wisdom, I would add John Piper's powerful truth that heavenly wisdom MUST happen in the context of the community of Jesus - the church: Now it would be a wrong conclusion to say that all we need in order to get wisdom is a solitary life of serious prayer. Just us and God and prayer. Wisdom in the New Testament does not ordinarily come like that. Listen to these verses from James 3:13–15: Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. Wisdom is marked by meekness, and freedom from selfish ambition, and freedom from bitter jealousy, and freedom from boasting. In other words, wisdom rises in relationships of meekness and humility and love and servanthood rather than jealousy and selfishness. Wisdom is not a solitary attainment. It is a community or a corporate or a relational attainment. Loners are not wise. Wisdom is given and found and forged in the fires of committed relationships. John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (2000–2014) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2014).

Welcome into another episode of the Bible Reading Podcast. In order to give you a break from what everybody is talking about, the only time I am going to say the c-word is right now: CORONAVIRUS. Check out yesterday's episode #73 if that wasn't enough for you. Today's Bible readings include Exodus 25 (the tabernacle), Proverbs 1 (WHAT HAPPENED TO PSALMS?!), 2 Corinthians 13 (Paul's farewell), and our focus passage, which is John 4 - Jesus talking with the woman at the well. Today's episode is probably going to be a short one, because I have just finished writing and sending the longest email any pastor has ever sent to a church leadership team in the history of the world. If you are interested in reading it, I plan to publish it in a special 25 volume collector's hardback set after the current crisis abates. You can have it for the low, low price of $299.99...but wait -there's more!! Actually, no, there's not. Let's get started. We will read John 4, and then come back and discuss: 10 lessons that we can learn from Jesus in how to interact with people. ENGAGE. Don't just sit there - even when it is awkward. Vs. 7. "Give Me a drink," Jesus said to her, 8 for His disciples had gone into town to buy food. Note: You don't have to engage with everybody. John 5: beggar at Bethesda pool. Sometimes engaging deeply with just a few people is better than engaging superficially with everybody. Be guided by BIBLICAL rules not by HUMAN rules and traditions. Vs. 8 "9 "How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" AND vs 27, "27 Just then His disciples arrived, and they were amazed that He was talking with a woman. " COL 2: "20 If you died with the Messiah to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: 21 "Don't handle, don't taste, don't touch"? 22 All these regulations refer to what is destroyed by being used up; they are commands and doctrines of men. 23 Although these have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence." vs. 16 also: "16 Therefore, don't let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is the Messiah." What is the Bible rule? One of them: 1 Timothy 5:"Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and with all propriety, the younger women as sisters." Ignore racist traditions that aren't biblical "For Jews do not associate with Samaritans." vs 9. Interracial marriage, etc. You don't have to use a canned opening...conversationally point to Jesus and spiritual things. "10 Jesus answered, "If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would ask Him, and He would give you living water." He didn't use a canned or cliche'd opening like: "if you died tonight, where would you go?" Jesus talked to the woman, and brought up the good news QUICKLY and Engagingly. Similar: The Gospel is not a memorized set of propositions. Almost every time in Scripture, when the good news of Jesus is shared - it is shared differently, but EVERY time pointing back to Jesus. "13 Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again.14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life." Be open to what can be called Prophetic evangelism: vs 16. "16 "Go call your husband," He told her, "and come back here." LISTEN and be led by the Spirit. 1 corinthians 14: "23 Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all. 25 The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, "God is really among you." You might say - I don't believe in such things, I'm a cessationist! Well, I'm not, but Charles Spurgeon at least thought he was a cessationist: A man was won for Christ because the preacher pointed to him and said, "There is a man sitting there who is a shoemaker; he keeps his shop open on Sundays; it was open last Sabbath morning. He took ninepence and there was fourpence profit on it; his soul is sold to Satan for fourpence." The man was afraid to go and hear Spurgeon again for fear he might tell the people more about him, for what he said at first was all true. But at last he came, and the Lord met with him. One Sunday evening Mr. Spurgeon, pointing to the gallery, said, "Young man, the gloves you have in your pocket are not paid for." After the ser

Shout out to Keith Heltsley and the guy in St. Louis that downloaded 83 episodes of the podcast today. Welcome aboard! Keith's comment: My own preference in bible translations are the ESV and CSB. I won't claim to be fluent in Greek or Hebrew, but have studied both enough to know these two translations are both faithful to word order, but flexible enough to make sense to the English reader. I like the use of Yahweh for the reason that uppercase letters to designate the formal name for God are lost on me. As a blind person who relies on reading through listening to the scripture being read, LORD is pronounced the same as Lord, or lord. It's nice to use something different without the reader needing to stop and clarify every time, or to pause my text to speech software to set it to read by character, assuming there may be a need to stop and notice a difference… and it can be difficult to pick up on subtle differences in context to know whether I need to check. KJV, ESV, CSB, NASB (and its update) are all excellent. They're all good, but since the grammar, and certain words used in 1611 have drifted, the KJV is becoming cumbersome to understand. Literal meanings of words have drifted to the point that a modern reader has to continually filter "what did this mean to the original audience?" "What did these words mean to English readers in 1611?" "What do these words mean to modern English understanding?" If nothing else, and the modern reader has no tools or knowledge of original languages, comparing multiple versions side by side give a more rich understanding of the underlying, original language, and a deeper meaning that translators can't achieve with a single word for word translation. .The more versions to cross reference in parallel, the better. Happy Friday, Everybody! We are still in crisis mode around the world - battling an unseen and terrifying foe - the coronavirus. I believe that this will be a worldwide fiery trial that will leave virtually no community untouched. If that prediction is accurate, then that will mean that the church - the Body of Christ - will go through extensive suffering and weakness over the coming weeks, and many of us will ask the question, "WHY" as loudly as we possibly can to God. I don't think that this will surprise you, but even though I'm a pastor and host of a daily Bible reading podcast, I am not on the list of those who get explanations from Heaven as to why things are happening the way they are. Why are we facing this pandemic? I know as much - or less - than Job knew at the beginning of his fiery trial in Job 1. That said - we do have the Word to inform us and encourage us, so let's turn there: Dear friends, don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you.13 Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. 1 Peter 4:12 One of the major things we need to learn from the Word of God is that fiery trials/ordeals WILL COME. We aren't supposed to be surprised by them. I usually am surprised by these trials - but I shouldn't be. They are part and parcel of the Christian life. If somebody has told you that following Christ will protect you from trials, then somebody has lied to you. Consider 1 Thessalonians 3. Paul is writing to a church that was going through severe persecution, and he began his encouragement to them with these words: And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith, 3 so that no one will be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we told you in advance that we were going to experience affliction, and as you know, it happened. 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4 So - trials, affliction, troubles - they are coming. As Jesus promised us - In this world, you will have tribulation...BUT TAKE HEART - HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD! (John 16:33) I have a love-hate relationship with 2 Corinthians 12. I love the truths found in there, and they are amongst the deepest and most profound truths in the Bible. When all of the American/Western way says to seek to be strong in wealth, health, security and popularity, the Bible - especially in the letters to the Corinthians - calls Christians to the POWER of WEAKNESS. Which is one of those divine paradoxes that make more Divine sense than rational human sense. The last time I preached on 2 Corinthians 12 at VBC in Salinas was in November of 2018. In November, I had been sick for about 4 weeks with a nasty case of bronchitis. It began to get better - a little bit, just long enough for me to develop a severely painful infected tooth - that had to be removed. A few days after that, I developed influenza A, which invited its friend bilateral pneumonia in the next week. I preached the following Sunday, and preached on the power of wea

Hello everybody, and welcome into the Bible Reading podcast. Scary times out there, right? The world is shaking right now - in fear of the unknown, and in fear of the known. Remember, brothers and sisters - we have a message of hope and salvation in Jesus. Remember that we also represent a Savior - Jesus, who is the hope for the whole world. We are not guaranteed to be protected from the illness going around, but all who are in Christ are guaranteed eternal life in Heaven, and a wonderful inheritance. Look to Jesus and be saved. Look to Jesus and be encouraged. Look to Jesus and be filled with hope. Look to Jesus and believe! So - how do we live in the midst of a deadly pandemic? Let me encourage you to turn to the Word of God on a daily basis, and invite others to join you. We will receive wisdom from the Lord on every page of the Word of God on how to be the people of God in the midst of fiery trials and tribulations. For instance, let's just consider some of the verses we will be reading today out of Exodus 23, Job 41, John 2, and 2nd Corinthians 11: "You must not spread a false report." (Exodus 23:10) "You must not oppress a resident alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be a resident alien because you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt." Exodus 23:9 "So the Jews replied to him, "What sign will you show us for doing these things?" 19 Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days." 20 Therefore the Jews said, "This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days? 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made." (John 2:18-22) "Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. 26 On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; 27 toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing." 2nd Corinthians 11:24-27 All of those verses, and others, will provide wisdom for us and encouragement and point us to hope in Jesus. As we walk through this valley of the shadow of death, may we fear no evil as God and His Word is with us. Today's topic, planned out a few days ago, is all about Monsters in the Bible - Leviathan and Behemoth. These are creatures that God Himself describes in the book of Job, and are very, very puzzling creatures indeed. What in the world are they? Let's start with Behemoth: Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He eats grass like cattle. 16 Look at the strength of his back and the power in the muscles of his belly. 17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree; the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together. 18 His bones are bronze tubes; his limbs are like iron rods. 19 He is the foremost of God's works; only his Maker can draw the sword against him. 20 The hills yield food for him, while all sorts of wild animals play there. 21 He lies under the lotus plants, hiding in the protection of marshy reeds. 22 Lotus plants cover him with their shade; the willows by the brook surround him. 23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth. 24 Can anyone capture him while he looks on, or pierce his nose with snares? Job 40:15-24 So - here are our clues: He eats grass. He has a strong back and a powerful tail. He has strong legs and lives around swamp-like area, probably near the river. He is difficult to capture, and can survive in rapids. What sort of monster are we talking about here?! The Hebrew word is בְּהֵמוֹת behêmôwth, and there are lots of theories about what is signified by that word. The etymology is not very helpful, because the word root simply means an untalking or mute beast. Context is not helpful, because the Hebrew word is a practical hapax legomena - not appearing anywhere else in the Old Testament. Some think that it is a dinosaur that is being referred to, others point to a creature like a hippopotamus. You might think a hippo is a cuddly and cute sort of creature that doesn't fit the mighty description of the Behemoth, but hippos are surprisingly dangerous animals. Weighing in from 3000-9000+ pounds (Toyota Camry's weigh around 3400 pounds!) and capable of running over 18.6 miles per hour, hippos kill between 500-3000 people every year. They also have 20 inch long teeth! The only problem with the hippo=behemoth theory is explained here by Gotquestions.org: "Some commentators identify the behemoth as a hippopotamus, a rhinoceros, or an elephant. However, the description of its cedar-like tail in Job 40

Happy Tuesday, friends! Our Bible passages today are Exodus 22, Job 40, John 1 and 2nd Corinthians 10. Today we are still focused on the women witnesses of the wondrous resurrection of Jesus, but I would be remiss to not at least point us towards that magisterial passage in John 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Let's turn it over to Spurgeon for a moment to point us in a great direction on this passage: John is especially careful that we should know that Jesus is a real and true Person, and therefore he tells us that the Divine Word, of whose fullness we have received, is most assuredly God. No language can be more distinct and explicit than that which John uses concerning Jesus. He ascribes to Him the eternity which belongs alone to God: "In the beginning was the Word." He beyond all question claims Divinity for Him: "The Word was God." He ascribes to Him creative power: "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." He ascribes to Him self-existence, which is the essential characteristic of God: "In Him was life." He claims for Him a nature peculiar to God: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all;" and he says that the Word is "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." No writer could be more definite in the expressions he uses; and beyond all question he sets forth the true and proper Deity of that Blessed One whom we all must receive if we would obtain eternal salvation. Yet John does not fail to demonstrate that our Lord was also man. He saith, "the Word was made flesh,"—not merely assumed manhood, but was made flesh; made not merely man, as to His nobler part, His soul, but man as to His flesh, His lower element. Our Lord was not a phantom, but one who, as John declares in his first Epistle, could be seen, and heard, and touched, and handled. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." He lived with the sons of men,—a carpenter's shed His lowly refuge, and the caves and mountains of the earth His midnight resort in His after life. He dwelt among sinners and sufferers, among mourners and mortals, Himself completing His citizenship among us by becoming obedient unto death, "even the death of the cross." Thus, while He is so august a person that Heaven and earth tremble at the majesty of His presence, yet is He so humble a person that He is not ashamed to call us "brethren." C. H. Spurgeon, Christ's Incarnation: The Foundation of Christianity (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 65–66. Slightly modernized As promised yesterday, we continue discussing Luke 24 today - the resurrection is most certainly worth a two-part episode and much more! Our topic is all about the women who were the FIRST witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. (The below is taken from Easter: Fact or Fiction: 20 Reasons to Believe Jesus Rose From the Dead): ...According to Matthew 28, the first two witnesses to the risen Jesus were women, Mary Magdalene and "The other Mary." Luke adds that Joanna was there, as well as "other women," and seems to indicate that "the other" Mary, was Mary the mother of James. All four gospels, written down by different men, in different places and at different time periods ALL feature a female (Mary Magdalene) as the first witness of the resurrection of Jesus. That some gospels also mention the presence of other women is far from contradictory, but is the very essence of differing eyewitness testimony. Some details will be included by some authors, and omitted by others. The bottom line is this: women, several of them, were the first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. The Women at the Tomb of Jesus - The First Witnesses! Additionally, Mary Magdalene, perhaps the foremost of these female witnesses, had what might be considered a sketchy past: Jesus had driven not one, but SEVEN demons out of her at one point. All of this leads to an incredibly important question: If, in the first century, the testimony of women was not considered as reliable by any culture, why does the Bible clearly, and in great detail, portray women as being the first and primary witnesses to the risen Jesus? That question also begets another important question: How is it, given the assumed unreliability of women, that so many thousands of people eagerly believed the account of the resurrection of Jesus – many at the cost of their own lives? Though it is not part of the Bible, and not considered Scripture, there is an apocryphal document called the Epistula Apostolorum, which dates to roughly 120 A.D. It is supposedly an eyewitness account of the apostles, and covers issues like the resurrection of Jesus, some of His parables, and several prophecies. This document contains a depiction of the resurrection, and contains extended dialog between Jesus and the women at the tomb. It is interesting, for the purposes of our discussion here, because it depicts what would have likely been the attitude of men in

Hello everybody, and welcome into the Bible Reading podcast - a welcome respite from all of the coronavirus news going around, and filled with enough good Scripture to encourage and edify our souls! Today's passages include Exodus 21, Job 39, Luke 24, and 2nd Corinthians 9. I honestly went back and forth over the topic for today's show. I strongly considered and even began writing about Jesus' command to the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they were, "clothed with power from on high," and almost talked about Paul's blessed command to give in 2nd Corinthians 9, but ultimately, I couldn't get away from the allure of talking about the resurrection again, so that is today's focus. It is honestly just hard not to focus on the greatest event in history every time you encounter it in the Bible. With lots of fear going around because of this pandemic scare, I am grateful that - no matter how bad this or any situation gets - those who are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross have the wonderful promise of eternal life in Him. Because He lives - we who follow Him will live and not perish. Praise His name! The resurrection is the antidote for all of our fears! By the way, today's episode is a two parter, because I couldn't drop two straight 40 minute episodes on you. Selections from today's show are from my book: Easter Fact or Fiction - Twenty Reasons to Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead, which is available on Amazon. Every time you buy a copy of that book on Amazon, I make a little over two dollars - which is enough to buy my precious children about two rolls of toilet paper. Or, it would be if every store in Salinas wasn't sold out of toilet paper!! I'm tempted to do an episode that attempts to castigate toilet paper hoarders, but I can't really find a Scripture on that, for some reason. Here is a good question from Willem Dykstra about my choice of the CSB for the primary BRP podcast Bible. Hi Chase, I am just curious, why is it that you use the CSB, Christian Standard Bible version? Or at least, why do you use it in your Bible Reading Podcast?Up until your podcast, I had never heard of this version I did just a little googling and only remembered from my googling that it seems to be an updated version of the HCSB. Anyway, when I was just a wee lad growing up in Southern Ontario and attending one of the two Christian Reformed Churches in Bowmanville, Ontario, I think the various Christian Reformed Churches in that area used the RSV. I believe some were also still using the good old KJV (Linus's speech in the Peanuts Christmas special would not be the same without it). Around the time I started college, or shortly after that (or maybe just before), all the Christian Reformed Churches almost immediately went to the NIV. Every good Dutch, Christian Reformed person will tell you the NIV published by Zondervan (Another great Dutch name) is the Christian Reformed Church's gift to the rest of Christiandom (I mean, our denomination is even mentioned in the preface and everything) I remember my theology professor when I went to college at Dordt University in Sioux Center, IA, (then it was called Dordt College) although he was a faithful Christian Reformed member did not like that they did the "LORD" in uppercase when they should have used the actual name Yahweh or something like that. I can't seem to recall if I got his umbrage correct (that was a long time ago). Anyway, fast forward to the time I am now married and living in Minnesota attending Dr. John Piper's church, Bethlehem Baptist. I remember that he felt very strongly about the ESV and said this would be the last and best version he would ever use. And our church, both campuses at that time, only used the ESV from then on, and I have been using it ever since.Anyways, sorry if I just wrote too much info here. I did not even go into the fact that several years ago (or maybe decades), it seemed Zondervan Publishing and the NIV had fallen from grace when many people took umbrage (myself included) when Zondervan decided to publish a gender-neutral version of the NIV. I don't remember what this new version is even called (NIrV I think or something like that, but I digress again), but anyways if you have read this far, I really am wondering why is it that you use the CSB? Great question, Willem! I've been a Christian for almost 40 years now, and here is a list of the translations I have favored over the years: 1970s (as a child) The King James Version Plus the Living Bible. (I was a child!) 1980s-early 2000s: The NIV 1984 1998/99-2002ish: The Updated NASB 2002-2008 The 1984 NIV + The Updated NASB 2008-2013 The ESV 2013-2020 The Holman Christian Standard + The ESV + The CSB. My primary preaching translation for the past 7 years has been the HCSB. The reason I chose the CSB for the Bible Reading podcast, is because I thought that more readers would have it than the HCSB, which remains my favorite translation. The biggest difference I s

Happy Monday, friends - hope you are all washing your hands, not touching your face, and - most importantly - starting your day with the Word of God! Thank you for joining us for the Bible Reading Podcast. Promo. Today's readings include Exodus 20 (The Ten Commandments), Job 38 (God Speaks to Job out of the whirlwind), Luke 23 (The crucifixion of Jesus) and 2nd Corinthians 8. Though we aren't focusing on 2 Corinthians today, one of the deepest and richest verses in all of Scripture is right there in the middle of chapter 8, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention it: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 2nd Corinthians 8:9 Today's focus passages will be our Exodus AND Job passages, because both are applicable to our big Bible question of the day. Allow me to confess upfront, that our question of the day isn't exactly fair, because the Bible doesn't full describe the appearance of God, but it does often describe His surroundings, and that will be our primary focus of discussion for the first part of the episode. The second half of the episode will include some awesome Scriptures that describe the appearance of God. Let's consider Job 38:1 first of all. All of the sudden, God is on the scene, and He is ready to call Job and his friends to account for their words. Surprisingly, God is in a whirlwind: Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. He said: Job 38:1 Job sees God in a whirlwind This is a very strange passage - strange for its suddenness, I suppose, and strange for the fact that God is IN A WHIRLWIND. We are given absolutely zero introduction or context here. Job and his friends don't look up and see a storm forming in the distance, or anything like that...just - all of the sudden, God is there, and He is speaking out of a whirlwind. The Hebrew word used here for whirlwind is the word סַעַר sah' -ar, and it means, tempest, storm, hurricane, or whirlwind. I suppose 'tornado' would be in the semantic range of the word as well. It is the same word used in 2nd Kings 2: The time had come for the Lord to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind ... 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind. 2 Kings 2 verses 1 and 11 It is also the same word used in Jonah for the storm that God sent to turn Jonah back from Tarshish to Nineveh, and also in Zechariah 9: Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow will fly like lightning. The Lord God will sound the trumpet and advance with the southern storms. Zechariah 9:14 I believe it is fair to say that there is a strong association between God and this whirlwind (He will also speak out of it later in Job.) Do most people picture God's presence as manifesting in a storm? Perhaps not...but here we are. God (sometimes!) abides in the whirlwind...but not always! Consider Elijah's encounter with God (one of my favorite Bible passages!): Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ...11 Then he said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord's presence." At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:10-13 God was not in the storm here, nor the fire, nor the earthquake, but in the soft whisper. Fascinating, beautiful, an a little unsettling, but in a good way, I think. Let's turn to our Exodus passage - how does God appear in Exodus? 18 All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 "You speak to us, and we will listen," they said to Moses, "but don't let God speak to us, or we will die."20 Moses responded to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear him and will not sin." 21 And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the total darkness where God was. Exodus 20:18-21 There are a few verses in the Bible that just give me chills. The 1st Kings 19 passage is one. Revelation 12 (There was war in Heaven) is another. Matthew 7:23 (I never knew you - depart from me you lawbreakers!) is a third. Exodus 20:21 is absolutely in the mix as far as most chilling Bible verse. araphel - thick darkness, gross darkness, total darkness. God is here dwelling in a mountain surrou

Today is the Lord's Day, Friends - and that means a shorter than normal podcast for us. Rest your ears, wash your hands and enjoy your extra time this Sunday! As a pastor, much of my Saturday is spent getting ready for Sunday, and therefore I try to take it a little easier than normal on the Saturday night podcast. Today we are reading some great Bible passages, though: Exodus 19, Job 37, Luke 22 and 2nd Corinthians 7. In Luke 22, Jesus is with His disciples for their last meal together before the crucifixion. Here is the passage in Luke: 14 When the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 Then he said to them, "I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he said, "Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood,which is poured out for you. 21 But look, the hand of the one betraying me is at the table with me. 22 For the Son of Man will go away as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!"23 So they began to argue among themselves which of them it could be who was going to do it. Luke 22:14-23 SO - why are Christians all across the world going to eat crackers or bread and drink the fruit of the vine today during church today? Is it for a tasty snack, which is how young Chase viewed communion in his childhood. Well - tasty grape juice, the crackers were always bitter and odd, and very, very tiny. Is communion a way to break up the monotony from time to time? An act of cannibalism...or something much more? The practice of communion in the church is so unusual that in the early 200s a Roman writer accused Christians of consuming infants during the worship times - obviously combining the nativity story and the communion element of worship. In fact Hoc Est Corpus Meum - the Latin for 'This is my body' which Jesus said at the initial Last Supper is the probable origin for the magical phrase 'Hocus-pocus'. It shows that people have been confused for years about the practice of Christians taking communion and what exactly it means. Let's go back a few days to 1st Corinthians and read Paul's explanation of communion: For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 gave thanks, broke it, and said, "This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." 25 In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant established by My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. 1st Corinthians 11:23-26 AGAIN - DEATH. Why are Christians so focused on death?? It's weird and morbid, right? Except, death is the most universal reality we all face, and the most terrifying thing. If you are young, you care little about death, unless it has stolen somebody precious from you. The older you are, the more death has laid its marks on you. On your hair, your beard hair, your body, your knees, your joints, your husbands and wives, your families and friends. The Bible rightly describes death as a terrible enemy, because it is. The worst. You know why death is so important to Christians if you've ever faced it. But - the thing is - when we are focused on the death of Jesus - we are not celebrating in some sort of macabre way that He suffered by having His Body broken and His blood spilled. We are celebrating that HE LOVED US SO MUCH THAT HE WENT THROUGH A HORRIFIC DEATH TO SAVE US FROM GOING THROUGH A HORRIFIC DEATH. We proclaim the Lord's Death because it SAVES US FROM OUR OWN DEATH!!! Because we've died with Him - WE WILL LIVE WITH HIM!! BECAUSE HIS BODY WAS BROKEN - OUR BODIES WILL BE UNBROKEN BECAUSE HIS BLOOD WAS GRUESOMELY POURED OUT - OUR BLOOD WILL BE PRESERVED. So - why do Christians eat bread and drink the fruit of the vine in church on Sunday mornings? #1 Because Jesus told us to do so in remembrance of the Good news of His death in our place - the gospel. #2 Because it not only helps us remember the good news - and be thankful for it - but it also helps us proclaim it to our families, our children, our friends and to any visitor that shows up. Communion is our way of remembering AND proclaiming the greatest news in history! Allow me to close with some fantastic news - and an incredible insight - from Spurgeon: And as to our Lord's going away from us into heaven, it does at first sight have a very sorrowful aspect. We should be glad

Hello everybody, and welcome into another episode of the Bible Reading Podcast with a slightly click-baity title. Is Coronavirus a sign of the END OF THE WORLD?? Stay tuned for the exciting answer! Today's Bible passages are Exodus 18 - in which Moses learns some excellent practical wisdom from his father in law Jethro. And no, I don't mean the guy on Beverly Hillbillies. Though I will throw in a nugget of television trivia for absolutely no charge if you ORDER NOW! Jethro (that is, actor Max Baer Jr.) is still ALIVE despite the fact that the show he starred on as an adult premiered in 1962, almost 60 years ago! (What other Bible-Reading Podcast gives you nuggets of useless information like that?!) We will also be reading Job 36, 2nd Corinthians 6 and Luke 21, which will serve as our focus passage. Luke 21 is somewhat paralleled in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. and is known as the Olivet Discourse. While most fully recorded in Matthew 24, Luke still gives us a deep insight into Jesus' teaching on the Last Days and His return, including this line that is on a lot of people's minds this week: 10 Then he told them: "Nation will be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be violent earthquakes, and famines and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven. Luke 24:10-11 The keyword there, in case you missed it, is PLAGUES. As I record this podcast, the whole world is in the midst of the Coronavirus panic, and probably for good reason. When I used to be on a podcast called The Gospel Friends, we would rate news of the world in a game we called BDLD, Big Deal, Little Deal, or No Deal. My take as somebody who is not a medical doctor, nor who knows anything at all about COVIDs #1-18, is that the Coronavirus will be a Big Deal. Not a mammoth deal, but a big deal. And here's our 99 cent question: Does the coronavirus portend the end of the world and the return of Jesus? And the answer: maybe, but probably not. In the same way that the Plague of Justinian of 541-542 (25-50 million deaths), the Black Death of 1333-1353 (75-200 million), the Spanish Flu 1918-1920 (100 million), The Asian Flu of 1957-58 (2 million), Russian Flu of 1889-1890 (1 million), or the worst plague that nobody has heard of: The Cocoliztli Epidemic in Mexico of 1545-48 (5-15 million) was not portending the immediate arrival of the last days and the return of Jesus, I don't think the Coronavirus pandemic demonstrates to us that Jesus is going to immediately return. At the same time, however, it should cause Christians to raise an eyebrow at least. Sickness/plagues/pandemics are a consistent sign that Jesus says will point to His return, but the general picture we get is not of one of these types of issues in isolation, but all of them happening together - in concert - along with 'signs in the heavens, and many other things. The general picture is one of incredible upheaval - and even then, that is just the beginning of the preparation for the return of Jesus: You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these events are the beginning of labor pains. Matthew 24:6-8 The thing about predicting the exact time of the return of Jesus is that it is not possible to do from Scripture, as we've discussed before. The Bible does not have encoded in it the time of Jesus' return. How do I know this? Because Jesus said that He didn't know when His second return would be, ONLY the FATHER knew. So I don't want to spend a lot of time talking about the WHEN of the Last Days, but rather to focus on what Jesus focused on in regards to the Last Days, and that is on BEING AWAKE and READY. Hypochondriacs beware!! In 1918, the world was hit with a devastating epidemic - The Spanish Flu epidemic. The bad thing about this particular flu was that it hit healthy young adults the hardest. Ultimately it killed many more people than World War 1 - About 50-100 million total. Mass graves had to be built. It was unimaginably devastating. SO bad, that the US government kept many many secrets about the spread of the illness and how many people died. According to the Stuff You Missed in History Class Podcast, telegraph operators were given codebooks that they could not understand, and used to transmit disease info to Washington. You've probably heard of the Spanish Flu, and its scary. I don't believe the Coronavirus will hit us that hard. However, in the midst of that epidemic a much scarier epidemic took hold for over 10 years. You've probably never heard of it, because it didn't kill as many people...but it is terrifying, and not well understood, even today. Encephalitis Lethargica. The disease attacks the brain, leaving some victims in a statue-like condition, speechless and motionless.[3]

Good news - tonight's topic is super-fun! I can't imagine anything funner than talking about what happens when we die. Okay, I guess I am being a little tongue in cheek, but stay with me - I think you will be encouraged. Our Bible passages for tonight include Exodus 17, Job 35, Luke 20, and our focus passage, 2 Corinthians 5. In answering this question - which is incredibly important - let's start by discussing the issue of how we do BIBLICAL theology in the first place. In other words, how do we answer hard questions like this from the Bible? Most people have a theology - a certain way they think about God and the things of God. But how to we approach these big questions? Maybe we've heard things from our parents. Maybe we apply our own logic to things. (MY God would never do that…) Maybe our church or pastor has told us their take. When engaging in biblical theology, one passage to keep at the front of our thinking is: Isaiah 55: 8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,and your ways are not My ways."This is the Lord's declaration.9 "For as heaven is higher than earth,so My ways are higher than your ways,and My thoughts than your thoughts. Three steps to a Biblical theology: Start with the Bible - what does the Bible say about a particular subject. Not just ONE verse, but many. (For instance - to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord is just a small part of what the Bible has to say about what happens after death, or the intermediate state) Account for the difference between Old Covenant passages and New Covenant passages. The New Testament must take precedence over the Old Testament, and it must interpret it. 11 Now if perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be according to the order of Melchizedek and not according to the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well. 13 For the one these things are spoken about belonged to a different tribe. No one from it has served at the altar. 14 Now it is evident that our Lord came from Judah, and Moses said nothing about that tribe concerning priests.15 And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 who did not become a priest based on a legal regulation about physical descent but based on the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it has been testified: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.18 So the previous command is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable 19 (for the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:11-18 3. With humility, prayer, and the leadership of the Spirit -keep returning to the Word of God. 3 Biblical Truths about Death: Death is here because of sin. We do NOT take this seriously enough. Romans 6:23, "23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Death is an ENEMY. 1 Corinthians 15: "24 Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death." Death will END one day. Revelation 21, "3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God's dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away." 10 Bible Verses/Passages on What happens after Death: Genesis 3:19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust." Hebrews 9:27 " 27 It is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment" MEANING: YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE! BUT: John 3:16 "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son,so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." Perish = Rot, ruin, be utterly destroyed. Cease. Come to ruin. We WILL die - almost all of us. We will NOT Perish. 2nd Samuel 12: 19 When David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, he guessed that the baby was dead. So he asked his servants, "Is the baby dead?" "He is dead," they replied. 20 Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the Lord's house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate. 21 His servants asked him, "What did you just do? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food." 22 He answered, "While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let

Today's Bible passages include Exodus 16 - God sends Manna!, Job 34 - Elihu continues, Luke 19 Zacchaeus meets Jesus and repents!, and our focus passage, which is 2nd Corinthians 4. One of my favorite teachings in the Bible is that we humans are clay pots/jars, but God entrusts His great light, His presence and gospel to us to live in these imperfect dwellings, and we will hear from Spurgeon on that in a moment, but that is not our focus question today. Rather, our focus question is a rather dark one, but an important truth to understand. According to the Bible, who is the 'god' of this age? Before we plumb the depths of that dark question, let us get some light first, so I'll begin with a couple of encouraging words from our dear brother Charles Spurgeon on the wonderful truth that we are jars of clay (earthen vessels, since he quoteth from the King James), with the splendor of Christ in us. The weakness of the preacher only shows the power of God when he uses such poor means to accomplish so great an end. Never let us refuse to do good because our abilities are slender; let us the rather yield up our weakness unto the Lord that he may use it to his own glory. C. H. Spurgeon, The Interpreter: Spurgeon's Devotional Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1964), 695. God might have put the priceless treasure of the gospel into the golden vessels of cherubim and seraphim; and he might have sent angels, who would never suffer, who would never err, who would never sin, to preach the Word; but, instead of doing so, he has chosen to send the gospel to men by commonplace beings like themselves. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels," and this overflows much to God's glory; and, dear friends, the great object of the sending of the gospel into the world is the glory of God. He would manifest his mercy to men that his mercy might be glorified; and therefore he has committed the gospel, not to the trust of perfect men, but to the trust of poor, shallow, earthen vessels like ourselves. C. H. Spurgeon, "Why the Gospel Is Hidden," in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 58 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1912), 70–71. slightly modernized So - let's read 2nd Corinthians 4, and you can see if you can discern who 'the god of this age.' is. 3 But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Most Christians would probably think that the Bible teaches that the 'god of this age' would be God Himself - and He most certainly is the one and only, overall God of Gods and King of Kings. However, the earth is under the current dominion of Satan at the moment. He is the 'god of this age,' who, according to Paul, is warring against the gospel and blinding the minds of unbelievers so they don't hear the Word of God, or they don't understand it unto salvation. Consider these passages: 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 13 Then he said to them: "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them. Mark 4:13-15 This should be quite alarming to us! In addition to prowling about like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5...) the Bible is telling us here that Satan is warring against the delivery of the Word of God - he steals the word when it is preached, and he prevents people from understanding it. Furthermore, he is the god of this age, and the whole world is under his sway. Not only that - but he controls a kingdom, according to Jesus. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Luke 11:18 And twice (in John 12 and John 14), Jesus notes that Satan is the ruler of this world. Let's turn to John Piper for some wisdom on what this means for us: That is simply a stunning statement: THE WHOLE WORLD LIES IN THE [POWER] OF THE EVIL ONE. What an amazing role and status this statement gives to Satan! He holds the whole world in his power. Is this your view of the world? Do you reckon with a satanic global power that influences all the world so deeply that John says the world simply lies in its power? This is what we are up against. Not to be aware of it, not to be stunned by it, is to be very vulnerable to it. But what does it mean? Well, if the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, then the evil one is a ruler of this world, and this world is an evil place to live, and this time we live in is an evil time. This is what we read in other parts of the New Testament as well. "The Present Evil Age" Take this "world" or this "age," for example. Paul says in Galatians 1:4 that "Christ gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age." The

I guess I should start by apologizing for the slightly click-baity title. There is a tension in doing Christian things on social media, and I've been wrestling with it for years, having begun podcasting in 2005. You want to have titles for things that are eye-catching, but you don't want to rope people in with false-promises, flash, or over-dramatizations. I suppose I could have titled today's podcast something like, 'some stuff on prayer,' but that seems like it would not be very inspiring. I could have gone to the other extreme: 'The Pope and Southern Baptist President J.D. Greear both beg you to listen to this one awe-inspiring, can't miss podcast on how to become a WaRrIoR in PRAYER!!' But that would be a lie, because I don't really know the Pope, and I doubt he and J.D. would beg you to do much of anything in unison. So, I settled on, "What is Jesus' Most Important Teaching on Prayer?" I guess that perseverance in prayer may NOT actually be His most important teaching on prayer (He never says...) but I do think it is really important, and I'm sorry if my headline pulled you in with a false promise. I'll include my attorney's name and number at the end of this post if you would like to pursue legal action. In addition to a DRAMATIC discussion about prayer from Luke 18, we are also reading Exodus 15, which contains the first (I think) worship song in the Bible AND a beautiful instance of dancing in worship led by Moses' sister Miriam. Job 33 features young Elihu attempting to lay some wisdom down on Job and his friends and 2 Corinthians 3 shares the powerful truth that Christians are 'living letters' from God to the world. I love that illustration! ONE important thing! I left off an amazing quote by C.S. Lewis on forgiveness from yesterday's show. I want to include it today because it is a good and challenging word for us. We say a great many things in church (and out of church too) without thinking of what we are saying. For instance, we say in the Creed "I believe in the forgiveness of sins." I had been saying it for several years before I asked myself why it was in the Creed. At first sight it seems hardly worth putting in. "If one is a Christian," I thought, "of course one believes in the forgiveness of sins. It goes without saying." But the people who compiled the Creed apparently thought that this was a part of our belief which we needed to be reminded of every time we went to church. And I have begun to see that, as far as I am concerned, they were right. To believe in the forgiveness of sins is not nearly so easy as I thought. Real belief in it is the sort of thing that very easily slips away if we don't keep on polishing it up. We believe that God forgives us our sins; but also that He will not do so unless we forgive other people their sins against us. There is no doubt about the second part of this statement. It is in the Lord's Prayer; was emphatically stated by our Lord. If you don't forgive you will not be forgiven. No part of His teaching is clearer, and there are no exceptions to it. He doesn't say that we are to forgive other people's sins provided they are not too frightful, or provided there are extenuating circumstances, or anything of that sort. We are to forgive them all, however spiteful, however mean, however often they are repeated. If we don't, we shall be forgiven none of our own. C. S. Lewis, A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works, ed. Patricia S. Klein, 1st ed. (New York: HarperOne, 2003), 262. "My present deadness I attribute to want of sufficient time and tranquility for private devotion. Oh that I might be a man of prayer!" Henry Martyn. "Intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought! The Word of God teems with its marvelous deeds. Believer, thou hast a mighty engine in thy hand, use it well, use it constantly, use it with faith, and thou shalt surely be a benefactor to thy brethren." – C. H. Spurgeon "There is no way that Christians, in a private capacity, can do so much to promote the work of God and advance the kingdom of Christ as by prayer." – Jonathan Edwards 4 Key Teachings of Jesus on Prayer: 1. NEVER EVER GIVE UP! Luke 18:1-8 "One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up." Also 1 Thessalonians 5:17, " pray constantly, " 2. BE IMPUDENT!! Luke 11: 5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.' 8 But I tell you this—though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. (impudence) 9 "And so I tell you, ke

Today's episode is all about the Coronavirus. Oh wait, that's what every other news item is about. Today we are talking about forgiveness, and - believe it or not - that is more important than #covid19! Our passages include Exodus 14, which includes God's miraculous rescue of the Israelites via the Red Sea collapse on Pharaoh's army. Job 32 introduces us to Elihu, a very enigmatic figure in Job who rebukes both Job's friends and Job, and might just be right on the money. In 2nd Corinthians 2, Paul urges forgiveness and comfort for one who had sinned, that Paul apparently had recommended church discipline on previously. Notice his gentleness here - it is good to call people to repentance, and church discipline is very biblical and very needed - but so is gentle restoration also. Our focus passage is Luke 17, in which Jesus teaches us some challenging things about forgiveness: 3 Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." 5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." Luke 17:3-5 Forgiveness is critically important to the Christian life. Our faith is built on forgiveness through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, but our faith is also contingent on forgiveness. By that I mean, even though I wholeheartedly believe in and affirm salvation by grace through faith, I also wholeheartedly believe in and affirm the teaching of Jesus that says that we will NOT be forgiven for our sins if we do not forgive those who sin against us. 14 "For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses. Matthew 6:14-15 John Piper has a very good explanation of this dynamic: The way I would put it is like this: If the forgiveness that we received at the cost of the blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is so ineffective in our hearts that we are bent on holding unforgiving grudges and bitterness against someone, we are not a good tree. We are not saved. We don't cherish this forgiveness. We don't trust in this forgiveness. We don't embrace and treasure this forgiveness. We are hypocrites. We are just mouthing. We haven't ever felt the piercing, joyful wonder that God paid the life of his Son. I mean, how in the world could I hold a grudge against somebody when I have not been offended nearly like God has been offended — so highly that he has to pay the life of his Son in order for me to be forgiven? That is exactly the point of Matthew 18 with the parable of the unforgiving servant — which is like a parabolic form of Matthew 6:15 — where the servant owes the king a billion dollars. It is just off the charts what he owes, and he gets forgiven freely. But then he goes out and he feels it so little; it means so little to him that he strangles his fellow servant for ten dollars. And when the king hears about it, he sends him to jail. And Jesus concludes that parable like this: "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart" (Matthew 18:35). https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/if-i-fail-to-forgive-others-will-god-not-forgive-me Many of you have been hurt. Some of you have been hurt terribly - and you have lifelong wounds in your soul, spirit and emotions. Some of you have been physically abused - some sexually abused - some abandoned, and some of you have been treated in all sorts of cruel and horrible ways. The ways in which we humans hurt each other is inexcusable and gut-wrenching and yet the Lord calls us to forgive. I want to try and persuade you - using Scripture - why you must forgive those who hurt you. Why that is good for you. Why that is Christ-honoring. Why that does not mean justice won't happen. Let's read Luke 17, then look at a few more Scriptures on forgiveness, and then consider what forgiveness is, why it is necessary, and what it is not. Five Powerful Verses on Forgiveness: 30 And don't grieve God's Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. Eph 4:30-32 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven Luke 6:37 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing." Mark 11:25 12 Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Colossians 3:12-13