Riot Podcast

Worship, Triumph, and Tears (John 12:1-19) is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. It’s been about a month since we last studied the Book of John. We have had a month of celebrating our 100th episode. It’s been a crazy ride! So this is episode 101 and the start of our next 100 episodes. We will be in John 12 vs 1-19 and here we will see John recording the second major crisis in the ministry of Jesus as it was seen by the apostle. If you remember the first one occurred when many of His disciples no longer walked with Jesus in John 6:66. In this chapter, the same thing happens as John tells us that many would not believe in Him. John opens his book by telling us that Jesus came unto his own world and his own people received him not, we read this in vs 11. In the first 12 chapters, John presented one witness after another and one proof after another, to convince us that Jesus is indeed Christ. All of this evidence was seen firsthand by the nation’s leaders, yet they rejected His claims. We will see here in John 12, Jesus as He relates to four different groups of people, and there are lessons that we can learn as we study this section. Read John 12:1-11 and unpack Jesus and His friends Jesus knew that the Jewish leaders were out to arrest Him and kill Him. Remember, we read that in John 11:53 and 57, but He still returned to Bethany, only two miles from the very citadel of His enemies. Why? In vs 3, we see Mary anointing Jesus’ feet in 3 sections of this Bible, this account, plus Mathew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9. When you combine all three accounts, you learn that Mary anointed both His head and His feet. It would have required a year’s worth of wages from a common laborer to purchase that ointment. Like David, Mary would not give to the Lord that which cost her nothing (2 Sam 24:24). Her beautiful act of worship brought a fragrance to the very house in which they were dining, and the blessing of her deed spread around the world. Notice that when Mary came to the feet of Jesus, she was taking the place of a slave. When she undid her hair (something Jewish women did not do in public), she humbled herself and laid her glory at His feet. John 12:4-6 records the disciple Judas Iscariot’s first words found anywhere in the four gospels. His last words are found in Mathew 27:4, where he said, “I have betrayed innocent blood”. We know that Judas was a thief and was in the habit of stealing money from the money box. There is no doubt at this moment in time Judas has decided to abandon Jesus, and he wanted to get what he could out of what he considered a bad situation. As we look at this event we see three different lifestyles represented, all are examples to us. Martha represents “work”, as she served the dinner. Mary represents “worship” and Lazarus represents “witness”. People would travel just to see Lazarus and the miracle that took place. Read John 12:12-19 and unpack Jesus and the Passover Pilgrims We see here John shifting the scene from a quiet dinner in Bethany, to a noisy public parade in Jerusalem. All four gospels record this event, and their accounts should be compared. This was the only public demonstration that Jesus allowed while He was ministering on earth. His purpose was to fulfill the OT prophesy in Zech 9:9.The result was a growing animosity on the part of the religious leaders that eventually lead to His crucifixion on the cross. There were three different groups in the crowd that day. The Passover visitors from outside of Judea, the local people who witnessed the raising of Lazarus, and the religious leaders who were greatly concerned about what Jesus might do at the feast. What did this demonstration mean to the Romans? Note nothing in history is recorded about the Roman viewpoint, but it is certain that they kept a close watch that day. They had to be smiling at Jesus riding on a baby cult with palm branches being laid on the ground; it would have been completely different than their triumphal entries. What did the triumphal entry mean for the people of Israel? The pilgrims welcomed Jesus. They spread their garments before Him and waved palm branches as symbols of peace and victory. They quoted Psalm 118:26, which is a messianic psalm, and they proclaimed Him King of Israel. But, while they were doing this, Jesus was weeping. Read Luke 19:37-44 The nation had wasted its opportunities, its leaders did not know the time of God’s visitation. They were ignorant of their own Scripture. The next time Israel sees the king, the scene will be radically different. Rev 19:11, “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he judges and makes war.” He will come in glory, not in humility and the armies of heaven will accompany him. Lastly, how did the Jewish Leaders respond to the triumphal entry? The Pharisees were quite sure that Jesus had won the day. T

100th Episode Celebration!!! Wow, what a journey we have had on the RIOT Podcast. For the show this week we took the show on the road and visited Aruba, Curacao, and Haiti while on the Royal Caribbean Cruise line’s, Allure of the Seas. As we commemorate our 100th episode today, we’ll look back on some of our most popular previous episodes that have had a lasting impact on our listeners. The joy, the laughter, and the conversations have all been an honor to share with you all. We believe this episode will bless you as much as it blessed us to do it. Thank you for your support and for continuing to listen to the RIOT Podcast!!

How to walk in the Spirit while on Vacation is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In the last episode, we addressed the negative habits that drain our energy and the actions needed to change them. Today, we are going to discuss how to be Spirit-Filled while on vacation. 1. You can yield your mind to His control, asking Him to expose the lies of the enemy and replace them with His truth. You can invite Him to be free to place His thoughts in your mind as you fill it up with the truth of His word. 2. You can yield your tongue to His control so that your speech will build up and not tear down. 3. You can yield your emotions to His control so that you will weep over the things He weeps over, and rejoice over the things He rejoices over. 4. You can yield your will to His control so that you will make decisions that would glorify God, trusting that He is at work both to will and do what is pleasing to Him. That means He can and will empower you to make wise choices. 5. You can yield your body to His control, both in the maintenance of your body as the temple of the Holy Spirit and in the ministry of your body, using your energy to serve God. 6. You can yield your personality to His control letting Him use you to be His special agent of love. 7. You can yield your strengths and weaknesses to His control, trusting Him to use your strengths for good and letting His strength be perfected in your weaknesses. 8. You can yield your finances to His control, seeing yourself as a steward of His resources.

Habits that hurt your health and drain your energy is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Habits are the foundation of who we are as a person and as a Christian. We are the product of our everyday habits, and we choose daily whether we want to improve ourselves, maintain excellence or contribute to our own discontent. But first, we must be aware of bad habits that drain our energy, so we can take the necessary steps to change them. It is your daily bad habits that have the most impact on your energy, making you tired and less productive. Energy is the ability to do work. We need a certain level of physical, mental, and emotional energy to work at a high level at any given time. But energy is a finite resource. It reduces in volume as we use it. This explains why we sometimes feel tired, exhausted, and fatigued. Today we want to talk about a few of these bad habits so we can bring Truth to them. 1. Watching excess TV and porn The bad habit of TV, where we watch way too many hours per week, is something many of us don’t even think about anymore. The TV is just something we automatically turn on, or some people apparently never switch off. 2. Not getting enough sleep What happens when you sleep less? The symptoms you might experience are lethargy, hunger attacks, reduced focus, and mood swings. Most importantly, you want to go to bed early the night after. That’s great because it means you noticed your lack of sleep. But what if you don’t notice your lack of sleep? What if you’re consistently sleeping less than 7 hours a night? 3.Excessively scrolling through social media It’s hard to find someone these days that isn’t on some form of social media. Although Instagram and Facebook can definitely be fun, they can also come with a dark side. Some social media habits can be bad for your health, so it’s important to make sure you’re using these websites and apps in a way that is benefitting your life and not harming it. How do we know if we have a bad habit? Using Social Media at Meals – When you can’t get through a meal without checking your social media, and you suddenly realize that the others at your table are doing the same thing; you’ve created a life for your social media to take over. Checking Your Notifications When Driving – Twenty-eight percent of all vehicle accidents are attributed to distracted driving from cell phone usage, according to the National Safety Council. Comparing Yourself to Others – A study from the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology found a link between social media use and depression, but the mediating factor in this link was the tendency for people to compare themselves to others. Using Social Media When You’re Lonely – if you’re replacing real-life social interaction with browsing through Twitter, it can have some negative consequences. “Chances are that looking through social media when you’re depressed or lonely will only amplify those feelings. Scrolling before Bed Ask ourselves the question Why are we on? What is being on doing for you? Do you have a purpose? 4. Eating unhealthy processed food Buying processed foods can lead to people eating more than the recommended amounts of sugar, salt, and fat as they may not be aware of how much has been added to the food they are buying and eating. These foods can also be higher in calories due to the high amounts of added sugar or fat in them. God wants us healthy that is why he gave Israel dietary laws in lev 11 to keep them healthy. When we bring God into our healthy eating, it changes everything. Striving to honor Him in our food and drink choices will bring not only a heart change, but it will also change our choices. 5. Relying on other people to make you happy The problems we’re facing with ourselves and other people are not new. And one of those problems is that we are needy. We often turn outwardly for important things: Happiness, advice, affection, love, and approval. We ask experts for advice. We use drugs when we’re in pain. We expect others to solve our problems. It is very easy to fall into the trap of looking to people to make you happy. Spouse, kids, friends, parents 6. Holding onto resentment and not forgiveness bitterness Who hasn’t been hurt by the actions or words of another? Perhaps a parent constantly criticized you growing up, a colleague sabotaged a project or your partner had an affair. Or maybe you’ve had a traumatic experience, such as being physically or emotionally abused by someone close to you. These wounds can leave you with lasting feelings of anger and bitterness — even vengeance. But if you don’t practice forgiveness, you might be the one who pays most dearly. By embracing forgiveness, you can also embrace peace, hope, gratitude, and joy. Consider how forgiveness can lead you down the path of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. 7. Stressing

How to know God’s pre-determined Plan is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In episode 95 “How do life’s Circumstances increase our faith” we covered John 11:1-27. In that show, we talked about how the emphasis in John 11 was on faith. We saw the word “believe” used at least 8 times throughout the chapter. We also talked about another theme regarding the “glory of God”. We began to learn that in everything that Jesus said and did, He sought to strengthen the faith of His disciples, Mary and Martha, and lastly the Jews. Not to mention we also dove into Jesus’s 7th, but greatest miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead. This miracle was so significant that the religious leaders could not deny who He was. This week we will turn our attention to Jesus focusing on increasing Mary’s Faith and then the Jewish people’s faith. Read John:11:28-40 In the previous reading of our last show, Jesus dealt with Martha’s faith, now He had to help Mary. The first question we should try and unpack is; “Why did Martha call Mary secretly?“ Mary is found three times in the gospel record, and each time she’s mentioned, she is at the feet of Jesus, in Luke 10:39- John 11:32 and 12:3. She sat at His feet and listened to His word, she fell at His feet and poured out her sorrow, and she came to His feet to give Him her praise and worship. Mary’s only recorded words in the Gospels are given here in John 11:32, and they echo what Martha had already said in vs 21. “If you have been here, Lazarus would not have died.” The mystery of Jesus’ incarnation is seen by His question in vs 34, where have you laid him? Why did He ask this? Vs 35 “Jesus Wept” is the shortest and yet the deepest verse in Scripture. He silently wept (the Greek word is used nowhere else in the NT). He was not weeping loudly as mourners do. But another question we have to ask is, “Why did He weep at all?” After all, He knows that He would raise Lazarus from the dead. The spectators saw in His tears evidence of His love. But some of them said, “If Jesus loved Lazarus so much, then why did He not prevent his death?” Perhaps they were thinking, that Jesus is weeping because He was unable to do nothing. In vs 27, Martha declared her faith but, she failed at the last minute. She said when Jesus asked to open the tomb, “that surely by now he smells!” Jesus gently reminded her in vs 40 of the message He had sent at least three days before and He urged her to believe. So now that Jesus has dealt with His disciples’ Faith, as well as Mary and Martha’s, He now turns His attention to the Jews. Read John 11:41-57 Jesus turns His attention off to His friends and now addresses the people who had come to comfort Mary and Martha. Jesus paused to pray vs 41 and thanked the Father that the prayer had already been heard. When had he prayed? It’s probably when He received the message that His friend was sick. A quaint Puritan writer once said that if Jesus had not named Lazarus when He shouted, He would have emptied the whole cemetery! Since Lazarus was bound, he could not walk to the door of the tomb, so God’s power must have carried him along. It was an unquestioned miracle that even the most hostile spectators could not deny. Lazarus was set free from the grave clothes and given new liberty. You find him seated with Christ at the table in John 12:2 and all believers are seated with Christ in heavenly places enjoying spiritual food and fellowship. As with the previous miracles, the people were divided in their response. Some did believe and on Palm Sunday gave witness to the gift that Jesus had performed. But others immediately went to the religious leaders and reported what had happened. Keep in mind these informers were so near to the kingdom, yet there is no evidence that they believed. In vs 49, the name Caiaphas is mentioned. He was a High priest at the time. He was a Sadducee, not a Pharisee. Unknown to himself and to the council, Caiaphas uttered a divine prophecy in vs 50: Jesus would die for the nation so that the nation would not perish. Isa 53:8 says “For the transgression of my people was he stricken”. The official decision that day was that Jesus must die. The Leaders thought that they were in control of the situation, but it was God who was working out His predetermined plan (Acts 2:23) in vs 54, Jesus withdrew to Ephraim, about 15 miles north of Jerusalem, and there He remained in quiet retirement with His disciples. The crowd was gathering in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, and the pilgrims were wondering if Jesus would attend the feast even though He was in danger. He was now on the most wanted list because the council had made it known that anyone who knows where Jesus was, must report it to the officials.

Creating God moments, not conversation killers (Part 2) is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. This week we are doing another episode of creating God moments and not conversation killers (part 2). Our last Episode 90 was called Creating God moments and not conversation killers. In that show, we discussed that there is no way to create a God moment with someone if we do not fully believe in God ourselves. When they talked about how to get outside the Christian box so people don’t stereotype us immediately. Next, we talked about how awkward transitions can make it hard for us to create those God moments. Lastly, we talked about how speaking Christianese to people makes no sense to them. We must meet people where they are in order to reach them. Great show, we highly recommend going back and listening to it. This week we are going to continue that discussion on conversation killers part 2. In order for us to meet people where they are so that they can come to know Jesus as we do, we must be willing to lay down our lives for them while honouring them above ourselves. To do this we must love them with the same love Jesus loves us. John 15:12-13 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Romans 12:9-10 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Our first conversation killer is having an agenda in mind before we actually love them. God-moment conversations cannot take a natural course if we are directing the agenda. 9 out of 10 times if we are leading with an agenda in our minds it will ultimately lead to an awkward moment. Instead, we should ask the person honestly about their kids, find out about their dreams, just find out anything about them and let the spirit lead the conversation. Then the conversation will lead to spiritual things naturally if God is opening up the opportunity. Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfil the law of Christ. Spiritual Conversations should be our ultimate motive, not our ulterior motive. Let me say that again, Spiritual Conversations should be our ultimate motive, not our ulterior motive. If we approach our conversations without any agenda and God is opening up opportunities, naturally people will warmly embrace us. If we approach our conversations with an ulterior motive, we will then create an awkward experience and will most likely kill most future conversations people might have with them. Our ultimate motive is to serve them period, without trying to convert them. James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers and sisters if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. How long does it take a person to seize a conversation and dominate it with their worldview? Many ministries have taught their people to treat questions as smoke screens. Each question is deflected so the Christian worker can get back to his or her agenda. Old school evangelism has not worked and it’s caused many people to say no thank you! Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In our last conversation killer show, we talked about why we should not just play home games but also go to where the people are. We need to go with no agenda, but to have fun knowing that God could use us to speak into someone’s life at any moment. We have overheard many Pastors say, including ourselves, that if the person we were talking to wanted to talk to us again, they could come to find us at church. What if the Pastor said, “if you want to talk again sometime let’s set up a time and I will come to you anytime, anyplace, just let me know.” In our culture today most Christians are considered to have negative perceptions. Honestly, we have worked hard to earn this label. They know what we’re against and not what we are for. Our body language, tone of voice, and verbal responses are dead giveaways. The truth is we disagree a lot with what is happening in the world today and the world knows it and they don’t care. Essentially, we are sending the culture this message: Not only do we not endorse your point of view, but we also don’t accept you. This lack of acceptance crushes opportunities for spiritual conversations. Many times, not yet Christians will say or do things just to see how we will react. This is often a test to determine whether it’s safe enough for them to engage with us in real conversations. Reacti

How do life’s circumstances increase our faith? is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. This week we will begin to unpack John 11 and the raising of Lazarus from the dead. This incredible miracle was Jesus’s greatest and the one that aroused the most response from both His friends and His enemies. John selected this miracle as the seventh in the series he recorded in his book because it was really the climactic miracle of Jesus’s earthly ministry. He had raised others from the dead, but Lazarus had been in the grave for 4 days. It was a miracle that could not be denied or avoided by the Jewish leaders. If Jesus can do nothing about death, then whatever else He can do amounts to nothing is what John’s point is in this chapter. 1 Cor 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Death is man’s last enemy, but Jesus has defeated this horrible enemy totally and permanently. The emphasis we will see in John 11 is faith. We will see the word “believe” at least 8 times throughout this chapter. Another theme that we will see is the “glory of God”. In everything that Jesus said and did, He sought to strengthen the faith of His disciples, Mary and Martha, and lastly the Jews. Read John 11:1-16 and unpack how He sought to strengthen His disciple’s faith We sometimes think of the disciples as “super saints”, but such was not the case. They often failed Jesus and wandered off. He was constantly seeking to increase their faith. He knew that His time on earth was coming to an end and that they would have the responsibility of carrying on the ministry. If their faith was weak then their work could never be strong. The setting of these verses is that Jesus was in the city of Bethabara when the news about Lazarus was given. This city is about 20 miles from Bethany, so for the messenger to get there, if he was moving quickly, would take him at least a day to do so. If you notice Jesus sent him back the next day with the message in vs 4 “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Then Jesus waited 2 more days before He left for Bethany and by the time He arrived, Lazarus has been dead for 4 days. This means that Lazarus died the same day the messenger started his journey. Jesus could have prevented all of this but saw the opportunity to glorify the Lord. It is not important that we Christians are comfortable, but it is important that we glorify God in all that we do. Let’s talk about why there was a delay. Jesus was not waiting for Lazarus to die, for he was already dead. We must remember, that Jesus lived on a divine timetable and he was waiting for the Father to tell Him when to go to Bethany. The fact that the man had been dead for 4 days gave greater authenticity to the miracle and greater opportunity for people to believe, including His own disciples. In vs 7, Jesus said ok let’s go to Judea again. His disciples were alarmed because they knew how dangerous it would be for them. Bethany is about 2 miles from Jerusalem, but Jesus was willing to lay down His life for His friends. He knew that His return to Judea and the miracle of raising Lazarus would bring about His own arrest and death. In vs 11, Jesus said that Lazarus was sleeping and His disciples took that as he will get better, but in vs 14 Jesus, after rolling His eyes, said Lazarus is dead. They once again lacked seeing things with spiritual understanding. In vs 15, Jesus did not say He was glad that His friend died, but that He was glad He had not been there, for now, He could reveal to His disciples His mighty power. Vs 16 talks about Thomas who might have been a doubting man, but from this verse, he was a devoted man. He was willing to go with Jesus into danger and risk his own life. We can admire Thomas’s faith, but more importantly, we can applaud His loyalty and courage. This brings us to our next reading of John 11. The two people that were very loyal to Jesus were Mary and Martha. Read John 11:17-27 and unpack their story of How God strengthened their faith Jesus was concerned not only about the faith of His own disciples but also about the faith of Mary and Martha. Each experience of suffering and trial ought to increase our faith, but this kind of spiritual growth is not automatic. Jesus responded to Martha that Lazarus would rise again. He was thinking immediately, but she was thinking future by referencing Daniel 12:2-3. She, like the disciples, lacked spiritual understanding. Jesus responded to her with His fifth “I am” statement by saying “I am the resurrection and the life”. It’s important to note that Jesus did not deny what Martha said about the future resurrection. But Jesus’s “I am” statement completely transformed the doctrine of the resurrection and in so doing brought great comfort to Martha’s heart. He transformed this doctrine in a second way: He took it out of a book and put it into a

Do you see the Miracles around you? is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Last week’s show “Why do we wander?” was a great show, we covered John 10:1-13, and we highly recommend if you haven’t listened to it yet, go back and listen. Today’s show will be a continuation of last week’s show and just as good. We will pick back up in John 10:14-42. If you remember from last week’s show in the first part of John chapter 10 Jesus makes three declarations about Himself. His first declaration was that He was the door. He used a sheep pin illustration as a way to demonstrate that no one can come in unless they belong to the Shepherd. The second declaration that He proclaimed was that He is the Good Shepherd and that His sheep know His voice. We didn’t have time to unpack that proclamation thoroughly last week so we will pick back up where we left off in vs 14- 21. Then we will end with His last proclamation that He is the Son of God in vs 22-42. Read John 10:14-15 The Good Shepherd knows His sheep. In the gospel of John, the word “know” means, much more than intellectual awareness. It speaks of an intimate relationship between God and His people. The shepherd knows his sheep personally and therefore knows best how to minister to them. If we are in a relationship with Jesus, He knows our name and most likely has given us a new name. The second thing the good shepherd knows is our nature. While all sheep are alike in their essential nature, each sheep has its own distinctive characteristics, and the loving shepherd recognizes these traits. One sheep may be afraid of high places, another of dark shadows. A faithful shepherd will consider these special needs as he tends his flock. Thirdly He knows all of our needs. Often, we do not even know our own needs! Psalm 23 is a beautiful poetic description of how the Good shepherd cares for His sheep. In the pastures, by the waters, and even through the valleys, the sheep need not fear, because the shepherd is caring for them and meeting their needs. As we press into Jesus more, we get to know Him better. We come to realize that we never have to worry or fear, for He is always watching out for us. Religion will never get you close to him. We must spend time with Him in prayer and reading His word. Silent listening and meditating on His truth are needed to know Him intimately. The good shepherd will never compete with what the world offers, He operates differently. We are to come to him daily with a broken and contrite heart. In His presence, we will find rest and peace. Read vs 16, the good shepherd brings other sheep into the flock. Read vs 17-21 the good shepherd takes up His life again. Let us now move into Jesus’s final declaration of being the Son of God. The events in this section occurred about 2 ½ months after John 10:1-21. John put them together because in both messages Jesus used the imagery of the shepherd and the sheep. Read John 10:22-24 The festival of dedication is Hanukkah, the Feast of Lights. Takes place in December, near the time of Christmas. The feast commemorates the rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in 164 BC, after it had been desecrated by the Seleucids of Syria. The leaders surrounded Jesus in the temple so that He had to stop and listen to them. They had decided that it was time for a showdown. They did not want Him to evade the issue any longer. Tell us plainly are you the Messiah? Existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC The Hellenistic period spans the period of Mediterranean history between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire. The Roman–Jewish Treaty was an agreement made between Judah Maccabee and the Roman Republic in 161 BCE according to 1 Maccabees 8:17–20 and Josephus. It was the first recorded contract between the Jewish people and the Romans. Read vs 25-42 Once again Jesus reminded them of what He had already taught them. He emphasized the witness of His words. But He went much deeper in His explanation this time, for He revealed to the Jewish leaders why they did not understand His words or grasp the significance of His works. They were not His sheep. From the human standpoint, we become His sheep by believing, but from the divine standpoint, we believe because we are His sheep. Notice that Jesus’s teaching reveals his relationship with His sheep. He has a loving relationship because He died for the sheep, as well as a living relationship because He cares for the sheep. It is also a lasting relationship for He keeps His sheep and no one is lost. What about the people that believed in Jesus but no longer walk with Him, aren’t they lost? Jesus made the statement in vs 30 I am the Father are one. He knew this would startle His enemies and give them more reason to oppose Him. It was the plain answer they were looking for. He made it clear to them at that moment that He was a deity. The word one does not suggest that

Why do we wander John 10 1-13 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In last week’s show, we finished our discussion on John 9 and the blind man that Jesus put mud into his eyes. It’s a great show showing the progression of how we were all once blind to Jesus. Then over time as Jesus reveals himself to us we start to see Him more clearly where intimacy with Him begins. This week we will be in John 10( Why do we wander John 10 1-13), which focuses on the image of sheep, sheepfolds, and shepherds. It is a rural and Eastern image, but it is an image that can say a great deal to us today, even in our urban, industrialized world. Paul used this image when admonishing the spiritual leaders in the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:28). The truths that cluster around the image of the shepherd and the sheep are found throughout the Bible, and they are important to us today. The symbols that Jesus used help us to understand who He is and what He wants to do for us. In John 10 we will see three declarations that Jesus made about Himself. First is “He is the door”, the second is “He is the good shepherd”, and lastly that “He is the Son of God”. Read John 10:1-10 A little background to this story is that it grew out of the confrontation Jesus had with the Jewish leaders following the casting out of the once blind man in John 9. After He was done talking to them about light and darkness, he then changes scenes here and now talks to them about shepherds and sheep. Why? Jesus opened His sermon with a familiar illustration, one that every listener would understand. The sheepfold was usually an enclosure made of rocks, with an opening for the door. The shepherd or helper would guard the flock, or flocks at night by lying across the opening. In the morning, the shepherds would come, call their sheep and assemble their own flocks. Each sheep recognized its own master’s voice. The true shepherd comes in through the door, and the helper recognizes him. The thieves and robbers could never enter through the door, so they have to climb over the wall and enter the fold through deception. But even if they did get in, they would never get the sheep to follow them, for the sheep follow only the voice of their own shepherd. The False prophets can never lead the sheep, so they must steal them away. Jesus is making His claim clear that the fold He is talking about is the nation of Israel. The Gentiles are the other sheep, they are not of the fold of Israel. When Jesus came to the nation Israel, He came the appointed way, just as the Scriptures had promised. Every true shepherd must be called by God and sent by God. If he truly speaks God’s word, the sheep will hear his voice, and not be afraid to follow him. Because the Jewish leaders were blind to the truth and still did not understand his symbolic language. He gives them a practical application in Vs 7-10. So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Notice that the shepherd doesn’t stop by just leading the sheep out; He also leads them in. They become a part of the one flock which is His church. He is the door of Salvation John 10:9. Those who trust Him enter into the Lord’s Flock and fold, and they have the wonderful privilege of going in and out and finding pasture. When you go through the Door you receive life and you are saved. As you go in and out, you enjoy abundant life in the rich pastures of the Lord. His sheep enjoy fullness and freedom. Jesus not only gave his life for us, but He gives His life to us right now! Now Jesus moves from the door as His main emphasis, to the shepherd and He makes his second declaration that He is the good shepherd. Read John 10:11-13 The word translated “good” here means intrinsically good, beautiful, and fair. It describes that which is the ideal, the model that others may safely imitate. Jesus’s goodness was inherent in His nature. To call Him good is the same as calling Him God. Mark 10:17-18 “And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” Jesus in this section of the reading describes 4 different ministries that the good shepherd does. In Vs, 11-13 the good shepherd dies for the sheep. Normally, the sheep die for the shepherd, but now the Good shepherd dies for the sheep. Five times in this sermon, Jesus clearly affirmed the sacrificial nature of His death. He did not die a martyr, killed by men; He died as a substitute, willingly laying down his life for us. The fa

How Do You Know If You Are Spiritually Blind? John 9:24-41 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In last week’s show episode 91, we started John 9 and covered vs 1-23 and talked about the blind man that Jesus healed by putting mud on his eyes. We unpacked the story and revealed the beginning stages of how this man came to know Jesus. We saw that Jesus first called him, out of all the other blind people, Jesus went out of His way to call this blind man. It’s like when we were blind to him and then Jesus called us to serve Him. Then we unpacked that the man recognized that Jesus was more than just a man. In fact, he boldly claimed to the Pharisees that Jesus was a prophet. In our reading today, How do you know if you are spiritually blind John 9:24-41 we will see that the once blind man did not stop with Jesus just for a profit. He will begin to see Him as a man of God and then finally recognize that He is the Son of God. In our walk with Jesus, we do have a progression of faith, we are first “called” by Him, and over time as we get to know Him we begin to see Him more for who He really is. This story is very relevant for us today. Read John 9:24-34 The Pharisees are anxious to settle this case, so they called the once blind man in again for more questioning, but this time they put him under oath. They said that “Give God the praise” is a form of Jewish swearing-in at court. The problem with this court is the judges are prejudiced from the start! They said we know that this man is a sinner. They were warning the man that he better cooperate with them or he might be excommunicated. Notice that the once blind man did not debate the character of Jesus, probably because that was beyond his knowledge and experience. But the one thing he did know, is that now he could see. In vs 26, the Pharisees asked him for the 4th time, “How did Jesus open your eyes?” Can you imagine this once blind man getting frustrated with them at this point? He has been blind all of his life and there is so much now to see. He certainly did not want to spend much longer in a synagogue court, looking at angry faces and answering the same question over and over again. Unable to refute the evidence, the judges began to revile the man, and once again Moses is brought into the picture. Vs 28 “The judges said you are his disciple, but we are the disciple of Moses.” The Pharisees were cautious men who would consider themselves conservatives when in reality they were preservatives. A true conservative takes the best of the past and uses it, but he is also aware of the new things that God is doing. Mathew 13:52 says “The new grows out of the old.” The leaders were sure about Moses but were not sure about Jesus. Vs 29 said we do not know where Jesus comes from. Remember Jesus had already told them in John 6 that he came from heaven sent by the Father. However, the Pharisees were convinced that Jesus was a natural son of Mary and Joseph and that He was from the city of Nazareth. How many people were going around Jerusalem opening the eyes of blind people? Instead of investigating the miracle, these religious leaders should have been investigating the One who did the miracle and learned from Him. Acts 4:11 says “The experts were rejecting the Stone that was sent to them.” In vs 30-33 the man gave the experts a lesson in practical theology. He said, “You call Jesus a sinner and yet it was Jesus that opened my eyes.” In vs 31, He paraphrases Psalms 66:18 where he said “God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him. He then concludes by giving them a truth bomb. Vs 33 it says “if this man were not from God, He could do nothing!” The Pharisees had excommunicated this man and cast him out. He was not cut off from his family and friends. He was considered now a publican of sinners. But Jesus comes to those that are outcasts and rejected. In vs 35-41, we will see how Jesus never let this man down and how this man came to know Jesus as the son of God. Read John 9:33-41 The good shepherd always cares for His sheep. Jesus knew that the man had been cast out, so He found him and revealed Himself to him. This man knew Jesus’ voice but He had never seen him face to face. Where ever Jesus went, some of the Pharisees tried to be present so they could catch him in something He said or did. In vs 39, Jesus closes out this episode by preaching a brief, but penetrating sermon on spiritual blindness. The reason for Jesus coming was ultimately for salvation, but the result as He put it in vs 39 is with His coming, comes condemnation of those who would not believe. The religious leaders were blind and would not admit it, therefore, the light of truth only made them more blind. The once blind man admitted his need and he received both physical sight and spiritual sight. In vs 41, Jesus responded to the religious leaders by saying, If you were blind, you would be be

Why do we fear the unknown? John 9:1-23 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Today we will be reading John 9:1-23 the healing of the blind man. Up until this point in our study of John, we know Jesus performed miracles in order to meet human needs. But he also used miracles as a launching pad for a message of conveying spiritual truth. His miracles were His credentials to prove that He was indeed the Messiah. Matthew 11:15 says “the blind receive their sight” and we will see it demonstrated in this chapter. We read that in the United States somebody goes blind every 20 minutes. The man we will meet today was born blind; he had never seen the beauty of God’s creation or the faces of loved ones. When Jesus arrives on the scene, everything changed, and man was made to see. However, that was not the greatest miracle we will read, we will also see the miracle of God opening this man’s heart to the Savior. The easiest way to grasp the message of this chapter is to note the stages in this man’s growing understanding of who Jesus is. Read John 9:1-12 This first stage of growth was that the blind man was “called”. Before we ever believe in Jesus, He will call us unto Himself. The only means of survival was for this blind to beg for money and that is what he was doing when Jesus passed by. No doubt there were many blind people who would have rejoiced to be healed, but Jesus selected this man. It appears from the text that this blind man and his parents were well known in the community. Notice that the healing was done on the Sabbath so that once again Jesus deliberately challenged the religious leaders. Ultimately because of the fall of man and Adam’s disobedience, sin and death are in the world. But to blame a specific disabled person, for a specific sin, committed by specific persons, is certainly beyond any person’s ability or authority. Only God knows why babies are born with disabilities, and only God can turn those disabilities into something that will bring good to the people and glory to His name. Because we all fall short, we know with certainty that both the man and his parents have sinned at some point in their life. But Jesus did not see their sin, nor did He suggest that God deliberately made the man blind, so that years later, Jesus could perform a miracle. Since there is no punctuation in the original manuscripts, we are free to read John 9:3-4 this way: “Neither has this man sinned nor his parents. But that the works of God should be made manifest in him, I must work the works of Him who sent me, while it is the day.” Why did Jesus use clay this time to heal the blind man? We can think of two reasons. First, it was a picture of the incarnation. God made the first man out of the dust, and God sent His son as a real man so the world could see. The second reason was irritation, it encouraged the man to believe and obey! If you have ever had irritation in your eyes, you quickly seek to rinse your eyes and remove the irritation. You might compare the irritation to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit as He uses God’s law to bring the lost sinner under Judgment. The blind man told them about His experience and about the man named Jesus and what he did. The blind man was ignorant of Jesus’s identity and at this point, he was healed, but not saved. In the following verses 13-23, something changed within the man, as he wondered himself what had happened, it dawned on him that this was a miracle. This could only happen if the man was a prophet. Read John 9:13-23 Since the man was born blind, the miracle was even greater, for blindness caused by sickness or injury might suddenly go away. And the miracle performed on the Sabbath gave the Pharisees great concern. In their eyes this was illegal. They should have been praising God for the miracle, but they instead sought evidence to prosecute Jesus. Jesus was the cause of the division and the religious leaders were judging on the basis of one thing. Nobody who breaks the Sabbath could possibly be a true prophet of God. They were one-issue thinkers, not unlike other religious people today. Notice that the beggar was not intimidated by the threats of the Pharisees. When asked who He thought Jesus was, he boldly told them He was a prophet. In the OT some of the prophets did miracles, including Moses, Elijah, and Elisha. The Jewish people would look on their prophets as men of God who could do wonderful things by the power of God. The religious leaders quickly shot this down and said this man is not of God. They knew they were in trouble and they did their best to hide the truth. Proverbs 9:25 says that the fear of man brings a snare. The Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus, and the parents were trying to avoid a trap, but they were only ensnaring themselves. If we cannot accept Jesus as God when something new comes into our lives, we too might be ensnared by fear. We can easily miss what God is doing aroun

Creating God Moments Not Conversation Killers is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. We read a story a while back talking about US Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Hughes. He was based in Najaf, Iraq and his team was caught in a standoff with a mob of Shiite (she-ite) Iraqis. He was in command of a heavily armored patrol unit from the American 101st airborne division. The people were resisting his unit from entering their city because they were fearful they would desecrate their holy shrines. Although the patrol’s intentions were peaceful, the standoff would probably have been disastrous if not for the quick thinking of Lt Hughes. Hughes picked up a loudspeaker and barked out three simple commands to his troops. First, he told them to take a knee; second, to point their weapons toward the ground; and finally, to look up and give everyone in the hostile crowd a friendly smile. A few moments later, the hostile defiance melted away, as smiles and friendly pats on the back replaced shaking fists and screaming voices. This story gives us an example of how important it is to understand how to communicate with people in a world that has become increasingly hostile to the traditional kinds of conversations Christians attempt to have. A famous author once said, “We must learn to find the back door to people’s hearts because the front door is heavily guarded.” Much like the Shiites Lt Hughes dealt with; the many people we hope to reach for Jesus react defensively. They anticipate and are amply prepared for any direct attack on the holy places and sacred shrines of their hearts. Today we are going to talk about 5 Conversation Killers and how we can avoid them. Our message rarely gets through because what they hear is that my worldview is better than your worldview. Instead of opening their hearts for Jesus, often times we are creating a standoff, filled with hate and anger. Colossians 4:5-6 “Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders.” Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The 1st killer of spiritual conversation is unbelief. Do we really believe that the people in our Mon through Sat world want to talk about spiritual things? If you don’t, then nothing else we talk about today will help you, until your change your mind about this matter. The 2nd greatest conversation killer is pre-conversation history. In his book UnChristian, David Kinnaman quotes one outsider who described Christians this way. “Most people I meet assume that Christian means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, anti-gay, anti-choice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders, they want to covert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe”. Like it or not, our Christian jewelry, T-shirts, TV programs, tracts, and bumper stickers all serve to create a pre-conversation history that colors the perception of everyone we meet. The 3rd conversation killer is our awkward transitions. Imagine watching a football game with 2 minutes left in the game and your team was driving the ball down to score for the win. And the doorbell rings, you’re all by yourself at the house and the last thing you want to do is answer it. You’re annoyed, but you go quickly to see who is at the door and it’s 2 Mormon boys. You have 2 choices at the moment, engage them in spiritual talk or brush them off and get back to your game. You chose to stay and they begin to share with you in an awkward way about their faith. You listen and respond back to them awkwardly because you didn’t fully know what to say to them. Awkward transitions create awkward feelings, which leave people feeling pretty uptight. Most people do not regularly sign up for conversations that leave them feeling weirded out. So how do you transition into a spiritual conversation correctly? The 4th conversation killer is our language issues, not theirs. Let’s share a funny story that will make this point quite obvious. The story goes a few years back, there was a guy that had a job that required him to move to Salt Lake City. After the family had settled into their neighborhood, one of the neighbors came over to welcome them to the neighborhood. As the woman began to engage his wife in conversation, she asked. Are you LDS? The wife looked at her husband and replied, “Well neither one of us is ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder. So we are probably not LDS either”. This is a funny story, but it makes an obvious point. When we lead with questions such as “Are you saved? Have you been born again?” People feel like outsiders. When we speak Christianese, we are unwittingly saying, “If you want to have a spiritual conversation with me, you’ll have to do so on my terms.” The 5th conversation killer is our disrespect. Sometimes we think our spiritual gift is to be quick to speak and slow to listen. James 1:19 tells us to do the opposite, slow to

Creating God moments while becoming friends of sinners is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. A God moment is where God is felt and encountered in tangible ways that address the longings and cries of the heart. We come to the end of our own finite resources and experience the infinite resources of God. It is where the natural gives way to the supernatural, where seeds of faith are planted, watered, and nurtured. Gentleness and respect are present, judgment is absent, and divine dialogue flows naturally because trust has been established. Today we want to begin an ongoing discussion of how we can create God’s moments in our life. We will do multiple podcast shows over the next year relating to this subject. Our heart’s desire is to help followers of Christ be more and more like Him by reaching those that need Him most. In Mathew 11:19 it says, Jesus was a friend of sinners. In our minds, nothing gets to the heart of why Jesus came to earth more than this one. It corresponds with Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” The bible gives us a lot of verses that talk about us going into all the world to reach them. Mark 16:15-16, Matt 28:19, and others. It says in Mathew 9:37-38 that the harvest Is plentiful, but the laborers are few. In 1 Cor 9:22, Paul said that he became weak to the weak, that he might win the weak. He became all things to all people that by all means, he might save some. Today let’s talk about the many obstacles we face that keep us from engaging the world as Christ desires us to do. The First obstacle we face is that we do not know how to create a low-risk, high-grace space for people to peruse their need to have spiritual conversations. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “God has given us all an inner drive to know and to be known by him”. St Augustine said in His book Confessions; “Our heart is not quiet until it rests in God. Where does an unquiet heart go to?” What if we were that person they could go to and we in return slowly create trust so that we can point them to Jesus for help? For many people going to church is as scary as going to a hard-core biker bar. It might be the same feeling bikers feel when they go to church. How many of us would go to a hard-core biker bar to just simply love the people and create opportunities for spiritual conversations? Would it be uncomfortable? Would God want us to go? Both Christians and Non-Christians have very real perceptions about one another that keep us from interacting in redeeming ways. It’s been said that the only thing more difficult than getting the church to go to the world, is getting the world to come to us. If showing up to each other’s club is too scary for so many people, is there a way to create space in our daily interactions that might tear down some of the walls that keep us polarized? Rick Warren said “The church that doesn’t want to grow is saying to the world. You can go to hell!” Disturbing isn’t it? Nevertheless, many churches continue to operate essentially as clubs, convinced they be letting God down if they closed up the show and sold their buildings. Don’t get us wrong, we care deeply about the church. However, we also care deeply about creating safe spaces for people to ask their questions, share their doubts, voice their concerns and even vent their anger toward God and the church. If we are going to create God’s moments for others, it has to start inside of us. It takes safe people to create safe places. First Corinthians 6:19 says that when we become Christians, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not send the Holy Spirit to simply reside in our bodies but to preside over them. Are we at peace with God’s grace in our lives so that we can extend that peace to others? If we are going to make God’s invisible kingdom become visible, then Christ’s heart needs to be formed in us! Let’s ponder some questions that reflect the essence of God’s moments. As you listen to us discuss these questions, grade yourself from 1 to 10 with 10 being that you do this all the time. We will do the same as we journey forward. 1. Can you overlook un-Christian attitudes and lifestyles in your efforts to connect with others? 2. Are you able to suspend your judgment for long periods of time around non-Christians? 3. Do you consistently seek to understand the not-yet Christians you know before seeking to be understood by them? 4. Are you patient enough to wait for the not-yet Christians in your life to ask for your opinion? 5. Be honest. Do you like people who are far from God? 6. Do people who are far from God like you? For example: Are you invited to birthday parties? 7. Does your body language communicate an open-hearted acceptance of the not-yet Christians in your life? 8. Are you able to communicate acceptance to not-yet Christians without endorsing their lifestyles? 9. In your relationships with not-yet Christians, do y

Its a Matter of Life or Death: John 8:31-59 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Last week was such a great show. We talked about two very important nuggets that are in the bible. The first was that Jesus said he was the light of the world and that in Him there is no darkness. We also talked about how he only did everything that pleased His Father. He gave us all a clue as to how to have God’s light in us, we are to do everything that pleases the Father. Those two nuggets open the door for us to live a life that is centered on God’s perfect will. This week we will be continuing that conversation in our reading of John 8:31-59. In verses, 31-47 Jesus talks about the difference between freedom and being in bondage and then in verses 48-59, He talks about the differences between honor and dishonor. Let’s read John 8:31-47 and unpack the differences between freedom and bondage. Read John 8:31-47 In vs 33, we read the pronoun “They” Who are “they”? In vs 30, it ends by after these things, many believed in Him. So Jesus is telling them here, that in order to be my true disciple you must abide in His word like the other believers already have. So the “they” were most likely not the believers, for why would they argue with Jesus if they already believed? What Jesus is saying here is that when we obey His Word, we grow in spiritual knowledge, and as we grow in spiritual knowledge, we grow in freedom from sin. They claim that Abraham’s descendants had never been in bondage was certainly a false one that was refuted by the very record in the OT. The Jews have been enslaved by (seven) mighty nations, as recorded in the book of Judges. The ten northern tribes had been carried away captive by Assyria, and the two southern tribes had gone into seventy years of captivity in Babylon. And at that very hour, the Jews were under the bondage of Rome! Jesus explained that the difference between spiritual freedom and bondage is a matter of whether one is a son or a servant. The servant may live in the house, but he is not a part of the family, and he cannot be guaranteed a future Whoever keeps on practicing sin, is the servant of sin. These religious leaders would not only die in their sins, but they were currently living in bondage to sin. In the rest of this section, we see the debate centered around the word “father.” Jesus identified Himself with the Father in heaven, but He identified them with the father from hell, Satan. Of course, the Jews claimed Abraham as their father, but Jesus made a careful distinction between Abraham’s seed (the physical descendants) and Abraham’s children (the spiritual descendants) because of personal faith. Nature is determined by birth, and birth is determined by paternity. IF God is your Father, then you share God’s nature, but if Satan is your father, then you share in his evil nature. Jesus did not say that every lost sinner is a child of the devil, though every lost sinner is certainly a child of wrath and disobedience. What were the characteristics of these religious leaders who belonged to the Devil? For one thing, they rejected the truth, and they tried to kill Jesus because He spoke the truth. They did not love God, nor could they understand what Jesus taught. Satan’s children may be well versed in their religious traditions, but they have no understanding of the Word of God. Satan is a liar and a murderer. He lied to our first parents and engineered their deaths. Cain was a child of the Devil, it says in 1 John 3:12 “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother”. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brothers were righteous. The religious leaders could not refute Jesus’ statement, so they attacked Him personally. Their statement in vs 41 that we are not born of fornication was a slur on Jesus’ own birth and character. After all, Mary was with child before she and Joseph were married. But their attack here in vs 48 was more obvious. For a Jew to be called a Samaritan was the worst insult and then to be called a demon-possessed person only added further insult. They were dishonoring him but he was honoring the Father. Remember, He said it was impossible to honor the Father without honoring the son. They were seeking their own glory, but He was seeking the glory that belongs to God alone. Jesus had warned them that they would die in their sins because of their unbelief, and now in vs 51 He invited them to trust His word and never see death. Once again the leaders lacked the spiritual insight to understand what He was saying. Abraham was dead, yet he was a godly man, and the faithful prophets were also dead. This kind of talk only convinced them more, that He had a demon. How did Abraham see Jesus that is, His life and ministry on earth? The same way he saw the future city: by faith. God did not give Abraham some special vision of Jesus’s life and min

Illuminate light in a dark world is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. It’s been 2 weeks since we were in the Book of John and that is where we are picking back up. Last week’s show, episode 86 was titled “Are LDS Mormons, Christians?” If you haven’t listened to it yet, that was a very informative show and we highly encourage you to go check it out. The week before that in episode 85, titled “Answered Questions About Heaven”, we realized that there are a lot of unknowns about heaven so we decided to answer a few of those questions, again it’s another great show, so if you have not heard that one, please go back and listen. This week, we will break down John Chapter 8 verses 12-30. In this, we pick up after the story of the woman caught in adultery. We start in verse 12 where there is a crowd around Jesus. We open our reading today with His famous “I am the light of the world” verse. He used this moment to let the crowd know that if they “walk in His light, they will not walk in darkness.” Then in vs 16, he talks about “true and false judgment” and that the only true Judge is God in heaven, who sent Him. Then in verses 21-30, Jesus turns his conversation to “life and death”. He tells them in vs 21 that if they do not believe in Him they will die in their sins. The religious leaders kept asking Jesus, “Who are you and where do you come from?” Jesus has to keep repeating himself over and over again because they cannot hear him nor know Him. Read John 8:12-20 In John, there are ”7 signs” and ”7 I am” statements. There are many seven patterns in the Bible. Seven was symbolic in ancient near eastern and Israelite culture and literature. It communicated a sense of “fullness” or “completeness” To follow Jesus means to believe in Him, to trust Him and the results are life and life for the believer. The unsaved are walking in darkness because they love darkness. One of the major messages in this gospel is that the spiritual light is now shining, but people cannot comprehend it, and they try to put it out. One of the keywords in this section of reading is “witness”. It is used 7 times in this context. Jesus made it clear that their witness was not dependable because their judgment was faulty. They judged on the basis of externals, mere human judgment, but Jesus judged on the basis of spiritual knowledge. If you noticed, Jesus never really answered the Pharisee’s question of “where is your father?” The word “father” is used 21 times in this passage of reading. Jesus did not avoid the issue but faced it honestly. He knew that their father was not God, but the Devil. These men were religious and yet they were the Children of the Devil. In our next show, we will cover more of how the Pharisees are of the Devil. But before we get there let’s Read John 8:21-30 and continue this conversation Jesus is having with the Pharisees. Read John 8:21-30 In John 7:34 where Jesus told his disciples that he is leaving them? So again, He shares it with the people. But again the Jews misunderstand what He was saying. Jesus then warned them that He would be leaving them and they would not be able to follow Him. In reality, the opposite was true. It was the Jews who were going to the place of judgment! Jesus was returning to His Father in heaven, and nobody can go there who has not first trusted in the Savior. The reason Jesus and the Jewish leaders were going to different destinations was that they had different origins. Jesus came from heaven, but they belonged to the earth. It’s incredible that the religious leaders asked Jesus who he is in vs 25. He had just given the evidence that He is the Son of God, and yet they had deliberately rejected the evidence. Jesus’s reply was “I am exactly what I said”. In other words, “Why should I teach you new things, or give you a new proof, when you have not honestly considered the witness I have already given?” In vs 26, Jesus again claims to be a deity when he said “I declare to the world what I have heard from the Father.” Jesus had told them over and over again, I and the Father are one, what I say, is what my Father says. How did the Jews respond to this claim in vs 27? They said, “We do not understand what He is speaking about.” In Vs 28, Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he.” Jesus is predicting His death on the cross here. The word “lifted up” actually has a dual meaning. It could read “lifted up in crucifixion” and lifted up in “exaltation and glorification”. Jesus often combined the two, for He saw His crucifixion in the terms of glory and not just suffering. In vs 29 and 30, Jesus makes two more stupendous claims. Not only was He sent by the Father, but the Father was with Him because He always did what pleased the Father. No doubt, His enemies reacted violently to these words, but some of the listeners put their faith in Him. Salvation is a matter of life or death. People wh

Are LDS Mormons Christians? is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. The Church of the Latter-day Saints (LDS) is the fourth largest church in the USA and the fastest growing. The Saints, or Mormons as they are referred to by church outsiders, assert that they are Christian as they believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible. The question of whether Mormonism is Christian is very relevant to American society at present. According to a standard dictionary definition of Christians “as believers and followers of Christ”, Mormons are Christians. Further, because the majority show universal Christian values such as generosity and forgiveness, the observance of regular worship, and avoidance of “bad” deeds, Mormons seem to act as “Christians”. However, these observances answer the question of whether Mormons are Christians and not necessarily whether Mormonism and thus the doctrine and beliefs of the LDS Church, are Christian. Jan Shipps, a Methodist and noted scholar of Mormonism, is often asked whether she believes Mormons are Christians and responds with questions whether the question is analytical, analogical, historiographical, or theological and religious. Today we will do a brief overview of the LDS faith from a theological viewpoint and share differences between Mormons and the mainstream Christian church. Mormons profess to be Christians and say they believe in the Word of God, however, we have found many of their beliefs that contradict mainstream Christianity. Mormons say they are Christians, but we have found they reject foundational truths from God’s Word, let’s unpack a few. But before we do that let’s do a quick overview of the LDS faith. Joseph Smith, who referred to himself as “The Prophet,” founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the mid-1800s. He believed to have seen a vision of God the Father and God the Son, in which they denounced modern Christianity and appointed Smith to reveal and restore “true” Christianity (Articles of Faith, p. 182–185). Three years later, Smith said that the angel Moroni told him about some golden plates on which the Book of Mormon was written. many believed Smith, and a new “religion” was born. Today, the members of the Mormon Church number in the millions. The Book of Mormon is purported to be a new revelation, one that Mormons say is part of the new covenant to Israel and “another witness” to the truth of the Bible (History of the Church 4:461, 8th Article of Faith). Aside from the many theological conflicts with the Bible and historical and archeological facts, the writing of the Book of Mormon was shrouded in mystery and we believe offered false claims. For example, Joseph Smith and his associates asserted that Professor Charles Anthon of Columbia University verified the Egyptian characters on the golden plates. However, this same professor wrote a rebuttal letter soon after, saying that he never did any such thing and had, in fact, found the characters to be a hoax. In addition, many verses in the Mormon scriptures have been changed over the years, as the church leaders attempt to cover up something embarrassing in their past and to defend themselves against criticism). These facts alone are enough to cast much doubt on the veracity of the Book of Mormon. One of the many areas in which Mormons fall short of saving faith is their belief that God is merely an exalted man who earned his position by good works. Mormons also believe that Jesus was a god, but not God Himself. The belief that God is married is unique to Mormonism. This belief is integral to the Mormon belief in eternal marriage as necessary for exaltation in the afterlife. Mormons argue that beliefs such as celestial heaven are what make the Mormon religion superior because it is “doctrinal consolation” about the afterlife. Those who follow the Mormon faith also believe that they can attain heaven through works. With respect to scripture, Mormons differ from traditional Christian groups in that they accept extra books in their canon. In addition to the King James Version of the Bible, they add the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. The Doctrine and Covenants is a compilation of the revelations given to the Priesthood, namely those given to Joseph Smith. The Pearl of Great Price contains a variety of materials with the most notable inclusions being “The First Vision,” which describes in detail the miracle that is the foundation of Mormonism, and the “Articles of Faith,” which outline the beliefs of Mormonism. Although most statements in the Articles would be acceptable to all traditional Christians, the inclusion of statements such as “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God” are uniquely Mormon. Many traditional Christians view this “as far as it is translated correctly” as bl

Questions about Heaven Answered is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In the Christian tradition, heaven and paradise have been conflated as an answer to the question “where do I go when I die?” The idea of the dead being in heaven or enjoying paradise often bring enormous comfort to the bereaved and hope to those suffering or dying. Heaven is a real place described in the Bible. The word “heaven” is found 276 times in the New Testament alone. The words for heaven or heavens in both Hebrew (shamayim) and Greek (ouranos) can also be translated as the sky. It is not something that exists eternally but rather part of creation. The first line of the Bible states that heaven is created along with the creation of the earth (Genesis 1). It is primarily God’s dwelling place in the biblical tradition: a parallel realm where everything operates according to God’s will. Many people have questions about heaven and today we’re going to answer a few. What is heaven like? Scripture refers to three heavens. The apostle Paul was “caught up to the third heaven,” but he was prohibited from revealing what he experienced there (2 Corinthians 12:1-9). The first is most frequently referred to in the Old Testament as the “sky” or the “firmament.” This is the heaven that contains clouds, the area that birds fly through. The second heaven is interstellar/outer space, which is the abode of the stars, planets, and other celestial objects (Genesis 1:14-18). Heaven is a place of “no more.” There will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more sorrow (Revelation 21:4). There will be no more separation because death will be conquered (Revelation 20:6). The best thing about heaven is the presence of our Lord and Savior (1 John 3:2). We will be face to face with the Lamb of God who loved us and sacrificed Himself so that we can enjoy His presence in heaven for eternity. Will there be marriage in heaven? The Bible tells us, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). Evidently, there will be no such thing as marriage in heaven. This does not mean that a husband and wife will no longer know each other in heaven. This also does not mean that a husband and wife could not still have a close relationship in heaven. What it does seem to indicate, though, is that a husband and wife will no longer be married in heaven. Will we be able to see and know our friends and family members in heaven? Many people say that the first thing they want to do when they arrive in heaven sees all their friends and loved ones who have passed on before them. In eternity, there will be plenty of time to see, know, and spend time with our friends and family members. However, that will not be our primary focus in heaven. We will be far more occupied with worshiping God and enjoying the wonders of heaven. Our reunions with loved ones are more likely to be filled with recounting the grace and glory of God in our lives, His wondrous love, and His mighty works. We will rejoice all the more because we can praise and worship the Lord in the company of other believers, especially those we loved on earth. Can People in heaven look down and see us? Some see in Hebrews 12:1 the idea that people in heaven might be able to look down and see us: “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” The “witnesses” are the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11, and the fact that we are “surrounded” by them leads some commentators to understand those heroes (and possibly other people) are looking down on us from heaven. What will we look like in heaven? In the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, Paul talks about the resurrection and the resurrected body. In verses 35 and following, he states that our heavenly bodies will be different from our natural bodies, with some stark contrasts. Whereas our earthly bodies are characterized by mortality (being susceptible to death), our resurrected bodies will be characterized by immortality (not susceptible to death). Likewise, while our earthly bodies are susceptible to decay (corruption), they will become incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:53). Also, where our natural bodies are prone to weakness, our resurrected bodies will be characterized by strength (verse 43). Will it be possible to sin in heaven? The Bible describes heaven or the eternal state in great detail in Revelation chapters 21–22. Nowhere in those chapters is the possibility of sin mentioned. In fact, we have the promise that, in the eternal state, we will never experience death, sorrow, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4) —the absence of those things is proof positive that sin is also absent since those things are the product of sin (see Romans 6:23) Do we receive mansions in heaven? The night before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples that He would be leaving them and that they could not go with Him (John 13:33). Pete

Hope for the Broken John 8:1-11 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In John 7, we talked about how Jesus went directly into the lion’s den when He went to Jerusalem and was confronted by the people. He told them over and over again that He was sent by the Father to save the world. In vs 16, He said “My teaching isn’t mine, but is from the one who sent me. If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.” No matter how dangerous the situation was, we learned that Jesus always pointed people back to the Father. In our reading today of John 7:53-8:1-11, the story will continue, but before we read these verses let’s give them some context to it. Our reading today will be about the woman that was taken in the act of adultery and brought to Jesus. Read John 7:53-8:1-11 Once again we see Jesus in conflict with the Jewish religious leaders, but this time, they set a trap, hoping to get enough evidence to arrest Him and get Him out of the way. However, as we just read, their plot failed. What we witness in these verses is a contrast between Jesus’s graciousness and the wickedness of the people. The Feast of Tabernacles had ended, but Jesus took advantage of the opportunity to minister to the pilgrims in the temple. During the feast, word had quickly spread that Jesus was not only attending, but also openly teaching in the temple. The scribes and Pharisees most likely knew where He would be and took advantage of this situation to get Him. Was this a scheme, would they really have caught a couple in the act of adultery? The law states in Lev 20:10 that both guilty parties be stoned. The Jewish leaders of course were trying to pin Jesus into a corner with a dilemma. If He said yes, then the woman must be stoned. Then what would happen to His reputation as the friend of publicans and sinners? The common people would no doubt abandon Him and would never accept His gracious message of forgiveness. But, if He said No, then the woman should not be stoned. Then He was openly breaking the law and was subject to arrest. On more than one occasion, the religious leaders tried to create division between Jesus against Moses and now they seemed to have the perfect challenge. Instead of passing judgment on the woman, Jesus passed judgment on the Judges! No doubt He was indignant at the way they treated the woman. He was also concerned that such hypocrites should condemn another person and not judge themselves. We do not know what He wrote on the dirt floor, but we do know it was the finger of God writing it. It was required by Jewish law that the accusers cast the first stones Duet 17:7. Jesus was not asking that sinless men judge the woman, for He was the only sinless person present. If our judges today had to be perfect, judicial benches would be empty. He was referring to the particular sin of the woman, a sin that can be committed in the heart as well as with the body. Convicted by their own consciences, the accusers quietly left the scene, and Jesus was left alone with the woman. He forgave her and warned her to sin no more. We must not misinterpret this event to mean that Jesus was easy on sin or that He contradicted the law. In order for Jesus to forgive this woman meant that He had to one day die for her sins. Forgiveness is free, but it is not cheap. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law so that no one could justly accuse Him of opposing its teachings or weakening its power. By applying the law to the woman and not to themselves, the Jewish leaders were violating both the letter and the spirit of the law, and they thought they were defending Moses. The law was given to reveal sin (Romans 3:20) and we must be condemned by the law before we can be cleansed by God’s grace. Law and grace do not compete with each other, they complement each other. Nobody was ever saved by keeping the law, but nobody was ever saved by grace who was not first indicted by the law. There must be conviction before there can be conversion. Is Christ’s gracious forgiveness an excuse to sin? Jesus made it clear to the women to go and sin no more. We would hope that an experience of gracious forgiveness would motivate a person to live a holy and obedient life to the glory of God.

How Prejudices Makes us Blind to the Truth: John 7:25-52 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In episode 81 we unpacked John 7:1-24 and why the world hated Jesus. The scene showed us that everyone was going up to Israel to celebrate the feast of the tabernacle or also known as “the feast of the booths”. Before they left to attend the festival, Jesus’ own family members mocked Him and His followers. We learned that Jesus attended the festival in the middle of the feast because that was God’s perfect will. We also unpacked about the Jewish People and the religious leaders saying Jesus had a demon. Jesus was different, He did miracles and people did not understand Him. Jesus said, “He did not come to seek His own glory, but that of His father who sent Him.” He told the crowd that everything He is sharing with them is truth and there is no falsehood in Him. Today we will unpack John 7:25-52. The story picks back up with the residents of Israel questioning Jesus, some are beginning to ask, “Could He be the Christ?” Read John 7:25-31 We see here that the residents of Jerusalem are entering the conversations. They knew full well the rulers wanted to kill Jesus and they were amazed that He was teaching openly and getting away with it. In verse 26, they say perhaps the rulers had been convinced He was the Messiah. But why are the Leaders not worshiping Him and why are they not leading others to worship Him? Their question in vs 25 suggested a negative answer and showed their prejudices: They said, No, the rulers do not believe that He is the Christ, do they? They were able to defend their conclusion with logic: 1. Nobody knows where Christ comes from 2. We know where Jesus of Nazareth came from. 3. So then Jesus cannot be the Messiah. Once again the people could not see the truth because they were blinded by what they thought were dependable facts. In vs 28, we see Jesus raising His voice by proclaiming. Jesus is probably speaking in a tone revealing irony. He shared with them that they really do not know Him, because they do not know the Father. This was a serious accusation for Jesus to make against them. The Jews prided themselves in knowing the true God. His statement is also claiming that He was God. He was not simply born into this world like any other human. He was sent to earth by the Father. This means that He existed before He was born on the earth. You can’t claim to be God in a religious system and not be threatened with arrest. Read John 7:32-36 This is certainly a crisis hour in Jesus’ ministry, and the Jewish leaders tried to arrest Him. But His hour has not come. Jesus still had more work to do. Many people, up until this point, have put their faith in Jesus. He had a following, many believed because of His miracles, but eventually, over time we see them openly professing their faith in Christ. It wasn’t time for His arrest and there was nothing they could do about it. In vs 36, Jesus said ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘where I am you cannot come and the religious leaders did not understand that. Within 6 months from this time, Jesus will go back to the father. He was warning them that they only have a little longer to hear the truth, to believe in Him, and be saved. Had these men been willing to do God’s will, they would have known the truth. Read John 7:37-39 and unpack the end of the feast and people being thirsty. The last day of the feast would be the seventh day, a very special day on which the priests would march seven times around the altar, chanting Psalms 118:25 (Save us, we pray o lord, o lord we pray give us success.) This is the last time they draw the water and pour it out on the altar. No doubt just as they were pouring out the water, which was symbolic of the water Moses drew from the rock, Jesus stood there shouting His great invitation to thirsty sinners. Jesus was referring to the experience of Israel recorded in Exodus 17:1-7. That water was but a picture of the Spirit of God. Believers would not only drink the living water, but they would become channels of living water to bless a thirsty world. While there are no specific prophetic Scriptures that indicate rivers of water flowing from the believer, there are a number of verses that parallel this thought. Isa 12:3 With joy you[a] will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isa 32:2 Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. At the feast, the Jews were reenacting a tradition that could never satisfy the heart. Jesus offered them living water and eternal satisfaction. The result of this declaration and invitation resulted in the people being divided. Read John 7:40-52 In Vs-40-44, they want to know “Is He a good man or a deceiver, Is He the Christ, Is He the promised prophet?” If they had only examined the evidence, they would have discovere

Sex, Suicide, and Politics is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Today we are going to answer some of our listener’s questions about the hard teachings of the Bible. Our main subjects will deal with Sex, Suicide, and Politics.. Without further ado, let’s ask our first question. Subject Sex. 1. Same-sex Love? Romans:1 is a text that speaks about sexual “lust,” not sexual “love.”“love” regarding couples (families). 2. Is oral sex a sin? Actually, the Bible doesn’t specifically address the issue of oral sex. It does differentiate between marriage, heterosexuality, male and female homosexuality, bestiality, and incest, but it really doesn’t get into the specific acts that take place within those relationships. 3. Is Polygamy ok? The Bible doesn’t seem to shame Old Testament patriarchs for having multiple wives. In fact, in Chronicles, it actually seems to have been a blessing for a king to have many wives, probably because it multiplied his descendants. 4. How is a Christian deal with a spouse who has no interest in sex? This is a very complex question with several different possible things to address, thus, we may only make general comments. As most are aware, a husband and wife should not “defraud” one another except by mutual consent. However, your question is not whether this is wrong but rather what should one do about it. One must not jump to conclusions about why this is taking place. Having no interest in sex may be the result of several things happening in a person’s life. There may be emotional struggles with past abuse. There may be a present issue with a relationship with God. There may be a medical impairment that is causing a lack of desire. Subject: Violence, Suicide, and death 5. Can you tell me where in the Bible it says that suicide is a sin and you won’t go to heaven? Actually, the Bible does not teach that people who commit suicide necessarily go to hell. At various times, some people have argued that suicide sends you to hell because you don’t have the opportunity to repent of it. However, failure to repent of a particular sin before you die will not send you to hell. 6. What is the biblical view of capital punishment? The Old Testament seems to allow it for murderers. I don’t seem to find as much in the New Testament except that Romans 13:4 talks of the sword, which is commonly associated with death as an instrument of execution. 7. With everything that is happening in the world, it makes me ask if the world will end soon and even as possible as today. The short answer is: “We don’t know, we can tell you tomorrow.” Though many signs of Christ’s coming may be seen through the redemptive history, Matthew 24:6 states: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” 8. If God loves everyone, why does he destroy evil societies? If he doesn’t love the ones he destroys, what is the line between being loved and not being loved? Does he love those who have been condemned to hell? Is there any sense in which God loves Satan as part of his creation? The Bible indicates that there are various senses in which God loves everyone. He has one type of love for all humanity, another type of love for his covenant people, and another kind of love for the elect. Associated with his love for all humanity is a general love for his creation. But it is important to recognize that this is not all that the Bible says about God’s emotions toward these different groups. Opinion/Thought Answers 9. Politics and Pastors, should they or should they not mix? I’ve noticed pastors that lean one way or another. And in that way, they pull like-minded parishioners in and drive away disagreeing parishioners. Or they’re silent in their political standing, which does keep the peace, sort of speak. 10. In the early years of Jesus, why weren’t they recorded? His childhood, teens, and even his young adulthood. The years Jesus was trying to get his wagon license. That type of stuff. 11. Why are certain books “Bible” worthy or canon, while some are not? What’s wrong with the Book of Enoch or the Testament of Solomon, for example?

Living In A World That Hates Jesus is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Today we will unpack “The Feast of Tabernacles in John 7”. The feast was away the Jews looked back on Israel’s journey through the wilderness and looked forward to the promised kingdom of the Messiah. The Jews lived in booths made of branches to remind them of God’s providential care of the nation for nearly forty years. Tabernacles were festive times for the people, the temple area was illuminated by large candlesticks, that reminded the people of the guiding pillar of fire. Each day the priests would carry water from the pool of Siloam and pour it out from a golden vessel, reminding the Jews of the miraculous provision of water from the rock. The feast was a jubilant time of the year for the people, but it was a difficult time for Jesus, for it marked the beginning of the open persecution of Him and His ministry. Ever since He had healed the paralytic on the Sabbath day, Jesus had been targeted by the Jewish leaders who wanted to kill him. In our reading today we will see Jesus remained in Galilee, where it would be safer for Him, but He did not remain there. He eventually attended the feast. Read John 7:1-10 This is the “before the Feast” disbelief. Mary bore other children, with Joseph as their natural Father, so Jesus would have been their half-brother. It seems incredible that His brothers could have lived with Him all those years and not realized his uniqueness about Him. I’m sure Jesus’ brothers knew about John 6:66 “when many of His disciples deserted Him.” Because of that, they were mocking him when they said “Leave here and go to Judea that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” Basically, they were saying that if you want to have a following you need to take advantage of this opportunity and do something spectacular. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” The world hated Jesus because their minds were blinded by unbelief. This unbelief was prophesied in Psalm 69:8 I have become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien until my mother’s children. Let’s read vs 11-24 and talk about what happened when Jesus finally appeared at the festival. Read John 7:11-24 There are three different groups of people here; the first, of course, is the Jewish Leaders who did temple ministry. The second was the Jewish people, the crowd that came to Jerusalem from outside of the city to worship, and lastly, the crowd of Jews that lived in the city. G. Campbell Morgan said, “When men are wholly, completely consecrated to the will of God and want to do that above everything else, then they find out that Christs teaching is divine, that it is the teaching of God Himself.” Jesus responded to the crowd by using the Law of Moses to refute the enemy’s argument. He knew that they would not give in, why? Because their standard of judgement was not honest. They evaluated things on the basis of superficial examination of the facts. They judged on the basis of how they felt and not what it actually was. So He ended his rebuttal with “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement.”

Eat My Flesh, Drink My Blood John 6:22-71 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In today’s show, we will be covering John Chapter 6 verses:22-71. We will be picking up where we left off in the discussion that came from Jesus’ miracle of the feeding of the 5k. In grace, Jesus fed the hungry people, but in Truth, meaning He gave them the Word of God. They wanted physical food, but they did not want the Truth. In the end, as we will see today, most of those disciples abandoned Jesus and refused to walk with him. We will see that Jesus lost His crowd with just one sermon. We will call this sermon “the bread of life”. It is actually a dialogue between Christ and the people, especially the religious leaders. The sermon starts outside but eventually ends up in the synagogue, as we will see in vs 59. In verses 22-40 we see the people seeking the Truth, in verses 41-51 the people begin to complain, in verses 52-59 they start to fight and quarrel, and lastly in verses 60-71 they began to walk away from Jesus. Read John 6 verses 22-40 In our last show of John, we ended the show with Jesus walking on the sea in a storm, and in today’s reading; it starts out the very next day, after the storm. The disciples must have been impressed that so many people stayed through the storm in order to seek after Jesus further. But Jesus was not impressed, He knows the human heart. He knew that the people originally followed Him because of His miracles, but now their motive was to get fed. Read verses 41-51 and unpack this further. Jesus, of course, was the legal son of Joseph, but not his natural son, for He was born of a virgin. The leaders identified Jesus with Nazareth, in Galilee, and not from Bethlehem in Judea, and they thought that Joseph was His natural father. Read verses 52-59 and unpack what He means. Jesus comes out and says that you must eat of His flesh to be saved. He knew that the Jews were against eating human flesh or any kind of blood. What we see here, is another example in Johns gospel, of the people misunderstanding a spiritual truth by treating it literally. All Jesus was saying is that, just as you take food and drink within your body and it becomes a part of you, so you must receive Me within your innermost being so that I can give you life. Read verses 60-71 and unpack their rejection of this teaching. The Jewish leaders both misunderstood Jesus’ words and rejected them. They were offended by what He taught. This was too much for them and the result is that many of Jesus’s own disciples turned their back on Him and went back to their old life. A true follower of God will never abandon Jesus. When He asked His twelve if they planned on leaving Him as well, Peter responded and said “Where else could we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Peter got the message. He knew that Jesus was speaking about the word and not about literal flesh and blood.

Difference Between Catholics and Protestants is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. There are several important differences between Catholics and Protestants. While there have been many attempts in recent years to find common ground between the two groups, the fact is that the differences remain, and they are just as important today as they were at the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. One of the first major differences between Catholicism and Protestantism is the issue of the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the source of God’s special revelation to mankind and it teaches us all that is necessary for our salvation from sin. Protestants view the Bible as the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. This belief is commonly referred to as “sola scriptura” and is one of the “five solas” (sola is Latin for “alone”) that came out of the Protestant Reformation as summaries of some of the differences between Catholics and Protestants. The 5 Solas that the Protestants believe are; Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone Sola gratia – Grace alone Sola fide (fee de) – Faith alone Solus Christus – Christ alone Soli Deo gloria – Glory to God alone The doctrine of justification by faith alone is what triggered the reformation. Catholics reject the doctrine of sola scriptura and do not believe that the Bible alone is sufficient. They believe that both the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic tradition are equally binding upon the Christian. Many Roman Catholics doctrines, such as purgatory, praying to the saints, worship or veneration of Mary, etc., have little or no basis in Scripture but are based solely on Roman Catholic traditions. Essentially, the Roman Catholic Church’s denial of sola scriptura and its insistence that both the Bible and tradition are equal in authority undermine the sufficiency, authority, and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many, if not all, of the differences between Catholics and Protestants. Another disagreement between Catholicism and Protestantism is over the office and authority of the Pope. According to Catholicism the Pope is the “Vicar of Christ” (a vicar is a substitute) and represents Jesus as the head of the Church. As such, the Pope has the ability to speak ex cathedra (with authority on matters of faith and practice), making his teachings infallible and binding upon all Christians. On the other hand, Protestants believe that no human being is infallible and that Christ alone is the Head of the Church. Catholics rely on apostolic succession as a way of trying to establish the Pope’s authority. Protestants believe that the church’s authority comes not from apostolic succession but from the Word of God. Spiritual power and authority do not rest in the hands of a mere man but in the very Word of God. While Catholicism teaches that only the Catholic Church can properly interpret the Bible, Protestants believe that the Bible teaches God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all born-again believers, enabling all believers to understand the message of the Bible. A third major difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is how one is saved. Another of the five solas of the Reformation is sola fide (“faith alone”), which affirms the biblical doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith, alone because of Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–10). However, Catholics teach that the Christian must rely on faith plus “meritorious works” in order to be saved. Essential to the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation are the Seven Sacraments, which are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony. Protestants believe that, on the basis of faith in Christ alone, believers are justified by God, as all their sins are paid for by Christ on the cross and His righteousness is imputed to them. Catholics, on the other hand, believe that Christ’s righteousness is imparted to the believer by “grace through faith,” but in itself is not sufficient to justify the believer. The believer must supplement the righteousness of Christ imparted to him with meritorious works. Catholics and Protestants also disagree on what it means to be justified before God. To the Catholic, justification involves being made righteous and holy. He believes that faith in Christ is only the beginning of salvation and that the individual must build upon that with good works because God’s grace of eternal salvation must be merited. This view of justification contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture in passages such as Romans 4:1–12, Titus 3:3–7, and many others. Protestants distinguish between the one-time act of justification (when we are declared righteous by God based on our faith in Christ’s atonement on the cross) and the process of sanctification (the development of righteousness that continues throughout

How Does A Disciple Trust Jesus John 6:1-21 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In our last show, we finished John 5. We talked about the paralytic at the Bethesda pools and also how Jesus’ persecution from the Jewish leaders had begun. This week we will be unpacking John chapter 6 verses 1-21 and spend most of our time in vs 1-14 where Jesus feeds the 5000. To give this chapter context we must understand that John’s gospel is selective. He does not record events in the life of Jesus that do not help him fulfill his purpose. Between the healing of the paralytic in John 5 and what we will cover today in the feeding of the 5000, you have many events taking place. Some are mentioned in Luke 6 to Luke 9 and Mark 3 to Mark 6. During this period Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount and gave parables of the Kingdom. In our reading today of the miracle feeding of the 5000 we must assume that this miracle was a huge event for all 4 gospels to record. Read John 6:1-14 A great multitude had been following Jesus for several days, listening to His teachings and also witnessing His miracles. Jesus had tried to get away to rest, but the needs of the crowd pressed upon Him. Because of His compassion, he ministered to the multitude in three different ways. We will cover 2 of those ways in today’s show. The first way he ministered to them is in the most obvious way, he fed them. The problem Jesus had to overcome was how was he going to meet their needs with such a vast crowd? His disciples proposed to him 4 different solutions. The first was to have Jesus send them away. But Jesus knew that the hungry people would faint on the way if someone would not feed them and it was evening. The second solution proposed to him came from Philip in response to Jesus’ test question. Vs 5 Raise enough money to buy food for the people. Philip counted the cost and decided they would need the equivalent of 200 days’ wages. And even that would not provide enough bread to satisfy everyone. The third solution came from Andrew, but he was not sure how the problem would be solved. He found a little boy who had a small lunch which contained 2 little fish and 5 barley cakes. Notice once again Andrew bringing someone to Jesus. The fourth solution came from Jesus himself. And it was the truest solution. He took the little boy’s lunch, blessed it, broke it, handed it out to his disciples and they fed the whole crowd. It is significant to notice that John mentioned the fact that Jesus gave thanks twice. Vs 11 and vs 23. Mathew, Mark, and Luke all state that Jesus looked up to heaven and gave thanks. By that very act, He reminded the hungry people that God is the source of all good and needful gifts. Read John 6:15-21 and uncover the second way Jesus ministered to the people, which was by Him leaving the multitude. Jesus compelled the disciples to get into the boat because He knew they were in danger. The crowd was now aroused and there was a movement to make Him King. Did Jesus know that the storm was coming? Of course, he did. Then why did He deliberately send His friends into danger? Sometimes we are caught in a storm because we have disobeyed the Lord. Jonah is a good example of this, but sometimes the storm comes because we have obeyed the Lord. Jesus was never impressed by the great crowds. He knew that their motives were not pure and that most of them followed Him in order to watch His miracles of healing. We must never be deceived by wanting to be popular. Thanks for listening and don’t forget to: Subscribe to our Newsletter for your FREE T-shirt Today! Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our Youtube Channel The RIOT PODCAST is a listener-supported podcast: Donate Now

Do You Want To Be Healed? John 5:1-18 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Today in our reading of John 5 we start out with the first verse saying an “After This” statement. Whenever we see this statement at the beginning of a verse in the bible, it makes us want to ask out loud, After what? Then we read the previous chapter to give ourselves context to what we will be reading next, just in case we missed something. We will see that the last verse in chapter 4 says, “This was Jesus’ second miracle in Cana”. The first one was when he turned water into wine and then the second one was the healing of the Noblemen’s son. Both miracles were somewhat private in nature. The miracle that Jesus performs in John 5 is not a private event, but a public one, and it was performed on the Sabbath day that incites the religious leaders. We also notice that he left Cana and is now in the City of Jerusalem, for what we would assume is to celebrate a festival. This chapter starts the beginning of the persecutions that Jesus will face for the rest of His ministry. John 5:1-15 is the story of Jesus healing the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda. Did you know that at the St Annes Church of Jerusalem they have a deep excavation there which they claim is the Pool of Bethesda? There are probably listeners today listening to us that have probably been there to see it. The Hebrew name “Bethesda” has been spelled in various ways and has been given different meanings. Some say it means house of mercy, or house of grace but others say it means place of the two outpourings. With that said Archeologists believe that there is enough evidence to suggest this place is real and served the community in ancient times. Read John 5:1-15 The pool is situated near the northeast corner of the Old City, close to the sheep gate that we read about in Neh 3:1. Perhaps John saw some spiritual significance to this location, for he had already told his readers that Jesus was the Lamb of God in 1:29 We believe the main reason Jesus went to this pool was to heal a man and use the miracle as the basis for a message to the people. He had a plan all along and the miracle illustrated what He will say later in Vs 24 “if they hear His word and believe in Him they will have everlasting life.” Vs 3 and 4 in the ESV version that we just read have removed much of what is in other Manuscripts. In NKJV it reads in vs 3 “In these lay, a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, [b]paralyzed, [c]waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” THE ESV “removed waiting for the moving of the water.” And all of vs 4 “For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” Modern translators claim that the verse isn’t in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts and that it was a later scribal addition. Thus, they say that they are not removing anything from the Bible. Rather, others added these words in. They were not part of what John originally wrote. The question is, “why would anybody especially a sick man remain in one place for so many years if nothing special was occurring there?” I mean Vs 7 makes no sense without the added scribal add on, when it says “The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another step down before me.” I think it’s wisest for us to accept the fact that something extraordinary kept all those people with disabilities at the pool, hoping for a cure. John described these people as invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. Jesus referencing in vs 14 that it was sin that caused this upon their life. But this is one of the main reasons why he came to earth to right the wrongs, to restore hope. We see this as a prophecy being fulfilled from Isa 35:3-6 says Strengthen the [a]weak hands, And make firm the [b]feeble knees. 4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. Had the religious leaders known their own scripture they would have recognized their redeemer, but they were spiritually blind. Another keen insight, Jesus did not heal all of them, he only healed one man. In John 17:6 Jesus said to the Father “I have [c]manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. In another ob

What Kind Of Faith Do We Have? John 4:39-54 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In our last show in the book of John Chapter 4, we unpacked the Samaritan women at the well. We showcased how Jesus was not prejudiced against any person and that He had extreme patience towards everyone. What we began to see and will finish up today, is that Jesus ministers to a variety of people. In the last show, He ministered to the sinful Samaritan women and to his disciples. In this episode, through John 4:39-54 He will minister to the Samaritan people, to a nobleman and his household. The common theme in this Chapter is that each of these people had faith in Jesus. We see John, the writer of this book, fulfilling the purpose of his gospel by showing the readers how various kinds of classes of people came to believe in Jesus as God. To give today’s show context we will start our reading in chapter 4 verse 27 and then unpack verses 39 through 54 further. Read John 4:27-38 As we stated in the last show Jesus’ disciples were shocked that He was talking to a woman let alone a hated Samaritan woman. And as usual, they didn’t understand him when He told them about the food He had that they did not know nor understand. They took it as physical food when in actuality he was talking about the spiritual food, Jesus’ food was to do the will of the Father. Then in vs 36-38, He gives an amazing illustration of reaping and sowing those that are lost and are spiritually blind. It’s interesting that the word “Labored” in vs 38 means “wearied”. Jesus used that word to demonstrate to His disciples that Sowing, Cultivating, and harvesting are difficult tasks, not only in the physical realm but also in the spiritual realm. There is no place in God’s kingdom for lazy people. The work is difficult and because of it, the laborers are few. Now that we have context let’s unpack John 4:39-42. In these verses, we will see Jesus going into Samaria to labor more by sharing God’s truth with hurting people. We will see that many of the Samaritans first believed by the testimony of the Samaritan women, but then many more believed in Jesus himself. Read John 4:39-42 The Samaritans were so excited by what they were witnessing that they begged Jesus to stay with them for 2 days. We see that during that short time His word produced fruit. Because they were Samaritans and stubborn people like the Jews, you would have thought that they would have rejected Jesus, but the opposite was true. In vs 42, they declared Him the savior of the world. They were converted in only 2 days and they already had a missionary vision. In fact, their vision was wider than that of His apostles. (His disciples didn’t understand that until after his resurrection) Let’s continue on in our reading as we will see Jesus go back to Cana where He did his first miracle. It’s here that we will come to meet a nobleman. Read John 4:43-54 The region of Galilee was known as “Galilee of the Gentiles”. This is where Jesus did most of His ministry. He knew that in His own country there was hostility towards him. So He focused his attention on the gentile region. He was a Jew and was born in Bethlehem, but He became more known as the prophet from Galilee. So why did Jesus return to Cana? Perhaps He wanted to see those he encountered at the wedding feast? We know that one of His disciples, Nathanael, aka Bartholomew, came from Cana, so perhaps there was a personal reason for His return. Before Jesus even got to Cana, He was met in Capernaum which is about 20 miles away by a nobleman. The man had heard about Jesus and His ability to perform miracles. He wanted Jesus to heal his dying son. Was this nobleman a Jew or a Gentile? We do not know, nor do we know his position in government. We do know that he was powerful and oversaw others and more than anything else, we do know he was at his wit’s end. He was desperate and in need of the Savior’s help. In John 4:48 Jesus responded to this nobleman by saying “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” This was not a rebuke towards this nobleman, rather it was Jesus lamenting the spiritual condition of the people. He would always say seeing is believing. The nobleman believed that Jesus could heal his son, but he made two mistakes in his thinking: one that Jesus had to go to Capernaum to save his child, and second if the boy is already dead it was too late for Jesus to do anything. The nobleman was in a crisis, he was about to lose his son and he had no other recourse but Jesus. Many people come to Jesus with their crises, and He did not turn them away. The nobleman’s faith went from crisis faith to confident faith, and then moved to confirmed Faith and finally contagious faith.

Prejudice and Patience, John 4:1-30 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In the next 2 podcasts, we will cover John 4. In this chapter, we will see Jesus minister to a number of people, the sinful Samaritan woman, His own disciples, the many Samaritans who trusted in Him, and finally a nobleman and his household. What did all these people have in common? It was their faith in Jesus. What we will see in this chapter is John fulfilling the purpose of his gospel by showing his readers how various kinds of classes of people came to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. This week we will meet the woman at the well, we will discover how her faith began, how it grew, and what it did for her and others around her. We pick up where we left off in our last podcast; the Pharisees were trying to incite competition between Jesus and John the Baptist. So we pick up this week with Jesus leaving the scene and heading north towards Galilee. As we read our passage, keep in mind, he could have taken one of three possible routes; along the coast, across the Jordan then up through Perea, or straight through Samaria. He chose straight through Samaria and then went up. Let’s read and uncover why. Read John 4:1-30 The orthodox Jews avoided Samaria because there was a long-standing, deep-seated hatred between them and the Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed race, part Jew and part Gentile that grew out of the Assyrian captivity of the ten northern tribes in 727 BC. The Samaritans were rejected by the Jews because they could not prove their genealogy. The Samaritans needed to established their own temple and religious services on Mount Gerizim. Vs 6 says “Jesus arrived around noon and was weary from His journey.” This was an unusual time for a woman to come to get water; usually, it was in the morning when it was cooler. We see that Jesus deliberately sent his disciples away and waited at the well for her arrival. He knew He was to be about His Father’s business. Let’s unpack Jesus’ interview with this woman, as we go through this, notice how her knowledge of Him increases until she acknowledges that He is the Christ. There are 4 stages to her experience with Jesus. In Vs 7-10 we see her first experience, she immediately sees Jesus as a Jew In that day it was not proper for any man, especially a rabbi, to speak in public to a strange woman. It was especially Taboo for a Jew to touch any vessel that was common to Samaritans. But Jesus set that all aside so He could reach her soul. Let’s read vs 11-15 in her second experience she recognizes that Jesus is greater than Jacob Jesus was speaking about spiritual water, but she interpreted His words as literal water. Again we see how easily people can confuse the material and the spiritual aspects. In Vs 16-24 her third experience takes her to believe that Jesus is a prophet. Notice that at first, she did not want to admit her sin, she wanted to talk about her religion; we tend to deflect from repentance and do the same thing as she did. Finally, in vs 25-30, her experience opens her eyes to see Jesus as Christ the savior of the world. In spite of her ignorance, there was one truth this woman did know. The Messiah was coming and would reveal the secrets of hearts. We don’t know when or how she learned these truths we just know she did. In response, Jesus said, “I that speak to you, I am!” He spoke the holy name of God to her.

Leadership and Contentment: John 3:19-36 is the topic that will be discussing today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast This week we are finishing up John chapter 3 by unpacking verses 19-36. In these verses, we will talk about “Light and Darkness”, how John the Baptist handles disputes, why Jesus is the bridegroom and lastly why Jesus as the “witness of the Father” is important. Vs 19-21 Light and Darkness Light and Darkness is one of the major images John uses in his gospel. We first talked about it in John 1. John answers the question why sinners will not come into the light, it’s because they love darkness! Until John the Baptist was arrested by Herod and put into prison, his ministry overlapped with Jesus’ ministry. In our reading of John 3:22-30 we will see that John did not want anyone to follow him, he reminds people that his ministry is to “point people to the Lamb of God.” But we will also see a division amongst his followers; they get caught up in comparing John’s ministry with Jesus’ ministry. Let’s read and unpack these verses Verses John 3:22-30 Verse 25 says “Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification.” It appears that some of John’s disciples started the argument. It began as doctrinal grounds, the matter of purifying and then it moved on to personal grounds. Who is the Jew? Could it be Nicodemus, we can’t say for sure but it is in context with Him. Purification was important to the Jews, under the OT law they needed to keep themselves ceremonially clean. Without realizing it John’s disciples were putting him into a situation of competing against Jesus. In 3:26 they said all men come to him. How did John the Baptist handle the controversy? He first stated a conviction: He said in vs 27 All ministry and blessing come from God, so that there can be no competition. Paul said this as well in 1 Cor 3:1-9 where he said our gifts and opportunities come from God and He alone must get all the glory. The next thing John did was paint a beautiful illustration. 3:29 He compared Jesus to the bridegroom and himself only to the best man. In essence he was saying once the bridegroom and bride had been brought together, the best man’s work is completed. We never want to upstage the bridegroom; the church is Jesus’ bride. John was content in His ministry, he understood his role. The image of the bridegroom would have been significant to the Jewish people. For Jehovah had a marriage covenant with the nation. We find that in Isa 54:5, Jer 2:2, Ezek 16:8, etc. We also find that God has said His people have been unfaithful to their vows and He has temporarily put her away. John is saying that this is the beginning of a new covenant, his church, the Bridegroom and one day will come back for them. The last verse in 3:30 where John says he must decrease and Jesus must increase, concludes the significance of this word “must” that is used 3 different times in this section. 3:7 the must of the sinner, in 3:14 the must of the Savior and here is 3:30 the must of the servant. The last part of our reading today will be vs 31-36. Here we will see the emphasis on the word witness,(testimony). Keep in mind as we read this that the Greek word translated “witness or testimony” is used 47 times in his gospel. So why would we heed the witness of Christ, lets read and find out. Veres John 3:31-36 Vs 31 tells us that we must heed Christs’ witness because he is from heaven and above all. He was God and He came from heaven, he was above all Gods. No earthly messenger or profit came from above only Jesus, We can trust it and rely on his witness. Vs 32-33 says that He testifies what the father has said first hand, what He says is truth because He has been with the father, we can rely on his witness) In vs 34-35 we see again God gave Jesus the word, He gave him his spirit and he gave him all things. To reject the sons witness would be to rebel against the highest authority in the universe. In vs 36 take notice that this is the only place in any of John’s epistles or his gospel that he uses the word wrath. In revelations he uses it 5 times but not in any of his writings. This verse parallels John 3:18 and makes it clear that there can be no neutrality when it comes to the witness of Jesus. Either we trust Him or we reject Him.

Why We Need To Be Born Twice? John 3:1-18 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Not only was Benjamin Franklin a great statesman and inventor, but he was also a great correspondent and received letters from famous people from all over the world. One day, he received what could well have been the most important letter ever to come across his desk. It was from the well-known British preacher named George Whitefield. He said, “I find that you grow more and more famous in the learned world. As you have made such progress in investigating the mysteries of electricity, I now humbly urge you to give diligent heed to the mystery of the new birth. It is a most important and interesting study and, when mastered, will richly repay you for your pains.” George Whitefield did not want Benjamin Franklin to do all that work and lose his soul. He understood that like all of us, Benjamin Franklin needed to be born again, with new birth. We will discuss this key topic today in our reading of John 3:1-18. In it we will see Jesus as the role of a teacher; He will be teaching a Pharisee named Nicodemus about understanding things of the Spirit. In chapter 2 we talked about Jesus doing many miracles at Passover and we believe this is when Nicodemus most likely became interested in Jesus and His ministry. We will also read today the most famous bible verse ever in John 3:16. We will put context to this verse and Lord is willing to do justice by it. Read John 3:1-7 Birth – Jesus began with that which is familiar, birth being a universal experience, we can all relate to it. In verse 3 the word again also means from above. Though all human beings have experienced natural birth on earth, if they expect to go to heaven, they must experience a supernatural spiritual birth from above. Being a patient teacher, Jesus picked up on Nicodemus’ words and further explained the new birth. To be born of water is to be born physically (enter the second time into his mother’s womb) but to be born again means to be born of the Spirit. Just as there are two parents for physical birth, so there are two parents for spiritual birth. The spirit of God as we see here John 3:5 and the word of God James 1:18. The spirit of God takes the word of God and when the sinner believes imparts the life of God. Another thing to observe here is human birth involves pain and so does the birth from above. Jesus said in Luke 9:23 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Jesus suffered until death on the cross so that we might become members of His family. A child inherits the nature of the parents, and so does the child of God. We become partakes of the divine nature. Our nature determines appetite, which explains why the Christian has an appetite for the things of God 1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Birth involves a future, and we are born again to a living hope? A newborn baby cannot be arrested because he or she has no past! When you are born again into God’s family, your sins are forgiven and forgotten, and your future is bright with a living hope. The key thing to notice in our next verses is Jesus brings up the wind. It must have been blowing at the time and Jesus used it as an illustration. Read John 3:8-13 The word wind in both Hebrew and Greek can also be translated as spirit. One of the symbols of the spirit of God in the bible is the wind or breath. Everyone who is born of the Spirit is like the wind. You cannot fully explain or predict either the wind or the child of God. Like the human birth, it is a mystery, any new birth is exciting and different. Jesus said I have used earthly illustrations and you cannot understand. If I began to share the deep spiritual truths with you, you still would not believe. Read John 3:14-18 The story that Jesus uses here is in Numbers 21:4-9 and we are sure Nicodemus knew this passage well. It is a story of sin, for the nation rebelled against God and they had to be punished. God sent fiery serpents that bit the people so that many died. It is also a story of Grace, for Moses interceded for the people, and God provided a remedy. He told Moses to make a brass serpent and lift it up on a pole for all to see. Any stricken person who looked at the serpent would immediately be healed. Lastly, it is also a story of Faith, when the people looked by faith, they were saved. We have a serpent problem sin, and many will go to hell because of it, but if they look to Jesus they can be saved.

What Is Your Heart Saying? John 2:13-25 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Last we talked about Jesus turning water into wine and how He is still performing miracles every day. We talked about how to see those miracles and what they look like. If you haven’t heard the show, go back and listen, to a great show on miracles, episode 67. Today, we begin our reading with Jesus, His family, His mom, and brothers, leaving Capernaum to go to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Each Jewish man was required by law to attend three annual feasts at the Holy City, the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. We will discuss those along with Jesus overthrowing tables in the Temple and towards the end of our reading, we will see that Jesus has the knowledge of what’s in every man’s heart. But before we get into our text let’s talk about these Feasts: * PASSOVER – The Passover Feast commemorates Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. * PENTECOST – Pentecost is the Greek name for the Festival of Weeks, a prominent feast in the Jewish calendar that celebrated God giving them the 10 Commandments 50 days after the Exodus from Egypt. * TABERNACLE – The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot (booths) (or Feast of Booths) is a week-long fall festival commemorating the 40-year journey of the Israelites in the wilderness. * DAY OF ATONEMENT – The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is the highest holy day of the Jewish calendar. READ JOHN 2:13-17 We see Jesus revealing His zeal for God by cleansing the temple. The priest had established a lucrative business of exchanging foreign money for Jewish currency and also selling the animals needed for the sacrifices. Don’t let money get in the way of sharing God’s truth with others. A fascinating quote from John here, He said that when the disciples saw Jesus’ courageous zeal it made them think of: Psalms 69:9 Psalm 69:4 Psalm 69:8 Psalm 69:21 Psalm 69:22 When Jesus cleansed the temple, He was declaring war on the hypocritical religious leaders and it ultimately led to His death. His zeal for God’s house did eat him up. READ JOHN 2:18-22 It was logical for the religious leaders to ask Jesus to show them a sign of His authority? After all, they were the guardians of the Jewish Faith and they had a right to test any new prophet who appeared. Paul said in 1 Cor 1:22 “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:” Jesus used the image of the temple to convey this truth. Destroy this temple my body and in three days I will raise it up. Being spiritually blind they did not see the spiritual truth and interpreted this in a physical way. READ JOHN 2:23-25 It is safe to assume by this verse that while in Jerusalem for Passover, Jesus was performing many miracles that are not given in detail here. It must have been these signs that attracted Nicodemus in John 3:2 Because of the miracles, many people professed to believe in Him, but Jesus did not accept their profession of faith. Why? The words believed in John 2:23 and commit in John 2:24 are the same Greek word. These people believed in Jesus, but He did not believe in them! They were unsaved believers. It was one thing to respond to a miracle but quite something else to commit oneself to Jesus and continue in His word. It is important to see that Jesus tied His miracles to the truth of His message. He knew the human heart is attracted to the sensational. The 5 thousand who he fed wanted to make Him king until he preached the bread of life sermon and they left him in droves. In grace, Jesus fed the hungry, in truth He taught the word. People want physical food but not spiritual truths. John 4:8 says Except you see signs and wonders and yet you still do not believe. There are many who want His works but few who want His word. Seeing is believing is not the Christian approach. The bible says we first must BELIEVE then we will see. Miracles and signs of wonder we experience in our lives can only lead us to the Word but we have to lay down our lives to receive it. God knows our hearts, he knows the truth about us.

Looking For A Miracle? John 2:1-12 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Today we will begin our study in John chapter 2 and cover versus 1-12. But before we do that let’s recap what we learned in chapter 1. In Episode 63 titled “Light over Darkness,” we learned that Jesus was the Word of God in the flesh and the light to the darkness of the world. In Episodes 64 and 65, We learned that Jesus is both the Lamb of God and Jacob’s Ladder. It’s only by His sacrifice can Jesus save us from eternal damnation while giving us access to heaven. John Chapter 1 covered the first 4 days of Jesus’ ministry and today we will cover the 7th and final day of this new creation week. To set up today’s reading we know that Jesus has now called 6 of His disciples. To witness a miracle was something new for them and today they will see Jesus’ very first one when he turned water into wine. Let’s give our reading today a little more context. * Jewish Tradition required that virgins be married on a Wed, while widows were married on a Thursday. * Being the 7th day of John’s special week, Jesus would expect to rest, just as God rested on the seventh day. * But sin had interrupted God’s sabbath rest and it was necessary for both the Father and Son to work. * We will see more as we unpack the book of John that Jesus deliberately performed miracles on the sabbath day multiple times. Today is the first. Read John 2:1-12 We see Jesus represented in 3 different roles, in vs 1-2 He is “as the Guest”, in vs 3-5 He is “as the Son of Mary” and in vs 6-12 He is “as the Host”. Let us unpack each of them. Jesus as the Guest: We see here Jesus as the opposite of John the Baptist. Jesus is social and open to invitations while John the Baptist was weird and stayed in the desert away from everybody. The key thing to observe is Jesus had normal experiences in life and sanctified them by His presence. We would be wise to invite Jesus to our weddings and events! Jesus as the Son of Mary: Since the Jewish wedding feast lasted a week, it was necessary for the groom to have adequate provisions. For one thing, it would be embarrassing to run out of either food or wine. We would guess that the bride and groom were not rich and were on a limited budget so a miracle was needed to help. But why did Mary approach Jesus about the problem? Did she actually expect Him to do something special to meet the need? Another thing to observe from this reading is Mary did not tell Jesus what to do, she simply reported the problem. Jesus asked here “Why are you getting me involved in this matter?” It seems as if Jesus is making it clear to His mother that He was no longer under her supervision and that from now on He would only be doing what His Father wanted him to do. When John introduces us to the “hour”, where Jesus said my hour has not yet come. We must understand that Jesus lived by a heavenly timetable. Marked out for him by the Father. We see this in John 7:30 “So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.” Also in John 8:20, 12:23, 17:1, and so on. As we continue to study John we will observe how this concept of “the hour” is developed. The last thing we want to observe is vs 5 is that Mary’s words to the servants revealed that she was willing to let her Son do whatever He pleased and that she trusted Him to do what was right. It would be wise for us to obey and do whatever Jesus tells us to do. It is worth noting that it was Jesus, not Mary, who took command and solved the problem and that Mary simply pointed to Jesus and not herself. Jesus as the Host: Jesus’ miracle was not a spectacular event that everybody witnessed. Only Mary, his disciples, and the servants knew what happened. This miracle did something for His disciples, it revealed His glory. This event made their foundation and belief in Him stronger. This was the beginning of many more miracles to happen over the course of Jesus’ ministry. If we invite Jesus to our events and social activities we will see His hand at work and we will begin to build up our faith in Him. Jesus did not preach a sermon after this miracle but oftentimes He does. Like the feeding of the 5,000 then the bread of life sermon. What if the Lord did preach a sermon after He turned water into wine, what might have He said? He likely would have told the people that the world’s joy always runs out and cannot be regained but the joy He gives is always new and ever satisfying. In scripture, wine is a symbol of joy. Another sermon that He might have given maybe sound something like this. The world offers the best at first and then, once you are hooked, things start to get worse. But Jesus continues to offer that which is best until we one day enjoy the finest blessings in the eternal kingdom. Jesus’ miracle presents a practical lesson in service for God. The water turned into w

Secrets To Staying Married When Things Are Difficult is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Getting married is a lot like starting a new career, or anything else that has a major change in our life. It’s relatively easy, to begin with, but it is almost a guarantee to be a challenge to stay with it for the long term if it’s neglected. And the worst catastrophe would be that you stop trying. In today’s show, we want to share with you some of the most important applications that can lead to a successful Marriage. This show is for both the married and unmarried alike. We will give practical tools that if practiced will help your current marriage or future marriage move forward in the right direction. We believe that these key points we are going to share will help your relationship move forward in a positive direction. THINGS WE CAN DO IN OUR MARRIAGE: 1. ADMIT YOU ARE POWERLESS OVER YOUR SPOUSE The first step to helping your marriage when things are hard is admitting you cannot manage your spouse or marital struggles on your own. This means you must come to the point where you recognize the ineffectiveness of your attempts to change your and your spouse’s faults and character defects. 2. PRAY FOR YOUR SPOUSE Begin to pray every day for your spouse. Believe in God for a miracle in your marriage. Psalm 77:14 says, “You are the God who performs miracles.” The Bible makes it clear that God wants people to stay married. We need to expect God to supernaturally intervene in our circumstances. Unbelief and fear paralyze us and cause us to believe our problems are too big for God. We need to believe that God can still move mountains. Jesus said, “According to your faith will it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29). James 5:16 teaches us that “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results” Do you want to exert great power upon your spouse’s heart and mind? If so, then pray for your spouse. Keep asking God to work in your spouse and to touch your spouse’s heart, to soften the hardness, and to break Satan’s blinding power in his or her life and also in your own life to open your eyes to those same things. Pray, and “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Never give up! Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Remember, God works according to His timing and not ours and in His ways and not ours. You must simply do your part and leave the rest to Him. 3. ADJUST YOUR EXPECTATIONS Most marriages encounter problems and conflicts sooner or later. Some marital problems and conflicts can be anticipated and avoided. Others cannot be foreseen and must be dealt with and resolved as they come. This takes the effort of both partners. Marital problems are complex and there are no easy answers or quick solutions for most of them. If they have been occurring over a long period of time, the relationship may be at a point of crisis. A marriage in crisis is very painful to go through, but that does not mean the relationship should be ended. Relationship struggles often reveal that there are some things we have not understood about our partner and vice versa. These things often reflect a stockpile of unmet needs or hurts that have occurred. They may even indicate areas of neglect, misunderstanding, and differences. In unhappy relationships, the root cause of unhappiness is a lack of unconditional love and acceptance. Controlling, demanding and unrealistic expectations are just symptoms of that cause. When we STOP seeing marriage as an obligation for our partner to fill our expectations and instead see it as an OPPORTUNITY to learn to truly accept our spouse for who he or she is, we take a major step in seeing our marriages become happy and fulfilling. Does acceptance mean that you consider the other person to be perfect? Of course not. It does not mean that you think their personality is without flaws or that everything they do is perfectly okay with you. It does not mean that you don’t want them to be better. Nobody is perfect, and people will always have qualities we don’t like, characteristics we find annoying, and behavior that we wish they’d stop. Acceptance is not the same as agreement. Acceptance means that you recognize their essential worth as Christ sees them, and consider them to be deserving of your esteem, and your love, despite their imperfections. Needless to say, certain things are unacceptable. There are non-negotiable standards. Physical abuse is one of them. Repeated infidelity, alcoholism, and drug addiction are also to be unacceptable. Accepting behavior that crosses the line does not promote a healthy relationship, nor is it a mark of wisdom. 4. RESIST THE ENEMY The source of all marital problems can be traced back to the Garden of Eden with creation’s first married couple. Satan seeks to mess with our minds, cause us to doubt God’s power, and distract us from following Christ. This is Satan’s disguise. He seek

Lamb of God is Jacob’s Ladder John 1:29-51 (Part 2) is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. As we learned two podcasts ago, John records in his first chapter of John, the 7 names and titles Jesus identifies with as the Eternal God. We first studied in verses 1-3 that Jesus is the “Word of God”, in vs 14 that He is “God in the flesh”, in verses 4-13 we learned “He is the Light of the world” and in verses 15-28 that He is “the Son of God”. In our reading today of John 1:29 through 51, we will see Jesus as “the Lamb of God” in vs 29-34, “The Messiah” in vs 35-42, the “King of Israel” vs 43-49, and lastly “the Son of Man” in vs 50-51. Let’s look deeper into the calling of Philip and Nathaniel as well as seeing Jesus as the King of Israel. Read verses 43-51 The true heart of a follower of Christ is that we tell our friends about Jesus. The illustration painted here of Philip and Nathanial is how it’s done. We simply get them to Jesus and then Jesus takes over from there. Let’s break down these verses a little further. In John 21:2 we see that at least 7 of the Lord’s disciples were fishermen, including Nathaniel. We see here that Nathaniel started out as a doubter; he did not believe that anything worthwhile could come out of Nazareth. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but He grew up in Nazareth, which meant He was to be looked down on and rejected. Jesus has humble beginnings and He humbled himself completely and lived in a no-name place. People can’t grasp why or how Jesus can help, they doubt) Nazareth was an uncelebrated, forgotten town, off the beaten path, even for Galilee. Nazareth’s reputation was poor enough, but outside Israel, the town wasn’t even known. This is why each of the Gospel writers had to explain what Nazareth was — a town in Galilee — when they first mentioned it (Matthew 2:23; Mark 1:9; Luke 1:26). Some students believe that Nathanael and Bartholomew are the same people. John never mentions Bartholomew in his gospel. But the other three writers name Bartholomew and not Nathanael. Philip is linked with Bartholomew in the list of names in Math 10:3, Mark 3:18, and Luke 6:14 so it is possible that the two men were paired off and served together. It was not unusual on that day for one man to have different names. When Nathaniel came to Jesus, he discovered that Jesus already knew all about him! In verse 47 he said he was an Israelite in whom there was no deceit. Jesus was referencing Jacob, a man who used deceit to trick his brother, his father, and his father-in-law. God later changed his name to Israel. The reference to Jacobs ladder in 1:51 confirms this. In verse 48, Nathaniel asked him, “how do you know me?” Then Jesus answered him and said he saw him under the fig tree. (I am thinking what Nathaniel was thinking under the fig tree must have prepared him to receive the call of Jesus) Maybe verse 49 where he says King of Israel was what he was meditating on. When Nathaniel said “King of Israel” he was using the title similar to the “Messiah, anointed one.” Let’s finish this section of scripture by reading verses 50-51. We will see Jesus giving him the title of “Son of man”; this was one of our Lord’s favorite titles to give himself. In fact, it is used 83 times in the gospels. The title speaks of both the deity and the humanity of Jesus. In Daniel 7:13 we see the term “Son of man” used in a definite messianic setting and Jesus is using the title here in the same way. As the Son of Man, Jesus is the living link between heaven and earth. This explains why Jesus is using Jacob’s latter reference in Gen 28 here in verse 51. Jesus said in John 14:6 “no one comes to the Father except through me.” There is no mistake that John is saying that Jesus is the messiah that was on earth in the flesh come to save the world from their sin.

Lamb of God is Jacob’s Ladder John 1:29-51 (Part 1) is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. As we learned two podcasts ago, John records in his first chapter of John, the 7 names and titles Jesus identifies with as the Eternal God. We first studied in verses 1-3 that Jesus is the “Word of God”, in vs 14 that He is “God in the flesh”, in verses 4-13 we learned “He is the Light of the world” and in verses 15-28 that He is “the Son of God”. In our reading today of John 1:29 through 51, we will see Jesus as “the Lamb of God” in vs 29-34, “The Messiah” in vs 35-42, the “King of Israel” vs 43-49, and lastly “the Son of Man” in vs 50-51. Read John 1:29-34 and break down Jesus as the Lamb of God. In one sense, what we see in the bible, the message of the old testament is “Where is the Lamb”? Gen 22:7 & 8 says “And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together” And in the New Testament, it can be summed, Behold the Lamb of God! John 1:35-36 “The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The lambs that Israel sacrificed could not take away their sin once and for all, but God’s lamb, not only took away their sins but also the sins of the whole world. John the Baptist understood that baptism for Jesus was in reference to the death, burial, and resurrection that He would endure on the cross as the sacrificial lamb. He most likely knew Isaiah 53:7 that says He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers are silent, so he opened not his mouth. John now turns his attention to Jesus’ first disciples. We see in verses 35-42 John, the writer of this gospel, as one of His first disciples along with Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Read verses 35-42 In verse 38 Jesus asks them, What do you seek? Here Jesus is forcing them to define their purposes and goals. Were they looking for a revolutionary leader to overthrow Rome? They did not answer him, but Jesus knew their heart and asked them to join Him with a come and see. What does come and see mean to us? Verse 41 says we have found the Messiah. The word “Messiah” in Hebrew means, “the anointed” and the Greek word means “the Christ”. To the Jews, they understood this statement to be “the Son of God”. Kings were called “God’s anointed” in 1 Sam 26:11, so when the Jews spoke about their Messiah, they were thinking of the king who would come to deliver them and establish the kingdom. Verse 43 says Jesus gave Simon a new name Cephas, which in Aramaic means “the Rock”. It took a great deal for Jesus to transform weak Simon into a Rock, but He did it. This is a great encouragement to all who trust in Christ. It is worth noting that both Andrew and John trusted Christ through the faithful preaching of John the Baptist. Peter and James came to Christ because of the personal work of their brothers. Later on, we will see Jesus personally invites Philip to follow him, but Philip invited Nathaniel. The Bottom line is that we must invite others to follow Jesus.

Why The Nativity? is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. As the moonlit the treetops and the evening breeze cooled her skin, Mary rested quietly, renewing her strength. She gazed in wonder at the tiny, living gift in her arms. Any child, of course, is a miracle from heaven—a firstborn in particular. Even so, Mary understood that the child she held was set apart from any other child ever born. Yet the question was, Why? Today, we want to share excerpts from Dr. Jeremiah’s Book “Why the Nativity” and explore the birth of Christ and some of those why questions Mary may have had way back when. The words of angels are not likely to be forgotten. They are memorized, cherished, inscribed upon the heart, and shared only with the most intimate friends. Mary and Joseph each had their visit from an angel, and each held their piece of the puzzle. Mary had been told who the baby was, while Joseph had been told what he would do. As the child increased in wisdom and in stature, can we doubt that his parents shared the angels’ words over and over? You are the Son of God. You will save your people from their sins. It’s not surprising that in Luke 2:49 Jesus spoke of his mission. His very first recorded words were to tell his parents they should have expected him to be involved in his Father’s business. Luke tells us that his parents didn’t understand his words. What was his Father’s business? Who was this young boy with a twelve-year-old body and ageless wisdom? We can imagine the whispered conversations between Mary and Joseph late at night. Why did Jesus come to earth? And when the time arrived—as inevitably it must—where would he go? What would he do? Would the world finally understand the incredible secret held only between heaven and one small family? When the day of fulfillment came, some three decades after his birth, Jesus had been given many years to wrestle with the identity told to Mary and the mission told to Joseph. We can imagine that he spoke often with those two. He discoursed with the local teachers. He pored over the words of the prophets until they were part of his very being. I am the one Isaiah described so long ago (see Isaiah 53). There must have been moments when he mourned the loss of the simple life, the common life—the life of marriage and children and grandchildren—that he knew he must not choose. But his heart was true. When he knew the time was right, he journeyed deep into the wilderness alone, denying himself food and water. There, in solitude, identity and mission came together for him. There Jesus himself confronted the temptations of the devil, and he mastered them. WHY DID JESUS COME AS A BABY? MARY MAY HAVE ASKED We find that Jesus was constantly answering that great question—why had he come? On thirteen occasions in the short Gospel records, he used the phrase, “I have come.” I have come to call . . . sinners. (Matthew 9:13) I have come . . . in my Father’s name. (John 5:43) I have come . . . to do the will of God. (John 6:38) I come from him, and he sent me to you. (John 7:29) I have come as a light to shine in this dark world. (John 12:46) Perhaps his most moving purpose statement came on the day when he encountered a strange little man named Zacchaeus. The latter was a man of wealth and distinction. Yet when Jesus passed through town, the little man ran ahead of the crowd and climbed into the branches of a tree. His lack of dignity was appalling, but people tended to avert their eyes from Zacchaeus anyway. After all, he had made his fortune by tapping into the corruption of Roman taxation. Conventional wisdom said that a noble teacher of godly truth should ignore such a public parasite. But imagine—Jesus called the little man by name, then suggested the two should share a meal at the tax collector’s home. In the eyes of the crowd, it was a serious misstep for Jesus, and they made their opinions known. Jesus said, “I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost” (see Luke 19:10) To seek and to save the lost. There is music and majesty in that statement. One focus: the lost. Two actions: seek and save. The ambassador’s urgent business, then, is a rescue mission. ANOTHER MARY QUESTION COULD HAVE BEEN, “WHY DID HE BECOME A MAN?” To seek and to save. We think of pictures of sailors clinging to the wreckage of a ship. Helicopters hover in the night sky, shining their beacons on the sea in search of the living who must be saved. We think of a collapsed mine, where workers are trapped far beneath the earth. Their oxygen runs low, and the men crouch in darkness, wondering if they dare hope for salvation. We think of a little girl at the bottom of a well, or even the favorite word picture of a single stray sheep trapped on a perilous outcropping. One animal in a flock of hundreds, and who would miss it? The shepherd would. He will leave the many to find the one, at any cost. The coast guard will find those three o

How To Live With Purpose Like Jesus is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. In Luke 1:35, Mary understood that the child she held was set apart from any other child that had been born. She knew what the angel had told her and what was confirmed in her heart was true. “Here at my breast is the Son of God.” Those were the very words, the very designation, the angel had given: Son of God. The primary reason Jesus came to earth was to perform a rescue mission. Jesus not only came to rescue us from our sins so that we can have eternal life, but He also came to help establish a firm foundation for how we are supposed to live with purpose in our daily lives. Today, we are going to discuss 5 key focal points Jesus put all of His attention on while living on this earth. 1. Jesus focused on Equipping and Discipling Believers From the beginning, Jesus told the disciples that He would make them into something different: “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Their occupation of catching fish changed into a mission of fishing for people. Each step along the way, Jesus taught them to share with others, connect people to God, and minister to those who were in need. 2. Jesus focused on Assisting the Poor Jesus cared deeply about the poor and the downtrodden, demonstrating his compassion in tangible ways: in Matthew 25 when Jesus describes the actions of those welcomed into his Father’s kingdom: He said “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35-36, 40). 3. Jesus focused on healing to the sick As with look at the healings of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the four gospels, we also discover that Jesus used a number of different ways to heal the infirmed. The first way we see is Jesus spoke a word and they were healed: Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” Right away the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus (Mark 10:52 CEV). The second thing we find is Jesus touched people to heal them: He took her by the hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and served Jesus a meal Matthew 8:15. Another thing that happened with Jesus is that people touched Jesus’ garment and were healed: And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed Matthew 14:35-36. 4. Jesus focused on reaching the next generation In the first century, children had little to no rights. Often seen as a nuisance, they were tolerated but not welcome. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus spoke out against those who pushed children to the sidelines while drawing them near to Himself. In Mark 10:13-14, It says And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God.” In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus actually took a child in his arms, commissioning others to welcome children in a similar way. In Mark 9:35-37, He sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said, “Whoever receives such a child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” 5. Jesus focused on Planting and Building Churches Virtually all the great evangelistic challenges of the New Testament are basically calls to plant churches, not simply to share the faith. The ‘Great Commission (Matt.28: 18-20) is not just a call to ‘make disciples but to ‘baptize’. In Acts and elsewhere, it is clear that baptism means incorporation into a worshipping community with accountability and boundaries (cf. Acts 2:41-47). The only way to be truly sure you are increasing the number of Christians in a town is to increase the number of churches.

Professional Bowler Shannon O’Keefe; Overcoming Spiritual Adversity is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Oswald Chambers once said, “Spiritual maturity is going from being thin-skinned and hard-hearted to thick-skinned and tendered-hearted.” Oswald is basically saying we either are getting angry quickly and becoming bitter or were letting things go and becoming loving. Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. The question we want to tackle today is: How do we become tender-hearted? In the words of the song in Frozen we “let it go, let it go!!”. We are able to become tender-hearted when we learn to surrender our will and let it go to allow God’s will to take over during times of Adversity. True success is never achieved without overcoming adversity, whether it is physically, mentally, or spiritually. If we achieve success with only our physical and mental beings and not our spiritual ones, then we can never become tender-hearted. It’s only by achieving success spiritually that we can become tender-hearted and achieve the greatest success of all. The bi-product of our spiritual success is that we can now overcome our physical and mental adversity with joy. When adversity comes, we are forced to face problems and pressures that are too big for us to resolve. It’s often in this manner that God gets our attention. Adversity reminds us that God is present and we are accountable to Him for our every thought, word, and action. God’s Word reveals that the fear of the Lord is the key to life, wisdom, and lasting achievement. The pain of adversity helps us recognize the deception of sin. Our hatred of evil will increase when we realize how sin keeps us from living in a way that honors God and how it damages the lives of those we love. Learning to let go and let God in our greatest battles of life allows us to become content and thrive in our moments.

Attitude of Gratitude & Listener’s Questions Answered are the topics that will be discussing today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast Tony Evans- “God says to give thanks in everything. That doesn’t mean you need to give thanks FOR everything. You don’t need to give thanks FOR that bad day. Or FOR that bad relationship. Or being passed over at work. Financial hardship. Whatever it is – you are not to give thanks FOR the difficulties, but rather IN the difficulties. That is a very important distinction, and one I think we often miss. Giving thanks IN everything shows a heart of faith that God is bigger than the difficulties and that He can use them, if you approach Him with the right heart and spirit, for your good and His glory.” Being thankful for Him working through our life difficulties allows us to walk in freedom and thankfulness to him. Knowing that we are not going through our struggles alone, because He is with us, growing us and bringing purpose to the pain. Jesus sets us free from the pain and gives us rest, and knowing that allows us to be thankful for the process. But before we talk more on Thanksgiving lets be thankful that we have listeners that have some hard questions that we can try and answer. First Question From Neena: “According to Rick Warren, we were all born for a purpose, exactly the way we were supposed to be born- what about those children who were born severely deformed and/or handicapped or missing a part of their brain and that sort of thing -is that really the way God wanted them to be born? I know God can take a bad thing make some good come out of it, but was that really his plan with them to be born like that? Or would you say it’s just because we live in a fallen world things have become corrupted, even our genetics. • Truth of the matter is we are all broken and disabled in some way. • Sin brought with it sickness, imperfection, and disease Romans 5:12) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned • One reason God allows people to be disabled or handicapped is that such conditions are the natural result of mankind’s rebellion against God. This is not to say that every disability is the direct result of personal sin but, generally speaking, the existence of handicaps and disabilities can be traced back to the existence of sin. • Another basic reason that God allows some people to be disabled or handicapped is that God will glorify Himself through it. • Another reason why God allows disabilities or handicaps is that we must learn to trust in Him rather than in ourselves. • Another reason why God allows some to be disabled or handicapped is that, in His overarching plan, He has chosen the weak things of this world for a special purpose: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. That same question applies to gay people who from the very beginning even when they were little children had those tendencies and as they grew, were NEVER attracted to the opposite sex… were they really supposed to be born that way – it was the plan??” Second question from Lino Jesus wasn’t accepted by his own people as Messiah. Why if they rejected him, do they no longer sacrifice animals like in the Old Testament, today, for the forgiveness of their sins? • Because there was no longer a Temple, the only place allowed by halakha for sacrifices. Temple at Jerusalem, was destroyed in 70 AD The foundation of a religion based on centralized worship and sacrifice in the Temple had been obliterated. • The rules for sacrifices in Judaism are very ancient, and set forth primarily in the book of Leviticus. The first seven chapters, in fact, are almost an instruction manual for how to do each of the sacrifices. • So today the Jews have made Prayer replaced sacrifice, and the local synagogue replaced the centralized Temple. • We believe as Christians that the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ permanently abolished animal sacrifice, primarily based on the teaching in the Epistle to the Hebrews that Jesus was the “Lamb of God” to whom all ancient sacrifices pointed. • Traditional Muslims do still offer sacrifice. The Feast of Sacrifice (Idu-l-adha) comes two months and ten days after the end of Ramadan. The ritual sacrifice is usually a sheep or goat, although a cow or camel is possible. The meat is eaten at the feast. There are a number of complex rules about the procedure. The celebration is in honor of Abraham, spiritual father of Muslims (and Jews and Christians, by the way) who was willing to submit (islam) to God’s will and was ready to sacrifice his son. There was a recent time that I had a coworker who I didn’t get along with. For reasons I never learned nor will learn, because I don’t work there anymore, she was always a very mean and unpleasant coworker, and someo

Why What We Say Is Important is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. The power of speech is a gift from God and it must be used the way God ordains. In the book of James chapter 3, the tongue is compared to a bridle and rudder, a fire and a poisonous animal, and to a fruitful tree and a fountain. These three pairs of pictures teach us that the tongue has the power to direct, the power to destroy, and the power to delight. The tongue is but a little member of our bodies, but it can accomplish great things for good or for evil. In our reading today Paul is going to point out three important ministries of speech we as Christians all have. Colossians 4:2-6 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. THE FIRST MAIN AREA OF SPEECH WE SEE IS WE MUST BE ALWAYS PRAYING Prayer and worship are perhaps the highest uses of the gift of speech. Paul was not ashamed to ask his friends to pray for him. Even though he was an apostle, he needed prayer support for himself and his ministry. In these few words, Paul described 4 characteristics of a satisfying prayer life. Prayer is Faithful Prayer is Watchful Prayer should be Thankful Prayer should be Purposeful Warren Wiersbe: “It has been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth. Prayer is not telling God what to do or what to give. Prayer is asking God for that which He wants to do and give, according to His will. Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, it is laying hold of His willingness. THE NEXT AREA OF SPEECH IS WE CAN PROCLAIM GODS WORD Colossians 3b-4 that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Paul did not ask for the prison doors to be opened, but that doors of ministry might be opened. The proclamation of the gospel is empowered by prayer. The spirit of God uses the Word of God as we come to the throne of grace and ask God for His blessing. We must never separate the Word of God from prayer because God has joined them together. THE LAST AREA OF SPEECH IS WE CAN BE WITNESSING TO THE LOST Colossians 4: 5-6 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. When Paul says to walk in wisdom towards outsiders he is talking about people not of the faith. Jesus spoke with Grace on his lips, Luke 4:22 says “And all wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.” Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and is justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” John 1:12-13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Natural Discipleship, Multiplication Made Easy is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast Steve Harris said “There is a great need for Christian ministry resources that will equip followers of Christ to share their faith and make disciples in a natural, relational, conversational and personal way. The most effective kind of evangelism and discipleship is personal.” It says in Proverbs 20:5 The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out. The best way to draw out a person’s heart is by asking good questions. There is a great need for Christian ministry resources that are not just presentations, but guided conversations, allowing the participant to share their values and life experiences as the discussions unfold. There is a need to find an approach that facilitates the opportunity to share your story, my story, and His story. We need to have a way to share face to face over a cup of coffee, at a restaurant during lunch hour, or a zoom call. And today, we get to talk about one of those ways with Natural Discipleship. There are 9 steps in using Natural Discipleship. Let’s discuss what discipling someone looks like. Step 1: Spiritual Preparation Step 2: Investing in Relationships Step 3: Praying for my friends Step 4: Initiating Spiritual Conversation Step 5: Sharing my story Step 6: Sharing his story Step 7: Deeper Study of the gospel Step 8: Initial Studies for new believers Step 9: Inductive Bible Study Method Mathew 4:19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” * Follow is Relational * Make is transformational * Fisher is missional A disciple is someone who is following Christ, who is being changed by Christ and who is committed to the mission of Christ. Great Commission in context: Mathew 28:16-20 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age Lose your life for Jesus: Luke 9:23-24And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Love one another: John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Receive Power and be witness everywhere: Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Discipleship ​​Made Simple * Grow Spiritually * Share Your Faith * Coach Others If you are interested in being disciplined or want to start the process of discipling others please DM us or reach out to us in the comments below.

What Does a Healthy Family Look Like Col 3 18-21 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast I think it’s safe to say that there is something wrong in many homes today. There are many statistics out there but in America, there are more broken homes today than ever before. Single-parent families are on the increase. Over half of all mothers are now forced to work and not be able to spend as much time with their kids as needed. The average American child from 6 to 16 watches about 30 to 40 hours of TV/Videos each week and is greatly influenced by what they see. The first institution God founded on earth was the home in Gen 2:18-25. The saying goes “As the home goes, so goes the society and the nation”. Centuries ago Confucius said, “The strength of a nation is derived from the integrity of its homes”. One of the greatest things we can do as individuals is to help build godly Christian homes. Today in our Reading we will see Paul address the various members of the family as well as point out the factors that make for a strong and Godly home. Colossians 3:18-21 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. 20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged. ● THE First way we can help build healthy homes is for Husbands to lead their family spiritually and wives do what is necessary to help them lead and balance them out. 18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Paul did not address the wives first because they were the neediest. The gospel radically changed the position of women in the Roman World. It gave them new freedom and stature that some of them were unable to handle, and for this reason, Paul admonished them. Scripture references: Eph 5:22-33, 1 Peter 3:1 The word submission. This word is not referencing slavery or subjugation. The word comes from the military vocabulary and simply means to arrange under rank. It only means they have different ranks. 1 Cor 14:40 “But be sure that everything is done properly and in order” God is a God of order. If he did not have a chain of command in society, we would have chaos. This does not mean man is better than woman, it only means that the man has the responsibility of headship and leadership in the home. Headship is not a dictatorship; It is supposed to be a loving leadership. All leadership should be submitted first to the Lord. True spiritual submission is the secret of growth and fulfillment in a couple’s life. There should be no selfish independence in marriage. No separate bank accounts. Verse 19 it says “for the Husbands to love His wife”. That word there is agape love. That is the sacrificing serving love that Christ shares with the church. Eph 5:18 Husbands must love their wives as Christ loved the church. Eph 4:15 speak truth in love, Eph 4:26 let not the sun go down upon your wrath. ● Next way to have a healthy family is for Parents and children to function properly 20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged Not just parents but their elders as well. Children do not create problems, they reveal them. Parents that cannot discipline themselves cannot discipline their children. Mothers and Fathers must be under authority in order for children to be as well. If Mom and Dad complain about govt, police, other people and have a rebellious heart, how do they expect their kids to act. Parents need to listen to their kids and hear what they might be going through. Show them compassion. Discouraged children are fair prey for Satan and the world. When a child does not get enough encouragement at home, he will seek it elsewhere. Never compare your children with each other.