Outward strength through internal compassion and unity

Today we will be looking at the core Bible principle of compassion, and how compassion and unity with one another can provide a foundation for reaching others with the message of the Kingdom. 1 Peter 3:8-9 – Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other in brotherly love. Be compassionate, and keep a humble attitude.  Do not give back evil for evil or insult for insult…

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i kknow this may not be your area of knowledge but do you know why the pope is suddenly saying this stuff re: marxism? hes always been progressive and genuine in his beliefs (same gender stuff, the lunch w the drag queens, etc.) but to outright say "we should befriend communists" is surprising to me. power play? old age? hes also a communist? idk

i was raised catholic and spend most of my time at a jesuit college! it's a complicated issue, but i'll do my best. edit: i also want to say that i am both pro-francis and generally very unhappy with the church in general, so i've tried to be as objective as i can.

pope francis is, first, argentinian, and second, a jesuit. as a south american he knows liberation theology, a marxist-based theology of the poor which developed in south america during the 1980s. because of its association with marxism liberation theology was treated with huge suspicion by the catholic church. cardinal ratzinger, later benedict xvi, wrote a fairly nasty castigation of liberation theology in the 80s- if i find it i'll link it.

this is the context, i believe, of his comments on marxism: it's not only a home ideology for francis, it's more necessary than ever in our current social climate. francis has always been what most catholics would consider a liberally minded pope, he exhibits that fabulous tenet of catholic social teaching called "the preferential option for the poor," and everything he has done during his papacy gestures to this, including his encyclical on climate change, laudato si, and his recent moves towards affirmation of gay and trans people being baptized. even his tour of canada to make formal apologies for residential schools came about for similar reasons: it wasn't perfect, but the reason there hadn't been a formal catholic apology prior to francis was because doctrine around papal infallibility dictates that a sitting pope cannot refute or roll back the statements of a previous pope: an apology for the doctrine of discovery and residential schools would have constituted admitting that a previous pope had been wrong, which is tantamount to admitting that god himself is wrong, since the pope is the representative of god and a direct descendent of the apostle peter. doing as much throws the entire church into a very negative light, but francis apologized anyway- which, again, while deeply imperfect is a huge deal within the church, certainly infuriated a lot of conservatives, even if it seems essentially inadequate to non-catholics.

francis isn't a communist, i don't think, but he is good. he's very apart from what constitutes the majority of the catholic magisterium (ordained members of the church- priests, bishops, cardinals, etc)- a kind of internal division developed after vatican ii, where on one hand you had conservatives who preferred traditionalism, the type of leaders who wanted to keep things QT with the reagan administration who was funding mass murder in nicaraugua- that is, at it's core, the primary reason why liberation theology was rejected when it first emerged, why it has been slow to gain traction in the church. ratzinger was a staunch conservative, and john paul ii was less so; leadership in the church goes through cycles where traditionalists are usually followed by more liberal-minded popes, who appreciate vatican ii for the groundbreaking and monumental achievement that it was rather than acting as if it signified a breakdown of religion.

the other thing is francis being a jesuit: i have a lot of jesuit friends, have gotten most of my theological education from jesuits, and applied to a jesuit college for my phd. jesuits are incredibly socially minded, dedicated consistently to social awareness and justice, and less inclined towards enclosure and privation from the world at large than other orders. they are also dedicated to poverty, like franciscans. the jesuit order is not perfect (they still will not allow a women's jesuit order, and they have a dismal track record of colonialism) but francis is the first jesuit pope and this is a huge deal in terms of the type of theology that his leadership embodies as a result. jesuists are not as a monolith liberal-minded and forward thinking, but they are generally more ready to adapt and evolve catholicism to meet contemporary needs rather than maintainig strict adherence to traditional views at the expense of the body of christ- that is to say, the body of all believers, or all whom god loves, which is everyone. incidentally, leonardo boff, one of the fathers of liberation theology, was also jesuit.

this is a pretty and dirty answer to your question but i hope it makes sense- essentially francis is recognizing that the needs of god's people override that of the church, because god's people are the church equally or more than the magisterium is the church, but it is the magisterium who has been preferred historically. but he has surprisingly little room in which to make moves towards this because of canon law and other doctrines. he's doing his best, though, more than i ever thought i'd see: i appreciate and love him deeply.

Ephesians 1:15-23 (AMP). “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers; [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength which He produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come. And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].”

“To Truly Know Him” By In Touch Ministries:

“Let’s begin the new year praying God’s best for those around us.”

“A new year stretching out before us promises endless opportunities to improve, to be better people. Many of our New Year’s resolutions—to read more, stick to a budget, or be more physically active, for example—express an inward focus. But what if we resolved to begin the year by turning our attention outward?

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul prays that the Ephesians would know God. That seems strange since they were already following Christ, but Paul knew the importance of truly, intimately knowing the Lord. It is, as Jesus told His disciples, the substance of eternal life (John 17:3). So Paul prayed their hearts would be enlightened as they gained spiritual wisdom and insight about the “mystery” of the gospel (Ephesians 1:9).

Paul understood that “His body” (v. 23) meant Jews and Gentiles alike, and he wanted to make sure the Ephesians—who were Gentiles—understood that, too. So he prayed for them to see and understand God’s work in their lives and community—both in “this age” and “the one to come” (v. 21).

This year, let’s allow Paul’s words to guide us as we pray for our own communities—that a spirit of wisdom and revelation would deepen their knowledge of God and their experience of eternal life in Christ.”

[Photo by Priscilla Du Preez at Unsplash]

Music Monday + "What Is Your OC's Core Theme?" Quiz

Tagged by @inafieldofdaisies and @nightbloodbix

Tagging @socially-awkward-skeleton @shallow-gravy @direwombat @strangefable @strafethesesinners

Music for Far Cry The Silver Chronicles and results for characters from the other series below the cut. And you can find the quiz here.

"Safe And Sound" by Capital Cities is the perfect for describing the varying relationships in Far Cry The Silver Chronicles, as it revolves around the theme of being the person to be counted on, to be a protector, a teacher, a friend, a parent, a partner- your name it! Silva and Paul, Kamski and Silva, Silva and Azriel, Gavin and Schrödinger, Isiah and Gemini, Alexander and Jacob, Nadi and John & Holly, Silva and Faith, Earl and his deputies, Silva and the Ryes, Joseph and his family + Eden's Gate, Silva and the GFH/FFH, Fall's End, and many, many more. Their entire goals all surround keeping their loved ones and/or the populace safe and sound, to varying degrees of success (*cough* *cough* Paul and Joseph *cough* *cough*). Often times they're protecting against one of the others on this list (Joseph against Silva for his family's survival, Silva against Eden's Gate for the Resistance (+ Azriel and the Ryes) safety, sometimes even Silva against the Resistance for John and Faith's survival and vice versa from the latter sabotaging her siblings to preserve Silva's sanity) or characters who oppose, directly counter this theme and act as a constant danger to the ones previously described above (the Congregation of Adam's Guard (aka Adam Omar and his Enforcers), the Apostles of Zachariah (Paul and his heralds), Remnants of the Holy Triad (Grimes the Cruel and his fellow Deserters), the Prophet Hunters, the Voice & Phillip and the Collapse, as well as the occasional sabotage from the Tarot Card Holder and Priestess Lillith).

"I could lift you up I could show you what you wanna see And take you where you wanna be You could be my luck Even if the sky is falling down I know we'll be safe and sound We're safe and sound

I could fill your cup You know, my river won't evaporate This world we still appreciate You could be my luck Even in a hurricane of frowns I know that we'll be safe and sound

Safe and sound (We're safe and sound) Safe and sound (We're safe and sound) Hold your ground (We're safe and sound) Safe and sound

I could show you love In a tidal wave of mystery You'll still be standing next to me You could be my love Even if we're six feet underground I know that we'll be safe and sound

We're safe and sound

Safe and sound Safe and sound Hold your ground We're safe and sound

I could lift you up I could show you what you wanna see And take you where you wanna be You could be my luck Even if the sky is falling down I know we'll be safe and sound

I could lift you up I could show you what you wanna see And take you where you wanna be You could be my luck Even if the sky is falling down I know we'll be safe and sound

We're safe and sound We're safe and sound We're safe and sound We're safe and sound Safe and sound (We're safe and sound) Safe and sound (We're safe and sound) Hold your ground (We're safe and sound) Safe and sound We're safe and sound."

The quiz results for characters from The UnTitledverse, Wings And Horns, A Radioactive Calamity of Love, Bombs & Gore and Life, Despair & Monsters.

Lisa Cobalt (The UnTitledverse, The Perfect Storm and The Omniscience Rule sagas)

While I do agree that Lisa mourns the lost time with Joaquin and is trying to seek him out (to the best of her ability, whether through moral or immoral means), while also trying to better herself in some ways so she doesn't lose him again, I don't think it necessarily captures the desperateness and vulnerability Lisa faces.

Archangel Metatron (Wings And Horns)

Archangel Metatron has an overly idealistic view of what his occupation entails, and what that means through preserving the status quo, because it promises a peaceful happiness. However, Xiang Ba'al's strikes against the Soulmate System, plus the ultimate decision reached by the remaining Old and current New Gods to abolish the system he alongside a young Angel of Death, Azriel) had been tasked with fixing entirely. Despite having given solutions that could preserve such a historical and traditional piece of humanities entire existence (despite the risks which he was blind to), his idealism was crushed by the decision to put humanity's survival before tradition (for once), and wasn't really congratulated or recognized for his efforts, leaving him to wonder how he can still reach his peaceful happiness if the traditions that upheld that dream were replaced.

Mathias "Mason" Talos (A Radioactive Calamity of Love, Bombs & Gore, a Fallout fanfic series)

Ironically enough, Mason is the least academic out of Urias' family tree. The only reason he bothers to get knowledge on what his brother plans on doing with Discord's broken heart is so he can deduce whether it's bad enough to kill him for, but in the meantime, he chooses to hinder Urias' efforts by murdering all the women his brother impregnated and if the possibility has become fact, any children Urias managed to foster to juvenile-hood. Which includes Ortega "Ore" Brantley and Marissa "Ress" Bishop, who both very much would like to destroy their father's Occult without being murdered-because-of-association in the process.

Orion (Life, Despair & Monsters)

Orion is a rare experiment of Sir Enigma Malvolio's that "devolves" out of the Director's "dog-eat-dog humanity must evolve through despair and apathy" mindset. Orion is irreversibly attached to Guenevere (Guen for short) after Malvolio kidnaps the poor queen-to-be. They're always close, Orion and Guen, and support each other through their less than ideal circumstances (Guen's entire life being chosen for her by others, especially Merlin, without her input, one of which is being married to a king, Arthur (I promise he is a good man, if somewhat too idealistic), a man she's never met before for politics she never had a desire nor had been given any indication to learn beyond the regular off-hand basics putting her at a severe disadvantage in court as the new queen, a position that also puts her at risk of assassination, and as for Orion, well he was literally created for the soul purpose of being bound to human hosts with no free will and the occasional urge to harm them if his data says they aren't becoming strong enough... hell the first few times Malvolio bound Orion to human hosts they were killed almost immediately because of how rigged that data is). Guen ensures that Orion can stay alive and have some form of freedom, and in return Orion supports and protects her (perks of being a nanotech armour/weapon device I guess?). Yeah so Orion is pretty happy with Guen and wants nothing more than to help her in any way he can in her leadership (alongside King Arthur) of Great Britain just to spite Malvolio.

Take one look around our world and at the church. A need for a new reformation is evident in the church, which then has consequences on the culture as a whole. We must return to the Bible as our absolute authority.

Whether it’s liberalism, evolutionism, Gnosticism, Mormonism, Islam, New Age, moral issues (e.g., abortion and gay marriage), or the age of the earth, these are all ultimately battles over the same issue.

In 2 Corinthians 11:3, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, warns us about this ever-present danger: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Paul in essence is warning Christians that Satan will continue to use the same method on us as he did on Eve: Satan will try to seduce people away from a simple devotion to Christ and his Word.

To understand this better, we need to go back to Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say . . . ?’”

From the beginning, the battle has been over the authority of the Word of God. The first woman, Eve, followed by her husband, Adam, gave in to the temptation not to take God at his Word. Instead, he relied on his human reason to determine truth.

Because Adam was the head of the human race, his rebellion plunged the entire human race into sin. All his descendants inherited a sin nature that refused to take God at his Word and instead made human reason their supreme authority.

This battle against God’s Word has manifested itself in every era of history.

Paul faced skeptics on every side, who questioned the clear proclamation of God’s Word. In its early centuries, Christianity fought several challenges to the authority of the Scriptures, including Gnosticism, which taught that man was his own god. Modern issues like the age of dinosaurs or carbon dating are merely new manifestations of age-old attacks on God’s Word.

Human reason has replaced God’s Word, and compromise has crept into the church. This is now reflected in an increasing number of church leaders becoming soft on gay “marriage,” etc.

A reformation is needed again to call the church to take God at his Word from the beginning—starting in Genesis.

In the sixteenth century, the sale of indulgences by the church, for forgiveness of sin and release from the pains of Purgatory, marked a climax in the elevation of human thinking above God’s Word. The monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church, challenging indulgences. This act sparked a debate about the ultimate authority of the Bible above the church, and it essentially began the Reformation.

Others joined this reform movement. The Western world was dramatically changed, as Bibles and tracts were printed on the new presses and thus biblical truths were disseminated widely. In fact, until recent decades, much of the West was still heavily influenced by the Reformation and its call to take God at his Word.

The battle against God’s Word never ceased, however, as a series of men and events sought to undo the positive effects of the Reformation. Behind these attacks was an effort to make human reason supreme and steer people away from the authority of the Word of God. It was another manifestation of Genesis 3:1.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the attack against the Bible intensified. New speculation about the age of the earth and the evolution of life raised questions about the accuracy of the Bible. The core issues can be seen in the Scopes trial—said to be the most famous and culture-shaping trial in history (other than the trial of Jesus).

The Scopes trial of 1925 was not really about the teaching of evolution, as is commonly believed, but a deliberate ploy by the American Civil Liberties Union to put Christianity as a whole on trial. Even though the prosecution lawyer William Jennings Bryan was a great Christian statesman, he let the Christian faith down by not standing on God’s Word concerning the book of Genesis. For example, he was unable to give an answer about Cain’s wife, allowed the possibility that the earth is millions of years old, and didn’t accept the days of creation as literal days.

The trial marked a symbolic turning point in Christendom and American society which impacted the church everywhere. The world’s media reported that Christians were not taking God at his Word (in Genesis), and also that they could not adequately defend it.

The failure of the church to stand on God’s Word has brought devastation to countless lives. Just one example is the once-prominent evangelist Charles Templeton. While in seminary, he was taught to believe in an evolutionary timetable, including millions of years, which eventually led him to reject God’s Word and write a book called “Farewell to God.”

Compromise about biblical authority in Genesis 1–11 has made the church so weak that the Bible no longer impacts the culture as it once did. This has largely occurred because human reason was allowed to invade the church and push aside God’s Word.

A new reformation is needed. It’s time for a new generation of reformers to stand up and call the church back to trust in God’s Word where it is most under attack—the history of Genesis 1–11. We need to call people to turn away from the opinions of fallible mankind and stand firmly on the entire Bible.

It’s time that believers made their voices heard, nailing Genesis 1–11 on church doors and secular buildings across the world! We need to take God at his Word and return to the “simplicity that is in Christ.” Then we can watch the power of God’s Word transform lives and influence the culture. – Ken Ham

A Bible believed to be 1,500 years old challenges the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, proposing that it was Judas who was crucified by Roman soldiers. This ancient text, known as the Gospel of Barnabas, recently surfaced in Turkey's Ethnography Museum of Ankara, causing significant controversy, particularly within the Vatican. The book, hidden since its 2000 discovery, contains unconventional claims about Jesus, his crucifixion, and divinity. This article delves into the content of this ancient Bible, its disputed authenticity, and its potential impact on Christian teachings.

The Gospel of Barnabas, attributed to disciple Barnabas, offers an alternative account of Jesus' life, differing from canonical Gospels. According to this text, Jesus wasn't crucified, contradicting mainstream Christian beliefs. Instead, it portrays Jesus as a Prophet, not the Son of God, even branding Apostle Paul as an impostor. Moreover, it asserts that Jesus ascended to heaven alive and suggests Judas Iscariot, not Jesus, was crucified.

The Gospel of Barnabas' authenticity has sparked heated debates among scholars and religious authorities. While some remain skeptical, others passionately defend its legitimacy. Experts and religious authorities in Tehram, where the book was examined, claim it's an original artifact, written in Aramaic, the language of Jesus, with gold lettering on loosely-tied leather.

This discovery carries profound implications for traditional Christian teachings, particularly those based on canonical Gospels. If genuine, it questions the historical accuracy of crucifixion and resurrection narratives, challenges Jesus' divinity, and reinterprets Apostle Paul's role.

As a result, the Vatican and many religious authorities are grappling with this newfound information, unsettling some faithful believers. The unveiling of the Gospel of Barnabas in Turkey has stirred controversy among Christians, challenging core aspects of their faith. While the book's authenticity remains debated, its mere existence prompts thought-provoking questions and encourages further exploration of religious and historical narratives.

As scholars continue to scrutinize this discovery, maintaining an open mind is crucial for a deeper comprehension of the intricate tapestry of religious history.

Orthodox Christian Teachings: On Prayer

Prayer is the elevation of the mind and the heart to God in praise, in thanksgiving, and in petition for the spiritual and material goods we need. Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to enter into our inner room and there pray to God the Father in secret. This inner room means the heart, the core of our being.

The Apostle Paul says that we must always pray in our spirit. He commands prayer for all Christians without exception and asks us to pray unceasingly.

Orthodox Christians engage in both common and personal prayer. One’s individual prayer life is balanced with participation in the liturgical services of the Church where the whole community gathers for prayer and worship.

Prayer is essential to a healthy Orthodox Christian life. It is not an option.

Why do we pray personally?

Christ asks us to pray. He tells us in the Gospel of Luke, How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13). We pray so that God can help us to become more like Him in our actions.

For renewal and the growth of our soul.

To give thanks to God for all he provides for us.

To seek forgiveness for our sinfulness as humility is a prerequisite for prayer.

We can also pray to seek help for others as well as ourselves. But we must not forget to pray for His help in our own spiritual growth. This is not selfish, but essential for us to better love and serve others and carry out God’s commandments.

Why do we pray commonly, attend the Divine Liturgy and other religious services of the Church?

We do so to worship God, to enter into union with Him and His People through the Eucharist and other Mysteries, or sacraments, and to receive strength as we continue on the road of salvation and “the life of the world to come.” In worship, we stand before the throne of God, loving one another “that with one mind we might confess Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity one in essence and undivided.” And in our worship, especially in the Divine Liturgy, we participate in all that Christ has done for us—His incarnation, life, passion, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension—while anticipating His second and glorious coming.

Today the Church remembers Saint Justin the Martyr.

Ora pro nobis.

Saint Justin the Martyr, (born c. 100 A.D. in Flavia Neapolis, and died c. 165 A.D., in Rome) was one of the most important of the Greek philosopher-Apologists in the early Christian church. His writings represent the first positive encounter of Christian revelation with Greek philosophy and laid the basis for a theology of history.

His grandfather, Bacchius, had a Greek name, while his father, Priscus, bore a Latin name, which has led to speculations that his ancestors may have settled in Neapolis soon after its establishment or that they were descended from a Roman "diplomatic" community that had been sent there.

A pagan reared in a Jewish environment, Justin studied Stoic, Platonic, and other pagan philosophies and then became a Christian in 132 A.D., possibly at Ephesus. Soon after 135 A.D. he began wandering from place to place proclaiming his newfound Christian philosophy in the hope of converting educated pagans to it. He spent a considerable time in Rome. Some years later, after debating with the cynic Crescens, Justin was denounced to the Roman prefect as a subversive and condemned to death. Authentic records of his martyrdom survive.

Of the works bearing Justin’s authorship and still deemed genuine are two Apologies and the Dialogue with Trypho. The first, or “Major Apology,” was addressed about 150 A.D. to the Roman emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. In the first part of the First Apology, Justin defends his fellow Christians against the charges of atheism and hostility to the Roman state. He then goes on to express the core of his Christian philosophy: the highest aspiration is an intellectual articulation of the Christian faith which would demonstrate its harmony with reason. Such a convergence is rooted in the relationship between human reason and the divine mind, both identified by the same term, logos (Greek: “intellect,” “word”), which enables man to understand basic truths regarding the world, time, creation, freedom, the human soul’s affinity with the divine spirit, and the recognition of good and evil.

Justin asserts that Jesus Christ is the incarnation of the entire divine logos and thus of these basic truths, whereas only traces of truth were found in the great works of the pagan philosophers. The purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was to teach men the truth and save them from the power of demons. In the third part of the First Apology, Justin vividly describes the early Christians’ method of celebrating the Eucharist and of administering Baptism.

In his brief Second Apology Justin argues that the Christians are being unjustly persecuted by Rome.

Justin’s distinctive contribution to Christian theology is his conception of a divine plan in history, a process of salvation structured by God, wherein the various historical epochs have been integrated into an organic unity directed toward a supernatural end; the Old Testament and Greek philosophy met to form the single stream of Christianity.

Justin’s concrete description of the sacramental celebrations of Baptism and the Eucharist remain a principal source for the history of the primitive church.

Justin serves, moreover, as a crucial witness to the status of the 2nd-century New Testament corpus, mentioning the first three Gospels and quoting and paraphrasing the letters of Paul and 1 Peter; he was the first known writer to quote from the Acts of the Apostles.

Though the precise year of his death is uncertain, it can reasonably be dated by the prefectoral term of Rusticus (who governed from 162 A.D. and 168 A.D.). The martyrdom of Justin preserves the court record of the trial:

“The Prefect Rusticus says: Approach and sacrifice, all of you, to the gods. Justin says: No one in his right mind gives up piety for impiety. The Prefect Rusticus says: If you do not obey, you will be tortured without mercy. Justin replies: That is our desire, to be tortured for Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and so to be saved, for that will give us salvation and firm confidence at the more terrible universal tribunal of Our Lord and Saviour. And all the martyrs said: Do as you wish; for we are Christians, and we do not sacrifice to idols. The Prefect Rusticus read the sentence: Those who do not wish to sacrifice to the gods and to obey the emperor will be scourged and beheaded according to the laws. The holy martyrs glorifying God betook themselves to the customary place, where they were beheaded and consummated their martyrdom confessing their Savior.”

Almighty and everlasting God, you found your martyr Justin wandering from teacher to teacher, seeking the true God, and you revealed to him the sublime wisdom of your eternal Word, your Son Jesus: Grant that all who seek you, or a deeper knowledge of you, may find and be found by you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

15th April >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Mark 16:9-15 for Easter Saturday: ‘Proclaim the good news to all creation’.

Easter Saturday

Gospel (Except USA)

Mark 16:9-15

Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News.

Having risen in the morning on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary of Magdala from whom he had cast out seven devils. She then went to those who had been his companions, and who were mourning and in tears, and told them. But they did not believe her when they heard her say that he was alive and that she had seen him.

   After this, he showed himself under another form to two of them as they were on their way into the country. These went back and told the others, who did not believe them either.

   Lastly, he showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table. He reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.’

Gospel (USA)

Mark 16:9–15

Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.

When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

   After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either.

   But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

Reflections (10)

(i) Easter Saturday

There is a focus in today’s gospel reading on the refusal of the disciples to believe the report of some of their group that Jesus had appeared to them. They did not believe Mary Magdalene or the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. It was only when the risen Lord appeared to them himself that they believed he had been raised from the dead. Once Jesus had been crucified, the disciples never expected to see him again. The news that he was alive was too good to be true. Perhaps we are all a little like the first disciples. We find it easier to believe that Jesus was crucified than that he was raised from the dead. It often seems that the dominant symbol of Christianity is the crucified Jesus rather than the risen Jesus. We tend to have far more images of the crucified Jesus in our churches than of the risen Jesus. Yet, the good news that Jesus is risen is at the core of our faith. As Saint Paul, to whom the risen Lord appeared, says in one of his letters, ‘if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain’. We can also say that if Christ had not been raised, then the apostles who had gone into hiding after the crucifixion of Jesus would never have been seen again. Instead, they became enthusiastic and courageous proclaimers of the gospel of Christ crucified and risen. In today’s first reading, when the Jewish leaders gave Peter and John a stern warning never to teach in the name of Jesus again, they replied, ‘We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard’. Christ is risen and is alive among us and within us. This is the good news of Easter we are asked to believe in and make our own. It is such good news that the church gives us seven weeks to reflect upon it and absorb it. Just as Lent lasted seven weeks, the Easter season lasts seven weeks, from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. As we absorb the good news of Easter during this time, we can come to say with Saint Paul, ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’.

And/Or

(ii) Easter Saturday

The gospel reading this morning suggests that those who had spent time with Jesus, his companions, his closest disciples, were slow to believe the good news of Easter when it was proclaimed to them. Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ companions to share her wonderful experience of meeting the risen Lord and they refused to believe her. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus went to the other disciples to share the wonderful news of their meeting with the risen Lord and their story was not believed. It was as if those closest to Jesus were in such a dark place that they were incapable of hearing news that Jesus was not dead but alive. Finally, according to our gospel reading, the risen Lord showed himself to his closest companions, reproaching them for their refusal to believe what others had said to them. It took the Lord himself to move his disciples from unbelief to belief. Yet, the Lord kept faith with them; having appeared to them he sent them out as messengers of the good news of Easter. Their initial refusal to believe did not disqualify them from the mission Jesus intended for them. We can find ourselves in a place where we seem incapable of hearing the good news that the Lord is risen, that life is stronger than death and love stronger than sin. Yet, the Lord never gives up on us. He continues to come towards us until our eyes are opened. He continues to believe in us, even when we do not believe in him. Even though the Lord may initially have met with resistance, he continues to hold out to us the privilege of proclaiming by our words and our lives the good news of Easter.

And/Or

 (iii) Easter Saturday

In this morning’s gospel reading the disciples refuse to believe when Mary Magdalene comes to them and tells them that she had seen the Lord. They refuse to believe again when two disciples who had been on their way into the country tell them that they had seen the Lord. Eventually the Lord himself appears to the disciples and reproaches them for their failure to believe those who had seen him. It seems that nobody, not even Jesus’ closest associates, was prepared to believe that he had risen from the dead unless they could see him for themselves. They struggled to bring themselves to believe such good news. We can be more prone to believing bad news than good news. We too can doubt the reports of others contained within the New Testament that the Lord has risen. We can be as incredulous and obstinate as the first disciples. Yet every Easter the Lord calls out to us to believe that he is risen, with all that this good news implies for us. Easter is the season when we allow ourselves to be touched by the almost unbelievable good news that the Lord is alive and that we are destined to share in his risen life, not only beyond this earthly life but in the course of it.

 And/Or

(iv) Easter Saturday

There is a striking contrast between the way that the disciples are portrayed in this morning’s gospel reading and how they are portrayed in the first reading. In the gospel reading the disciples refuse to believe Mary Magdalene and the two disciples who had left Jerusalem for Emmaus when these three people told them that Jesus was alive and had appeared to them. When Jesus himself appeared to his disbelieving disciples, he rebuked them for their refusal to believe those who had who witnessed to his resurrection. In spite of their initial failure to believe, Jesus commissions them to go out and proclaim the good news of Easter to all creation. That is precisely what we find the disciples doing in the first reading. From being people who refused to believe the Easter gospel, we now find them proclaiming that gospel with conviction and with great courage. The religious leaders in Jerusalem forbade them to preach the gospel of Jesus but the disciples, uneducated as they were, stood up to them and declared to them that they cannot stop proclaiming what they have seen and heard. The disciples are a living sign of how people can change through the power of the risen Lord. Jesus was transformed through his resurrection from the dead and he had a transforming effect on others. The same risen Lord can have a transforming effect on all of us. If we are open to his presence, he can do for us what he did for the disciples, transforming our doubt and disbelief into a faith that is public and courageous.

 And/Or

(v) Easter Saturday

In this morning’s gospel reading the disciples refuse to believe when Mary Magdalene comes to them and told them that she had seen the Lord. They refuse to believe again when two disciples who had been on their way into the country tell them that they had seen the Lord. Eventually the Lord himself appears to the disciples and reproaches them for their failure to believe those who had seen him. It seems that nobody, not even Jesus’ closest associates, was prepared to believe that he had risen from the dead unless they could see him for themselves. Only then was their incredulity and obstinacy overcome. Unlike those first disciples, we have no option but to believe that the Lord has risen on the basis of the reports of others. The Lord will not appear to us as he appeared to his original disciples. In John’s gospel Jesus declares blessed those who believe without having seen him, in the way the original disciples saw him. That beatitude embraces all of us here this morning, all who believe without having seen. We believe on the basis of those who have seen the Lord, something the original disciples were very slow to do. The beatitude suggests that we who believe without having seen are no less privileged than those who believed on the basis of seeing the Lord for themselves. The beatitude seems to suggest that we are more blessed in some ways because of our willingness to believe without having seen. Yet, although we may not have seen the Lord, we experience his presence in a variety of ways, in and through his word, the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and in and through each other, the members of his body.

 And/Or

(vi) Easter Saturday

Today’s gospel has a focus on the unwillingness of the disciples to initially believe the Easter story. Mary of Magdala went to them to announce that the risen Lord had appeared to her, and they did not believe her. Two of the disciples went to the other disciples to announce that the risen Lord had appeared to them and their story was not believed either. Jesus himself finally appeared to those who had refused to believe the story of Mary of Magdala or the story of the two disciples and rebuked them for their reluctance to believe those who had seen the risen Lord. The gospel reading suggests that the disciples were very slow to believe the news that Jesus had risen from the dead, until the risen Lord himself appeared to them. Nothing less than a personal appearance of the risen Lord to them would bring them to Easter faith. It is evident that Jesus’ closest associates did not expect him to rise from the dead and had great difficulty in really believing it. However, the first reading shows that once the risen Lord appeared to them and they knew in their hearts that the Lord had risen from the dead, nothing would stop them from proclaiming this wonderful news. When the Jewish authorities warned them to make no further statements about Jesus, the disciples stood their ground, ‘We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard’. Once doubt and incredulity gave way to Easter faith, after the Lord appeared to them, their faith was unshakable. It is because of their eventual, unshakable, faith and their courage in proclaiming it that we are here today to celebrate our Easter faith. The risen Lord has touched all our lives through the preaching of those eye witnesses of the risen Lord, and for this we give thanks.

And/Or

 (vii) Easter Saturday

Today’s gospel reading is often referred to as the longer ending of Mark’s gospel. It was probably added to the end of Mark’s gospel by someone other than Mark, to bring Mark’s gospel more into line with the ending of the other gospels. This passage consists of a summary of the appearances of the risen Lord that are to be found in the other three gospels. There is mention there of Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene, which is found in the gospel of John, of Jesus’ appearances to two disciples, which is found in Luke, and of Jesus’ appearance to the disciples as a group, which is to be found in Luke and John. The mission the risen Lord gives to the disciples at the end of the reading, ‘Go out to the whole world…’ reminds us of the commission the risen Lord gives to the disciples at the end of Matthew’s gospel, ‘Go make disciples of all the nations’. Why did some early scribe think it necessary to make this addition to the ending of Mark? Probably because the way Mark had ended his gospel seemed very unsatisfactory to him and to many others in the early church, ‘So they (the women) went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid’. Why, people must have wondered, end a gospel on this note of fear-filled silence? Mark was sensitive to human failure and, in particular, to the failure of Jesus’ disciples, including the women disciples who had been more faithful to Jesus than their male companions. Yet, he was all the more sensitive to the Lord’s faithfulness to his failing disciples. Mark and his readers knew that the risen Lord met his failing disciples in Galilee, where he renewed their call. Even in today’s gospel reading, the failure of the disciples is in evidence. They refused to believe either Mary Magdalene or the two disciples when they said that they had seen the risen Lord. Yet, it was to these somewhat obstinate disciples that Jesus entrusted his world-wide mission. The Lord continues to call us, weak as we are, to share in his work of proclaiming the Easter gospel.

 And/Or

(viii) Easter Saturday

There are many examples both in the past and in the present of people in power and authority seeking to silence those whose public utterances are considered a threat. The spoken or written word can often be experienced as dangerous by those who have a vested interest in preserving the status quo. In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the religious leaders attempt to silence the preaching of Peter and John, ‘they gave them a warning on no account to make statements or to teach in the name of Jesus’. The pressure by those in authority to silence those considered dissidents does not always meet with success. Courageous people who know they have truth and right on their side can continue to speak out, in spite of the pressure to do otherwise. In our first reading, Peter and John show such courage. They refuse to be silenced, declaring to those who try to silence them, ‘We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard’. Peter and John recognized that they were subject to a higher authority than the authority of the religious leaders and that was the authority of God, saying to the religious leaders, ‘you must judge whether in God’s eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God’. They were clear that they must listen to God, and God was calling them to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. Peter and John can be an inspiration to us all to be courageous in our own witness to our faith, in spite of pressure to be silent. At the end of the gospel reading, the risen Lord says to his disciples, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the good news to all creation’. We have all received that same commission, to proclaim the good news by what we say and above all by the way we live. If we turn towards the Lord, he will give us the courage to be faithful to that commission, just as he gave courage to Peter and John.

 And/Or

(ix) Easter Saturday

In today’s gospel reading, the evangelist Mark gives us a list of some of the appearances of the risen Lord to his disciples. He mentions the Lord’s appearance to Mary Magdalene, his appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and his appearance to the Eleven disciples in the setting of a meal. A fuller account of these appearances are to be found in the other gospels. There were many other appearances of the risen Lord, according to the gospels, and according to the earliest witness to the appearances, the apostle Paul. He lists in his first letter to the Corinthians the Lord’s appearances to Peter, and to the Twelve, to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time, to James, to all the apostles, and, finally, to himself, on the road to Damascus. The tradition of the appearances of the risen Jesus to his followers was an inspiration to the early church, including those who did not have such a privileged experience. The Lord’s appearances to so many remains an inspiration to us all. It was those appearances which allowed the first disciples to understand why the tomb of Jesus was empty on the third day after his crucifixion. It was empty because he had been raised to a new and glorious life, in which his body was transformed. According to today’s gospel reading, when Mary Magdalene told the other disciples that the Lord had appeared to her, they did not believe her, and when the two disciples told the other disciples that the Lord had met them on the road to Emmaus, they did not believe them either. When the Lord himself appeared to this wider group of disciples, he reproached them for refusing to believe these reports. Sometimes good news can be harder to believe than bad news. This Easter we are invited to renew our faith in the good news of Easter. The Lord is risen from the dead. He thereby reveals to us our own ultimate destiny, which is to share in his risen life beyond this earthly life. As risen Lord, he is also present with us throughout our earthly life, empowering us to live in the same self-giving way as he did, the way that leads through death to new life.

 And/Or

(x) Easter Saturday

In today’s first reading, the religious leaders are concerned to stop ‘the whole thing spreading any further among the people’. ‘The whole thing’ refers to the preaching of the gospel by Peter, John and others and the favourable response of people to their preaching. However, the religious leaders were fighting a losing battle. The Lord had been raised from the dead; he was on the loose and they could do nothing about it. He had poured out his Spirit upon his followers and in the power of the Spirit they were proclaimed the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, and they couldn’t be stopped. As Peter says in the reading, ‘We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard’. The gospel reading suggests that initially Jesus’ closest disciples struggled to believe the gospel that God’s love had overcome human hatred by raising his Son from the dead. They did not believe Mary Magdalene when she told them what she had seen and heard, nor did they believe the two disciples who had set out for Emmaus when they told them what they had seen and heard. It was only when the risen Lord appeared to them and they saw and heard for themselves that they believed in the Easter gospel. Then they responded enthusiastically to the Lord’s call to ‘go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation’, which is what we find Peter and John doing in today’s first reading. Having met the risen Lord themselves, no human authority could stop them proclaiming what they had seen and heard. The life-giving power of the risen Lord at work in and through his followers could not be contained or controlled by either religious or political authorities. Easter cannot be cancelled in any time or place. The risen Lord will continue to work in us and through us if we give him the opportunity. The efforts of some to ‘stop the whole thing spreading’ will always be in vain. When it comes to the risen Lord, there is no stopping him.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

12/18/2022 DAB Transcript

Habakkuk 1:1-3:19, Revelation 9:1-21, Psalms 137:1-9, Proverbs 30:10

Today is the 18th day of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we gather around our roaring Global Campfire and get all snuggled up and get warm and find our space and take the next step forward together. It is a brand-new shiny sparkly week, and this is the fourth Sunday in the season of Advent. One week from today is Christmas day. Wow! But here we are and that moving through the season of Advent, where we have allowed our hearts to consider the arrival of the Savior in the world and consider our longing for His return. And, so, Advent we talked about it, like all along the way, has Iike calendars and Advent wreaths with candles in them. And, so, you may be lighting the fourth Advent candle this week at church or maybe you have an Advent wreath at home that you light each Sunday and just focus your heart and remind yourself what's going on. This is the love candle that we’ll be lighting today, the fourth candle, allowing us to focus this week as we move right to Christmas. Love, the profound, unspeakable, unknowable, and I mean we can't know God's love, but His love is vastly beyond what we can comprehend. We focus our hearts of the love that it took, the love that was displayed for us as God became flesh and dwelt among us. And, so, this is where we find ourselves in the season of Advent. And in our journey through the Scriptures this year we have come to yet another book. We will read it in its entirety today. It is the eighth of 12 minor prophets and it is called Habakkuk.

Introduction to the book of Habakkuk:

We don't know practically anything about who Habakkuk was, maybe…maybe less than any other biblical writer, but we don't know much about Habakkuk. There are some traditions. There’s a Hebrew tradition...tradition that speaks of Habakkuk being the Shunamite woman's son, the little boy was resurrected through the prophet Elisha. And we found that story in the book of second Kings. There is another tradition found in the...the apocryphal book, Bell and the Dragon, and that displays Habakkuk ministering to Daniel while he’s in the lion's den. But these are traditions. When you don’t know anything else you look to the traditions. And, so, these are some of the traditions. Most scholars, especially with the Bell and the Dragon and Habakkuk being with Daniel in the lion's den believe, you know, that's how legends are made. But those are some of the traditions around who Habakkuk was. There are many verses in the book of Habakkuk that will sound familiar. There's one in particular, “but the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.” That should sound familiar, because that's something that the apostle Paul said a lot. And we find this in the book of Hebrews as well because “the righteous will live by faith”, that's like…it's like a core Christian doctrine. So, we see where Paul and some of the other writers are referring back to Habakkuk for the language. Because the language is poetic, maybe lyrical, even especially the very very end of Habakkuk seems like it's a hymn of a song to be sung, there are scholars who have observed this and wonder if Habakkuk might have actually been a temple musician. But again, we don’t know with certainty, but what we’ll see is Habakkuk having a conversation with God that moves from doubt to worship. Habakkuk will begin by saying out loud what is happening in the world and it will sound familiar, and he wants to understand why God is indifferent, like why he seems to allow any evil a human being can come up with and allow it to happen like God wasn't even paying attention. And God responds that he's gonna use the Babylonians to punish his own people, which wasn't like the response he's looking for and it’s confusing. Like, why would you use a less righteous group of people to be an object of judgment on a more righteous group of people? And God explains that He's not indifferent, that He's not unaware, that He is sovereign and that he knows what He's doing, which leads Habakkuk into worship. And, so, with that we’ll read Habakkuk, which contains three chapters, in its entirety. We’ll read from the Common English Bible this week.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We love You, Lord. Thank You for Your kindness, Your patience, Your graciousness to us. And on this, the final Sunday in the season of Advent as we are moving directly into Christmas week, we just recognize where we are. And we recognize the busyness all around us and the preparation all around us and the excitement and the goodwill and good cheer all around us. We also recognize how much pulls us away from what this is all about, what we’re even jumping up and down and celebrating over, what we’re giving gifts to commemorate and that is Your arrival, Your arrival to rescue us and we are grateful. And, so, as we contemplate the depths of love that You have extended toward us, even while we were sinners, even while we where Your enemies we are grateful. And may we share Your love out into the world. May it filter through us and pour out of us to those that we come into contact with. May we be known by our love for one another we pray. In the name of Jesus, our Savior, we ask. Amen.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello family it's Jackie in Vancouver BC and I'm crying because God is great. I listen to all of you and I pray every day and I always tell myself I have faith. Sometimes it's as little as a mustard seed. And I've been struggling with business and the sales have been low and this December month has been low, this November was low, and I was thinking, oh God I need your help. And just today somebody came in and surprised me with a grant of $5000. God really is good, and He answers all our prayers. And, so, these are tears of joy because God is great, and He sees me, and He hears me. And I think He sees you and hears you. And, so, I pray that all of your prayers will come true. And this is a praise. I know I'm crying but this is a praise. I’m praising God for His goodness for his mercy. So, family please praise God with me. And for everything you're going through I'm joining my faith with yours and praying and thanking God for answering our prayers, for hearing us. And it feels great to feel seen, to feel known, to feel like I'm God's child. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, the DAB. Thank you all the family that calls every day and the ones that call to pray...

Hi this is Willow tree. I used to be weeping Willow but now I'm more like the tree planted by the water. Being fed by the word of God every day is making me full of joy and I'm very grateful. I'm grateful to the Hardin family too for the music that they’ve blessed us with and I would really encourage you if you haven't listened to the Rest album by Brian with headphones on to go and do that. It's amazing how we made the sounds just swirl around you. And it's just beautiful. It's kind of like I just close my eyes and listen to it. It's kind of like I’m on a holodeck. It's really cool to just be in that place that he's created for us. And, so, I would encourage you to listen to it with headphones. I love you all and I’m so happy to be a part of this family.

This is a prayer of encouragement I wanted to send out to I believe People on the Water. You called in December 2nd from Indiana. Bother I just wanted to reflect back to you what I heard because I'm not trying to minimize the anguish that you're going through and the struggle and how hard it is but what I hear on the other end of the line is not somebody that is not confident because your voice to me sounded very strong in your confidence of not knowing what's going on and not knowing what you're doing. And to me at 19 years of age that exhibits real strength to be able to declare into a community of other brothers and sisters to make a public declaration that you have no idea what to do is…takes strength and courage and humility. And I just wanted to…to commend you for that and to give you praise, like to praise you for that because that is a real…that's a real thing that not a lot of people will admit at this age. So, I just wanted to encourage you to don't…don't try to rise above your situation, you know, find God in the struggle. I know that's maybe easier said than done but that's something that was coming to me to maybe help you look into it a little more and realize that He’s…He’s working where you are exactly for a reason and trust that.

[singing begins] We wish you a Merry Christmas we wish you a Merry Christmas we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. [sing continues in French] __. This is Francois from New Jersey. Merry Christmas. Merry Noel __.

Deep dive into the book of Revelation:

Part 5

Okay. So, we read from the ninth chapter of Revelation today. And, so, let's just remember we started Revelation with this image of Jesus, seven golden lampstands it represented seven churches. Seven letters were written one to each of these churches and then a scroll was revealed that no one could open and it had seven seals on it. And the lamb steps forward, and He is the only one. Jesus is the only one that can open the seals. So, He breaks the seals and what is held by those seals is then revealed. Then we have seven angels before the throne of God who are given trumpets and their each now blowing their trumpets. And we went to the first four trumpets yesterday and the fifth and sixth angels blow their trumpets today. And, so, we begin, “when the fifth angel blew his trumpet, I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky and the star was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.” Okay. So, we have to kind of go back into the different ways that this can be read. So, you can read this literally because we've seen a bunch of stuff falling from the sky. And, so, a star falls from the sky and that. And then the star, the rock, the star somehow is given a key and opens up a shaft that’s on earth, but it's a bottomless pit. So, you can see how like from a literal perspective it would be hard for a star to hold a key and turn a key lock. It would be hard to find something bottomless on earth. Like, if we started digging now, right, if it was even possible to go through the center of the earth and out the other side and that would then end up in space on the other side of the world. It…how could that be bottomless? So, a completely literal reading of the book of Revelation would be…I mean…it would be very challenging. The star falling from the sky has been interpreted a number of ways, mostly dealing with that the star is actually an angel. But then the question becomes, is this a good angel or is this a bad angel? And it's been noted by scholars that the star falling from the sky imagery usually refers to a judgment of some kind and that there is no other…there is no other reference in the Scriptures to a like a good…a godly angel falling from the sky like a star. That only happens when an angel is judged and cast down. So, for example, in the gospel of Luke, Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like a star from the heavens.” So, many commentators, not all, but many commentators would say this has to be the judgment of…of an angel that is being cast down. This may be Satan himself being cast down to do this task because he is under the sovereignty of God or…or one of his minions. So, this entity is given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. It opens the bottomless pit. And of course, the bottomless pit is probably a metaphor for the realm of the judged. And when this pit is opened smoke comes out of the shaft like the smoke from a large furnace and the smoke darkens the sun and the air. So, there's a number of interpretations around this. I mean, if…so, if you're reading literally than its smoke. Like there’s a lot of smoke, enough to darken the sun and the air. So, a serious amount of pollution. If we’re looking a little more allegorically then darkness is usually a metaphor for like a spiritual darkness, a blindness. And, so, this comes pouring out of the bottomless pit and darkens the world. And immediately following the smoke and the darkness locusts come flying out of the bottomless pit out of the smoke onto the earth and…and they’re given power like that of the scorpion. And they’re not allowed to harm nature, like the grass or green plants or the trees. They can only torment the people. And they can only bring this judgment on those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. So, obviously from a literal perspective we’re talking about insect-like creatures that look like locusts but have stingers like scorpions and they plague the earth. If you’re looking allegorically, then I mean, when you look at some allegorically you can interpret it however you interpret it, which is why there's such diversity and interpretations that are everything from, you know, rational to far-fetched, and many in conflict with each other because you don't know exactly what the symbolism means. But if we’re taking a pragmatic scholarship perspective, trying to draw comparisons with similar visions that happen in other places in the Bible, then these locusts can represent those beings that have been held in the bottomless pit. And a good many scholars would say that that's associated with the fallen angels, demonic forces that have been held there and they’re loosed upon the earth. But they can't hurt the earth's nature and they can't hurt those who have been sealed with the seal of God on their foreheads. And, so, God allows the trumpet blast to happen. This star, this angel falls and is is it sent down to earth a key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. It's opened and all kinds of things come spilling out on the earth, things that can't harm those with God's seal on their foreheads. But those who don't they're definitely receiving judgment. And that judgment will either harden their hearts and lead them toward their ultimate destruction or soften their hearts and they turn to God. And for a lot of scholars this…this whole picture, this whole scene reveals that the judgment that was formerly limited to those demonic forces who are in this pit is now extending all across the earthly realm. Because of Christ's victory through His death and resurrection judgment has begun, not only in the bottomless pit, but also upon the earth. And that is happening through the darkness coming out of the pit. People are being blind…blinded in the darkness and tormented and oppressed, but this isn't happening to those who have been sealed by God. And there’s a little bit of a parallel here in Jesus words from the Gospel of Luke. “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall harm you. Your names are recorded in heaven.” So, if this parallel is correct, then those sealed by God have authority over these things that are coming up out of the abyss. They have authority over them, and can be harmed by them which would lead us to believe that this is allegorical. The imagery is symbolic. And then the sixth angel blows his trumpet, and the six angel is instructed to release the four angels were held at the great Euphrates River. Some would say these are like dark ark angels, so like very very powerful demonic forces. Some draw parallels with the four angels that were the four corners of the earth with the four winds, but most translators and commentators say these are evil. They’re being held against their will for a specific time for a specific task and their loosed. And whereas in the fifth trumpet everything coming up out of the abyss wasn't allowed to kill anyone, wasn’t allowed to harm nature, wasn’t allowed to touch anyone with the seal of God on their forehead and wasn't allowed to kill anybody, it was just tormenting and oppressing people. Whereas in the sixth trumpet when these four angels are loosed their loosed to kill one third of humanity. And John says that the number of those forces were 20,000×10,000, so that's 200 million. So. if you're reading literally then four actual angels have been being held at the great Euphrates River for a time period that we don't have any way of knowing, but they've been held for a specific hour and day and month and year, and they're released and there's 200 million soldiers on horses that are loosed to do this task of killing one third of humanity. If we’re looking at this a little more allegorically, let's remember, if we’re looking at things allegorically then everything can have a meaning. So, if we’re looking at this allegorically, but with a pragmatic view, then powerful dark forces are released. They have been held for an indefinite period of time but held for this time, this time of judgment that we’re reading about. And there's a vast horde involved, and they unleashed three plagues - fire, smoke and sulfur - and these come out of their mouths. And, so, allegorically what's coming out of their mouths is bringing darkness, blindness, the inability to see clear. The power of these forces is in their mouths and in their tails. So, like in their words and in their deeds. They are bringing us such spiritual darkness and chaos and torment and depression that the result is death, and this affects 1/3 of the earth's population. Or if we’re not taking that number literally, a lot of people are affected by this darkness and death that spreads because of this. And then as we end our reading for today with the sixth trumpet there's kind of an aside, kind of God's commentary here. “The people who survived these plagues still did not turn to me and changed the way they were thinking and acting. If they had they would've stopped worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. They did not turn away from committing murder, practicing witchcraft, sinning sexually, or stealing. So, using the formula that the Bible gives us for judgment, that it can have a refining and perfecting and purifying outcome or it can have a hardening outcome that leads a person who rejects it to their own destruction, we can see that, in spite of all that is going on, there are still those who are…who have…who have not died but who are still rejecting God.

Prayer:

Father...Father, we don't want any part of that. We don't want any part of rejecting you. And yet we confess that we have done exactly that in our thoughts, words and deeds by what we've done and by what we've left undone. And, so, we invite your Holy Spirit to continue to refine and purify us. And we reframe the suffering that we've endured in this world. We hate it. We don't want to go through it. We want you to take it away. These are so much of the content of our prayers. And although we will continue to ask you for your counsel on how to navigate through things that are very difficult and unexpected we choose to also look at what you are doing in these things, that you've got us and these things refine and purify us. And truly we want to be pure before you, true before you. We want to be sealed in you for all of eternity. Come Holy Spirit we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The ongoing battle against avoiding sin

The ongoing battle against avoiding sin

Although believers are victorious in Messiah, the reality of living for him is a real conflict every day. Matthew 5:29 – “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna. Yeshua is speaking here of the extreme vigilance with which we must guard our spiritual…

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© Paolo Dala

Life’s Necessities: Friends

We need friends like we need air, food, and shelter. We may survive a few more years without friendship, but we will not truly live - now or forever - without finding a good friend.

That basic emotional (and spiritual) need runs, like a Randy Newman soundtrack, under every frame of animation in the Toy Story series. Now Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toy chest have returned (with some new friends), almost a quarter century from the day we met them in the first Pixar film back in 1995. The fourth installment in the beloved series (which some of us feared because we didn’t want them to ruin what we loved about the first three) is actually really good…

Friendships make the movies - and friendships make (or break) our lives - because God made us to love and be loved.

Life Is About Friendship

…friendship sits close to the heart of humanity because of God.  

It was God who said, at the very beginning, that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Then, at the fullness of time, God sent his own Son into the world, not only to be a friend (John 15:13), but to make and have friends (Mark 3:13-14). Jesus befriended the lowly and despised in society (Matthew 11:19). He shared the deepest intimacy with twelve disciples, and especially Peter, James, and John (Mark 5:37; Matthew 17:1; Matthew 26:37). Those three saw him lifted high on the Mount of Transfiguration, and they watched him kneel down to plead with the Father the night he was betrayed. And then, most remarkably, Christ himself turns not only to his twelve, but to us all, and says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you… . I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:14-15). Even before God, in the flesh, made friends, he knew a profound and mysterious kind of friendship within the eternal Godhead - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forever loving and being loved by one another.

The Christian gospel is that God himself is our friend in Christ - and he calls us to be faithful friends. Jesus says, “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” (John 13:34-35). Friendship, ordinary as it may sound, is not peripheral or supplementary to reality but rests near the core of who we are and why we exist.

In his best moments, Woody has been a whisper of the friend we have in heaven and a faint replica of the love with which we’re called to love our friends on earth.

Life Is (Not) About Friendship

Yet, for all our admiration of how Woody loves his friends, he’s a complicated cowboy. He oscillates in the films, sometimes wildly, sometimes indiscernibly, between risking himself for others and doing whatever necessary to be the most loved. He often strives to find himself - his identity, his purpose, his worth - in the adoring eyes of a child. Isn’t that, after all, what a toy was made for?

As we watch the films, we get lost in the blurriness between loving others at great cost and simply hazarding himself to be loved. Where does loyalty end and vanity begin - in Woody, yes, but also in us? Can we discern Christlike love from simply loving to be loved? In marriage, and now parenting, I have felt this tension in myself far more than I ever had before. Am I really dying to myself to lift others up, or just trying to lift myself up? The distinction can make friendship subtly dangerous.

Followers of Christ are not at all shy about the depth and beauty of real friendship. The apostle Paul writes in one place to his converts, “My brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved” (Philippians 4:1; see also 1:7-8). But as joyfully, sacrificially, and affectionately invested as Paul can be, he remains remarkably free from those he loves and serves. He says elsewhere, “Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). The beauty of true friendship, godly friendship, Christ-exalting friendship is in the seeming contradictions - immense affection and consistent correction, real dependence and yet freedom from one another, great love and yet courageous truth.

The danger for Woody, or Paul, or you and me, is in letting our friendships define us. Do you have worth and purpose apart from what your spouse thinks - or your children, or your coworkers, or your friends? We were made for friendship, but not only for friendship. When our friends become our life, it is only a matter of time until they ruin us, either in this life or when they die. As we enjoy friendship, and pour out our hearts to one another, we each must be rooted and grounded in Christ - our highest purpose, our deepest joy, our greatest love.

Woody’s greatest joy was being Andy’s favorite toy, which may be just fine as far as toys go. But his animated turmoil and restlessness can serve as a warning to those who long to feel loved. If God’s love for us in Christ does not put our hearts to rest (Matthew 11:28), our friendships become fertile soil for temptation, and eventually for our destruction.

Our Friendship Will Never Die

…friendships end, whether by life changes, betrayal, or abandonment, even death, they all will end - at least for a time. All but one. When God befriended us in Christ, he befriended us once and for all. When the credits of this creation finally roll, we will meet our Creator, Savior, Groom, and Friend.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

This friendship will never, ever die. It will only grow, and deepen, and widen throughout eternity - no restlessness, no uncertainty, no obstacles, no fear. If Christ has called you his friend, you always will have a friend in him. And along with him, a family of blood-bought eternal friends - our favorite fellow toys from all the years. And we’ll never have to say goodbye.

Marshall Segal You’ve (Still) Got A Friend In Me: The Charming Gravity of Toy Story 4

GOD'S PROGRESSIVE MOVE

36 WHENEVER the CLOUD was taken up from above the tabernacle, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WOULD GO ONWARD IN ALL THEIR JOURNEYS. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys." Exodus 40:36–38 (NKJV)

Vision evolves and the details of it might not be understood at the onset of the Ministry life.

God is a moving God. You have to follow God As He moves, that is, His timing and His pattern of doing things, in your life and Ministry.

This is usually unique regarding each Ministry, or the Minister, who pioneers the work. God has a unique pattern of building every Ministry He ordained.

If you failed to understand God's pattern, His moving, in your life and Ministry; His flow or progress might be short-circuited or truncated.

You should know when God is switching from one phase of your life and ministry to another.

If you failed to follow the move or the cloud, you become stranded and stagnated: 17 WHENEVER the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. 18 AT THE COMMAND OF THE LORD THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WOULD JOURNEY, AND AT THE COMMAND OF THE LORD THEY WOULD CAMP; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. 19 Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL KEPT THE CHARGE OF THE LORD AND DID NOT JOURNEY. 20 So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: ACCORDING to the COMMAND of the LORD they would remain ENCAMPED, And ACCORDING to the COMMAND of the LORD they would JOURNEY. 21 So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, WHENEVER THE CLOUD WAS TAKEN UP, THEY WOULD JOURNEY. 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; BUT WHEN IT WAS TAKEN UP, THEY WOULD JOURNEY. 23 At THE COMMAND OF THE LORD THEY REMAINED ENCAMPED, AND AT THE COMMAND OF THE LORD THEY JOURNEYED; THEY KEPT THE CHARGE OF THE LORD, AT THE COMMAND OF THE LORD BY THE HAND OF MOSES" (Numbers 9:17-23 NKJV).

Many are out of the ministry work today, when they knew not any longer the way forward.

To continue in ministry work, you have to keep in touch with God the Owner of the work.

You must behold His face continually to know the next line of Actions (Hebrews 12:2).

The core of the ministry work is about the receiving of the marching order from God.

If you missed His order, what He commanded to do, you become stranded and stagnated in Ministry, and that could lead to a complete exit in the work.

Many Ministers and their Ministries have the potentials of being Great, but they remained small, because the set-men, visionaries, could not follow God as He moves.

Your foremost assignment in the work of Ministry is your fellowshipping with God.

If you had time for frivolities, affairs of life, above your fellowshipping with God, you may not amount to much in the Ministry work: "NO ONE ENGAGED IN WARFARE ENTANGLES HIMSELF WITH THE AFFAIRS OF THIS LIFE, that he may PLEASE HIM WHO ENLISTED HIM AS A SOLDIER" (2 Timothy 2:4 NKJV). (i) Give time to the reading and studying of the Word (Acts 6:4). (ii) Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). MUCH cannot be done in the Ministry work without a divine strength which comes through the knowledge of the Word of God and Prayers (Acts 6:4). (iii) Know the specific thing which God wanted you to do And pay attention to it—stick to it. (iv) Lead a fasted Life. Fasting added with prayers bring results. Apostle Paul Says: "… IN FASTINGS OFTEN …." (2 Corinthians 11:27 NKJV). (v) Practice Giving. Giving is a means of deliverance. (vi) Know your spiritual family and relate with a mentor. A need to have a financial mentor is needed. You may have a spiritual mentor who knows nothing about the principle of financial Prosperity, thus, you need a financial mentor. a. A mentor is someone you learn from, either through his or her books and other materials, or someone whom you have one on one relationship with; in order to learn. b. You believe God to do in your life and ministry what He has done in the life of the person you relate with as your mentor. c. The Anointing you respect, serve, and Sow to, you attract. The anointing you disrespect cannot Bless you nor be extended to you. d. You should know or identify the Anointing ordained or meant to bless you; not just any Anointing or Minister. GOD has put your word in the mouth of your Prophet, If you missed your prophet, you might stay long in the captivity (Hosea 12:13)

God moves from one level of glory to another, you would have to keep pace with Him as He moves in your life and Ministry (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Stagnation is not of God and He hates it with passion. God wants you to reach your maximum potential in life and Ministry.

You will not fail in Jesus' name.

Should there be any ailment in your body, As you read this piece, I declare your healing now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

The Affliction will not rise the second time in your life in Jesus' name. Peace!

Choosing Him Making decisions is hard.  When we attempt to make the perfect decision, we can often find ourselves stuck in indecision. And while we should always prayerfully discern our next steps according to God’s Word and His ways, sometimes we overcomplicate things. In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul was addressing an issue about food, regarding what they should or shouldn’t eat. So Paul took some of the pressure off Christians by saying: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT While this passage was originally about food, the principle can be applied to any area of life. Whatever choice you make, do it to glorify God. In this way, you will keep your conscience clear. Whether you’re preparing a meal or making a business deal. Whether you’re playing sports or building houses. Whether you’re leading a team or raising kids. Whether you’re crunching numbers or caring for the vulnerable.   No matter what you do—the core desire should be to love God and love others, and every decision should exemplify that love. So today, ask yourself: Does this decision honor God? Is this choice full of integrity? Can others see His character shining through my life? Will my decisions draw people closer to God, or pull them away from Him? No matter what situation we’re in, God has given us His Word, His Spirit, and His people to help us discern our next right thing. So when making decisions, let’s seek to honor God to the best of our ability, and then trust Him with our choices.

Choosing Him Making decisions is hard.  When we attempt to make the perfect decision, we can often find ourselves stuck in indecision. And while we should always prayerfully discern our next steps according to God’s Word and His ways, sometimes we overcomplicate things. In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul was addressing an issue about food, regarding what they should or shouldn’t eat. So Paul took some of the pressure off Christians by saying: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT While this passage was originally about food, the principle can be applied to any area of life. Whatever choice you make, do it to glorify God. In this way, you will keep your conscience clear. Whether you’re preparing a meal or making a business deal. Whether you’re playing sports or building houses. Whether you’re leading a team or raising kids. Whether you’re crunching numbers or caring for the vulnerable.   No matter what you do—the core desire should be to love God and love others, and every decision should exemplify that love. So today, ask yourself: Does this decision honor God? Is this choice full of integrity? Can others see His character shining through my life? Will my decisions draw people closer to God, or pull them away from Him? No matter what situation we’re in, God has given us His Word, His Spirit, and His people to help us discern our next right thing. So when making decisions, let’s seek to honor God to the best of our ability, and then trust Him with our choices.

Choosing Him Making decisions is hard.  When we attempt to make the perfect decision, we can often find ourselves stuck in indecision. And while we should always prayerfully discern our next steps according to God’s Word and His ways, sometimes we overcomplicate things. In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul was addressing an issue about food, regarding what they should or shouldn’t eat. So Paul took some of the pressure off Christians by saying: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT While this passage was originally about food, the principle can be applied to any area of life. Whatever choice you make, do it to glorify God. In this way, you will keep your conscience clear. Whether you’re preparing a meal or making a business deal. Whether you’re playing sports or building houses. Whether you’re leading a team or raising kids. Whether you’re crunching numbers or caring for the vulnerable.   No matter what you do—the core desire should be to love God and love others, and every decision should exemplify that love. So today, ask yourself: Does this decision honor God? Is this choice full of integrity? Can others see His character shining through my life? Will my decisions draw people closer to God, or pull them away from Him? No matter what situation we’re in, God has given us His Word, His Spirit, and His people to help us discern our next right thing. So when making decisions, let’s seek to honor God to the best of our ability, and then trust Him with our choices.