We Begin
with
The Vision
of the
Two Olive Trees
Zechariah 4:2-3: And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left."
Zechariah 4:12-14: And I further answered and said to him, "What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?"Then he answered me and said, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."So he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth."
Upon reading the chapter you notice Zechariah
asked three times
what the Olive Trees
represented,
and two times
his guide
replied
with a question
“Do you not know what these are?”
Peter denied knowing Jesus
three times
before the crucifixion
Later, in
John 21, the
RESSURECTED
JESUS
asked Peter "Do you love me?"
Three times
to
Restore him,
Matching each denial
with
An Opportunity for Affirmation,
ultimately
Commissioning Him
To Lead the Church
Finally, in verse 14
he gets his answer,
These are
the two anointed ones,
who stand beside
the Lord of
The Whole Earth
The Great Commission,
FOUND
in Matthew 28:16–20, is
the FINAL commandment from
the
Resurrected Jesus Christ
to his disciples to
"go and make disciples of all nations".
It commands
Followers
to baptize
New Believers
and
Teach them
to
Obey
His Commands
It
Serves as
a
central, ongoing Mandate
for
Christian evangelism, Mission work,
and
Obedience,
Promising
Jesus's Presence
"to the Very End of the Age"
The next solar eclipse will be an
annular
solar eclipse on Feb. 17, 2026.
During an annular
solar eclipse,
the moon covers a majority
of the sun,
leaving a distinct
Ring of Light,
hence the nickname
'Ring of Fire'
eclipse
Malachi 3:2, where the phrase refiner’s fire is used, has been a popular verse in Western society for centuries due to its use in Handel’s famous oratorio
Messiah
The verse reads,
But
WHO can ENDURE
THE DAY of
HIS COMING?
WHO Can STAND
when
HE Appears?
For he will be like
A Refiner’s Fire
A
Launderer’s Soap
Let’s take a look at the prophet’s similes.
Malachi says that, when the Lord returns, no one will be able to stand before Him. The Lord’s holiness and judgment will be as a refiner’s blazing fire and as a fuller’s bleaching agent. The idea of “standing” before the Lord is associated with “withstanding” or “standing up to”; sinful human flesh will not have the strength, the right, or the desire to resist the Lord in His glory (cf. Psalm 76:7; Revelation 6:17).
The two similes help clarify why no one will be able to stand in the Day of the Lord. First, Malachi 3:2 says the Messiah will be like a refiner’s fire, an allusion to the process of purifying metal. A refiner uses a fire to heat metal to a molten state; then he skims off the dross that floats to the top. The refiner’s fire is, of course, maintained at an extremely high temperature, and such a high degree of heat is the prophet’s picture of the testing people will face on Judgment Day. All judgment has been entrusted to the Son (John 5:22). Upon Christ’s return, the intense flame of God’s judgment will purify the earth, removing the dross of sin.
Second, the Messiah will be like a launderer’s soap. This type of soap was caustic and quite effective in producing bright white clothing. The HCSB translates it as “cleansing lye.” When Christ returns, He will cleanse the world of all impurity. Every stain of sin will be scrubbed away. The account of Jesus’ transfiguration contains a reference to His purity, using language similar to Malachi’s: “He was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them” (Mark 9:2–3).
The goal of Jesus will be to judge wickedness and purify His people: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3). Like the refiner’s fire, He will burn away the impurities of the priests. Like launderer’s soap, He will wash away their uncleanness (Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 6:29–30; Ezekiel 22:17–22; Zechariah 3:5). The priests in the millennial kingdom will then be able to offer sacrifices from a pure heart. The sacrifices in those days will be similar to those when the temple was first built: “The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years” (Malachi 3:4).
The refiner’s fire and launderer’s soap indicate the holiness and burning judgment of the Messiah when He returns to reign in Jerusalem at His second coming. His purifying brightness and absolute holiness will affect those who serve Him, creating a cleansed temple and purified priesthood. “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him” (Isaiah 40:10).
The Truth About Itown Church
Sandy Ott Rusk
Admin
All-star contributor
Everyone
in our
Community has Been Affected
by the abduction and murder of
Hailey Buzbee
It is HELL
when you
lose a child
and it is
something that you never
get over!
Our community mourns
with this family and I wish them
strength and peace as they
try to
Navigate life going forward
I never met
Hailey Buzbee or her family but
my heart goes out to them.
They are in my thoughts and
prayers.
According to a search warrant affidavit, Thomas admitted to communicating with Buzbee for over a year using online gaming platforms and an encrypted messaging app.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Court records reveal new details in the disappearance and death of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee, detailing how investigators say she communicated with a Columbus man for more than a year before leaving her Indiana home and traveling with him to Ohio.
Buzbee, of Fishers, Indiana, was reported missing on Jan. 6. Fishers police identified 39-year-old Tyler Thomas, of Columbus, as a suspect, saying investigators believe she left her home with him the previous night.
Detectives executed a search warrant at Thomas’ home and on his electronic devices on Jan. 21, where they allegedly found child sexual abuse material involving Buzbee. Thomas was charged with pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and tampering with evidence.
According to Columbus Police Sgt. Joe Albert, the investigation confirmed Buzbee was with Thomas at a short-term rental property in Hocking County, where detectives believe she was killed. Authorities found her remains in Wayne National Forest in Perry County days later.
What’s in the new documents?According to a search warrant affidavit, Thomas admitted to communicating with Buzbee for over a year using online gaming platforms and an encrypted messaging app called “Session.” Thomas stated that he used the app to plan for Buzbee's “runaway and transport.”
Records state that during an interview with detectives, Thomas admitted to having picked Buzbee up in a 2014 Acura. He claimed to have dropped Buzbee off near the Indiana/Ohio border. However, records state that cellphone location data contradicts his claim. The cellphone data places Thomas and his vehicle traveling to Columbus and to Logan.
Another search warrant affidavit says that Thomas claimed to be alone at a cabin, but rental records showed that the reservation was for “two guests” on Jan. 6.
Thomas’ defense attorney, Sam Shamansky, previously said that Thomas turned himself in to police on Jan. 31 and led them to Buzbee’s remains on Feb. 1. He has not yet been charged in her death.
“The FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively pursue all evidence in this case as we seek the facts about Hailey’s disappearance and death,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie. “While we are deeply saddened that we cannot bring Hailey home, we are committed to holding accountable anyone involved in the crimes against her.”
In a federal criminal complaint that was unsealed today, Thomas is charged with sexually exploiting a minor and traveling interstate with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
Thomas allegedly met the victim online playing video games including Roblox and League of Legends.
According to charging documents, Thomas traveled from Columbus to Fortville, Indiana, during the overnight hours of Jan. 5 to Jan. 6 to pick up the victim and drive her back to Ohio with the intent to engage in illicit sexual activity, specifically the production of child pornography.
Cell phone analysis reveals Thomas then allegedly traveled to an Airbnb residence in Logan, Ohio, on the afternoon of Jan. 6. At approximately 9:25am the next morning, Jan. 7, Thomas’s phone data shows he traveled near the North Country Trail Trailhead in Wayne National Forest, where the victim’s remains were later located. The phone remained in that location until approximately 2:15pm, when it began to travel back towards Columbus.
During a forensic review of Thomas’s cell phone, agents identified deleted communications and interactions between Thomas and the victim, including messages on SnapChat and sexually explicit images of the victim in Thomas’s Columbus residence and the Airbnb residence.
Columbus police officers searched Thomas’s residence on Hunter Avenue in Columbus and collected cell phones, computers and numerous other items of potential evidentiary value.
FBI agents also executed search warrants at the Airbnb residence in Logan and located potential traces of blood throughout the residence and seized numerous items that potentially contained traces of blood. Those items are awaiting further analysis.
Additionally, Thomas’s cell phone allegedly contained child sexual abuse material of a girl approximately seven to 10 years old and a sexual Discord conversation with another teenager. Specifically, in that Discord conversation, Thomas allegedly messaged: “Does baby carve parts of her own body?” and “…you’d look so good covered in red.”
The Ohio creep linked to the death of missing Indiana teen Hailey Buzbee traded disturbing messages and photos with the girl a year before snatching her from her home last month — then led investigators to where her dismembered body was buried, federal prosecutors said.
Tyler Thomas, 39, was hit Tuesday with federal exploitation charges for crossing state lines to bring the 17-year-old back to his Ohio home and carrying out sickening sexual acts before she turned up dead, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Buzbee was last seen near her Fishers, Indiana, home on Jan. 5, with her hacked-up remains found deep in the woods of the Buckeye State on Feb. 2.
Investigators also seized additional cellphones and computers from his home, uncovering obscene photos of a roughly 10-year-old girl and a vile Discord conversation with another teen who said she was in the 10th grade, according to the charging documents.
During an interview with police on Jan. 21, Thomas allegedly told cops he believed Buzbee “was alive and safe” — but refused to admit to her murder, chillingly saying, “No, I wouldn’t tell you.”
He was charged with pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and evidence tampering on Jan. 31.
Two days later, he led investigators to the exact spot where the teen’s body was buried under a thick layer of frozen dirt, prosecutors said.
Tyler Thomas, of Columbus, has been arrested by the #FBI in connection with Hailey Buzbee's death and now faces federal exploitation charges. Thomas allegedly traveled to Indiana last month to pick up the victim and return to Ohio with the intent to engage in illegal sexual conduct. The FBI remains committed to seeking justice for Hailey and holding accountable anyone involved in crimes against her.
The Resurrection
(Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:1–12; John 20:1–9)
After the Sabbath,
at dawn
on the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary
went to see the tomb
2Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.
5But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.b 7Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.”
8So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. 9Suddenlyc Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him. 10“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”
The Report of the Guards
11While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money 13and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
15So the guards took the money and did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day.
The Great Commission
(Mark 16:14–18)
16Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.
Then Jesus came to them and said,
All Authority
in
Heaven and on Earth
has been
Given to Me
Therefore go and make disciples of
All Nations,
baptizing them in the
Name
of the
Father and of the Son
and of the
Holy Spirit,
and teaching them
to obey
all
that I have commanded you.
And surely
I AM
With you always, even to
The End of the Age
Today
While I was Driving
My Son Aden
(Which by THE WAY is a RED HEAD and his NAME originates from the Irish Gaelic name Aodhán, which translates to "little fire" or "fiery one". It is derived from the Old Irish name Aodh, the Celtic god of fire, signifying warmth, passion, strength, and vitality)
To School
(its an hour drive; becasue
you know-
he needs the BEST EDUCATION
even though its every last
penny, its a fortune and
the cost of my right arm)
I noticed all of the pink
ribbons hung on the bridge
that
passes right over
Itown's Olson Farm Campus.
It reminded me that they are
hosting a very public celebration of life
open to
the entire community
To Honor the Passing
of
Sweet, Beautiful Haily Buzbee,
a beloved
junior from Fishers Indiana
who was tragically
stalked, cohersed, abducted and kidnapped.
Her brutal rape and murder was
filmed on camera to
traffic
on the dark web
which has
gained global awareness and
moved
lawmakers to implement
anew bill named
"Haileys Law"
May God Heal
Her family, our Community
and
Have Mercy on us All
Hailey Paige Buzbee
Fishers, Indiana
Hailey Paige Buzbee, 17, passed away in January 2026.
Born on October 9, 2008,
she loved music, books, and spending
time with her family.
She attended Hamilton Southeastern High School and
worked at
The Kitchen on Main in Fortville
as a server.
Though her time was brief, Hailey filled each day with
love, purpose, and joy.
Hailey was a dedicated student and working towards
a career in Journalism.
Family, friends, and those who crossed paths
with Hailey
remember her sweet spirit.
She is survived by her father, Beau Buzbee;
stepmother, Ronya Buzbee; sister, Sabriya Buzbee;
mother, Lindsay
Simmons; brother, Elijah Ratcliff;
and extended family
Our family welcomes you to come honor Hailey’s life.
Her service will be held at ITOWN Church,
12491 East 136th Street, Fishers on Thursday,
February, 12, at 6:00 p.m.
Doors will open
at 5:00 p.m. Guests are encouraged
to wear
Hailey’s favorite color, pink.
“The changes we make together will be
rooted in the love
Hailey brought into the world during her time with us.”
– Hailey’s Proud Dad
Donations to support Hailey, her family, justice, and her legacy of love for others, can be made by clicking here.
To view a livestream of Hailey's Celebration of Life, please click here.
To order memorial trees or send flowers
to the family
in memory of Hailey Paige Buzbee, please
visit our flower store.
https://www.flannerbuchanan.com/obituaries/hailey-buzbee
Westfield Uncensored
This keeps coming up on my
Tic Tok
A church in
Fishers
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Anw3B9ij7/
Westfield Uncensored
This keeps coming up on my
Tic Tok
A church in
Fishers
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Anw3B9ij7/
“‘Therefore wait for Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger; for all the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal. For then I will RESTORE purified lips to the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder’” (Zeph 3:8-9).
The book of Zephaniah ends with an incredibly gracious reversal, which is signaled by the word “restore” in Zephaniah 3:9. The word "ehpoch," though not easily translated into English, carries the connotation of a complete reversal in the Hebrew Bible. A few examples from the Book of the Twelve help make this clear: “The sun will be FLIPPED/TURNED to darkness” (Joel 3:4). “I have FLIPPED/TURNED your celebrations into mourning” (Amos 8:10).
The great reversal in Zephaniah takes place when God gathers the nations for a day of judgment by fire. Rather than destroying, this fire purifies, leaving behind peoples, both Jew and Gentile, whose lips are purified. With these purified lips, there will be a people exulting in the LORD, instead of exulting themselves above the LORD. In place of the proud and arrogant, there will be a gathering of those who are poor in spirit.
The most encouraging reversal in the book is signaled by singing. In Zephaniah 3:14, we find the daughter of Zion, Jerusalem, singing joyfully to the LORD with all her heart. Then, remarkably, we find God Himself singing joyfully over His redeemed people. The God of the universe turns Israel’s solo into a duet, transforming a song of worship into a love song between a husband and his bride.
Such is the transformative power of grace and love, the exceedingly good news of the gift of a new covenant. This divine transformation through the new covenant is not only a gift for the saved remnant in the last days, but is graciously given by God to all who put their faith in His Son.
“Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17).
My Husband has been working overtime all week because The US is majorly being attacked by foreign cyber crimes. His meetings are always on speaker phone, I know exactly whats transpiring in India's Cyber world. ironically, my computer was almost hacked yesterday from a firm whose sourced in India. Thankfully it wasn't hacked because my husband is a security fire wall architect and always thinks outside the box to get thew job done.
Oh Come on, its been 6 years of Scripture repetition
and you haven't repented?
What do you Expect?
To flat out run into a Train head on?
Your Dad and I don't know what to do anymore- you don't hear us.
He wants to send you to boot camp-
I Said NO,
they're going to repent soon, i think its today.
Adam has been in Prison for 15 years. That deserves a brownie badge.
Jesus forgives sinners
and came
specifically to call them
rather
than the righteous
He offers forgiveness for all sins
through repentance,
faith, and his sacrifice on the cross,
with authority to remove the
spiritual, emotional, and eternal consequences
of those sins.
Who Is Jesus? The Vision
Authority
Jesus demonstrated
his authority to forgive sins during his ministry,
such as to the
paralyzed man and the sinful woman.
Unlimited Mercy
Jesus’ forgiveness is not limited; it is described as being available "77 times," signifying an endless capacity to forgive.
Purpose
He came to pay the debt of sin, taking on the judgment that humans deserved to bring reconciliation with God.
Forgiveness is found through faith and trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
While some views emphasize that all sins are covered,
Lets Be Honest,
The Truth is,
We need for repentance to receive that forgiveness.
https://www.youtube.com/@ITOWNChurch/shorts
Stovall Weems
Stand for truth and prepare
for what's coming
Home to the Shadow World podcast.
A theology of cover up
is now pervasive in
churches and non-profits across America
WATCH
https://www.youtube.com/live/eRV4a8G5NGk?si=VSiUxBwWyo5LV-FM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRV4a8G5NGk&t=2644s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p9nMC-7qxw&t=4s
The Truth about Truth -IS- the Truth about Truth
Seminar
Spring 2026, Olson Farms Campus
Childcare not provided. The toddlers are busy making your vanilla chai Latte
You can pick them up after their shift (after you pay us)
Don't shift the blame onto others or try to justify
your errors with excuses.
Take responsibility for
your actions and acknowledge your faults!
Kate and Dave Sumrall
will deliver a
spirit filled, biblical, awe inspiring
sermon
on these core Christian character traits
to help jump start
LIFE into our
BROKEN COMMUNITIES
Lets Learn How To Bear Good Fruit,
TOGETHER!
SEE YOU THERE!
Admitting wrongdoing, repenting, apologizing directly, and recognizing fault are interconnected, vital components of taking personal responsibility, fostering reconciliation, and achieving personal or spiritual growth. These actions move beyond mere regret to involve intentional, transformative change.
Core Components of Accountability
Key Principles for Genuine Accountability
The 5 R's of a Robust Apology
To ensure an apology is effective, it should include:
Regret: Sincere remorse for the harm caused.
Rationale: A brief explanation (not an excuse) for why it happened.
Responsibility: Taking ownership, or saying "this is on me."
Repentance: A promise and plan to do better.
Reconciliation/Restitution: Asking for forgiveness and repairing the damage.
Denial,
It involves numbing emotions, avoiding reality,
or irrational thinking,
allowing individuals to pace their emotional intake.
Transition:
As the reality of the loss begins to settle in, denial fades,
allowing other,
more intense emotions to surface.
Purpose:
It helps survival by preventing emotional overload
acting as a "grace" period that lets in only as much pain
as can be handled at once.
Common behaviors include disbelief ("This isn't happening"),
emotional numbness, distraction, and confusion.
Denying Christ
is a
grievous act incurring
significant spiritual consequences.
According to Christian doctrine,
rejecting or denying Christ can take various forms.
A person can verbally
deny knowing Christ, as Peter did three times
(see Matthew 26:31–35, 70–75).
Another type of denial is to make
an intentional, informed decision
not to accept Jesus Christ’s teachings or claims.
For example, some rejected His teaching on
the Bread of Life
(see John 6:59–66).
Denial can go as far as rejecting
God’s grace and salvation
offered through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice
on the cross.
The Bible emphasizes the importance of acknowledging Jesus as God’s Son and humanity’s Savior
(see 1 John 2:22–23).
Christ Himself taught, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven”
(Matthew 10:32–33, NLT).
At first glance, this passage seems to imply that those who deny Christ may face the eternal consequence of being denied entry into the kingdom of heaven.
However, let’s consider Matthew 10:26–33 in context. Jesus was preparing His disciples for ministry, urging them to be courageous in their confession of faith and not afraid of persecution from people. He didn’t want them to succumb to faithless fear and deny Christ before other humans.
If they did, Jesus would deny them their reward and reign before the Father in heaven.
The apostle Paul affirmed,
“This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is”
(2 Timothy 2:11–13, NLT).
Denying Christ out of
weakness and fear of persecution
will result in losing out
on certain
heavenly rewards and positions
(see 2 Corinthians 5:10).
It will also carry the consequence of hindered or
broken fellowship with God.
But Peter’s denial was not a rejection of
His Lord and Savior.
It was a momentary lapse—a slipping back from
his commitment to die for Jesus
(Matthew 26:33–35).
Later, Jesus lovingly restored Peter,
gently leading him
to reaffirm his love and devotion to Christ
(John 21:15–25).
While everyone is vulnerable and capable of denying Christ
out of weakness and fear,
God is faithful to forgive and restore us when we repent
(1 John 1:9).
The person who rejects Jesus—who denies that He is the Christ and refuses to acknowledge or accept Him as Sovereign Lord and Savior—will face severe consequences, both now and for all eternity. First, he or she misses out on the spiritual blessings and fulfillment of knowing God intimately and dwelling in His presence (Isaiah 12:3; Psalm 16:11; John 4:14; Ephesians 3:19). Life apart from God is characterized by emptiness and spiritual blindness (1 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Timothy 4:2) and an increasing decline into sin and depravity (Romans 1:18–32; Ephesians 4:17–19).
Jesus said that denying Him would
eventually result
in divine judgment and condemnation:
“There is a judge for the one
who rejects me
and does not accept my words;
the very words
I have spoken will condemn them at
the last day”
(John 12:48; see also John 3:18–19; 2 Peter 2:1; Jude 1:4; Revelation 20:11–15).
Finally, the most severe and devastating consequences of denying Christ and refusing His offer of salvation are eternal death and everlasting separation from God
(Matthew 25:30, 41; John 8:24; Revelation 20:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:8).
Nonetheless, the Bible promises the hope of eternal life in Jesus. God is loving and patient; He doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He desires everyone to embrace the truth of the gospel and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). We only have to turn from denying Christ, believe in Him, and be saved (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9).
Church Harm due to Itown Church
2 Thousand
Ex Church Members/Employees
2 MillionViews on TIKTOK
I created this private group for people who have experienced "church harm" due to Itown Church. My goal was to allow people to find support, encouragement and to know that they are not alone. It is a safe space with no victim blaming and no drama. It is not a place to debate whether Itown is a good "church" or if Dave and Kate Sumrall are good "pastors". Thank you to everyone who has been brave enough to share, so far. If you have a story, feel free to share it here. You are welcome to use the Anonymous Feature if you like.
In 2011, I was a single mom raising my teenage daughter. I allowed her to begin attending Itown. I thought, what better place for my daughter to be while I was working than at a church. I blindly trusted Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and Itown with my 14 year old daughter. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I had no idea of the manipulation and control that was happening to her behind my back. 13 years later she is still under their control 100%. I have not been allowed to see or speak to my daughter in 4 years. Yet, they are often on stage, online, on tv and now on billboards professing to be Christian Pastors and that they are "all about family".
I came out publicly with my complete story of devastation at the hands of Itown Church in an interview with Investigative Reporter Roberta Blevins . The official release date for my interview was on 3/31/2024. You can now listen here:
https://player.fm/series/life-after-mlm/episode-230-sandy-rusk
Or on Spotify or wherever you listen to Podcasts.
ITOWN,
LYING, DECEPTION,
AND
THE DARK WEB
ARC, SURVELIIENCE, TRAFFICKING PERSONAL DATA,
TRACKING DIGITAL MEDIA,
SHARING PERSONAL, PRIVATE MOMENTS AND
DISCUSSIONS IN
THE PRIVACY OF THE HOME WITHOUT PERMISSION
TRAFFICKING IT PRIVATE, STOLEN INFORMATION
WITHOUT PERMISSION
AND USING FOR BLACKMAIL, SLANDER, CONTROL, AND ABUSE
ON THE DARK WEB
PROFITING OFF THE SICK PERVERSION
NO ACCOUNTABILITY
KATE SUMRALL IS SUCH A HYPOCRITE!
Kate Sumrall, Dave Sumrall and Itown Church separated me from my daughter, yet she tears up when talking about how important families are and how they "wrap around" families.
She did not care about my family when she was grooming and manipulating my daughter behind my back. They used the legal system against me twice to take control of my daughter.
I trusted them with my daughter when she was just 14 years old and they betrayed my trust in the worst possible way.
It’s amazing how far the deception with iTown will go to try to make a buck so they
can pay for their shoes and their house.
ITown Church made an attempt to debit my account and the debit was rejected because I had disconnected everything from their ACH and flagged their name at the bank so no account would go through.
After this, ITown changed their company ID to a different number to disguise their transaction, and then ran the withdrawal again, which went through that time.
I hesitated for months about posting. I worked for Itown Kids Connect for several years and all six of my kids were enrolled. I was required to prioritize families based on how much they tithed. One day a lead pastor approached me, cornered me, and intimidated me into agreeing to switch jobs and campuses. When I said no, I soon started to loose my job duties and dignity until I was just a door opener. When I decided to leave one day, I took my kids and walked out. No one would speak to us, my family and kids were all completely shunned. I suffered depression and alcoholism for an entire year before we found a life giving church and new start. Itown had borrowed Northviews Kids curriculum, then kicked northview out of their building and rebranded the curriculum under Itowns name. Soon after Dave gets on stage and brags about how Kate designed and implemented the entire curriculum. When I had left they were over 700K in Debt with just the "school"
that had had been open for 2 years. I am terrified to speak to anyone openly. I am so sorry for how
I treated people and was blinded to the Lie, Please forgive me.
I took their spiritual gifts assessment and they outcome was totally off. There was a survey to fill out about whether or not we drank alcohol or smoked. No one contacted me about a time- when I finally found a team they made me sign in every time and work ridiculous hours unpaid for a profession unusually professional compensated for.
After I had been serving for a couple of years full time I ended up in the hospital, my mother was on her knees asking Itown for help and no one responded or answered her calls
I have experience and education in biblical studies, and when I asked about mission tripe- one of the leaders looked at me degrading and said kate is very particular about who goes on missions because you have to have the holy spirit" I would see kate standing in the front of the building, not talking to anyone, but presenting herself as authority. It was so weird. They have no classes about the Gospel, but offer manner classes?
When Kate talks about their School, she literally only said,
"we dont care about grades or homework, we care about jesus"
When My daughter was in the 7 year old kids class she said they showed her videos and sang sang songs about the devil Growing up Methodist- we never had sunday school sermons about the "devil"
When I first started attending Itown I would get weird echoing sounds on my phone calls and it was obvious it was being recorded- or something was interfering and listening. I have tried calling I town and Emailing Itown dozens of times and no pastor will respond to me. The church even lied to my parents when they called about being concerned for me. When I confronted a "leader" at itown, they told me to come back the next day, and i was alone while three of them surrounded me in the cafe and told me I was no longer allowed to serve on the team for only asking to speak with the pastor.
I'd like to share my weird experience
with iTown church.
I moved here from Florida in April of last year and was looking for a church to attend.
Everyone recommended iTown.
My first couple times going was really nice, and enjoyed the sermons. however, all that was preached were "feel good" sermons...he wouldn't finish the verses he would quote, and put his own spin on which God clearly says don't flip my words.
So after paying more attention to this pastor, my final straw was he came out wearing a big gold chain, and button up that showed his entire chest, said his prayer before the "video" then after the video came back out with a massive silver chain instead.
How can you be that conceited in the house of God? Materialistic and vanity runs that pastor. Can't give anyone a straight answer about where all the money goes at the end of the year because the straight answer is his bank account to fund his materialistic life style.
Spiritism:
Attempts to communicate with or
manipulate spirits.
Interest is often driven by curiosity, a search
for personal power,
or disillusionment with traditional,
organized religion.
The occult (from Latin occultus 'hidden, secret')
is a category of esoteric
or supernatural beliefs and practices which
generally fall outside the scope
of organized
religion and science, encompassing phenomena
involving
a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency,
such as magic and mysticism.
Warning Signs
Someone Is Dabbling in the Occult
The Disclosure or Communication of
Unknown
information Unavailable to Humans
Through Normal Means
That knowledge
comes from somewhere—and
if it’s not from God
through the sources God has ordained,
then it is through the evil one and
his forces.
There is no neutral and impersonal “Power” just floating around out there.
Nothing that has a voice or can be tapped into—some kind of cosmic consciousness
for secret knowledge about human life.
Everything falls under
heaven or hell,
good or evil, God or the evil one
“You have trusted in your wickedness … your wisdom and knowledge mislead you … Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away … keep on, then, with your
magic spells and with your many sorceries … let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month … they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves … each of them goes on in his error.”
--Isaiah 47:10–15
“Let no one be found among you who … is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.”
--Deuteronomy 18:10–12
“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter,
should not a people inquire of their God?”
--Isaiah 8:19
Any Attempt to Gain and Master Paranormal Power
in Order to
Manipulate or Influence Other People Into Certain Actions
In other words, all forms of witchcraft and the casting of spells. Being clear on this is important because of the rise of modern day witchcraft, which goes by the name of Wicca.
Again, Scripture is clear:
“Let no one be found among you who … practices … sorcery … engages in witchcraft or casts spells … Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.” --Deuteronomy 18:10–12
So there you have it. A map of the supernatural world. On the one side you have God and his faithful angels.
On the other side the world of the paranormal or the occult, which is the world of Satan and his demons.
These are the only two worlds.
These are the only two forces.
These are the only two sets of beings.
One of them is good, the other
is evil.
There are a lot of ways, sadly, that
Satan and his team
seduces us
to engage the evil side--
to open our lives
to it and to invite it in without even
knowing it.
And when we do, whether we are
aware of it or not,
we are engaging the forces
of darkness.
We are connecting with Satan and his demons.
We are willfully opening up
the door of our life to their presence and activity.
And they will enter.
And nothing could be more dangerous.
Initially it might seem benign, even innocent, for as the Bible says,
Satan positions himself as an angel of light. But then the evil engulfs you.
And it’s even more than playing with fire.
It’s dousing yourself with gasoline and then lighting the match.
It is spiritual suicide.
It is important to understand
the doctrine
that John was defending.
In saying,
“Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,”
John affirms that
Jesus is both
fully God and truly man.
He also addressed this issue
in 1 John 4:2,
telling his readers how to
identify
false teachers and the
spirits who drive them.
The first test of a true
teacher/prophet of
God is that he proclaims that
Jesus is God incarnate
(see John 1:14).
A godly teacher will
teach both the
full deity and true humanity of Christ.
The Holy Spirit testifies to the
true
nature of Christ,
while
Satan and his demonic
host
deny that true nature.
The Gnostics
of
John’s day denied the
true humanity of Christ.
Today, there are many
who deny
the full deity of Christ—and
John identifies
them as deceivers and antichrists.
It is also important
to understand the context
of John’s epistle.
John is writing to
“the elect lady and her children”
(2 John 1:1).
This lady was engaged
in a
ministry of hospitality
In the name of Christian love (verse 6),
this
kind-hearted woman was receiving
itinerant preachers into her home,
providing
room and board for them,
and sending them
on their way with her blessing.
John writes
this quick note to her to
warn her
about the many false teachers
who would gladly
take advantage of her generosity.
Her love needed to be tempered
by truth.
Boundaries had to be drawn.
Hospitality should not be
extended to
charlatans, hucksters, and the
devil’s own emissaries.
That’s why John tells her, “Do not take them into your house or welcome them” (verse 10).
And he tells her why: “Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work” (verse 11).
John gives the hospitable lady a litmus test: what does the traveling preacher teach about Jesus Christ?
If he is presenting the full deity and full humanity of Christ, then he can be welcomed into her home as a guest. However, if the teacher mitigates, obscures, or equivocates on the fact that Jesus is fully man and fully God, then the lady is to have nothing to do with him. Such false teachers are not to receive help from believers, not even so much as a greeting. To give material aid or spiritual encouragement to the purveyors of false doctrine is to partake in their wickedness (verse 11).
What should be our response, then, when cultists or false teachers come knocking at the door? It is not wrong to share the truth with them or to relate our testimony. We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). However, we must be careful not to do anything that would give the appearance that we approve of their message. We should never invite them into our home for an extended stay, donate money to their cause, or allow them to conduct a “Bible study” with us.
Here are some things to remember: First, cultists are master deceivers who are well trained in techniques that will confuse those whose knowledge of Scripture is limited. Well-meaning and compassionate souls (like the elect lady in 2 John) can be coaxed to dialogue with cultists and then be fooled by them. Second, Christians are of Christ; cultists are anti-Christ (2 John 1:7), no matter how kind, sincere, and charming they may appear. Third, believers should not give the cultists or anyone else the impression that the cult has legitimate claims, doctrines, or opinions. Fourth, Jesus tells us to “watch out” for false teachers (Matthew 7:15), and Paul tells us to “avoid them” (Romans 16:17) and declares them to be “accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Therefore, we should build no close associations with those who teach a false gospel. Fifth, John tells the lady in 2 John not to “welcome” a false teacher (or “bid him God speed” in the KJV). This phrase in the Greek means “to cheerfully or joyfully hail someone.” In other words, we are not to bless false teachers or wish them well.
We are to be always ready with an answer for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15), but we must do so in the Holy Spirit’s power, following His lead. When cultists or false teachers knock at the door, it could be an opportunity to relate the truth about Jesus to them, or it could be an opportunity to “leave them; they are blind guides” (Matthew 15:14). In any case, we must rely on the Lord’s wisdom (James 1:5) and be cautious not to cast our pearls before pigs (Matthew 7:6).
The 666 represents an
unholy trinity
(Satan, the Beast, the False Prophet)
that mimics God's kingdom
but is
built on human rebellion,
which
ultimately leads to judgment.
The beast was given a mouth to utter
proud words and blasphemies
and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.
Revelation 14:6-10
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
In Matthew 7:15
Jesus warns against false prophets who come in "sheep's clothing" but are actually "ravenous wolves," referring to those who falsely represent religious or moral authority.
Deception
is the act of convincing of one or many recipients of untrue information. The person creating the deception knows it to be false while the receiver of the information does not.
It is often done for personal gain or advantage.
Deceit and dishonesty can also form grounds for civil litigation in tort, or contract law (where it is known as misrepresentation or fraudulent misrepresentation if deliberate), or give rise to criminal prosecution for fraud
A "wolf in sheep's clothing"
is an idiom describing a dangerous or malicious person who pretends to be harmless, gentle, or friendly to deceive others. Originating from Aesop's Fables and biblical teachings (Matthew 7:15), it warns against individuals—often false leaders or predators—who use charm, charisma, and a deceptive facade to exploit or harm, rather than foster genuine relationships.
A wolf in sheep's clothing is an idiom from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount as narrated in the Gospel of Matthew. It warns against individuals who play a deceptive role. The gospel regards such individuals (particularly false teachers) as dangerous.
The Truth About Itown Church
KATE SUMRALL IS SUCH A HYPOCRITE!
Kate Sumrall, Dave Sumrall and Itown Church separated me from my daughter, yet she tears up when talking about how important families are and how they "wrap around" families. She did not care about my family when she was grooming and manipulating my daughter behind my back. They used the legal system against me twice to take control of my daughter.
I trusted them with my daughter when she was just 14 years old and they betrayed my trust in the worst possible way.
Anonymous member
God is not a man that He shall be mocked! What’s done in the dark will come to light! Continue to spread the truth to protect more of God’s children from being harmed. To Itown Church Onlookers-Humility and Repentance (turning away from the evil action) are fruits of the spirit. Pride (refusing to acknowledge and rectify the role you’ve played in causing this rift) is a work of the flesh! We stand with Sandy!
Anonymous member
Wrap around and steal families. Sandy Ott Rusk they destroyed your family by taking your daughter.
All-star contributor
Anonymous member yes, they did and then want to act like they are so concerned about families....
Anonymous member It's so EVIL. Keep up your efforts to expose them. It's working!
Anonymous member 743
The church doesn’t actually give anything. Donations from others gave to those families. They write it off on personal taxes. The church offers prayers and letters for DCS and in return ask for money on Sundays. They will convince the parents that Itown homeschool is the best. Then when the child reports abuse guess who covers it up, yep Itown staff… It’s a snake hole. These “degrees” they do have, they cheat online especially Chegg for the answers and then sale their answers and essays. Thats why they won’t talk to you and answer questions….Liability, Non Disclosure Agreements and cameras just about sums it up.
Kate was having a staff meeting and straight out screamed at all of the employees, then they all walked out. They lost most of their staff in one day.
Kate was speaking to staff and said, "Sometimes I play hard to get with Dave to get My Way" It was so inappropriate
Anonymous member
Anonymous member 743 wow, it sounds like you have have alot of "behind the scenes" information. I would love to do a deep dive on all of it. Let me know if you would be willing to share it with me, so that I could report on it. Totally, anonymously. Feel free to reach out in messenger.
The way i saw dave hugging his oldest daughter after prayer one day was
way more intimate than how he hugs his wife, SO disturbing and weird.
It was not a normal father daughter hug if you know what I mean.
Anonymous member Cult, needs shutdown
Anonymous member
Is she educated about social work? Would like to more about her expertise?
Anonymous member god guides her!
Anonymous member
Then they have the nerve to tell you your family is cursed if they don’t think you are giving enough.
Itown Church can/will manipulate your child/teen if it benefits them. That is exactly what was done to me when I blindly trusted Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and the Itown Church staff with my teenage daughter. As I always say, do not trust ANYONE with your child/teen even if they appear to be a trusted pastor.....especially at Itown Church.
It had been over 5.5 years since I had seen or spoken with my daughter until recently. I felt it was important to update my story....to clarify the changes. My feelings are that she is still under the control of Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and the Itown Church staff. Here you go .....
So sorry, was hoping things would change! A cult is a horrible thing to break free of.cannot believe Olivia wouldn't want her mom, during so many life changes. So sorry!
Wow...super sad so brainwashed. I am so tired of organized religion taking away people's free will
Wow, this video explains so much! The emotional manipulation is real. When he talks about the request for people to raise their hands, certain phrases are word for word what Dave Sumrall says....at each and every service. And he is spot on regarding things that are being taught to our children when they separate them from us. I blindly trusted Dave and Kate Sumrall with my teenage daughter. They betrayed my trust in the worst possible way.....and this video explains exactly how they do it. It is extremely shocking.
Anonymous member
Sumerall is adding on to his home “compound” on 146th. I think her added a pool and guest house but I am not 100% sure…
Before they moved into their new “compound” on 146th, they lived on my street. We had a neighbor pass away while working in his yard, and the Sumeralls were doing their “workouts” running wind sprints up and down our street. The person who died was 2 doors away and neither of them cared enough to go and console the family. Right then and there I lost all respect for them.
Anonymous member
A friend of ours did some of the work on the property near Cabellas and he said kate sumrall walked around dropping f-bombs at the workers complaining that they didn’t know how to do their jobs.
Someone asked Dave why there was no cross in the church and he supposedly said he would never put a cross in one of his church’s….
The way Kate talked to the ITLA the year I was in it. Was so rude and probably the most entitlement I’ve ever felt come from somebody. They made us set chairs up and tear them down. But we had to do it over and over again until it was smooth. Making remarks under her breath, making insulting remarks towards someone’s intelligence.  Jesus would be flipping tables in today’s churches. I am about to start a church in my basement for people that actually want to study the Bible.
I saw Dave & Kate at the Keystone Mall two weeks ago. Kate used to take my fitness classes at the Fishers Y and I almost didn't even recognize either one of them all the work they have gotten done ane things they are taking.
As a pastor's kid, I never understood how they showed up to the gym driving an escalade and a BMW!
But here is my genuine question, do people not see this?! People that attend itown?! Or they all have so much $$ they don't care that this is what their tithe is going towards?
They're wealthy because of the members. Can you imagine how much tithe comes in each week??!! There are 3 iTown Churches. Plus they are part of ARC. With Dave and Kate being the Head of these churches, they are making a killing!! Why don't the members of these churches demand to see how their tithes are being spent and how much these ministers are paying themselves? Come on people wake up! Ministers used to be some of the poorest people! These days they live in mansions!
You should see their gated mansion off 146th/Carey road area on south side of the road.
Why aren’t their salaries disclosed to their church? Isn’t there a board? And does anyone know if they give interviews?
Pastors should be living modestly and helping those struggling in their church. Not flaunting their fortune.
I honestly think that people get brainwashed. It completely clouds your perception
And they have no clue what the tithe was really for
Anonymous member 670
Just wait til they discover all of the mess Madison Park has left for them to clean up. It’s been a money pit for so many years!! Also, they’ll lose a majority of their Olson Farms congregation since most of their draw is now from Anderson now.
They bought it for $6 million.
Anonymous member 687
Sandy Ott Rusk you should pin this post at the top. I’m interested in people’s thoughts on expansion during the middle of a church crisis.
Anonymous member 687
They don’t have enough leaders not to mention pastors for the 3 locations they have now. The turnover rate is through the roof. Every campus just went through a campus pastor transition (for like the 10th time.) The congregation has no clue of the chaos going on behind the scenes. They completely scrambled to keep their “school” afloat after all senior staff quit just before the start of the school year. Hiring basically anyone with a pulse because they didn’t want to admit there was a problem. But somehow we’re gonna have a new school building soon. It’s madness.
What’s funny is it’s just the Dave show. No real leaders other than him. Everything based off of him in the spotlight. “Let’s try and open 2 more locations nowhere near here, but everyone will come and listen to me.” Because I’m so great but treat people like trash.
No one will be discipled, no families will be cared for. Just come attend the weekly show we call “church” and watch me.
All ego and pride. With no real plan.
And what’s truly sad is people go there looking for help. But no one will because they’re too busy trying to “get new people saved” meanwhile they overlook the dumpster fire already going on in their church. It’s a nightmare.
Anonymous member 719
Makes it sound like iTown is doing all this themselves. They’re backed by ARC. It’s just the ARC business model being successful and it gives me the ick that they do it under the guise of anything other than that.
The craziness continues!
I saw this message and instantly thought of this group and why so many joined. I think ppl around the world are tired of this attitude being displayed by leadership.
“There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.” Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT
““If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15 NLT.
To preach topics like forgiveness and actively participate in the tearing down of a family is disgusting. There is no excuse on what has been done to you and furthermore why after 5 years the leadership has not encouraged reconciliation. To all have families themselves, it is truly unbelievable that there is not more being done to restore. Sowing seeds of discord is on God’s list of abominations! I pray for your continued mental strength and healing. We stand with you in your fight for what is right! ““A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.” Matthew 12:33 NLT.
My mom started attending with a friend. She has not spoken to to me her second daughter in 6-8 months. She has me blocked. I asked her a year or so if I could go to church with her? No, this is my own thing!!!!!!
Because of YOU, Kate Sumrall!
YOU took control of my daughter when she was just 14 years old. Behind my back, she was being groomed and manipulated while I unknowingly attended your "church services" each Sunday. I blindly trusted you, your husband and your Itown Church staff with my only child. It was the worst mistake of my life. 14 years later you still have control of her 100% and the nightmare continues. Yet you, Kate Sumrall get up on that stage and wipe away tears as you talk about how badly you feel for the biological parents that are separated from their children that are in your foster care program. YOU actually separated me from my own daughter, Kate Sumrall!
YOU are such a hypocrite!
A healthy church whose leaders loved Jesus and people would have done everything possible to bring mother and daughter back together ! God created families !
Sandy Ott Rusk you got plenty of people behind you including me. What Itown Church did to you is wrong in every way. Me and others have your back and will keep on spreading the truth about this wicked church and demand justice!
As a true Christian and follower of Christ, your story touches my heart everytime I hear it. To stand on a stage and proclaim to spread the good news of Jesus including unforgiveness and love, it is so hypocritical to be complicit in the destruction of your family! Continue to cry loud and spare not. For anyone wondering why she keeps telling her story, it’s because it hasn’t stopped. EVERYDAY these leaders still play a role in keeping her away from her daughter. EVERYDAY these leaders get on a stage and proclaim to be good. &EVERYDAY Sandy will continue to remind them that God hears the voice of the weak. Power may work to silence temporarily but GOD is near the brokenhearted! Stay strong!
I just can’t get over your story. They don’t care enough to address your concerns.
Can you sue them for defamation of character? Obviously you've probably been the topic of all sorts of gossip at itown over all these years. They have ruined your reputation and that means a lot for you being a realtor.
Sandy was my stepmother for alot of years. Always there for me!! Never abusive. Always kind to a young girl who wasn't close with my own mother. I had aloth if fun growing up with Sandy. She will always be someone I look up to!
Anonymous member 731
100% My thoughts Exactly. Kate and Dave are utterly sickening. Their words, actions and perceptions are not the Truth in any Reality.
Im so proud of you Sandy! Keep shining your light! I love you.
Prayers
How do they live with themselves, they have no soul!
Is the foster program Kate references an affiliation through the state? DCS or FSSA? Are the children required to attend ITown?
I'm sorry glad our community came together to fight against this nightmare project and pushed the build site out of our area. The minute I met Dave, I knew in my gut he was not someone who cared about anything or anyone but himself. We saved our community and a golf course by banding together and fighting against him and itown.
Why are they open, cult should be shut down
Evil (shockingly) loves to hide in the church. It’s the last place most of us would expect and a place where the evil doer knows you would least likely look….
Did you notice how after two weeks of vacation kate retuned with an extra 6 inches of hair?
Sharing a bit of my story in hopes that it helps someone else feel a little less alone. After coming across this group full of people who have been hurt by itown I finally felt validated in my reasoning for leaving even if it’s different from what others have shared.
I started to attend Itown with my family when I was in middle school. We were invited by family friends during one of itowns recruiting seasons. My family started attending pretty regularly as we were hooked by the bright lights, loud music, and seemingly encouraging messages. As I got into junior high I started attending more and more. I went to every youth event they offered and was highly encouraged to bring friends with me every time and was rewarded when I did.
Pretty early on when Itown met at the old Fishers location my youth leader at the time had told our small group a pretty disturbing story of something she had gone through at our age (it was not an appropriate thing to share with young teens) and I remember sitting there thinking how odd of an adult to be sharing this. Looking back it was a huge red flag for what would come later. When itown moved into the Olsen farms campus I started serving in the preschool area. Around that same time I had come out as gay to one of my youth leaders. I remember so clearly that youth leader telling me that this same sex attraction could be easily solved if only I prayed harder. I was 14 at the time. Coincidentally after telling her that I was then moved around a lot from where I could serve in kids ministry.
That same leader had texted me that this sin was no different than that of an alcoholic or a drug addict and that the devil lived inside of me. Who on earth tells a 14 year old child that the devil is inside them? In this day and age with teens having such severe mental health issues what would make you think that’s ok? And what kind of horrible training is itown giving these youth staff?? She then referred me to a friend of hers who also worked at itown who had recovered from a drug addiction and said that we had a lot in common but that I just didn’t realize it yet.
These leaders worked to manipulate me at 14 into thinking that the devil was physically inside of me and so I kept going back. They would tell me that I was so brave to be seeking out the truth when in reality I was looking for validation that it was ok to just be me. I spent hours and hours praying and searching for answers as to why all of this would be happening. They would tell us that the anxiety or depression that we were experiencing as teens was because we weren’t seeking god enough. Kids who were severely struggling and needed professional help were told by leaders to dig in and figure out what was wrong with them and why they’d be challenged by god to experience this. Absolutely inappropriate to tell a young teen.
I could go on and on about the hurt I experienced at itown but my message has been clear. itown church is not fit for kids and teens.
Long story short- I walked away from itown in 2021 traumatized by my time there. I’m very thankful that there are other people out there that had issues with itown even if there experiences aren’t the exact same as mine.
It’s amazing how far the deception with iTown will go to try to make a buck so they can pay for their shoes and their house.
ITown Church made an attempt to debit my account and the debit was rejected because I had disconnected everything from their ACH and flagged their name at the bank so no account would go through. After this, ITown changed their company ID to a different number to disguise their transaction, and then ran the withdrawal again, which went through that time.
My prayers are with everyone who has experienced hurt and, potentially, monetary harm by Itown. I moved from San Diego in 2017 to Fishers as a college graduate and was directed to try out Itown due to the fact that I was new to the area and did not know anyone my age. After going to a couple of different churches, I settled with Itown because I thought I would find a community there to hang out with but also experience reading the bible together. At first, I was attracted to the warm energy and people my age. I thought I would be able to find community there.
After several months, I informed one of the leaders at Itown that I would love to start volunteering and was instructed that the grow plan was the way to start volunteering, as it would find my spiritual gifts. I felt that this was odd because I grew up in the church and never have I ever once had to go to meetings and fill out a questionnaire to find my “strengths” to volunteer. After taking this questionnaire that was very similar to a myers briggs persoanlity test, I was able to volunteer. One thing I noticed immediately was how the questionnaire was scored, as there were some questions that were skewed towards a couple of volunteer positions but easily could be applied to other things. I get data entry, but a lot of the questions that I was scored on could have went into administration. My intuition had me thinking that they wanted people in a lot of the front facing stuff like ushers and the go team parking team and very small amount of the questions were geared towards other volunteer work. So, I thought that was hilarious. Anyways, while the volunteer jobs were standard church stuff, I initially asked the head of the grow plan that I have a finance degree from a Private Christian college (PLNU) and we were encouraged to use our talents or the skills we learned to help our surrounding community in any way we could. My fellow business classmates would actively help non-profits or local churches in this capacity. It was very normal and accepted. So, asking the grow plan leader, she directed me to the finance and accounting pastor to ask. So, I introduced myself and explained my degree and what my business school encouraged us to do for our community as way to provide help. I explained how we offered something complex as actual accounting/budgeting/inventory work to something simple like building excel spreadsheets as volunteer work. I could give the church 10-15 volunteer hours of my time. The response I was given was the bluntest “no” I have gotten from anyone at Church. While I took the response in stride, as you don’t know what is going on someone’s life, I felt it was very odd that a church that was growing by the weekend wouldn’t need help in that area. I ended up doing data entry before I realized I hadn’t talked to or seen anyone from the team in over a 2 month span. Thats when I left volunteering at Itown and nobody followed up with me as to why. Still went to Itown for another several months.
I was encouraged to apply to the ITLA but I was perplexed by the hours committed to it. Almost like people who did ITLA were either unemployed or in their teenage years so their time commitments were freed up. Also the requirements were strange. Like working out 5 times a week, for example. I think the response I got on that was we have to treat our body like I temple, which is quoted from 1 Corinthians 6:19–20. I responded with to the effect of that verse is totally taken out of context, as Paul was talking about sexual immorality. Has nothing to do with working out or if we are shopping at a free-range, organic, locally sourced food market. That response went as well as you expect it to and I didn’t end of applying to ITLA.
The final straw for me was seeing a young girl, who worked for the media team there, distraught at an Itown small group. When I went up to her to ask what is going on, she explained to me that she is trying to find a second job and she can’t afford rent but she can’t get a second job because of the media work she is doing at Itown. I asked her if she talked to the church about raising her hourly wages. She responded with, “Im doing unpaid internship work for Itown.” I was shocked by that as I thought she was getting paid. I subsequently asked her to just reduce her hours and she replied that she was being pressured by her reporting pastor to keep her hours, even though she can’t even afford rent. I asked her how many hours did she work that week, to which she replied “between 40-60 hours”. I was appalled. I told her that those are violations under federal labor laws and that Itown, from my understanding, has to be offering you a full-time position at the end of your internship or the level of your internship is meeting a level of accreditation that applies for the workforce if the hours you are working exceed 20 hours. If not, she should be getting paid for her work. Somebody working for or interning with Itown overheard me saying that to her. From then on out, I was getting invited to less and less community things to the point where I was going to the normal small group but being left out of the weeknights and weekend plans. I eventually left as it was no longer good for my mental health to be in that environment. I don’t know if that girl left either. I hoped she left Itown and is still going to a more loving Church.
Why does he talk about his three daughters' but not his two sons, his parents, or his siblings?
Hi! I'm new to this group. I recently joined because itown are asshats ……
Date: November 3, 2025
To: – ITOWN Prep Accounting
Dear Ms. Bender,
This letter serves as a formal rebuttal and notice of dispute regarding your October 31, 2025 email....
As stated in my October 29 correspondence, our family formally withdrew ________ from ITOWN Prep after it became evident that the program could not provide the specialized learning-difference supports she requires. That withdrawal closed our participation in every respect. We were genuinely hopeful that this matter would not have reached this point. Our initial withdrawal notice was made respectfully and in good faith, with the hope that ITOWN
Prep would respond with understanding and transparency. Unfortunately, the boilerplate reply your office issued — which appears consistent with responses received by other
families in similar situations — leaves no alternative but to seek formal review through the Indiana Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. This letter therefore serves as formal notice that I have submitted a Consumer Complaint requesting a pattern-and-practice investigation into ITOWN Prep’s enrollment representations, billing practices, and record-retention procedures.
Your response acknowledges the withdrawal yet demands payment of a full-year tuition balance totaling $4,050.20. Because ITOWN Prep has repeatedly represented itself publicly as a “homeschool partnership” rather than an accredited school — while simultaneously marketing individualized instruction and issuing report-card-style progress documents — your continued attempt to enforce full-year tuition may constitute a deceptive consumer practice under the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act (IC 24-5-0.5).
For the record, during the 2025–26 school year, ITOWN’s Director of Operations, Tressa Decker, confirmed in writing that she had received and reviewed _______ professional evaluations from Lindamood-Bell and the Dyslexic Institute of Indiana (Camp Delafield).
Mrs. Decker acknowledged her familiarity with those programs and directly asked what
1. supports we expected from ____educator. When we proposed the use of Snap Type Pro and related assistive-technology tools for dysgraphia — standard supports already used successfully at home — ITOWN explicitly rejected their use in the classroom, allowing them only at home. This constitutes clear, documented, administrative-level awareness of_______ diagnosed dyslexia and dysgraphia and a conscious refusal to implement reasonable supports within the program.
Accordingly:
1. All billing, collection, or payment requests related to _________ 2025–26 enrollment are hereby disputed.
2. You are to cease all tuition collection activity and refrain from
transmitting any account information to third-party collectors while this matter is under review by the Indiana Attorney General’s
Consumer Protection Division.
3. Any further communications regarding payment should be directed to me in writing only.
4. A copy of your October 31 message and supporting documents will be included in the official Consumer Complaint file.
Please preserve and be prepared to produce the complete, unaltered set of records and metadata related to ____________ enrollment, withdrawal, and billing, as well as any
records pertaining to other families who have raised similar concerns or received identical communications. This includes, but is not limited to:
• All drafts, revisions, and executed versions of tuition and technology agreements
(with metadata showing editor and timestamp information);
• Emails (with attachments, headers, and metadata) between ITOWN Prep staff, administration, and families concerning enrollment, billing, or withdrawal;
• Deleted or recoverable items from any mailboxes or servers;
•Meeting notes, call logs, and billing records referencing __________ or other
families; and
• Any cloud-based storage or archive locations (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google
Drive, or internal servers) containing these materials.
Do not attempt to alter or “clean” metadata. All digital properties, revision histories, and
audit trails must be preserved in their original form pending review by the Consumer
Protection Division. Failure to preserve may constitute spoliation under Indiana law.
Please confirm in writing within seven (7) days that a litigation hold and record-
preservation process has been implemented and that all relevant custodians and storage
systems — including those containing other affected families’ records — have been
identified.
This notice is made without prejudice to any rights or remedies available under the
Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act (IC 24-5-0.5) or other applicable law.
Anonymous member
Your tuition is basically for childcare. This is the least qualified place to support dyslexia.
Good. Burn it down
"I remember your daughter being on staff when I was very involved but I did not know her well. Over 4 years ago I stopped attending. The pastors/staff members no matter how close their friendship was with each other is not allowed to talk to them or people who have been banned to this day. That is very cultish.The red flags to me is how the church staff members are not allowed to be friends with people who left that is very demonic and these people don’t realize they are trapped."
This is standard operating procedure for ARC churches. The pastors pick their buddies to cover for them.
When they talk about their overseers, they always talk like this, asking personal questions to make it seem like they know them very well and are pure in their personal lives. It makes them look holy and so the congregants will trust them.
I heard that same phraseology at Highlands more times than I can count since day one.
Elected officials and CEO’s give their information out to the public and their constituents. That’s is very bizarre they can’t be contacted to ask questions
Keep fighting for your daughter, Sandy. At some point she’ll see the truth about the exploitation. If these people truly cared about family, they’d encourage her to at least talk with you about what’s bothering her and work things out. Tearing families apart is completely wrong.
After speaking to numerous ex-Itown employees/volunteers, I have been able to confirm a lot of new details about what happened to me and my daughter at Itown Church.....
* I was able to confirm that for years the Itown Church staff was told that my daughter needed to be protected from me. They were told that I was abusive and that I was exploiting my daughter for money. (none of which was true....I had never harmed my daughter nor even been accused of anything like that. I created and ran an organization for 15 years to create awareness, provide education and support for my daughter's medical condition alopecia. During that time it never made a profit. But I did help thousands of families dealing with this mysterious condition. It was devastating to have something that I created to help others be used against me with my own daughter. I had no idea that this was being said about me, as I unknowingly attended the "church" services every Sunday.
* I was told that an Itown Staff Member stood over my daughter at a computer at the Itown Church front desk and instructed/helped her fill out a Protective Order online against me, the afternoon of January 23, 2020...after my innocent visit there at noon that day. She was lied to and told that I came in, demanded information about her and refused to leave. None of which was true.
* 6 people from Itown Church (including 2 pastors) came into the court hearing against me on February 28, 2020...and not one of them were able to testify that I had done anything wrong that day at Itown Church. However, the judge (who admitted that he had attended Itown Church) issued a 2 year Protective Order against me....I have now learned that the Itown Church staff was told that the Protective Order was only for 6 months, down playing the severity of what was done to me.
* I recently confirmed (by an ex-Itown volunteer) that Dave Sumrall said in an Itown Staff meeting, years ago that they could use my daughter "to draw the young people in our area into Itown Church" Because of our organization, my daughter had been featured in the media numerous times and was considered a public figure. Itown, was new at that time so he wanted to tap into her growing public image to build up his "church". I was not the one who wanted to exploit my daughter for person gain, Dave Sumrall was....and did!
As the pieces continue to come together, it becomes glaringly apparent that Itown Church DID groom and manipulate my daughter for years for their own gain. It began when she was only 14 years old, behind my back for years...Today she is 28 years old and has now been under their control for 14 YEARS! .....and I have not been allowed to see or speak to my daughter in over 5 YEARS!
I adore my daughter and miss her every single day. I put my heart and soul into raising her and giving her the best life possible. I know that I was a good mom to her and she appreciated everything until she became under the control of Itown Church.
I DO NOT BLAME MY DAUGHTER IN ANY OF THIS!
She was (and continues to be) a teenage/adult victim of Itown Church.
If you are new to this group, you can hear my complete story here:
https://youtu.be/GIa97hNCod4?si=giaZJShCTkRQj8BS
@everyone
This is what Itown Church should be teaching young people instead of separating them from their parents:
Anonymous member 988Noooo it is not good / I would rather leave my kid at Applebees unattended
Anonymous member 992
No dont put your kids there
I served at itown and went there for several years. I worked at the daycare for a year and a half or so. When my dad died i had ZERO people reach out to me to see how I was doing. Even had the director tell me if i wanted to keep my son there for the rest of the month (i had to quit) then i needed to pay the rest of that months tuition full price. Someone even offered to pay it for me and she didn’t let them. Keep in mind my siblings and I had to pay for the funeral out of pocket and i had to take my 7 month old at the time to the funeral home because not a single person offered me help. They don’t care about you if you’re not a member there. They fired teachers who weren’t attending itown because they “didn’t fit the vision”
Run don't walk, grab your child and run away
I would not go anywhere near that cult
Anonymous member 953The older kids are expected to help in every corner possible. They don’t get paid and are told to deal with the issues and not bother the parents during service times. The stuff the teachers kids is CRAZY!! They told my child if he doesn’t tell his friends about God and they don’t go to church, they will all burn after death. Every day..all day. It will hurt so bad. Also, God will judge them for not spreading his word and that will be a determining factor if they get in or not.
The so called security are creepy and perverted. They look at women like a three course meal. The women who work there treat you like 2nd class citizens. I would never walk my family through those doors again.
I have emailed and called Itown hundreds of times and not once gotten any response or counsel
If you are asking about Itown's Day Care....there have been numerous people who have posted about their negative experiences there. I have also had a lot of conversations with parents and ex-employees....so do not ignore the Red Flags! There are multiple issues at Itown Church, including their Day Care. After my horrible experience, my advice is do not trust ANYONE with your child or teen, even if they appear to be a trusted pastor, especially at Itown Church!
* there are multiple posts and videos in this group explaining what happened to me. If you have any questions, reach out to me directly.
Sharing a bit of my story in hopes that it helps someone else feel a little less alone. After coming across this group full of people who have been hurt by itown I finally felt validated in my reasoning for leaving even if it’s different from what others have shared.
I started to attend Itown with my family when I was in middle school. We were invited by family friends during one of itowns recruiting seasons. My family started attending pretty regularly as we were hooked by the bright lights, loud music, and seemingly encouraging messages. As I got into junior high I started attending more and more. I went to every youth event they offered and was highly encouraged to bring friends with me every time and was rewarded when I did.
Pretty early on when Itown met at the old Fishers location my youth leader at the time had told our small group a pretty disturbing story of something she had gone through at our age (it was not an appropriate thing to share with young teens) and I remember sitting there thinking how odd of an adult to be sharing this. Looking back it was a huge red flag for what would come later. When itown moved into the Olsen farms campus I started serving in the preschool area. Around that same time I had come out as gay to one of my youth leaders. I remember so clearly that youth leader telling me that this same sex attraction could be easily solved if only I prayed harder. I was 14 at the time. Coincidentally after telling her that I was then moved around a lot from where I could serve in kids ministry.
That same leader had texted me that this sin was no different than that of an alcoholic or a drug addict and that the devil lived inside of me. Who on earth tells a 14 year old child that the devil is inside them? In this day and age with teens having such severe mental health issues what would make you think that’s ok? And what kind of horrible training is itown giving these youth staff?? She then referred me to a friend of hers who also worked at itown who had recovered from a drug addiction and said that we had a lot in common but that I just didn’t realize it yet.
These leaders worked to manipulate me at 14 into thinking that the devil was physically inside of me and so I kept going back. They would tell me that I was so brave to be seeking out the truth when in reality I was looking for validation that it was ok to just be me. I spent hours and hours praying and searching for answers as to why all of this would be happening. They would tell us that the anxiety or depression that we were experiencing as teens was because we weren’t seeking god enough. Kids who were severely struggling and needed professional help were told by leaders to dig in and figure out what was wrong with them and why they’d be challenged by god to experience this. Absolutely inappropriate to tell a young teen.
I could go on and on about the hurt I experienced at itown but my message has been clear. itown church is not fit for kids and teens.
Long story short- I walked away from itown in 2021 traumatized by my time there. I’m very thankful that there are other people out there that had issues with itown even if there experiences aren’t the exact same as mine.
Everything Sandy Ott Rusk said is absolutely true!
My two young adult daughters and I attended together for several years. My oldest enrolled in what was the first ITLA program and paid a lot of money to participate. She was working and covering the cost herself, hoping it would eventually lead to being hired.
When she couldn’t make all the payments, her dad and I stepped in to help because if the payments stopped, she would’ve been kicked out of the program.
ITOWN became her life. At first, I thought that was a good thing for her. But once she was hired on staff, things began to shift. I started to very slowly see and hear things that began to open my eyes to what was really going on.
I was deeply involved myself—attending, volunteering, and leading small groups. One pastor even contacted me after meeting with a woman going through a divorce and asked if I would meet with her, invite her into my group, and help support her.
But over time, especially after I started dating my now-husband, I began to feel like something was missing. The messages started to feel repetitive and shallow. We both sensed we needed more. So we left.
Even after that, I’d still pop in occasionally just to see my daughter, who was still on staff. I kept trying to help her see the reality of ITOWN. At one point, she became very distant when I would do that. I started to get really concerned about her.
She was exhausted, no personal life, no family time, no space to breathe, all in her twenties. I just kept praying she would quit and get her life back. She eventually reached the end of her rope.
She wasn’t paid enough to live on. She was expected to work at all hours, days, nights, and weekends. Family time was almost nonexistent. Christmas was especially painful.
Praise God, she finally left. But it took a massive emotional, physical, and spiritual toll. What she went through left deep scars.
From the outside, it looks great. But once you see behind the scenes, it’s a completely different story. The emotional, financial, spiritual, and verbal abuse is absolutely heartbreaking—and utterly disgusting.
The last time I attended a Christmas service there was just to be able to attend a Christmas Service with my daughter. But I couldn’t even sit through the message. I couldn’t listen to Dave stand up there and lie, not after all I knew about how he and his wife treated their staff.
It’s not only deceptive and disgusting…. it’s devastating.
It breaks my heart to see how many families continue to be damaged by what’s happening in the name of Jesus. I’m beyond thankful my daughter is out, but I still grieve the lasting wounds.
And, I truly believe Dave and Kate will one day be held accountable for what they’ve done.
I pray for each & every family affected by all this.
"This is a letter I sent out many years ago to our friends that remained at itown after we left:
To those I love, my friends that were like family at itown,
We have a grave concern that Pastor Dave is teaching a false Jesus and false gospel. We recently listened to the Values sermon and also heard parts of the first Wednesday sermon preached. Paul warns the early church of false messiahs stating in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 ESV, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” Scripture warns us of false gospels saying in Galatians 1:8 ESV, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” In Pastor Dave’s sermons, he rips multiple verses out of context to get it to say what he wants it to say.
Pastor Dave claimed in his Values sermon that Jesus was emptied of his Deity (stopped being God) when he was born and didn’t get his Deity back until He was water baptized and the Holy Spirit descended on Him. He goes as far as to say he was just like a normal kid. However, scripture rejects this idea. Regarding the Philipians 2:6-7 passage that talks about Jesus emptying himself, Pastor Tony Evans wrote, “He didn’t empty out God and pour in man. Rather, He emptied all of God into man. In other words, He didn’t stop being God.” The very meaning of Immanuel spoke of in the prophecies is “God with us.” When John the Baptist and Jesus were both in their mother’s womb, John lept because he knew he was in God’s presence. Also John the Baptist stated, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ESV)
Pastor Dave stated, “Even though we are not God, we can actually do the same things as Jesus.” His point was to say that we can do the same or greater miracles than what Christ did in His earthly ministry. He used John 14:12 (NASB) to make his point, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” But this does not mean we will heal people like Jesus did. Jesus raised people from the dead, but when is the last time this has happened in our lifetime? Jesus was speaking not of physical healings we would perform, but of preaching the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation (see Romans 1:16). The quantity of people coming to salvation is the greater works not the types of miracles. And ultimately our earthly bodies will fade and eternity is what matters so much more.
Pastor Dave in both his first Wednesday sermon and in the Values sermon claimed that healing is in the atonement. He shared that he looked up to T. L. Osborn and preached similarly in his early ministry years. He boasted that he preached the gospel but then before the altar call told the congregation “If you are sick in your body I want you to stand. If God doesn’t heal your body then why would you expect Him to have the power to heal your soul?” and then prayed over a crippled boy that was healed. This is a distortion of the gospel that leads to false converts. People were not coming to Christ for forgiveness of their sins but to get healing in their bodies. Who wouldn’t want that? It’s appealing to the flesh. John MacArthur said it well when he said, “If every Christian was well and health was a part of the atonement, then people would all be running to get saved for the wrong reason and God’s whole picture of salvation would get all muddied up. God wants people to come to Him because of sin and because of His glory, not so they can be healthy physically.” The healing talked about in Isaiah 53:5 passage is talking about healing from our sins, not bodily healing. That comes when we receive our new bodies in heaven. Think about this, if what Pastor Dave said were true, if your not physically healthy, does that mean Jesus didn’t save you? Are all sick people unsaved?
Lastly, when he preached the parable of the seed growing and quoted Mark 4:26-28, he talks about how the soil is the environment. And by creating an environment of excellence you can convert more people. He goes as far as to say having nice new furniture makes a difference in converting people to Christ. This passage was so out of context and he inserted meaning into the text that wasn’t there through a creative narrative that wasn’t based in scripture. Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 HCSB, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” No where does it say in scripture the environment of the building will lead people to Christ. If that were the case there would be not converts in 3rd world countries that don’t have those things. I have heard Pastor Dave say referring to the Nord Keyboard, “Where the Nord is the Lord is” which is something he was probably taught early in his life from people like Benny Hinn who spoke many times later on at his Grandfather’s (Lester Sumrall) church. I do agree with pastor Dave that we should be glad to go to church. He quoted Psalms 122:1 NASB, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”” However, the reason we should be glad is not because of the beautiful environment but to give thanks and celebrate how Jesus has rescued us and to gather with other believers that we can encourage others and be encouraged. When Ray was on staff, he was disciplined because he didn’t change a lightbulb in the auditorium that went out between services, when they knew he was ministering to a new believer that needed encouragement. He was told the light bulb was more important, not the person. This is absolutely tragic. Don’t you think Jesus would have cared more about that member of His own body more than the lightbulb?
The hallmark mark of every theological cult is to attack the Deity of Christ and twist the Gospel. The Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses’, Christian Scientist and many other cults all detract from Jesus’ Deity in some way. In everything that Pastor Dave has said in that sermon, I would say he has stepped outside of Orthodox Christianity and is preaching a false Jesus, one that cannot save.
I devoted 5 years of my life to Itown church. I do not say all this out of malice but out of concern. Believers are called to contend for the faith (Jude 3). I urge you to test all things to Scripture and see if what he is saying is true. Holdfast to the Word of God".
ITOWN CHURCH CAN NOT REWRITE HISTORY
What was done to me at Itown Church is real. I have witnesses, documentation of the facts and lots of support. I will continue to speak the truth about Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and Itown Church.... because I do not want this to happen to any other parent (or family member).
Here is my full interview with Laura Wellington of Doormat Mom, No More! on her Podcast. Thank you for your support, Laura!
If you attend Itown Church, think it is wonderful and do not think it could happen to you....think again. That is what I thought until January 23, 2020 when I innocently walked into Itown Church to say hello to my daughter who is on staff there. Though, I did nothing wrong and was only there for 10 minutes, I had my entire life turned upside down, with long standing consequences. If you are not familiar with my story you can hear it on this full episode. My message is "Never trust ANYONE with your child/teen even if they appear to be a trusted pastor....especially at Itown Church"
Praise Jesus. God will always show the evil in any and all Churches.
Itown Church has never taken responsibility for any of the harm that they have caused....not to me or any others who have walked away with long standing church hurt. But I have certainly heard Dave Sumrall say, from the stage that he and the church are being attacked. No, he is not being attacked, many are passionately responding to the hurt that they experienced at ITown "Church". If Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and Itown "Church" really cared about people, they would begin a movement to help EVERYONE that they (and their staff) have harmed.
They Are Doing Healings Now, at Itown Church?
Dave Sumrall said some interesting things in he's sermon yesterday. He read 5 testimonies from people who seemed to have praised Itown Church. 2 of the 5 claimed they were "healed" by Itown...One stated that Dave Sumrall prayed over her and magically touched her ear and healed her hearing in that ear. Oh my....They are claiming to do healings now....?
Then Dave Sumrall went on to request other people email their "stories" into them. Sounds to me like they are soliciting the congregation to provide "good stories" to off set the negative stories that are coming out about Itown Church.
This is what they posted. I think this email address might need to hear some of our stories, what do you think?
I have pondered for awhile about this story…as I have several about Itown but those involve others and prob not my story to tell. However, this one truly haunts me. When my family & I still went there, I had my 85 year old mother with us. She tripped, face planting in the sidewalk. She tripped over a portion of grass that didn’t meet the sidewalk. Her left eye immediately turned black n blue, and swelled shut. Her hands were bleeding purfusely. We have to have ambulance take her to hospital for treatment. Not ONE person from Itown called to check up on my mother. Yes, they knew her name, we gave it to the building manager. They also knee mine as well as my son’s. They knew an 85 year old woman had been injured on their property and couldn’t take the time to check on her injuries. Amongst the other mishaps with Itown, this incident really left a bad taste in my mouth.
This is disgusting to claim they can heal others. It’s shoukd be illegal
Yet where are these so called people
Healed by ITown? Not by God?
What a joke! People who go to this church do so to hang out with friends. Friends and entertainment 1st....God after.
Hey Dave the 80’s Price is Right called they want their set and wardrobe back.Sounds whacked
Dave Sumrall, you're such a fake!!! false preacher leading others to hell instead of heaven Sad, deeper and deeper of the fake branding
The Truth
About Itown Church is on
TikTok.
It has over 1.7 million total video views. (most since July 13, 2025)
If you are on TikTok followers us over there, too.
I think WASTE OF TIME.
They don’t care they have not they are not they will not take accountability
…
Keep doing YOUR THING.
YOU are getting to him Sandy. Every week his sermon contradicts YOUR truth! If it weren’t for you doing this he’d have nothing else to false preach about!
Ppl can talk here its a safe place.
Too bad they didn’t care for my mother when she face planted on sidewalk busting her face and hands and had to be transported to hospital.
Many wolves in sheep's clothing! Especially in the church from the ladies and men's gossip group to wives of elders, deacons, board and ministers! And the ministers who are power hungry, narcissistic, glory seekers, we know who they are. God knows, beware!
Where do I even begin? Served every weekend in a volunteer role. Several pastors pursued my husband for months to be on staff. While he did not feel called to be in ministry, he was told that he was clearly not listening to the Lord. One evening, he was volunteering in the room next to where ITLA was being held. He overheard Pastor Dave speaking on what it took to be on HIS platform. He said it would be a privilege to even be considered to speak on his stage. And given the opportunity, there were strict guidelines to follow. He said, "I don't care if the Holy Spirit takes over you. If you ever go one second over the time limit you will never speak again." *that was our first big red flag*
Then we transition into the Annex at Fishers HS. One afternoon while we were tearing down the stage, Pastor Dave hollered at a well known staff member that she let him down because he was completely out of his pre-workout powder. He asked her to leave the building, drive to GNC to retrieve, deliver to his house, and then return to tend to his children. (At the time, Dave and Kate were interviewing several nannies in-between and after services). She then proceeded to ask him which credit card she should use... his personal or business card. You can take a guess at which one he said. This is the day we decided to stop tithing.
The final straw was a day my husband and I weren't serving and just attending service. Dave was giving his talk about giving of your time and offering. His exact words were, "If you're not willing to give of yourself and your finances, you can give up your seat to someone who will. We don't NEED you. We can fill your seat in 2 seconds." That was the last time we ever attended itown church.
Below is a statement as short and sweet as I can get it for now. I also may have things I remember later while looking through all my photos and stuff from that time. My memory was affected by the trauma caused to me by itown Church. I did not get the opportunity to go to actual college, so I apologize if my grammar is hard to read. I'll provide my contact info at the end of this email so you can reach out to me once you've read through the information provided.
I interned with the staff of iTown Church for over 2 years and attended itown Church for approximately 5 years. Late in my high school career a friend of mine invited me to visit iTown Church, I jokingly said yes. I went and the atmosphere that was curated and man-made "perfection" drew me in by design. Some years later after being this “born again christian", I decided to attend the first ever "class" of full-time ITLA with the mutual understanding of being trained well, growing our relationship with god and then iTown Church would assist you in transitioning into the world to do full-time ministry work wherever you are feeling led. Nothing could ever surpass getting to serve god all day everyday, except making it a living. The start of this 2 year program was pure bliss to me: serving the lord all day and being around people I loved and could learn from. I was even forcing a smile after having to do cross-fit until I would throw up and then graded on said workout because at iTown Church the more physically fit you are, the closer you are to God. Around the mark of the second year is when I became aware and things started to click. I was in the office with iTown Church's staff almost always, and I was in meetings hearing about how they curate that "holy spirit feeling" for people during services, I was making spreadsheets, scrubbing toilets - you name it. I was starting an internship under Jake Baird, after finishing one interning for Heather Chaulk. Along with my internship for Jake, I would mostly fall under his assistant at the time Callie Carroll (Cahall). I didn’t understand the hell I had gotten myself into. I was paying $10,000 dollars to a church to have what little self-esteem I had mustered up over the past year slowly destroyed. Nothing was ever good enough: my ideas, my work, my dedication, my money, the countless hours. etc. They always want more and more. This all ended with a grand finale that consisted of a meeting (that no one even asked for) with Jake and Callie. In this meeting I was told to stop interning now, itown Church does not and will not want to hire me. I bawled my eyes out over how much that made me feel not good enough, but that’s fine, I never thought that was a guarantee, that was made clear from the start of the program. I was however prepared to take the resources that I paid for and was offered by iTown Church and begin a full time ministry career elsewhere. Little did I know, there were no plans of this ever happening. During my internship I became close with James and Sarah Kruse, who were about to launch their own church in Boston, MA. I used what little of my own money I had left after giving itown Church my $10,000 tuition for ITLA and went to their church launch in Boston, MA. I fell in love with the city, the people, and the vision and values the Kruse’s held. This was it. This is where I needed to be. I did all the extensive research of what it would take to uproot my whole life and take it across the country, and compiled this information for Jake, so that he could ask in what ways the church could assist me in this uprooting (not just financially, but with other resources). The answer was nothing. No help of any kind, no resources, no guidance, and no financial investment into making this happen, despite my large financial investment into the church. My work, my life, and my whole self came crashing down. Not all at once, but slowly and painfully. I was so distraught, how could I let this happen? I'm only 19 and I invested all my money into this 2 year program, and I got literally nothing in return except starting my adult life off now living in poverty. I am still living in poverty to this day. Ripped from me all at once was everything I planned my 20’s to be. I am well aware these things take time and hard work, but with the $10,000 and essentially more than full time un-paid work I had put into advancing “gods kingdom” (iTown Church) surely was enough to at least push me in the direction of even a possible ministry position. I have been a shell of who I was since this. My heart is still broken. My time, myself, and all my money I could have used to start my life were stolen. It's partially my fault for trusting any business like that. The lack of money and the psychological damage kept me from going to a real college. I'm still poor, I don't have a home to call my own and I don't get to eat but once a day most days because I can't afford it. Dave Sumrall lives in a castle. This is the deepest pain I have ever known, to the point I have almost taken my own life several times, hospitalized twice (once for 3 days and once for 7 days). I will not get into the gory details of my downward spiral, but to this day I still suffer the consequences of trusting iTown Church. I believe my life would have gone significantly different had I never knew it existed.
I am so sorry that happened to you! I went through ITLA too. It is a scam! We paid THEM to work/serve. 
You can lead a man to a Bible but you can’t make him live by the word of God.
The people that “just go there” don’t see all that really goes on. Thats what the illusion is for. The noise is loud. The lights are blinding. The decor is stunning . Childcare is provided. The manipulation is endless!
I hope everyone hurt by itown is able to find peace at church again! My heart aches for the people that no longer feel comfortable and have lost trust in churches! It hurts to know that itown has hindered peoples relationships with god! It’s the people not god!
Itown taught me firsthand that churches either have an altar or a stage.
And the choice, is intentional.
(Hint: it’s a real strong indication of WHO really wants the worship
I am saddened by the number of people who have shared that they applied for financial help through the Benevolence Fund at Itown "Church". Everyone that has shared their story here in the group or with me personally was turned down. I have been told that they make an appointment with the applicant, go over their financial information and in the end tell them that they do not qualify because they did not tithe enough. Some of these people had been volunteering at Itown numerous hours per week. These people have put their heart and soul into building Itown and then refused help when they need it. Isn't that what the fund is for? Anyone who has attended, do you know of anyone who actually received help through the Benevolence Fund at Itown?...
Okay, let me get this straight....Dave Sumrall thinks that people in our community that were hurt at Itown Church (and speak out about it) are the problem. In effect, he is saying that those people are keeping others from Jesus. He wants you to think that Itown Church is the only place where you can get that connection. He is missing the entire point. He and Itown Church are not taking responsibility for their own actions....Again, there is no accountability there and they will literally tell you that if you don't like it there, "there are a lot of other good churches in the area" and they encourage (or force) you to leave. I have had numerous people tell me that is what happened to them there. Maybe, Itown should address what the real problem is....how they treat people and how lots of people have walked away with church hurt that has lifelong consequences....including me.
Wow! Crazy as his dad
No they are the problem
Honestly, I can't comprehend why he chooses to show flashy cars and expensive clothing while teaching. The audience he draws in appears to be nothing more than money-hungry individuals. A friend of mine who worked with Dave has made it clear that his primary focus is on making money. Both of them were part of the big I-town crowd, and it's evident where Dave's priorities lie.
Why would anyone at this church be accountable for anything when they’ve done nothing wrong? That is their mindset. From the heart the mouth speaks. I think even Dave knows what he accuses others of saying about his church, is true.
Rising contributor
“ if you’re constantly surrounded by people that say ..man you go to that crazy church and you know they’re a bunch of liars and it’s a cult and God isn’t for today and everybody’s just after you for your money… all those things are made up and they planted those people and it’s all hype and it’s just emotionalism, the more you have that in your ear the less you will be able to believe. It’s important for us to make sure that we don’t have critical people in the crowd around us that are keeping us from Jesus”
CORRRRRECTION DAVE!!
It is important that YOU don’t have those critical people in YOUR crowd, keeping you from the brainwash
Please tell us WHEN is God never FOR today?
Who said that? NOBODY!
“They made it up…?”
YOU MADE IT UP.
“ they planted those people”
DAVE!! ARC is a church PLANTING network
And while we’re on it…
Tell us… WHY does Itown have an
IN DOC division PRISON MINISTRY yet they’ll call the police on you on their campus and have you arrested for asking questions.
While the left hand is busy at the prison the right hand is about to slap on the handcuffs.
WHY IS THAT DAVE??
Are they making that up too?
I’m so glad that my daughter finally walked away when Dave started preaching his homophonic rhetoric. I attended at FHS at Christmas one year and the sermon was so odd. It was obvious that the whole show revolved around the pastor’s need to feel like a celebrity. He had to make some little jokes about basketball (so the guys would pay attention), something funny about his kids, which I’m sure they’d be embarrassed to have heard (to make parents and grandparents buy in), and then he had some silly video of his staff and kids telling the story of Joseph and Mary’s trip and Jesus birth (to lower the expectations of a thought provoking sermon). All of that was clearly just “entertainment.” I preferred thought provoking sermons so I was disappointed. But then in the sermon he said that Jesus was a millionaire…. And I gasped out loud. Not another soul seemed surprised.
That’s when I was pretty sure this place was a cult.
My family and I would go to Saturday evening service when they had them a few years ago. This one afternoon, after the first Saturday evening service, my grandma was walking to the car over by the youth barn and the ground was not even with the sidewalk. There were no signs. She didn't notice, tripped over the edge of the sidewalk and went face first into the sidewalk. She is also on blood thinners so there was a lot of blood on the sidewalk. I ran into the church to find someone on the first responder team and while I was doing this, my mom called to get an ambulance to take her to the hospital. There was a fire truck and ambulance out in the parking lot helping my grandma. A church staff member comes out and stands with us. He takes our information and says the church will be reaching out to check on my grandma and to see if she needs any help. She didn't receive one call asking how she was doing or if she needed anything. The staff member probably only took our information to help protect themselves. We could have went after the church because of the negligence on their part, but we didn't want to do that because at that time, Itown was our church. Its still upsetting to this day to know they don't care about those who are in their congregation.
My Child was in one of the Sumrall kids classes, and the child was showing off their new $400 Nike shoes.
The Foster Closet is overstocked with hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory and its all a chaotic Mess
Dave and Kate live in a 3 million dollar mansion, with guest house, basketball court, pool, 8 bedrooms, and 40 car garage. They recently removed any of their public information. They never go anywhere in public and their kids aren't allowed any contact with social media or the internet. Their kids wear T shirts over bathing suits to swim on the Beach!
Dave has a special blocked off area at Olson farms that's filled with luxury clothes, shows, suits, food, furniture, and no one is allowed in without ringing the buzzer
Just thought I’d send you a quick message after watching your part 11 on tik tok. I certainly do not share a similar experience with you but have had some feelings about itown church for some time. We visited a couple times. I think probably early 2020 leading into an election year and just before COVID really hit. There were some things said during the service by various worship/prayer leaders that I felt were politically charged and definitely sent a message about who church leaders felt this congregation should be supporting politically. Regardless of one’s political beliefs, I felt this was inappropriate for Sunday service. Then Covid happened. As you mentioned, there was some controversy about how itown handled things in that setting. As I recall it, they were late to the game in shutting things down, continued with the small services, and when they opened back up…did not do anything of significance to encourage or enforce masking or social distancing. I am a nurse and at the time, I was working here in one of the Fishers hospitals. It really appeared to me (and my coworkers) that we were admitting a lot/disproportionate amount of itown members for Covid. Some of them were very sad and quite serious situations. Now you might wonder how a nurse would even know where someone they are admitting goes to church. As a population, this group was very vocal about where they went, that god was going to protect them, and that they weren’t going to be scared into masking, social distancing, etc. Now based on where we live, I get that these views may be somewhat common, so to some extent this may have just been something to be chalked up to living in a very red county in a very red state. But the message from these folks was so consistent that it seemed evident that to some extent, it was likely rhetoric they were hearing from leadership within that church. It got to the point where many of my coworkers (who do not necessarily live here in fishers and/or have any familiarity with itown) would come out of a room and say “well, I just admitted another one from the cult”. And everyone knew exactly what that meant. I also incidentally learned some details about the pastor purchasing his high dollar home which, if I remember correctly, happened during Covid. I remember thinking how appalling it was that he would make this very extravagant purchase (regardless of anyone’s beliefs beliefs/opinions on pastor salaries) at a time when many in his congregation were likely unable to work, losing their jobs, and uncertain about their financial futures. Extraordinarily insane to promote behavior that could jeopardize his congregation’s health, seemingly lack all awareness that people were scared and struggling with their financial situations/future, and then use money that had likely come largely from these very people to purchase a million dollar home. I had heard such great things about this church and was excited when they built right near my home. Now I am disgusted every time I see it. I am confident in saying they do not know, love, and serve the same Jesus that I do in that building.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. This is how I feel about there. All the lights, loud music, too many people trying to pull you in and a building for you to get lost in. It’s like a devils playground with a bunch of lions roaring at you… waiting for the weakest link to appear to eat you alive. I went there before and would never go back again.
I went there during covid Dave was saying something like the devil wants to seperate people and people have the most power when there are groups and we should all get together still and pray together and they aren't gonna be shut down...
Hi! I just wanted to introduce myself! Excuse the grammar and punctuation! 
Like many I have had my own experience with iTown. I actually went through their ITLA program (leadership development) and I was interning. While I was on a mission trip to the LA dream center. We had a free day. So we went to the beach there was a Zoltar from the 1988 movie, Big. (I had not seen one in person before) I got excited and I stuck a dollar in it. One day we were on a walk to get lunch. myself and someone else walked into a vape shop(not a THC shop) so she could ask to use their restroom. I bought a coil for my vape that had burnt out in my suitcase. I am a recovering addict. I have worked hard many for years to make a new life. I had quite smoking cigarettes because I wanted to grow more with them. After that they decided to send me home from the mission trip that all my friends and family paid for and took my internship away because of “witchcraft” and “smoking” because I was “keeping it a secret” when I had been talking to my pastor about and working with him and his wife on it. When I went in to meet with the pastor That was reviewing my internship. He straight up, accuse me of lying and no matter how I explained it to him. So I got shitty him and I started asking him about his sins. Asked him how many times he watched porn or yelled and his wife and how many alcoholic beverages he had a week. And of course those questions weren’t answered. I walked out never looked back. This just a little bit of my story.
I also learned in ITLA that Dave doesn’t write his own sermons. Pastor Adam writes most of them. They also just reuse them once someone has been there long enough you will be able to point them out. Some just change a few things but mostly the same.
Witchcraft?? What have THEY been smoking?!
This is the opposite of Christianity. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
Did anyone else leave Northeast when iTown took it over? They deliberately drove out 80 percent of the congregation.
There is a Redditt feed about Itown Church.....interesting....
See more at this link:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Indiana/comments/1m8c1tr/itown/
I have watched many times on TV so today I figured I would attend the Bluffton campus. After service I had a question for the so called leader and right in the middle of my question he walked away to talk to two women walking out. Literally stop them in their tracks to see if they have their welcome gift. Totally ignored that I was even standing there when he reached around me to get the bag for their welcome gift and their sign in information. This kind of action shows he does not have no reason to be in leadership. Like I said, today was the first time at that church. I will not be going back. I've had a relationship with the Lord for many years and I could not feel the holy Spirit to even move me to stay. I left immediately. Please if you attend this church lady's watch out
I live in Bluffton… I will never attend this “church” but I’m floored after hours and hours of reading and researching this “business” (it’s a business to profit not a church)… I keep seeing their $70,000 brand new black Chevy Silverados wrapped w the iTown logo driving all over town… how many people could be helped just w the cost of ONE brand new Chevy Silverado cruising thru Bluffton… the parking lot is PACKED each service every single Sunday with parking control officers waving and smiling at everyone driving by on HWY 1… I am ashamed that my fellow townspeople support and congregate to this cult like a flock of lost sheep… it’s just a sad sad shame
Don’t even get me started on the different pair of Jordans he wears each week
This is beyond disturbing, all of it. Churches are supposed to be a resource and help people. Unfortunately, this church, along with many others, don’t care about people, and the pastor continues to bask in wealth. I stopped going to my church several years ago after an entire sermon was shaming everyone to give more money to the church. I walked out in complete shock, disgust, and feeling disappointed.
Glad your not at that demonic place any longer! The holy spirit showed you just who they are. Follow that!
I switched churches a couple years ago because of an incident that happened to me when I worked there, which I’ll explain later. I now attend Heartland Church and saw Pastor Chris Brown and his family and Ashley Geheb now attend Heartland and they used to be very big there at ITOWN. Does anyone know what happened to them and why they don’t go to itown anymore?
Hi! I'm new to this group. I recently joined because my son and daughter-in-law joined ITown Church in May 2021 with my 10 yr old granddaughter. We was a very close family and by late Oct. 2021 they blocked everyon in our family and in hers. They say we are all toxic and that they were told by the church you forgive and love from afar. I have not seen them since then. They even changed there phone # no contact since late 2021. My granddaughter is now 14. Has completely destroyed our family. I go to church and I am in a recovery group healing through Christ it is a 12 step program and that is not what our recovery group books say you handle problems. In our group you ask for forgiveness through Christ and then forgive others, do Amends, the Reconciliation if possible. So sad that a church is ministering to remove toxic people even if it’s family. You can not agree with what others say or think and be labeled toxic. Our whole family (parents 55-57, grandparents 85-87, cousins, aunts&uncles) not including her whole family removed from their lives.
I've waived over posting my story for months. There's so much to say about the church but in the sake of seeming a disgruntled employee, I'll say this... I wanted to work for Connect Classes to help families, teachers, and kids to be in control of education for their kids. I really wanted things to work out and I believed in the mission. However, I got caught up in what I was told to do (despite the ethics) and wanted to do what was the "mission." I came to realize it was not biblical and very hypocritical. I quit when my boss would yell at me in private and change rules according to how much a family gave in tithes to the church. When I asked why 12 people quit within 2 weeks, I was told it was because of "Satan."
I just want to say that if I ever offended you or upset you, I'm so sorry. I got so caught up in the business of ITOWN church that I lost the purpose for why I was there.
Please forgive me.
So sorry, scary the control they have. I don't understand how they stay open. They are not a church of Jesus!
So sorry to hear ! We work with foster children and our goal as it is God's goal is to restore the family unit and not cut them off . A church is not suppose to do this ! God wants to see restoration in families ! Praying !
Isn't it scary how these itown people who are obviously deciphals of the devl, can rip families apart?! Wake up people! God doesn't want this! You're following Satan!
Noooo it is not good / I would rather leave my kid at Applebees unattended
Anonymous member 992 No dont put your kids there
I served at itown and went there for several years. I worked at the daycare for a year and a half or so. When my dad died i had ZERO people reach out to me to see how I was doing. Even had the director tell me if i wanted to keep my son there for the rest of the month (i had to quit) then i needed to pay the rest of that months tuition full price. Someone even offered to pay it for me and she didn’t let them. Keep in mind my siblings and I had to pay for the funeral out of pocket and i had to take my 7 month old at the time to the funeral home because not a single person offered me help. They don’t care about you if you’re not a member there. They fired teachers who weren’t attending itown because they “didn’t fit the vision”
Run don't walk, grab your child and run away
I would not go anywhere near that cult
Anonymous member 953The older kids are expected to help in every corner possible. They don’t get paid and are told to deal with the issues and not bother the parents during service times. The stuff the teachers kids is CRAZY!! They told my child if he doesn’t tell his friends about God and they don’t go to church, they will all burn after death. Every day..all day. It will hurt so bad. Also, God will judge them for not spreading his word and that will be a determining factor if they get in or not.
The so called security are creepy and perverted. They look at women like a three course meal. The women who work there treat you like 2nd class citizens. I would never walk my family through those doors again.
If you are asking about Itown's Day Care....there have been numerous people who have posted about their negative experiences there. I have also had a lot of conversations with parents and ex-employees....so do not ignore the Red Flags! There are multiple issues at Itown Church, including their Day Care. After my horrible experience, my advice is do not trust ANYONE with your child or teen, even if they appear to be a trusted pastor, especially at Itown Church!
* there are multiple posts and videos in this group explaining what happened to me. If you have any questions, reach out to me directly.
Anonymous member 988
Noooo it is not good / I would rather leave my kid at Applebees unattended
Anonymous member 992No dont put your kids there
I served at itown and went there for several years. I worked at the daycare for a year and a half or so. When my dad died i had ZERO people reach out to me to see how I was doing. Even had the director tell me if i wanted to keep my son there for the rest of the month (i had to quit) then i needed to pay the rest of that months tuition full price. Someone even offered to pay it for me and she didn’t let them. Keep in mind my siblings and I had to pay for the funeral out of pocket and i had to take my 7 month old at the time to the funeral home because not a single person offered me help. They don’t care about you if you’re not a member there. They fired teachers who weren’t attending itown because they “didn’t fit the vision”
Run don't walk, grab your child and run away
I would not go anywhere near that cult
Anonymous member 953
The older kids are expected to help in every corner possible. They don’t get paid and are told to deal with the issues and not bother the parents during service times. The stuff the teachers kids is CRAZY!! They told my child if he doesn’t tell his friends about God and they don’t go to church, they will all burn after death. Every day..all day. It will hurt so bad. Also, God will judge them for not spreading his word and that will be a determining factor if they get in or not.
The so called security are creepy and perverted. They look at women like a three course meal. The women who work there treat you like 2nd class citizens. I would never walk my family through those doors again.
If you are asking about Itown's Day Care....there have been numerous people who have posted about their negative experiences there. I have also had a lot of conversations with parents and ex-employees....so do not ignore the Red Flags! There are multiple issues at Itown Church, including their Day Care. After my horrible experience, my advice is do not trust ANYONE with your child or teen, even if they appear to be a trusted pastor, especially at Itown Church!
* there are multiple posts and videos in this group explaining what happened to me. If you have any questions, reach out to me directly.
February 6, 2026
Join us for United 2026,
hosted at our Olson Farms campus–a powerful
marriage conference
designed to encourage, equip, and strengthen
married couples.
Pastors Dave and Kate
will be sharing
Powerful Biblical Truths
to
Help Build
Strong, healthy Relationships
and provide
practical encouragement for
Your Marriage
Whether you are newlywed or have been
married for decades,
United
has something for everyone
In the biblical context,
"uncleanness"
Refers to a state of ritual impurity
that prevents
individuals from participating in
certain religious activities
and requires
specific purification rites.
This concept is primarily found in the
Old Testament,
particularly within the
Mosaic Law,
and is associated with
both
physical and moral dimensions
Old Testament Context
The concept of uncleanness is extensively detailed in the Pentateuch, especially in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. Uncleanness can arise from various sources, including contact with certain animals, bodily discharges, skin diseases, and contact with dead bodies. Leviticus 11-15 provides comprehensive regulations on what constitutes uncleanness and the necessary steps for purification.
For example,
Leviticus 11 outlines dietary laws, declaring certain animals unclean and unfit for consumption. "You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you" (Leviticus 11:8). Similarly, Leviticus 15 addresses bodily discharges, stating, "When a man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean" (Leviticus 15:2).
Uncleanness also extends to moral and ethical behavior. In Leviticus 18, God commands the Israelites to avoid the practices of the surrounding nations, which are described as defiling: "Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves" (Leviticus 18:24).
Purification Rites
The process of purification from uncleanness often involved washing with water, offering sacrifices, and waiting for a specified period. For instance, after touching a dead body, an individual was required to undergo a purification process involving the ashes of a red heifer mixed with water
(Numbers 19:11-13).
New Testament Perspective
In the New Testament, the focus shifts from ritual uncleanness to moral and spiritual purity. Jesus Christ challenged the Pharisaic emphasis on external rituals, emphasizing the importance of inner purity. In Mark 7:15, Jesus teaches, "Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, but what comes out of a man, that is what defiles him."
The Apostle Paul also addresses uncleanness, often in the context of moral impurity. In Galatians 5:19, he lists "sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery" as acts of the sinful nature. Paul urges believers to live by the Spirit and avoid such behaviors, emphasizing the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in leading a life of holiness.
Theological Significance
Uncleanness in the Bible underscores the holiness of God and the need for His people to be set apart. The laws concerning uncleanness served as a constant reminder of the separation between the holy and the profane, pointing to the need for atonement and reconciliation with God. Through Christ's atoning work, believers are cleansed from all unrighteousness, as stated in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The biblical teaching on uncleanness ultimately points to the necessity of a pure heart and a life dedicated to God, reflecting His holiness in both conduct and character.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Uncleanness
The distinctive idea attached to ceremonial uncleanness among the Hebrews was that it cut a person off for the time from social privileges, and left his citizenship among God's people for the while in abeyance. There is an intense reality in the fact of the divine law taking hold of a man by the ordinary infirmities of flesh, and setting its stamp, as it were, in the lowest clay of which he is moulded. The sacredness attached to the human body is parallel to that which invested the ark of the covenant itself. It is as though Jehovah thereby would teach men that the "very hairs of their head were all numbered" before him and that "in his book were all their members written."
Thus was inculcated so to speak
A bodily Holiness
Nor were the Israelites to be only "separated from other people," but they were to be "holy to God,"
(Leviticus 20:24,26)
"a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation."
The importance to physical well-being of the injunctions which required frequent ablution, under whatever special pretexts, can be but feebly appreciated in our cooler and damper climate. Uncleanness, as referred to men, may be arranged in three degrees:
That which defiled merely "until even." and was removed by bathing and washing the clothes at the end of it; such were all contacts with dead animals. That graver sort which defiled for seven days, and was removed by the use of the "water of separation;" such were all defilements connected with the human corpse. Uncleanness from the morbid perpetual or menstrual state, lasting as long as that morbid state lasted; and in the case of leprosy lasting often for life. As the human person was itself the seat of a covenant token, so male and female had each their ceremonial obligations in proportion to their sexual differences.
There is an emphatic reminder of human weakness in the fact of birth and death-man's passage alike into and out of his mortal state--
being marked with a stated pollution
The corpse bequeathed a defilement of seven days to all who handled it, to the "tent" or chamber of death, and to sundry things within it. Nay, contact with one slain in the field of battle or with even a human bone or grave, was no less effectual to pollute than that with a corpse dead by the course of nature.
(Numbers 19:11-18)
This shows
that the source of pollution
lay in the
mere fact of death
The duration of defilement caused by the birth of a female infant being double that due to a male, extending respectively to eighty and forty days in All, (Leviticus 12:2-5) may perhaps represent the woman's heavier share in the first sin and first curse. (Genesis 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:14)
Among causes of defilement should be noticed the fact that the ashes of the red heifer burnt whole which were mixed with water and became the standing resource for purifying uncleanness in the second degree, themselves became a source of defilement to all who were clean, even as of purification to the unclean, and so the water.
Somewhat similarly the scapegoat, who bore away the sins of the people, defiled him who led him into the wilderness, and the bringing forth aid burning the sacrifice on the Great Day of Atonement had a similar power.
This lightest form of uncleanness was expiated by bathing the body and washing the clothes.
Besides the water of purification made as afore said, men and women, in their "issues," were, after seven days, reckoned from the cessation of the disorder, to bring two turtle-doves or young pigeons to be killed by the priests.
All these kinds of uncleanness disqualified for holy functions: as the layman so affected might not approach the congregation and the sanctuary, so any priest who incurred defilement must abstain from holy things.
(Leviticus 22:2-8) [LEPER, LEPROSY]
The religion of the persians shows a singularly close correspondence with the Levitical code.
Ephesians 5:3
But sexual immorality, and
all uncleanness,
or
covetousness,
let it
not even be mentioned
among you,
as
becomes saints;
The Truth will Set You Free
So He said to the Jews who
had believed Him,
“If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered.
“We have never been slaves to anyone. How can You say we will be set free?”…
Leviticus 15:24
And if a man lie with her at all, and the uncleanness of her separation come upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.
Leviticus 15:25
"'If a woman has a discharge of her blood many days not in the time of her period, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her period; all the days of the discharge of her uncleanness shall be as in the days of her period: she is unclean.
Leviticus 15:26
Every bed whereon she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her period: and everything whereon she sits shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her period.
Leviticus 15:30
The priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before Yahweh for the uncleanness of her discharge.
Leviticus 15:31
"'Thus you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, so they will not die in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is in their midst.'"
Leviticus 15:32
This 'is' the law of him who hath an issue, and of him whose seed of copulation goeth out from him, for uncleanness thereby,
Leviticus 16:16
and he shall make atonement for the Holy Place,
because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel,
and because of their transgressions,
even all their sins; and so he shall do for
the Tent of Meeting, that dwells
with them in the midst of their uncleanness.
In the modern era, zoologists have applied the idiom to the
use of aggressive mimicry by predators,
whether the disguise
is as the prey itself, or as a different but harmless species.
The phrase originates in the
Sermon on the Mount
by
Jesus recorded in the Christian
New Testament:
"Beware of false prophets, which come
to you
in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly
they are ravening wolves"
The sermon then
suggests that their true nature
will be
revealed by their actions
("by their fruits shall ye know them", verse 16).
In the centuries following, the phrase was used many times in
the writings of the Church Fathers
Hidden Agenda
Their actions, while seeming kind, are
driven by
selfishness, control, or malice
.
Lack of Genuine Fruit
They may talk of virtue but their lives do not exhibit
humility or spiritual fruit
They are unwilling to submit to God's Authority or
be held accountable for their actions.
Exploitative Behavior
They may prey on vulnerable individuals, particularly in financial Context
or Exploit Personal
Dignity to Abuse and Steal Spiritual Control
The term is frequently used to describe corrupt politicians,
deceptive salespeople,
or abusive individuals masking their
true nature.
The phrase appears across literature to signify
hidden dangers
behind polite, harmless facades.
Communication
Deception of woman, with self-portrait
Interpersonal Deception Theory
explores the interrelation between
communicative context and sender and receiver cognitions
and behaviors in deceptive exchanges.
Some forms of deception include:
Lies: making up information or giving information that is the opposite or very different from the truth.
Equivocations: making an indirect, ambiguous, or contradictory statement.
Concealments: omitting information that is important or relevant to the given context, or engaging in behavior that helps hide relevant information.
Exaggerations: overstatement or stretching the truth to a degree.
Understatements: minimization or downplaying aspects of the truth.
Untruths: misinterpreting the truth. Buller and Burgoon (1996) have proposed three taxonomies
to distinguish motivations for deception based on their Interpersonal Deception Theory:
Instrumental: to avoid punishment or to protect resources
Relational: to maintain relationships or bonds
Identity: to preserve "face" or the self-image
Appearance Mimicry
In the biological world, mimicry involves deception by similarity to another organism, or to a natural object. Animals for example may deceive predators or prey by visual, auditory or other means.
Camouflage
Main article: Camouflage
This wallaby has adaptive colouration which allows it to blend with its environment.
The camouflage of a physical object often works by breaking up the visual boundary of that object. This usually involves colouring the camouflaged object with the same colours as the background against which the object will be hidden.
Military camouflage as a form of visual deception is a part of many campaigns.
Disguise
Main article: Disguise
Disguises are used to create the impression of a false appearance.
In romantic relationships
There are three primary motivations for deception in relationships.
Partner-focused motives
Using deception to avoid hurting the partner, to help the partner to enhance or maintain their self-esteem, to avoid worrying the partner, and to protect the partner's relationship with a third party. Partner-focused motivated deception can sometimes be viewed as socially polite and relationally beneficial, such as telling white lies to avoid hurting your partner. Although other, less common, partner-focused motives such as using to deception to evoke jealous reactions from their partner may have damaging effects on a relationship.
Self-focused motives
Using deception to enhance or protect one's own self-image, maintain or establish their autonomy, avoid constrictions, unwanted activities, or impositions, shield themselves from anger, embarrassment, or criticism, or resolve an argument. Another common self-focused motive for deception, is a continuation of deception in order to avoid being caught in a previous deception. Self-focused deception is generally perceived as a more serious transgression than partner-focused deception, because the deceiver is acting for selfish reasons rather than for the good of the partner or relationship.
Relationship-focused motives
Using deception to limit relationship harm by avoiding conflict or relational trauma.
Relationally motivated deception can be beneficial to a relationship, and other times it can be harmful by further complicating matters. Deception may also be used to facilitate the dissolution of an unwanted relationship.
People who negotiate feel more tempted to use deceit. In negotiation, it includes both parties to trust and respect one another. In negotiations, one party is unaware of what is going on in the other side of the thing that needs to be negotiated. Deception in negotiation comes in many forms, and each has its reaction (Gaspar et al.,2019).
Price reservation: Not stating the real budget or price that one has in mind.
Misrepresentation of interests: Getting interests if the buyer seems desperate.
Fabrication of facts: This is the most immoral part, where the person lies about materials, misleading information to get a sale.
Omitting relevance:
Not stating something that is helpful to know: for example, a car can be like new but it does not help if the seller omits the fact that there is a problem with the transmission.
For legal purposes, deceit is a tort that occurs when a person makes a factual misrepresentation, knowing that it is false (or having no belief in its truth and being reckless as to whether it is true) and intending it to be relied on by the recipient, and the recipient acts to his or her detriment in reliance on it. Deceit may also be grounds for legal action in contract law (known as misrepresentation, or if deliberate, fraudulent misrepresentation),
or a criminal prosecution, on the basis of fraud
Deception impacts the perception of a relationship in a variety of ways, for both the deceiver and the deceived. The deceiver typically perceives less understanding and intimacy from the relationship, in that they see their partner as less empathetic and more distant.
The act of deception can also result in feelings of distress for the deceiver, which become worse the longer the deceiver has known the deceived, as well as in longer-term relationships. Once discovered, deception creates feelings of detachment and uneasiness surrounding the relationship for both partners; this can eventually lead to both partners becoming more removed from the relationship or deterioration of the relationship.
In general, discovery of deception can result in a decrease in relationship satisfaction and commitment level, however, in instances where a person is successfully deceived, relationship satisfaction can actually be positively impacted for the person deceived, since lies are typically used to
make the other partner feel more positive about the relationship.
In general, deception tends to occur less often in relationships with higher satisfaction
and commitment levels and in relationships where partners have known each other longer,
Not by my own will but the shepherd's folly
The beast reared by me will make me his prey,
For gratitude cannot change nature
Jesus's saying, "Don't cast your pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6), means to use discernment when sharing holy, precious things (like spiritual truth or wisdom) and not to offer them to those who will not appreciate or understand them, but will instead trample on them and attack you, as pigs would with valuable
pearls, potentially leading to ridicule and harm. It's a warning to avoid wasting sacred truths on those who are cynical, hostile, or unwilling to receive them, urging believers to move on when the message isn't welcome, just as they would shake dust off their feet.
While responsibilities vary, common themes for men include providing (financially and emotionally), protecting (family's well-being), leading (guiding family with love and example), teaching/mentoring, and self-discipline, often emphasizing responsibility towards family, self, and community.
These roles focus on nurturing, guiding, and ensuring the security and growth of loved ones, alongside personal integrity and community involvement, reflecting traditional and faith-based perspectives.
A man who doesn't care for his child (or family) is 1 Timothy 5:8:
"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel". This verse emphasizes that failing to provide for one's family, including children, is a serious moral failure, worse than what even non-believers would do, as it shows a denial of Christian principles.
Provider & Protector:
Financially supporting the family and safeguarding their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, offering security and stability.
Leader & Guide:
Taking initiative to guide the family, making decisions, and setting a positive example, often through servant leadership.
Husband & Father (Caregiver):
Loving, respecting, and nurturing his wife, and actively participating in the raising, teaching, and emotional support of his children.
Teacher & Role Model:
Instilling values, character, and life skills in children and others through both words and actions, demonstrating integrity.
Self-Discipline & Personal Growth:
Managing emotions, taming passions, controlling behavior, and pursuing personal growth to better serve others.
Romans 1:32 : "Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things but also approve of those who practice them." This verse highlights the severity of complicity, where even approving of sin is seen as participating in it.
1 Corinthians 5:6 : "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?" Paul warns the Corinthian church about the dangers of allowing sin to persist within the community, as it can corrupt the entire body, implicating all in the sin.
Ephesians 5:11 : "Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Believers are called to separate themselves from sinful actions and to actively expose them, avoiding any form of complicity.
2 John 1:11 : "Anyone who greets him shares in his wicked work." This verse warns against even seemingly minor forms of complicity, such as offering support or encouragement to those who are engaged in false teachings or sinful practices.
The biblical teaching on complicity underscores the importance of personal integrity and the call to holiness. Believers are urged to maintain a clear distinction between righteousness and sin, avoiding any association that might lead to shared guilt. The Scriptures consistently call for active resistance to sin, both in personal conduct and in the broader community, emphasizing the need for vigilance and moral courage.
Psalm 50:18
When you saw a thief, then you consented with him, and have been partaker with adulterers.
Proverbs 29:24
Whoever is partner with a thief hates his own soul: he hears cursing, and denudes it not.
Romans 1:32
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
2 John 1:10,11
If there come any to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
Deuteronomy 4
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God,
and you will find Him
if you search for Him
with all your heart and all your soul.”
Pursue God and you will
discover that
He has been pursuing you
God is not finished yet;
this is about revival. This is about who is pursuing whom.
"As
there is need,
that it may
minister Grace
to the hearers"
The GOAL
is to be TIMELY and situationally
appropriate,
using WORDS to impart
God's favor, kindness, and help
to those listening, making
your speech a blessing.
666
the "number of a man,"
associated
with an apocalyptic figure of evil that causes
Death and Persecution
Revelation 13:18, it is a human number
7
is the number of perfection
(God),
while 6 is the
Number of Man
(created on the 6th day)
The repetition 666 signifies total imperfection,
falling short
of
God's holiness,
and a
human
attempting to deify himself
"Let no corrupt communication
proceed
out of your mouth"
This prohibits speech that is abusive and dishonest
Compared to decaying
Fruit
IT'S HAPPENING
THERE ARE HUMAN BEINGS EXISTING TODAY
THAT KILL,
STEAL, AND DESTROY
COMPLICIT IN UNSPEAKABLE, HIDDEN, TRICKERY,
BLASPHEMOUS,
MANIPULATIVE, ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR
MISUSE OF POWER
AND HARMING FAMILES, PREACHING
A FALSE GOSPEL
WHILE GROWING IN REVENUE
PROLONGING DESTRUCTIVE TRAUMA,
FAILING TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY
COVERING UP TRUTH, SECRECY,
TRESSPASSING, SPYING, IMMORALITY,
HARMING SOCIETY TO SERVE FALSE GODS
DISHONEST AND CORRUPT
NO EXCUSES
FOR
EVERYONE INVOLVED
WE ALL KNOW
WHO THE VICTIMS ARE AND WHO
PARTICIPATES IN
THE ABOMINATION
Complicity,
the participation or involvement
in wrongdoing or sin, The Scriptures
Provide numerous insights
into the
nature of complicity
emphasizing the importance of
personal
Responsibility and the Consequences
of
Being
Complicit in the Sins of others.'
1. Exodus 23:2 : "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd." This verse warns against joining others in wrongdoing, highlighting the danger of collective sin and the importance of standing firm in righteousness.
2. Leviticus 19:17 : "You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him." Here, the Scripture emphasizes the responsibility to confront sin rather than silently condoning it, which would make one complicit.
3. Proverbs 1:10-15 : "My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them. If they say, 'Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause...' my son, do not walk the road with them or set foot upon their path." This passage advises against joining in the schemes of the wicked, underscoring the importance of avoiding complicity in their actions.
God’s Word reveals the source
of the evil
so prevalent in our world
That source is a powerful spirit being—a kind of super-angel--
who once served God
but rebelled and now hates God and everything He stands for.
The Bible refers to this being as
Satan the devil,
words that mean “enemy” or “adversary” and “slanderer.”
The apostle Peter calls him “your enemy the devil”
(1 Peter 5:8, New International Version, emphasis added throughout).
The Bible reveals that these words describe him well.
That’s what he is, and that’s what he does.
Jesus Christ referred to this being as “a murderer from the beginning” and “the father of [lies]” (John 8:44).
If you believe Jesus is real, you must believe Satan is also real because Jesus repeatedly affirms his existence!
The Bible clearly shows that our cultures and societies are powerfully influenced by Satan. The apostle John writes that “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Every human civilization has been seduced by this evil being’s insidious lies and deception. The tragic result has been thousands of years of misery and suffering.
Satan’s deception is so pervasive that the Bible calls him “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4). In the original Greek wording here, the apostle Paul identifies him as the theos—the god, the one who is worshiped—of this aeon, this age, this era in mankind’s history. Jesus himself calls Satan “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31).
Consider what this reveals about Satan’s influence—that most of humanity unwittingly follows and worships the devil as its god.
Most assume much of humanity worships
the God of the Bible.
But God Himself clearly tells us that’s not true,
that mankind as a whole follows
in the footsteps of a different god—a lying
and deceptive god!
Understanding these sobering truths explains so much of what is so terribly wrong with our world. Paul explained that, because of Satan’s unseen grip on mankind, most people fail to understand or accept the truth of the Bible. They do not understand or believe the gospel—the wonderful good news—of God’s incredible plan for mankind.
As Paul put it, “. . . The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ . . .” 2 Corinthians 4:
But the true followers of God are never without hope, “because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
God gives us the knowledge and help we need to resist Satan in every way. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you,” He tells us. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”
(James 4:7).
Arm yourself with the knowledge
of your
enemy revealed in this issue
and stand against him with
God’s help
Nothing could be more important!
The
"world of the occult"
Practice of hidden, esoteric, or supernatural
knowledge,
It covers, but is not
limited to,
divination, magic, and spiritism
Occultists seek to gain spiritual insight, influence personal circumstances, or acquire power
Satanism is not easily
defined.
There are
several "divisions" of
Satanism
The symbols associated
with the
Mark of the Beast,
SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST
Book of Revelation,
Are its placement on the
right hand
or forehead, the number
666,
and its function as a sign of allegiance to the Beast/Antichrist and economic control, preventing buying or selling without it, serving as a counterfeit to God's seal. While some interpret it literally (microchips, tattoos), many see it symbolically as a representation of one's loyalty and behavior, contrasting with the faithful's seal of God.
Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23–27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 1:17–18). To guard against falsehood and false teachers, it’s important to know the truth and know the characteristics of the counterfeit. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine.
Jesus said, “A tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). So, believers are to be fruit inspectors. Knowing the look, texture, and taste of a healthy apple is important. So is knowing the look, texture, and taste—and smell—of a rotten one. Here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:
1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called “blessed.” In 2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus’ humanity. First John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”
2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).
3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 1:11 says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).
For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.
In contrast to Christians, Satanists themselves disagree on their very fundamental principles. Christians may differ in opinion or conviction about interpretation of certain Bible passages, but they believe the same foundational principle that Jesus is God’s Son who paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Satanists argue among themselves whether Satan even exists and whether they are worshiping him or themselves. In essence, they are a confused group bound by lies. John 8:44 perhaps applies to Satanists: “You belong to your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
It is because of these lies that there is a plethora of ideologies within Satanism. Some of Satanism’s practices are constant, and Satanists' unity is found more in rituals than in an underlying belief system. Satanists do certain things; they do not have to believe certain things.
Most Satanists, devil worshipers, diabolists, Luciferians, and members of the Church of Satan claim to have roots in LaVeyan Satanism, named after Anton LaVey, the author of the Satanic Bible and founder of the first Church of Satan. LaVey presumably started the First Church of Satan in 1966. As a self-proclaimed authority on everything evil, he began giving weekly lectures at a cost of $2.00 per person. And thus the Church of Satan was born.
The basic commonality in all the branches of Satanism is a promotion of self. All forms of Satanism claim that life exists to consume and that selfishness is a virtue. Some Satanists hold that the only existence they will ever know is here on Earth. Thus, devil worshipers live for the moment, and their creed is gluttony and debauchery.
Satanism pledges its allegiance to Satan, even while some in the Church of Satan believe that no God or devil exists. Most in the Church of Satan also believe that there is no redeemer for them or anyone else. Each person is fully responsible for the path of his own life. Still, they pray to Satan in rituals, asking for his sovereign hand to be manifest in their lives. This kind of thinking reveals the influence of lies and deceptions in their philosophy. Whether Satanists believe in him or not is irrelevant to Satan. The end result is the same—their souls are in bondage to him, and, unless God’s grace intervenes, they will experience eternity in hell.
In short, Satanism may or may not involve worshiping Satan, but it is a conscious effort to NOT worship the one true God. Romans 1 gives a clear look into the heart and motives of a Satanist. They have “depraved minds to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness” (vv 28-29). People who have been misled by Satan into this lifestyle have a hard time understanding God’s concept of grace and freedom. Instead, they live for themselves, by themselves.
Second Peter 2 contains a warning to anyone who would follow after Satanism or any other thing rather than God: “These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity” (vv. 17-19).
Wicca is a neo-pagan religion that has been growing in popularity and acceptance in the United States and Europe. There are many websites and books claiming to teach “real” Wicca, but the truth is, there is no consensus among Wiccans as to what the religion is all about. The reason for this is that Wicca, as it is practiced now, is only about 50 years old. Wicca is a belief system that Briton Gerald Gardner cobbled together in the 1940s and 1950s from a variety of religious traditions and beliefs as well as Freemason rituals. Since Gardner published several books espousing his system of worship, many offshoots and variations of Wicca have sprung up. Some Wiccans are polytheistic, worshiping more than one deity, while others worship only the “God” or the “Goddess.” Still other Wiccans worship nature, and call it Gaea, after the Greek earth goddess. Some Wiccans pick and choose parts of Christian doctrine to embrace, while others totally reject Christianity. Most practitioners of Wicca believe in reincarnation.
Most Wiccans will vehemently deny that Satan is part of their pantheon, citing major doctrinal differences between themselves and Satanists. Wiccans generally promote moral relativity, disdaining labels like “good” and “evil” and “right” or “wrong.” Wicca has one law or rule, called the Rede: “Do what ye will, harm ye none.” At first blush, the Rede seems like complete, uninhibited personal license. You can do whatever you want, as long as no one gets hurt; however, Wiccans are quick to point out that the ripple effect of one’s actions can carry far-reaching consequences. They articulate this principle in the Three-fold Law, which says, "All good that a person does to another returns three-fold in this life; harm is also returned three-fold."
One major factor that contributes to the abiding fascination with Wicca is the purported use of spells and magick (a deliberate misspelling intended to separate Wiccans from magicians and illusionists). Curiosity seekers, as well as spiritual neophytes, are most eager to delve into these mysteries. Not all Wiccans practice witchcraft, but those that do claim magick is to them what prayer is to a Christian. The difference between the two is that Wiccans claim magick is simply using their minds to control matter, or they are appealing to their favorite deity to do them a favor, while Christians call upon an omnipotent, omnipresent God to heal people and to intervene and work in their lives. Because the Rede disallows witches from hurting others and the Three-fold Law spells out the consequences for Rede-breakers, witches who practice magick prefer to call themselves “nature witches” or “white witches” to further distance themselves from Satanists.
Wicca is basically a religion that is about minding your own business and living peaceably with your neighbors and environment. Wiccans are eager to draw parallels between themselves and biblical Christianity for the sake of earning credibility, but what does the Bible have to say about this religion? You won’t find the word “wicca” in the Bible, so let’s evaluate the beliefs in light of what God says about them.
Wiccan spells are idolism--Romans 1:25 says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things, rather than the Creator…” Who wants to settle for second best? In Isaiah 40, God paints a picture of how much greater the Creator is than His creation. If you are worshiping anything besides the Creator, you are not only spinning your wheels, you are guilty of idolatry.
Wiccan spells bring false hope. Hebrews 9:27 says, “…Man is destined to die once, after that, to face judgment.” God says we get one chance at life, and that is it. There are no do-overs. If we don’t accept God’s gift of Jesus in our lifetime, He judges us as unwilling to be in His presence, and we are sent to hell.
Wiccan spells bring disillusionment. Mark 7:8 says, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” God is God, and we are not. We have a decision to make. Are we going to take God at His word and adopt His worldview, or are we not? Knowing God takes a lot of discipline. Wicca is a religion that takes a pack of lies, ties it in a romantic ribbon, and searches out a well-intentioned, but lazy and gullible mark to sell its hollow doctrines.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says, “Let no one be found among you who… practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells…Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD...” Wicca witchcraft is a sin, and God hates it. Why? Because it is an attempt to cut off our dependence on God and get answers apart from Him.
Sin isn’t just a heinous, socially disagreeable action. Sin is our decision to disagree with God on any topic—to rebel against Him. Sin is saying, “God, I want to live my life my way.” Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” This isn’t bodily death, this is spiritual death: eternal separation from God and all the blessings that His presence brings. This is the definition of hell: the absence of God’s presence. That is what our sin gains for us.
Thankfully, Romans 6:23 doesn’t end there. It goes on to say, “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God knew that we would all rebel in one way or another, and He provided a way for us to avoid that separation—through faith in Jesus Christ. Wicca witchcraft is nothing more than another lie from Satan, the enemy of our souls, who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
In John 8:42–47, Jesus performs a spiritual paternity test for Jewish religious leaders. The Pharisees professed to be children of Abraham (John 8:33, 37, 39), but Jesus told them, “You are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, NLT).
Jesus identifies the devil as a liar. There is no truth in the devil because his character is wholly deceitful and dishonest. God, by nature, is truth (Jeremiah 10:10; Psalm 43:3; 25:5; 26:3; 86:11; Isaiah 65:16). He is the uttermost opposite of the devil. It is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18; see also Numbers 23:19), for He only speaks the truth. But lies roll effortlessly off the devil’s tongue because untruthfulness is his “native language” (John 8:44).
The Pharisees claimed Abraham as their father, but their character was nothing like that ancient patriarch. Abraham was “God’s friend” (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). He obeyed God and listened to His truth. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father” (John 8:39–41).
Jesus essentially said that a person’s nature reveals his true paternity. If Abraham is our spiritual father, we share in his character. If Abraham is our father, we will have the faith of Abraham. We will believe in God and obey His truth (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6). If God is our Father, then we “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:1–4) and walk in His truth (Ephesians 5:8–9; 2 John 1:4; 3 John 1:4). And if the devil is our father, then we share in his evil nature, and there is no truth in us.
The devil is the original liar. Jesus calls him the “father of lies,” referring to Genesis 3:1–13, where the serpent lied to Eve, thereby introducing sin into the world. Satan’s first lie was a contradiction of God’s truth. As the archenemy of God, the devil opposes God and His purposes in this world (Matthew 16:23).
One of the primary tactics the devil uses against God’s people is to falsely accuse them and distort God’s truth (Revelation 12:10; Job 1:8–11; Zechariah 3:1–2; Acts 13:8–10). Satan’s goal is to separate people from God (1 Thessalonians 3:5; Luke 22:31; 1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26). The devil often lures people away by making sin attractive (Matthew 4:1–11; 1 Corinthians 7:5; James 3:14–16). The apostle Paul warned, “For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The devil’s lies sound appealing and rational, but they lead people captive to sin and, in the end, death.
Jesus urged the Jewish leaders to hold on to His teachings so they might know the truth, and that truth would set them free (John 8:31–33; Galatians 5:1). God’s truth sets us free from sin and death (John 8:36), but the devil’s lies keep us in bondage.
Satan’s deception prevented the Pharisees from hearing, understanding, and loving Jesus (John 8:42–44). The devil had blinded their minds and hardened their hearts to God’s truth (2 Corinthians 3:14; 4:4). They were sold out to the devil. Jesus told them, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47). The Pharisees belonged to their father, the devil.
The devil’s essential disposition is that of a liar. There is no truth in the devil because lying is all he knows. He has been deceiving people since the beginning of time (Genesis 3:4–5; 2 Corinthians 11:3). He is a devious perverter of truth (2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26) and a counterfeiter of truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9). He is always scheming ways to deceive anyone who will give him an inch of control over their thoughts and lives (Ephesians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 2:10–11; 1 Timothy 2:14; 1 Peter 5:8). But Jesus Christ is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Knowing Him and abiding in His Word is the only way to experience true spiritual freedom (John 8:31–32).
Satan is the “father of lies” in that he is the original liar. He is the “father” of lies in the same way that Martin Luther is the “father” of the Reformation and Robert Goddard is the “father” of modern rocketry. Satan told the first lie in recorded history to Eve, in the Garden of Eden. After planting seeds of doubt in Eve’s mind with a question (Genesis 3:1), he directly contradicts God’s Word by telling her, “You will not certainly die” (Genesis 3:4). With that lie, Satan led Eve to her death; Adam followed, and so have we all.
Lying is Satan’s primary weapon against God’s children. He uses the tactic of deceit to separate people from their heavenly Father. Some of his more common lies are “there is no God,” “God doesn’t care about you,” “the Bible cannot be trusted,” and “your good works will get you into heaven.” The apostle Paul tells us that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), so that what he says and does sounds good and seems reasonable. But it is nothing more than a false appearance.
Many of Satan’s lies tend to perpetuate themselves. This is what happened when Eve convinced Adam to also believe the devil’s lie. Today, Satan still uses people to spread his lies for him. Often, he uses charismatic but foolish people to further his falsehoods, as in the case of false religions and cults.
The Bible has many names for Satan to describe his true nature, including “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “tempter” (1 Thessalonians 3:5), “deceiver” (Revelation 12:9), “Beelzebub” (literally, “lord of the flies,” the ruler of demons, in Matthew 10:25), and “Belial,” meaning “wicked” (2 Corinthians 6:15).
Satan has told more lies to more people (and even angels) than any other being ever created. His success depends on people believing his lies. He has used everything from “little white lies” to huge, pants-on-fire whoppers to deceive folks. Adolph Hitler, a man who learned how to lie effectively, once said, “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”
Whether a lie is small or large is not really the issue. Lies are of the devil. The Bible teaches that all liars “will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Warnings are never pleasant, but they are better than ignorance of danger; the Bible faithfully warns sinners of danger, including the danger of lying. Proverbs 19:9 also teaches that liars will be punished.
Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), and He will never deceive you. Thankfully, Jesus is also the Savior, and His death and resurrection provide the basis for your forgiveness of all sin, including the sin of lying. Come to Jesus in faith and humility, and you will find that “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Greed is a strong and selfish desire to have more of something, most often money or power. There are many warnings in the Bible about giving in to greed and longing for riches. Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal… You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:19, 24b). Did Jesus pursue the acquisition of money? No. On the contrary, He became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9) and had “no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). Neither did Jesus pursue power. Rather, He instructed, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:43–45).
Greed and a desire for riches are traps that bring ruin and destruction. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” and Christians are warned, “Do not put your trust in wealth” (see 1 Timothy 6:9-10, 17-18). Covetousness, or having an excessive or greedy desire for more, is idolatry. Ephesians 5:5 says, “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” The principle to remember is contained in Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
It is the love of money, and not money itself, that is the problem. The love of money is a sin because it gets in the way of worshiping God. Jesus said it was very hard for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God. When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (see Matthew 19:16-22). By instructing him to give up his money, Jesus pointed out the young man’s main problem: greed or a love of money. The man could not follow Christ because he was following money. His love of this world interfered with his love for God.
Greed refuses to be satisfied. More often than not, the more we get, the more we want. Material possessions will not protect us—in this life or eternally. Jesus’ parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13–21 illustrates this point well. Again, money or wealth is not a problem. The problem is our attitude toward it. When we place our confidence in wealth or are consumed by an insatiable desire for more, we are failing to give God the glory and worship He deserves. We are to serve God, not waste our time trying to become rich (Proverbs 23:4). Our heart’s desire should be to store up riches in heaven and not worry about what we will eat or drink or wear. “But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (see Matthew 6:25-34).
Jesus forgives sinners
and came
specifically to call them
rather
than the righteous
He offers forgiveness for all sins
through repentance,
faith, and his sacrifice on the cross,
with authority to remove the
spiritual, emotional, and eternal consequences
of those sins.
Who Is Jesus? The Vision
Authority
Jesus demonstrated
his authority to forgive sins during his ministry,
such as to the
paralyzed man and the sinful woman.
Unlimited Mercy
Jesus’ forgiveness is not limited; it is described as being available "77 times," signifying an endless capacity to forgive.
Purpose
He came to pay the debt of sin, taking on the judgment that humans deserved to bring reconciliation with God.
Forgiveness is found through faith and trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
While some views emphasize that all sins are covered,
Lets Be Honest,
The Truth is,
We need for repentance to receive that forgiveness.
https://www.youtube.com/@ITOWNChurch/shorts
Stovall Weems
Stand for truth and prepare
for what's coming
Home to the Shadow World podcast.
A theology of cover up
is now pervasive in
churches and non-profits across America
WATCH
https://www.youtube.com/live/eRV4a8G5NGk?si=VSiUxBwWyo5LV-FM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRV4a8G5NGk&t=2644s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p9nMC-7qxw&t=4s
The Truth about Truth -IS- the Truth about Truth
Seminar
Spring 2026, Olson Farms Campus
Childcare not provided. The toddlers are busy making your vanilla chai Latte
You can pick them up after their shift (after you pay us)
Don't shift the blame onto others or try to justify
your errors with excuses.
Take responsibility for
your actions and acknowledge your faults!
Kate and Dave Sumrall
will deliver a
spirit filled, biblical, awe inspiring
sermon
on these core Christian character traits
to help jump start
LIFE into our
BROKEN COMMUNITIES
Lets Learn How To Bear Good Fruit,
TOGETHER!
SEE YOU THERE!
Admitting wrongdoing, repenting, apologizing directly, and recognizing fault are interconnected, vital components of taking personal responsibility, fostering reconciliation, and achieving personal or spiritual growth. These actions move beyond mere regret to involve intentional, transformative change.
Core Components of Accountability
- Recognize Fault (Awareness): This is the first step, involving the cessation of blaming others and honestly identifying one's own mistakes. It requires overcoming pride to acknowledge actions that were harmful or incorrect.
- Admit Wrongdoing (Confession): This is the act of openly owning, or confessing, the error without excuses, often described as necessary for both spiritual and relational healing.
- Apologize Directly: A sincere, specific apology should identify the exact behavior and its impact on the other person, rather than using general or defensive language.
- Repent (Change of Heart/Action): Derived from the Greek word metanoeō, repentance means turning around, changing one's path, and altering behavior. It is more than being sorry; it is a firm commitment to stop the harmful behavior and turn toward right action.
Key Principles for Genuine Accountability
- Take Ownership: Avoid minimizing actions by calling them "just a mistake" and instead accept responsibility for the harm caused.
- Action-Oriented: True repentance is validated by "bearing fruit," meaning it must be followed by a concrete change in behavior.
- Overcoming Pride: Acknowledging faults is often difficult due to a fragile ego or fear of looking weak, but it is actually a sign of strength and emotional maturity.
- Distinguish from Guilt: While remorse is feeling bad, repentance is the proactive, often difficult process of correction and restoration.
The 5 R's of a Robust Apology
To ensure an apology is effective, it should include:
Regret: Sincere remorse for the harm caused.
Rationale: A brief explanation (not an excuse) for why it happened.
Responsibility: Taking ownership, or saying "this is on me."
Repentance: A promise and plan to do better.
Reconciliation/Restitution: Asking for forgiveness and repairing the damage.
Denial,
It involves numbing emotions, avoiding reality,
or irrational thinking,
allowing individuals to pace their emotional intake.
Transition:
As the reality of the loss begins to settle in, denial fades,
allowing other,
more intense emotions to surface.
Purpose:
It helps survival by preventing emotional overload
acting as a "grace" period that lets in only as much pain
as can be handled at once.
Common behaviors include disbelief ("This isn't happening"),
emotional numbness, distraction, and confusion.
Denying Christ
is a
grievous act incurring
significant spiritual consequences.
According to Christian doctrine,
rejecting or denying Christ can take various forms.
A person can verbally
deny knowing Christ, as Peter did three times
(see Matthew 26:31–35, 70–75).
Another type of denial is to make
an intentional, informed decision
not to accept Jesus Christ’s teachings or claims.
For example, some rejected His teaching on
the Bread of Life
(see John 6:59–66).
Denial can go as far as rejecting
God’s grace and salvation
offered through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice
on the cross.
The Bible emphasizes the importance of acknowledging Jesus as God’s Son and humanity’s Savior
(see 1 John 2:22–23).
Christ Himself taught, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven”
(Matthew 10:32–33, NLT).
At first glance, this passage seems to imply that those who deny Christ may face the eternal consequence of being denied entry into the kingdom of heaven.
However, let’s consider Matthew 10:26–33 in context. Jesus was preparing His disciples for ministry, urging them to be courageous in their confession of faith and not afraid of persecution from people. He didn’t want them to succumb to faithless fear and deny Christ before other humans.
If they did, Jesus would deny them their reward and reign before the Father in heaven.
The apostle Paul affirmed,
“This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is”
(2 Timothy 2:11–13, NLT).
Denying Christ out of
weakness and fear of persecution
will result in losing out
on certain
heavenly rewards and positions
(see 2 Corinthians 5:10).
It will also carry the consequence of hindered or
broken fellowship with God.
But Peter’s denial was not a rejection of
His Lord and Savior.
It was a momentary lapse—a slipping back from
his commitment to die for Jesus
(Matthew 26:33–35).
Later, Jesus lovingly restored Peter,
gently leading him
to reaffirm his love and devotion to Christ
(John 21:15–25).
While everyone is vulnerable and capable of denying Christ
out of weakness and fear,
God is faithful to forgive and restore us when we repent
(1 John 1:9).
The person who rejects Jesus—who denies that He is the Christ and refuses to acknowledge or accept Him as Sovereign Lord and Savior—will face severe consequences, both now and for all eternity. First, he or she misses out on the spiritual blessings and fulfillment of knowing God intimately and dwelling in His presence (Isaiah 12:3; Psalm 16:11; John 4:14; Ephesians 3:19). Life apart from God is characterized by emptiness and spiritual blindness (1 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Timothy 4:2) and an increasing decline into sin and depravity (Romans 1:18–32; Ephesians 4:17–19).
Jesus said that denying Him would
eventually result
in divine judgment and condemnation:
“There is a judge for the one
who rejects me
and does not accept my words;
the very words
I have spoken will condemn them at
the last day”
(John 12:48; see also John 3:18–19; 2 Peter 2:1; Jude 1:4; Revelation 20:11–15).
Finally, the most severe and devastating consequences of denying Christ and refusing His offer of salvation are eternal death and everlasting separation from God
(Matthew 25:30, 41; John 8:24; Revelation 20:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:8).
Nonetheless, the Bible promises the hope of eternal life in Jesus. God is loving and patient; He doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He desires everyone to embrace the truth of the gospel and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). We only have to turn from denying Christ, believe in Him, and be saved (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9).
Church Harm due to Itown Church
2 Thousand
Ex Church Members/Employees
2 MillionViews on TIKTOK
I created this private group for people who have experienced "church harm" due to Itown Church. My goal was to allow people to find support, encouragement and to know that they are not alone. It is a safe space with no victim blaming and no drama. It is not a place to debate whether Itown is a good "church" or if Dave and Kate Sumrall are good "pastors". Thank you to everyone who has been brave enough to share, so far. If you have a story, feel free to share it here. You are welcome to use the Anonymous Feature if you like.
In 2011, I was a single mom raising my teenage daughter. I allowed her to begin attending Itown. I thought, what better place for my daughter to be while I was working than at a church. I blindly trusted Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and Itown with my 14 year old daughter. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I had no idea of the manipulation and control that was happening to her behind my back. 13 years later she is still under their control 100%. I have not been allowed to see or speak to my daughter in 4 years. Yet, they are often on stage, online, on tv and now on billboards professing to be Christian Pastors and that they are "all about family".
I came out publicly with my complete story of devastation at the hands of Itown Church in an interview with Investigative Reporter Roberta Blevins . The official release date for my interview was on 3/31/2024. You can now listen here:
https://player.fm/series/life-after-mlm/episode-230-sandy-rusk
Or on Spotify or wherever you listen to Podcasts.
ITOWN,
LYING, DECEPTION,
AND
THE DARK WEB
ARC, SURVELIIENCE, TRAFFICKING PERSONAL DATA,
TRACKING DIGITAL MEDIA,
SHARING PERSONAL, PRIVATE MOMENTS AND
DISCUSSIONS IN
THE PRIVACY OF THE HOME WITHOUT PERMISSION
TRAFFICKING IT PRIVATE, STOLEN INFORMATION
WITHOUT PERMISSION
AND USING FOR BLACKMAIL, SLANDER, CONTROL, AND ABUSE
ON THE DARK WEB
PROFITING OFF THE SICK PERVERSION
NO ACCOUNTABILITY
KATE SUMRALL IS SUCH A HYPOCRITE!
Kate Sumrall, Dave Sumrall and Itown Church separated me from my daughter, yet she tears up when talking about how important families are and how they "wrap around" families.
She did not care about my family when she was grooming and manipulating my daughter behind my back. They used the legal system against me twice to take control of my daughter.
I trusted them with my daughter when she was just 14 years old and they betrayed my trust in the worst possible way.
It’s amazing how far the deception with iTown will go to try to make a buck so they
can pay for their shoes and their house.
ITown Church made an attempt to debit my account and the debit was rejected because I had disconnected everything from their ACH and flagged their name at the bank so no account would go through.
After this, ITown changed their company ID to a different number to disguise their transaction, and then ran the withdrawal again, which went through that time.
I hesitated for months about posting. I worked for Itown Kids Connect for several years and all six of my kids were enrolled. I was required to prioritize families based on how much they tithed. One day a lead pastor approached me, cornered me, and intimidated me into agreeing to switch jobs and campuses. When I said no, I soon started to loose my job duties and dignity until I was just a door opener. When I decided to leave one day, I took my kids and walked out. No one would speak to us, my family and kids were all completely shunned. I suffered depression and alcoholism for an entire year before we found a life giving church and new start. Itown had borrowed Northviews Kids curriculum, then kicked northview out of their building and rebranded the curriculum under Itowns name. Soon after Dave gets on stage and brags about how Kate designed and implemented the entire curriculum. When I had left they were over 700K in Debt with just the "school"
that had had been open for 2 years. I am terrified to speak to anyone openly. I am so sorry for how
I treated people and was blinded to the Lie, Please forgive me.
I took their spiritual gifts assessment and they outcome was totally off. There was a survey to fill out about whether or not we drank alcohol or smoked. No one contacted me about a time- when I finally found a team they made me sign in every time and work ridiculous hours unpaid for a profession unusually professional compensated for.
After I had been serving for a couple of years full time I ended up in the hospital, my mother was on her knees asking Itown for help and no one responded or answered her calls
I have experience and education in biblical studies, and when I asked about mission tripe- one of the leaders looked at me degrading and said kate is very particular about who goes on missions because you have to have the holy spirit" I would see kate standing in the front of the building, not talking to anyone, but presenting herself as authority. It was so weird. They have no classes about the Gospel, but offer manner classes?
When Kate talks about their School, she literally only said,
"we dont care about grades or homework, we care about jesus"
When My daughter was in the 7 year old kids class she said they showed her videos and sang sang songs about the devil Growing up Methodist- we never had sunday school sermons about the "devil"
When I first started attending Itown I would get weird echoing sounds on my phone calls and it was obvious it was being recorded- or something was interfering and listening. I have tried calling I town and Emailing Itown dozens of times and no pastor will respond to me. The church even lied to my parents when they called about being concerned for me. When I confronted a "leader" at itown, they told me to come back the next day, and i was alone while three of them surrounded me in the cafe and told me I was no longer allowed to serve on the team for only asking to speak with the pastor.
I'd like to share my weird experience
with iTown church.
I moved here from Florida in April of last year and was looking for a church to attend.
Everyone recommended iTown.
My first couple times going was really nice, and enjoyed the sermons. however, all that was preached were "feel good" sermons...he wouldn't finish the verses he would quote, and put his own spin on which God clearly says don't flip my words.
So after paying more attention to this pastor, my final straw was he came out wearing a big gold chain, and button up that showed his entire chest, said his prayer before the "video" then after the video came back out with a massive silver chain instead.
How can you be that conceited in the house of God? Materialistic and vanity runs that pastor. Can't give anyone a straight answer about where all the money goes at the end of the year because the straight answer is his bank account to fund his materialistic life style.
Spiritism:
Attempts to communicate with or
manipulate spirits.
Interest is often driven by curiosity, a search
for personal power,
or disillusionment with traditional,
organized religion.
The occult (from Latin occultus 'hidden, secret')
is a category of esoteric
or supernatural beliefs and practices which
generally fall outside the scope
of organized
religion and science, encompassing phenomena
involving
a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency,
such as magic and mysticism.
Warning Signs
Someone Is Dabbling in the Occult
The Disclosure or Communication of
Unknown
information Unavailable to Humans
Through Normal Means
That knowledge
comes from somewhere—and
if it’s not from God
through the sources God has ordained,
then it is through the evil one and
his forces.
There is no neutral and impersonal “Power” just floating around out there.
Nothing that has a voice or can be tapped into—some kind of cosmic consciousness
for secret knowledge about human life.
Everything falls under
heaven or hell,
good or evil, God or the evil one
“You have trusted in your wickedness … your wisdom and knowledge mislead you … Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away … keep on, then, with your
magic spells and with your many sorceries … let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month … they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves … each of them goes on in his error.”
--Isaiah 47:10–15
“Let no one be found among you who … is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.”
--Deuteronomy 18:10–12
“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter,
should not a people inquire of their God?”
--Isaiah 8:19
Any Attempt to Gain and Master Paranormal Power
in Order to
Manipulate or Influence Other People Into Certain Actions
In other words, all forms of witchcraft and the casting of spells. Being clear on this is important because of the rise of modern day witchcraft, which goes by the name of Wicca.
Again, Scripture is clear:
“Let no one be found among you who … practices … sorcery … engages in witchcraft or casts spells … Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.” --Deuteronomy 18:10–12
So there you have it. A map of the supernatural world. On the one side you have God and his faithful angels.
On the other side the world of the paranormal or the occult, which is the world of Satan and his demons.
These are the only two worlds.
These are the only two forces.
These are the only two sets of beings.
One of them is good, the other
is evil.
There are a lot of ways, sadly, that
Satan and his team
seduces us
to engage the evil side--
to open our lives
to it and to invite it in without even
knowing it.
And when we do, whether we are
aware of it or not,
we are engaging the forces
of darkness.
We are connecting with Satan and his demons.
We are willfully opening up
the door of our life to their presence and activity.
And they will enter.
And nothing could be more dangerous.
Initially it might seem benign, even innocent, for as the Bible says,
Satan positions himself as an angel of light. But then the evil engulfs you.
And it’s even more than playing with fire.
It’s dousing yourself with gasoline and then lighting the match.
It is spiritual suicide.
It is important to understand
the doctrine
that John was defending.
In saying,
“Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,”
John affirms that
Jesus is both
fully God and truly man.
He also addressed this issue
in 1 John 4:2,
telling his readers how to
identify
false teachers and the
spirits who drive them.
The first test of a true
teacher/prophet of
God is that he proclaims that
Jesus is God incarnate
(see John 1:14).
A godly teacher will
teach both the
full deity and true humanity of Christ.
The Holy Spirit testifies to the
true
nature of Christ,
while
Satan and his demonic
host
deny that true nature.
The Gnostics
of
John’s day denied the
true humanity of Christ.
Today, there are many
who deny
the full deity of Christ—and
John identifies
them as deceivers and antichrists.
It is also important
to understand the context
of John’s epistle.
John is writing to
“the elect lady and her children”
(2 John 1:1).
This lady was engaged
in a
ministry of hospitality
In the name of Christian love (verse 6),
this
kind-hearted woman was receiving
itinerant preachers into her home,
providing
room and board for them,
and sending them
on their way with her blessing.
John writes
this quick note to her to
warn her
about the many false teachers
who would gladly
take advantage of her generosity.
Her love needed to be tempered
by truth.
Boundaries had to be drawn.
Hospitality should not be
extended to
charlatans, hucksters, and the
devil’s own emissaries.
That’s why John tells her, “Do not take them into your house or welcome them” (verse 10).
And he tells her why: “Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work” (verse 11).
John gives the hospitable lady a litmus test: what does the traveling preacher teach about Jesus Christ?
If he is presenting the full deity and full humanity of Christ, then he can be welcomed into her home as a guest. However, if the teacher mitigates, obscures, or equivocates on the fact that Jesus is fully man and fully God, then the lady is to have nothing to do with him. Such false teachers are not to receive help from believers, not even so much as a greeting. To give material aid or spiritual encouragement to the purveyors of false doctrine is to partake in their wickedness (verse 11).
What should be our response, then, when cultists or false teachers come knocking at the door? It is not wrong to share the truth with them or to relate our testimony. We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). However, we must be careful not to do anything that would give the appearance that we approve of their message. We should never invite them into our home for an extended stay, donate money to their cause, or allow them to conduct a “Bible study” with us.
Here are some things to remember: First, cultists are master deceivers who are well trained in techniques that will confuse those whose knowledge of Scripture is limited. Well-meaning and compassionate souls (like the elect lady in 2 John) can be coaxed to dialogue with cultists and then be fooled by them. Second, Christians are of Christ; cultists are anti-Christ (2 John 1:7), no matter how kind, sincere, and charming they may appear. Third, believers should not give the cultists or anyone else the impression that the cult has legitimate claims, doctrines, or opinions. Fourth, Jesus tells us to “watch out” for false teachers (Matthew 7:15), and Paul tells us to “avoid them” (Romans 16:17) and declares them to be “accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Therefore, we should build no close associations with those who teach a false gospel. Fifth, John tells the lady in 2 John not to “welcome” a false teacher (or “bid him God speed” in the KJV). This phrase in the Greek means “to cheerfully or joyfully hail someone.” In other words, we are not to bless false teachers or wish them well.
We are to be always ready with an answer for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15), but we must do so in the Holy Spirit’s power, following His lead. When cultists or false teachers knock at the door, it could be an opportunity to relate the truth about Jesus to them, or it could be an opportunity to “leave them; they are blind guides” (Matthew 15:14). In any case, we must rely on the Lord’s wisdom (James 1:5) and be cautious not to cast our pearls before pigs (Matthew 7:6).
The 666 represents an
unholy trinity
(Satan, the Beast, the False Prophet)
that mimics God's kingdom
but is
built on human rebellion,
which
ultimately leads to judgment.
The beast was given a mouth to utter
proud words and blasphemies
and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.
Revelation 14:6-10
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
In Matthew 7:15
Jesus warns against false prophets who come in "sheep's clothing" but are actually "ravenous wolves," referring to those who falsely represent religious or moral authority.
Deception
is the act of convincing of one or many recipients of untrue information. The person creating the deception knows it to be false while the receiver of the information does not.
It is often done for personal gain or advantage.
Deceit and dishonesty can also form grounds for civil litigation in tort, or contract law (where it is known as misrepresentation or fraudulent misrepresentation if deliberate), or give rise to criminal prosecution for fraud
A "wolf in sheep's clothing"
is an idiom describing a dangerous or malicious person who pretends to be harmless, gentle, or friendly to deceive others. Originating from Aesop's Fables and biblical teachings (Matthew 7:15), it warns against individuals—often false leaders or predators—who use charm, charisma, and a deceptive facade to exploit or harm, rather than foster genuine relationships.
A wolf in sheep's clothing is an idiom from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount as narrated in the Gospel of Matthew. It warns against individuals who play a deceptive role. The gospel regards such individuals (particularly false teachers) as dangerous.
The Truth About Itown Church
KATE SUMRALL IS SUCH A HYPOCRITE!
Kate Sumrall, Dave Sumrall and Itown Church separated me from my daughter, yet she tears up when talking about how important families are and how they "wrap around" families. She did not care about my family when she was grooming and manipulating my daughter behind my back. They used the legal system against me twice to take control of my daughter.
I trusted them with my daughter when she was just 14 years old and they betrayed my trust in the worst possible way.
Anonymous member
God is not a man that He shall be mocked! What’s done in the dark will come to light! Continue to spread the truth to protect more of God’s children from being harmed. To Itown Church Onlookers-Humility and Repentance (turning away from the evil action) are fruits of the spirit. Pride (refusing to acknowledge and rectify the role you’ve played in causing this rift) is a work of the flesh! We stand with Sandy!
Anonymous member
Wrap around and steal families. Sandy Ott Rusk they destroyed your family by taking your daughter.
All-star contributor
Anonymous member yes, they did and then want to act like they are so concerned about families....
Anonymous member It's so EVIL. Keep up your efforts to expose them. It's working!
Anonymous member 743
The church doesn’t actually give anything. Donations from others gave to those families. They write it off on personal taxes. The church offers prayers and letters for DCS and in return ask for money on Sundays. They will convince the parents that Itown homeschool is the best. Then when the child reports abuse guess who covers it up, yep Itown staff… It’s a snake hole. These “degrees” they do have, they cheat online especially Chegg for the answers and then sale their answers and essays. Thats why they won’t talk to you and answer questions….Liability, Non Disclosure Agreements and cameras just about sums it up.
Kate was having a staff meeting and straight out screamed at all of the employees, then they all walked out. They lost most of their staff in one day.
Kate was speaking to staff and said, "Sometimes I play hard to get with Dave to get My Way" It was so inappropriate
Anonymous member
Anonymous member 743 wow, it sounds like you have have alot of "behind the scenes" information. I would love to do a deep dive on all of it. Let me know if you would be willing to share it with me, so that I could report on it. Totally, anonymously. Feel free to reach out in messenger.
The way i saw dave hugging his oldest daughter after prayer one day was
way more intimate than how he hugs his wife, SO disturbing and weird.
It was not a normal father daughter hug if you know what I mean.
Anonymous member Cult, needs shutdown
Anonymous member
Is she educated about social work? Would like to more about her expertise?
Anonymous member god guides her!
Anonymous member
Then they have the nerve to tell you your family is cursed if they don’t think you are giving enough.
Itown Church can/will manipulate your child/teen if it benefits them. That is exactly what was done to me when I blindly trusted Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and the Itown Church staff with my teenage daughter. As I always say, do not trust ANYONE with your child/teen even if they appear to be a trusted pastor.....especially at Itown Church.
It had been over 5.5 years since I had seen or spoken with my daughter until recently. I felt it was important to update my story....to clarify the changes. My feelings are that she is still under the control of Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and the Itown Church staff. Here you go .....
So sorry, was hoping things would change! A cult is a horrible thing to break free of.cannot believe Olivia wouldn't want her mom, during so many life changes. So sorry!
Wow...super sad so brainwashed. I am so tired of organized religion taking away people's free will
Wow, this video explains so much! The emotional manipulation is real. When he talks about the request for people to raise their hands, certain phrases are word for word what Dave Sumrall says....at each and every service. And he is spot on regarding things that are being taught to our children when they separate them from us. I blindly trusted Dave and Kate Sumrall with my teenage daughter. They betrayed my trust in the worst possible way.....and this video explains exactly how they do it. It is extremely shocking.
Anonymous member
Sumerall is adding on to his home “compound” on 146th. I think her added a pool and guest house but I am not 100% sure…
Before they moved into their new “compound” on 146th, they lived on my street. We had a neighbor pass away while working in his yard, and the Sumeralls were doing their “workouts” running wind sprints up and down our street. The person who died was 2 doors away and neither of them cared enough to go and console the family. Right then and there I lost all respect for them.
Anonymous member
A friend of ours did some of the work on the property near Cabellas and he said kate sumrall walked around dropping f-bombs at the workers complaining that they didn’t know how to do their jobs.
Someone asked Dave why there was no cross in the church and he supposedly said he would never put a cross in one of his church’s….
The way Kate talked to the ITLA the year I was in it. Was so rude and probably the most entitlement I’ve ever felt come from somebody. They made us set chairs up and tear them down. But we had to do it over and over again until it was smooth. Making remarks under her breath, making insulting remarks towards someone’s intelligence.  Jesus would be flipping tables in today’s churches. I am about to start a church in my basement for people that actually want to study the Bible.
I saw Dave & Kate at the Keystone Mall two weeks ago. Kate used to take my fitness classes at the Fishers Y and I almost didn't even recognize either one of them all the work they have gotten done ane things they are taking.
As a pastor's kid, I never understood how they showed up to the gym driving an escalade and a BMW!
But here is my genuine question, do people not see this?! People that attend itown?! Or they all have so much $$ they don't care that this is what their tithe is going towards?
They're wealthy because of the members. Can you imagine how much tithe comes in each week??!! There are 3 iTown Churches. Plus they are part of ARC. With Dave and Kate being the Head of these churches, they are making a killing!! Why don't the members of these churches demand to see how their tithes are being spent and how much these ministers are paying themselves? Come on people wake up! Ministers used to be some of the poorest people! These days they live in mansions!
You should see their gated mansion off 146th/Carey road area on south side of the road.
Why aren’t their salaries disclosed to their church? Isn’t there a board? And does anyone know if they give interviews?
Pastors should be living modestly and helping those struggling in their church. Not flaunting their fortune.
I honestly think that people get brainwashed. It completely clouds your perception
And they have no clue what the tithe was really for
Anonymous member 670
Just wait til they discover all of the mess Madison Park has left for them to clean up. It’s been a money pit for so many years!! Also, they’ll lose a majority of their Olson Farms congregation since most of their draw is now from Anderson now.
They bought it for $6 million.
Anonymous member 687
Sandy Ott Rusk you should pin this post at the top. I’m interested in people’s thoughts on expansion during the middle of a church crisis.
Anonymous member 687
They don’t have enough leaders not to mention pastors for the 3 locations they have now. The turnover rate is through the roof. Every campus just went through a campus pastor transition (for like the 10th time.) The congregation has no clue of the chaos going on behind the scenes. They completely scrambled to keep their “school” afloat after all senior staff quit just before the start of the school year. Hiring basically anyone with a pulse because they didn’t want to admit there was a problem. But somehow we’re gonna have a new school building soon. It’s madness.
What’s funny is it’s just the Dave show. No real leaders other than him. Everything based off of him in the spotlight. “Let’s try and open 2 more locations nowhere near here, but everyone will come and listen to me.” Because I’m so great but treat people like trash.
No one will be discipled, no families will be cared for. Just come attend the weekly show we call “church” and watch me.
All ego and pride. With no real plan.
And what’s truly sad is people go there looking for help. But no one will because they’re too busy trying to “get new people saved” meanwhile they overlook the dumpster fire already going on in their church. It’s a nightmare.
Anonymous member 719
Makes it sound like iTown is doing all this themselves. They’re backed by ARC. It’s just the ARC business model being successful and it gives me the ick that they do it under the guise of anything other than that.
The craziness continues!
I saw this message and instantly thought of this group and why so many joined. I think ppl around the world are tired of this attitude being displayed by leadership.
“There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.” Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT
““If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15 NLT.
To preach topics like forgiveness and actively participate in the tearing down of a family is disgusting. There is no excuse on what has been done to you and furthermore why after 5 years the leadership has not encouraged reconciliation. To all have families themselves, it is truly unbelievable that there is not more being done to restore. Sowing seeds of discord is on God’s list of abominations! I pray for your continued mental strength and healing. We stand with you in your fight for what is right! ““A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.” Matthew 12:33 NLT.
My mom started attending with a friend. She has not spoken to to me her second daughter in 6-8 months. She has me blocked. I asked her a year or so if I could go to church with her? No, this is my own thing!!!!!!
Because of YOU, Kate Sumrall!
YOU took control of my daughter when she was just 14 years old. Behind my back, she was being groomed and manipulated while I unknowingly attended your "church services" each Sunday. I blindly trusted you, your husband and your Itown Church staff with my only child. It was the worst mistake of my life. 14 years later you still have control of her 100% and the nightmare continues. Yet you, Kate Sumrall get up on that stage and wipe away tears as you talk about how badly you feel for the biological parents that are separated from their children that are in your foster care program. YOU actually separated me from my own daughter, Kate Sumrall!
YOU are such a hypocrite!
A healthy church whose leaders loved Jesus and people would have done everything possible to bring mother and daughter back together ! God created families !
Sandy Ott Rusk you got plenty of people behind you including me. What Itown Church did to you is wrong in every way. Me and others have your back and will keep on spreading the truth about this wicked church and demand justice!
As a true Christian and follower of Christ, your story touches my heart everytime I hear it. To stand on a stage and proclaim to spread the good news of Jesus including unforgiveness and love, it is so hypocritical to be complicit in the destruction of your family! Continue to cry loud and spare not. For anyone wondering why she keeps telling her story, it’s because it hasn’t stopped. EVERYDAY these leaders still play a role in keeping her away from her daughter. EVERYDAY these leaders get on a stage and proclaim to be good. &EVERYDAY Sandy will continue to remind them that God hears the voice of the weak. Power may work to silence temporarily but GOD is near the brokenhearted! Stay strong!
I just can’t get over your story. They don’t care enough to address your concerns.
Can you sue them for defamation of character? Obviously you've probably been the topic of all sorts of gossip at itown over all these years. They have ruined your reputation and that means a lot for you being a realtor.
Sandy was my stepmother for alot of years. Always there for me!! Never abusive. Always kind to a young girl who wasn't close with my own mother. I had aloth if fun growing up with Sandy. She will always be someone I look up to!
Anonymous member 731
100% My thoughts Exactly. Kate and Dave are utterly sickening. Their words, actions and perceptions are not the Truth in any Reality.
Im so proud of you Sandy! Keep shining your light! I love you.
Prayers
How do they live with themselves, they have no soul!
Is the foster program Kate references an affiliation through the state? DCS or FSSA? Are the children required to attend ITown?
I'm sorry glad our community came together to fight against this nightmare project and pushed the build site out of our area. The minute I met Dave, I knew in my gut he was not someone who cared about anything or anyone but himself. We saved our community and a golf course by banding together and fighting against him and itown.
Why are they open, cult should be shut down
Evil (shockingly) loves to hide in the church. It’s the last place most of us would expect and a place where the evil doer knows you would least likely look….
Did you notice how after two weeks of vacation kate retuned with an extra 6 inches of hair?
Sharing a bit of my story in hopes that it helps someone else feel a little less alone. After coming across this group full of people who have been hurt by itown I finally felt validated in my reasoning for leaving even if it’s different from what others have shared.
I started to attend Itown with my family when I was in middle school. We were invited by family friends during one of itowns recruiting seasons. My family started attending pretty regularly as we were hooked by the bright lights, loud music, and seemingly encouraging messages. As I got into junior high I started attending more and more. I went to every youth event they offered and was highly encouraged to bring friends with me every time and was rewarded when I did.
Pretty early on when Itown met at the old Fishers location my youth leader at the time had told our small group a pretty disturbing story of something she had gone through at our age (it was not an appropriate thing to share with young teens) and I remember sitting there thinking how odd of an adult to be sharing this. Looking back it was a huge red flag for what would come later. When itown moved into the Olsen farms campus I started serving in the preschool area. Around that same time I had come out as gay to one of my youth leaders. I remember so clearly that youth leader telling me that this same sex attraction could be easily solved if only I prayed harder. I was 14 at the time. Coincidentally after telling her that I was then moved around a lot from where I could serve in kids ministry.
That same leader had texted me that this sin was no different than that of an alcoholic or a drug addict and that the devil lived inside of me. Who on earth tells a 14 year old child that the devil is inside them? In this day and age with teens having such severe mental health issues what would make you think that’s ok? And what kind of horrible training is itown giving these youth staff?? She then referred me to a friend of hers who also worked at itown who had recovered from a drug addiction and said that we had a lot in common but that I just didn’t realize it yet.
These leaders worked to manipulate me at 14 into thinking that the devil was physically inside of me and so I kept going back. They would tell me that I was so brave to be seeking out the truth when in reality I was looking for validation that it was ok to just be me. I spent hours and hours praying and searching for answers as to why all of this would be happening. They would tell us that the anxiety or depression that we were experiencing as teens was because we weren’t seeking god enough. Kids who were severely struggling and needed professional help were told by leaders to dig in and figure out what was wrong with them and why they’d be challenged by god to experience this. Absolutely inappropriate to tell a young teen.
I could go on and on about the hurt I experienced at itown but my message has been clear. itown church is not fit for kids and teens.
Long story short- I walked away from itown in 2021 traumatized by my time there. I’m very thankful that there are other people out there that had issues with itown even if there experiences aren’t the exact same as mine.
It’s amazing how far the deception with iTown will go to try to make a buck so they can pay for their shoes and their house.
ITown Church made an attempt to debit my account and the debit was rejected because I had disconnected everything from their ACH and flagged their name at the bank so no account would go through. After this, ITown changed their company ID to a different number to disguise their transaction, and then ran the withdrawal again, which went through that time.
My prayers are with everyone who has experienced hurt and, potentially, monetary harm by Itown. I moved from San Diego in 2017 to Fishers as a college graduate and was directed to try out Itown due to the fact that I was new to the area and did not know anyone my age. After going to a couple of different churches, I settled with Itown because I thought I would find a community there to hang out with but also experience reading the bible together. At first, I was attracted to the warm energy and people my age. I thought I would be able to find community there.
After several months, I informed one of the leaders at Itown that I would love to start volunteering and was instructed that the grow plan was the way to start volunteering, as it would find my spiritual gifts. I felt that this was odd because I grew up in the church and never have I ever once had to go to meetings and fill out a questionnaire to find my “strengths” to volunteer. After taking this questionnaire that was very similar to a myers briggs persoanlity test, I was able to volunteer. One thing I noticed immediately was how the questionnaire was scored, as there were some questions that were skewed towards a couple of volunteer positions but easily could be applied to other things. I get data entry, but a lot of the questions that I was scored on could have went into administration. My intuition had me thinking that they wanted people in a lot of the front facing stuff like ushers and the go team parking team and very small amount of the questions were geared towards other volunteer work. So, I thought that was hilarious. Anyways, while the volunteer jobs were standard church stuff, I initially asked the head of the grow plan that I have a finance degree from a Private Christian college (PLNU) and we were encouraged to use our talents or the skills we learned to help our surrounding community in any way we could. My fellow business classmates would actively help non-profits or local churches in this capacity. It was very normal and accepted. So, asking the grow plan leader, she directed me to the finance and accounting pastor to ask. So, I introduced myself and explained my degree and what my business school encouraged us to do for our community as way to provide help. I explained how we offered something complex as actual accounting/budgeting/inventory work to something simple like building excel spreadsheets as volunteer work. I could give the church 10-15 volunteer hours of my time. The response I was given was the bluntest “no” I have gotten from anyone at Church. While I took the response in stride, as you don’t know what is going on someone’s life, I felt it was very odd that a church that was growing by the weekend wouldn’t need help in that area. I ended up doing data entry before I realized I hadn’t talked to or seen anyone from the team in over a 2 month span. Thats when I left volunteering at Itown and nobody followed up with me as to why. Still went to Itown for another several months.
I was encouraged to apply to the ITLA but I was perplexed by the hours committed to it. Almost like people who did ITLA were either unemployed or in their teenage years so their time commitments were freed up. Also the requirements were strange. Like working out 5 times a week, for example. I think the response I got on that was we have to treat our body like I temple, which is quoted from 1 Corinthians 6:19–20. I responded with to the effect of that verse is totally taken out of context, as Paul was talking about sexual immorality. Has nothing to do with working out or if we are shopping at a free-range, organic, locally sourced food market. That response went as well as you expect it to and I didn’t end of applying to ITLA.
The final straw for me was seeing a young girl, who worked for the media team there, distraught at an Itown small group. When I went up to her to ask what is going on, she explained to me that she is trying to find a second job and she can’t afford rent but she can’t get a second job because of the media work she is doing at Itown. I asked her if she talked to the church about raising her hourly wages. She responded with, “Im doing unpaid internship work for Itown.” I was shocked by that as I thought she was getting paid. I subsequently asked her to just reduce her hours and she replied that she was being pressured by her reporting pastor to keep her hours, even though she can’t even afford rent. I asked her how many hours did she work that week, to which she replied “between 40-60 hours”. I was appalled. I told her that those are violations under federal labor laws and that Itown, from my understanding, has to be offering you a full-time position at the end of your internship or the level of your internship is meeting a level of accreditation that applies for the workforce if the hours you are working exceed 20 hours. If not, she should be getting paid for her work. Somebody working for or interning with Itown overheard me saying that to her. From then on out, I was getting invited to less and less community things to the point where I was going to the normal small group but being left out of the weeknights and weekend plans. I eventually left as it was no longer good for my mental health to be in that environment. I don’t know if that girl left either. I hoped she left Itown and is still going to a more loving Church.
Why does he talk about his three daughters' but not his two sons, his parents, or his siblings?
Hi! I'm new to this group. I recently joined because itown are asshats ……
Date: November 3, 2025
To: – ITOWN Prep Accounting
Dear Ms. Bender,
This letter serves as a formal rebuttal and notice of dispute regarding your October 31, 2025 email....
As stated in my October 29 correspondence, our family formally withdrew ________ from ITOWN Prep after it became evident that the program could not provide the specialized learning-difference supports she requires. That withdrawal closed our participation in every respect. We were genuinely hopeful that this matter would not have reached this point. Our initial withdrawal notice was made respectfully and in good faith, with the hope that ITOWN
Prep would respond with understanding and transparency. Unfortunately, the boilerplate reply your office issued — which appears consistent with responses received by other
families in similar situations — leaves no alternative but to seek formal review through the Indiana Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. This letter therefore serves as formal notice that I have submitted a Consumer Complaint requesting a pattern-and-practice investigation into ITOWN Prep’s enrollment representations, billing practices, and record-retention procedures.
Your response acknowledges the withdrawal yet demands payment of a full-year tuition balance totaling $4,050.20. Because ITOWN Prep has repeatedly represented itself publicly as a “homeschool partnership” rather than an accredited school — while simultaneously marketing individualized instruction and issuing report-card-style progress documents — your continued attempt to enforce full-year tuition may constitute a deceptive consumer practice under the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act (IC 24-5-0.5).
For the record, during the 2025–26 school year, ITOWN’s Director of Operations, Tressa Decker, confirmed in writing that she had received and reviewed _______ professional evaluations from Lindamood-Bell and the Dyslexic Institute of Indiana (Camp Delafield).
Mrs. Decker acknowledged her familiarity with those programs and directly asked what
1. supports we expected from ____educator. When we proposed the use of Snap Type Pro and related assistive-technology tools for dysgraphia — standard supports already used successfully at home — ITOWN explicitly rejected their use in the classroom, allowing them only at home. This constitutes clear, documented, administrative-level awareness of_______ diagnosed dyslexia and dysgraphia and a conscious refusal to implement reasonable supports within the program.
Accordingly:
1. All billing, collection, or payment requests related to _________ 2025–26 enrollment are hereby disputed.
2. You are to cease all tuition collection activity and refrain from
transmitting any account information to third-party collectors while this matter is under review by the Indiana Attorney General’s
Consumer Protection Division.
3. Any further communications regarding payment should be directed to me in writing only.
4. A copy of your October 31 message and supporting documents will be included in the official Consumer Complaint file.
Please preserve and be prepared to produce the complete, unaltered set of records and metadata related to ____________ enrollment, withdrawal, and billing, as well as any
records pertaining to other families who have raised similar concerns or received identical communications. This includes, but is not limited to:
• All drafts, revisions, and executed versions of tuition and technology agreements
(with metadata showing editor and timestamp information);
• Emails (with attachments, headers, and metadata) between ITOWN Prep staff, administration, and families concerning enrollment, billing, or withdrawal;
• Deleted or recoverable items from any mailboxes or servers;
•Meeting notes, call logs, and billing records referencing __________ or other
families; and
• Any cloud-based storage or archive locations (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google
Drive, or internal servers) containing these materials.
Do not attempt to alter or “clean” metadata. All digital properties, revision histories, and
audit trails must be preserved in their original form pending review by the Consumer
Protection Division. Failure to preserve may constitute spoliation under Indiana law.
Please confirm in writing within seven (7) days that a litigation hold and record-
preservation process has been implemented and that all relevant custodians and storage
systems — including those containing other affected families’ records — have been
identified.
This notice is made without prejudice to any rights or remedies available under the
Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act (IC 24-5-0.5) or other applicable law.
Anonymous member
Your tuition is basically for childcare. This is the least qualified place to support dyslexia.
Good. Burn it down
"I remember your daughter being on staff when I was very involved but I did not know her well. Over 4 years ago I stopped attending. The pastors/staff members no matter how close their friendship was with each other is not allowed to talk to them or people who have been banned to this day. That is very cultish.The red flags to me is how the church staff members are not allowed to be friends with people who left that is very demonic and these people don’t realize they are trapped."
This is standard operating procedure for ARC churches. The pastors pick their buddies to cover for them.
When they talk about their overseers, they always talk like this, asking personal questions to make it seem like they know them very well and are pure in their personal lives. It makes them look holy and so the congregants will trust them.
I heard that same phraseology at Highlands more times than I can count since day one.
Elected officials and CEO’s give their information out to the public and their constituents. That’s is very bizarre they can’t be contacted to ask questions
Keep fighting for your daughter, Sandy. At some point she’ll see the truth about the exploitation. If these people truly cared about family, they’d encourage her to at least talk with you about what’s bothering her and work things out. Tearing families apart is completely wrong.
After speaking to numerous ex-Itown employees/volunteers, I have been able to confirm a lot of new details about what happened to me and my daughter at Itown Church.....
* I was able to confirm that for years the Itown Church staff was told that my daughter needed to be protected from me. They were told that I was abusive and that I was exploiting my daughter for money. (none of which was true....I had never harmed my daughter nor even been accused of anything like that. I created and ran an organization for 15 years to create awareness, provide education and support for my daughter's medical condition alopecia. During that time it never made a profit. But I did help thousands of families dealing with this mysterious condition. It was devastating to have something that I created to help others be used against me with my own daughter. I had no idea that this was being said about me, as I unknowingly attended the "church" services every Sunday.
* I was told that an Itown Staff Member stood over my daughter at a computer at the Itown Church front desk and instructed/helped her fill out a Protective Order online against me, the afternoon of January 23, 2020...after my innocent visit there at noon that day. She was lied to and told that I came in, demanded information about her and refused to leave. None of which was true.
* 6 people from Itown Church (including 2 pastors) came into the court hearing against me on February 28, 2020...and not one of them were able to testify that I had done anything wrong that day at Itown Church. However, the judge (who admitted that he had attended Itown Church) issued a 2 year Protective Order against me....I have now learned that the Itown Church staff was told that the Protective Order was only for 6 months, down playing the severity of what was done to me.
* I recently confirmed (by an ex-Itown volunteer) that Dave Sumrall said in an Itown Staff meeting, years ago that they could use my daughter "to draw the young people in our area into Itown Church" Because of our organization, my daughter had been featured in the media numerous times and was considered a public figure. Itown, was new at that time so he wanted to tap into her growing public image to build up his "church". I was not the one who wanted to exploit my daughter for person gain, Dave Sumrall was....and did!
As the pieces continue to come together, it becomes glaringly apparent that Itown Church DID groom and manipulate my daughter for years for their own gain. It began when she was only 14 years old, behind my back for years...Today she is 28 years old and has now been under their control for 14 YEARS! .....and I have not been allowed to see or speak to my daughter in over 5 YEARS!
I adore my daughter and miss her every single day. I put my heart and soul into raising her and giving her the best life possible. I know that I was a good mom to her and she appreciated everything until she became under the control of Itown Church.
I DO NOT BLAME MY DAUGHTER IN ANY OF THIS!
She was (and continues to be) a teenage/adult victim of Itown Church.
If you are new to this group, you can hear my complete story here:
https://youtu.be/GIa97hNCod4?si=giaZJShCTkRQj8BS
@everyone
This is what Itown Church should be teaching young people instead of separating them from their parents:
Anonymous member 988Noooo it is not good / I would rather leave my kid at Applebees unattended
Anonymous member 992
No dont put your kids there
I served at itown and went there for several years. I worked at the daycare for a year and a half or so. When my dad died i had ZERO people reach out to me to see how I was doing. Even had the director tell me if i wanted to keep my son there for the rest of the month (i had to quit) then i needed to pay the rest of that months tuition full price. Someone even offered to pay it for me and she didn’t let them. Keep in mind my siblings and I had to pay for the funeral out of pocket and i had to take my 7 month old at the time to the funeral home because not a single person offered me help. They don’t care about you if you’re not a member there. They fired teachers who weren’t attending itown because they “didn’t fit the vision”
Run don't walk, grab your child and run away
I would not go anywhere near that cult
Anonymous member 953The older kids are expected to help in every corner possible. They don’t get paid and are told to deal with the issues and not bother the parents during service times. The stuff the teachers kids is CRAZY!! They told my child if he doesn’t tell his friends about God and they don’t go to church, they will all burn after death. Every day..all day. It will hurt so bad. Also, God will judge them for not spreading his word and that will be a determining factor if they get in or not.
The so called security are creepy and perverted. They look at women like a three course meal. The women who work there treat you like 2nd class citizens. I would never walk my family through those doors again.
I have emailed and called Itown hundreds of times and not once gotten any response or counsel
If you are asking about Itown's Day Care....there have been numerous people who have posted about their negative experiences there. I have also had a lot of conversations with parents and ex-employees....so do not ignore the Red Flags! There are multiple issues at Itown Church, including their Day Care. After my horrible experience, my advice is do not trust ANYONE with your child or teen, even if they appear to be a trusted pastor, especially at Itown Church!
* there are multiple posts and videos in this group explaining what happened to me. If you have any questions, reach out to me directly.
Sharing a bit of my story in hopes that it helps someone else feel a little less alone. After coming across this group full of people who have been hurt by itown I finally felt validated in my reasoning for leaving even if it’s different from what others have shared.
I started to attend Itown with my family when I was in middle school. We were invited by family friends during one of itowns recruiting seasons. My family started attending pretty regularly as we were hooked by the bright lights, loud music, and seemingly encouraging messages. As I got into junior high I started attending more and more. I went to every youth event they offered and was highly encouraged to bring friends with me every time and was rewarded when I did.
Pretty early on when Itown met at the old Fishers location my youth leader at the time had told our small group a pretty disturbing story of something she had gone through at our age (it was not an appropriate thing to share with young teens) and I remember sitting there thinking how odd of an adult to be sharing this. Looking back it was a huge red flag for what would come later. When itown moved into the Olsen farms campus I started serving in the preschool area. Around that same time I had come out as gay to one of my youth leaders. I remember so clearly that youth leader telling me that this same sex attraction could be easily solved if only I prayed harder. I was 14 at the time. Coincidentally after telling her that I was then moved around a lot from where I could serve in kids ministry.
That same leader had texted me that this sin was no different than that of an alcoholic or a drug addict and that the devil lived inside of me. Who on earth tells a 14 year old child that the devil is inside them? In this day and age with teens having such severe mental health issues what would make you think that’s ok? And what kind of horrible training is itown giving these youth staff?? She then referred me to a friend of hers who also worked at itown who had recovered from a drug addiction and said that we had a lot in common but that I just didn’t realize it yet.
These leaders worked to manipulate me at 14 into thinking that the devil was physically inside of me and so I kept going back. They would tell me that I was so brave to be seeking out the truth when in reality I was looking for validation that it was ok to just be me. I spent hours and hours praying and searching for answers as to why all of this would be happening. They would tell us that the anxiety or depression that we were experiencing as teens was because we weren’t seeking god enough. Kids who were severely struggling and needed professional help were told by leaders to dig in and figure out what was wrong with them and why they’d be challenged by god to experience this. Absolutely inappropriate to tell a young teen.
I could go on and on about the hurt I experienced at itown but my message has been clear. itown church is not fit for kids and teens.
Long story short- I walked away from itown in 2021 traumatized by my time there. I’m very thankful that there are other people out there that had issues with itown even if there experiences aren’t the exact same as mine.
Everything Sandy Ott Rusk said is absolutely true!
My two young adult daughters and I attended together for several years. My oldest enrolled in what was the first ITLA program and paid a lot of money to participate. She was working and covering the cost herself, hoping it would eventually lead to being hired.
When she couldn’t make all the payments, her dad and I stepped in to help because if the payments stopped, she would’ve been kicked out of the program.
ITOWN became her life. At first, I thought that was a good thing for her. But once she was hired on staff, things began to shift. I started to very slowly see and hear things that began to open my eyes to what was really going on.
I was deeply involved myself—attending, volunteering, and leading small groups. One pastor even contacted me after meeting with a woman going through a divorce and asked if I would meet with her, invite her into my group, and help support her.
But over time, especially after I started dating my now-husband, I began to feel like something was missing. The messages started to feel repetitive and shallow. We both sensed we needed more. So we left.
Even after that, I’d still pop in occasionally just to see my daughter, who was still on staff. I kept trying to help her see the reality of ITOWN. At one point, she became very distant when I would do that. I started to get really concerned about her.
She was exhausted, no personal life, no family time, no space to breathe, all in her twenties. I just kept praying she would quit and get her life back. She eventually reached the end of her rope.
She wasn’t paid enough to live on. She was expected to work at all hours, days, nights, and weekends. Family time was almost nonexistent. Christmas was especially painful.
Praise God, she finally left. But it took a massive emotional, physical, and spiritual toll. What she went through left deep scars.
From the outside, it looks great. But once you see behind the scenes, it’s a completely different story. The emotional, financial, spiritual, and verbal abuse is absolutely heartbreaking—and utterly disgusting.
The last time I attended a Christmas service there was just to be able to attend a Christmas Service with my daughter. But I couldn’t even sit through the message. I couldn’t listen to Dave stand up there and lie, not after all I knew about how he and his wife treated their staff.
It’s not only deceptive and disgusting…. it’s devastating.
It breaks my heart to see how many families continue to be damaged by what’s happening in the name of Jesus. I’m beyond thankful my daughter is out, but I still grieve the lasting wounds.
And, I truly believe Dave and Kate will one day be held accountable for what they’ve done.
I pray for each & every family affected by all this.
"This is a letter I sent out many years ago to our friends that remained at itown after we left:
To those I love, my friends that were like family at itown,
We have a grave concern that Pastor Dave is teaching a false Jesus and false gospel. We recently listened to the Values sermon and also heard parts of the first Wednesday sermon preached. Paul warns the early church of false messiahs stating in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 ESV, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” Scripture warns us of false gospels saying in Galatians 1:8 ESV, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” In Pastor Dave’s sermons, he rips multiple verses out of context to get it to say what he wants it to say.
Pastor Dave claimed in his Values sermon that Jesus was emptied of his Deity (stopped being God) when he was born and didn’t get his Deity back until He was water baptized and the Holy Spirit descended on Him. He goes as far as to say he was just like a normal kid. However, scripture rejects this idea. Regarding the Philipians 2:6-7 passage that talks about Jesus emptying himself, Pastor Tony Evans wrote, “He didn’t empty out God and pour in man. Rather, He emptied all of God into man. In other words, He didn’t stop being God.” The very meaning of Immanuel spoke of in the prophecies is “God with us.” When John the Baptist and Jesus were both in their mother’s womb, John lept because he knew he was in God’s presence. Also John the Baptist stated, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ESV)
Pastor Dave stated, “Even though we are not God, we can actually do the same things as Jesus.” His point was to say that we can do the same or greater miracles than what Christ did in His earthly ministry. He used John 14:12 (NASB) to make his point, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” But this does not mean we will heal people like Jesus did. Jesus raised people from the dead, but when is the last time this has happened in our lifetime? Jesus was speaking not of physical healings we would perform, but of preaching the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation (see Romans 1:16). The quantity of people coming to salvation is the greater works not the types of miracles. And ultimately our earthly bodies will fade and eternity is what matters so much more.
Pastor Dave in both his first Wednesday sermon and in the Values sermon claimed that healing is in the atonement. He shared that he looked up to T. L. Osborn and preached similarly in his early ministry years. He boasted that he preached the gospel but then before the altar call told the congregation “If you are sick in your body I want you to stand. If God doesn’t heal your body then why would you expect Him to have the power to heal your soul?” and then prayed over a crippled boy that was healed. This is a distortion of the gospel that leads to false converts. People were not coming to Christ for forgiveness of their sins but to get healing in their bodies. Who wouldn’t want that? It’s appealing to the flesh. John MacArthur said it well when he said, “If every Christian was well and health was a part of the atonement, then people would all be running to get saved for the wrong reason and God’s whole picture of salvation would get all muddied up. God wants people to come to Him because of sin and because of His glory, not so they can be healthy physically.” The healing talked about in Isaiah 53:5 passage is talking about healing from our sins, not bodily healing. That comes when we receive our new bodies in heaven. Think about this, if what Pastor Dave said were true, if your not physically healthy, does that mean Jesus didn’t save you? Are all sick people unsaved?
Lastly, when he preached the parable of the seed growing and quoted Mark 4:26-28, he talks about how the soil is the environment. And by creating an environment of excellence you can convert more people. He goes as far as to say having nice new furniture makes a difference in converting people to Christ. This passage was so out of context and he inserted meaning into the text that wasn’t there through a creative narrative that wasn’t based in scripture. Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 HCSB, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” No where does it say in scripture the environment of the building will lead people to Christ. If that were the case there would be not converts in 3rd world countries that don’t have those things. I have heard Pastor Dave say referring to the Nord Keyboard, “Where the Nord is the Lord is” which is something he was probably taught early in his life from people like Benny Hinn who spoke many times later on at his Grandfather’s (Lester Sumrall) church. I do agree with pastor Dave that we should be glad to go to church. He quoted Psalms 122:1 NASB, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”” However, the reason we should be glad is not because of the beautiful environment but to give thanks and celebrate how Jesus has rescued us and to gather with other believers that we can encourage others and be encouraged. When Ray was on staff, he was disciplined because he didn’t change a lightbulb in the auditorium that went out between services, when they knew he was ministering to a new believer that needed encouragement. He was told the light bulb was more important, not the person. This is absolutely tragic. Don’t you think Jesus would have cared more about that member of His own body more than the lightbulb?
The hallmark mark of every theological cult is to attack the Deity of Christ and twist the Gospel. The Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses’, Christian Scientist and many other cults all detract from Jesus’ Deity in some way. In everything that Pastor Dave has said in that sermon, I would say he has stepped outside of Orthodox Christianity and is preaching a false Jesus, one that cannot save.
I devoted 5 years of my life to Itown church. I do not say all this out of malice but out of concern. Believers are called to contend for the faith (Jude 3). I urge you to test all things to Scripture and see if what he is saying is true. Holdfast to the Word of God".
ITOWN CHURCH CAN NOT REWRITE HISTORY
What was done to me at Itown Church is real. I have witnesses, documentation of the facts and lots of support. I will continue to speak the truth about Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and Itown Church.... because I do not want this to happen to any other parent (or family member).
Here is my full interview with Laura Wellington of Doormat Mom, No More! on her Podcast. Thank you for your support, Laura!
If you attend Itown Church, think it is wonderful and do not think it could happen to you....think again. That is what I thought until January 23, 2020 when I innocently walked into Itown Church to say hello to my daughter who is on staff there. Though, I did nothing wrong and was only there for 10 minutes, I had my entire life turned upside down, with long standing consequences. If you are not familiar with my story you can hear it on this full episode. My message is "Never trust ANYONE with your child/teen even if they appear to be a trusted pastor....especially at Itown Church"
Praise Jesus. God will always show the evil in any and all Churches.
Itown Church has never taken responsibility for any of the harm that they have caused....not to me or any others who have walked away with long standing church hurt. But I have certainly heard Dave Sumrall say, from the stage that he and the church are being attacked. No, he is not being attacked, many are passionately responding to the hurt that they experienced at ITown "Church". If Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and Itown "Church" really cared about people, they would begin a movement to help EVERYONE that they (and their staff) have harmed.
They Are Doing Healings Now, at Itown Church?
Dave Sumrall said some interesting things in he's sermon yesterday. He read 5 testimonies from people who seemed to have praised Itown Church. 2 of the 5 claimed they were "healed" by Itown...One stated that Dave Sumrall prayed over her and magically touched her ear and healed her hearing in that ear. Oh my....They are claiming to do healings now....?
Then Dave Sumrall went on to request other people email their "stories" into them. Sounds to me like they are soliciting the congregation to provide "good stories" to off set the negative stories that are coming out about Itown Church.
This is what they posted. I think this email address might need to hear some of our stories, what do you think?
I have pondered for awhile about this story…as I have several about Itown but those involve others and prob not my story to tell. However, this one truly haunts me. When my family & I still went there, I had my 85 year old mother with us. She tripped, face planting in the sidewalk. She tripped over a portion of grass that didn’t meet the sidewalk. Her left eye immediately turned black n blue, and swelled shut. Her hands were bleeding purfusely. We have to have ambulance take her to hospital for treatment. Not ONE person from Itown called to check up on my mother. Yes, they knew her name, we gave it to the building manager. They also knee mine as well as my son’s. They knew an 85 year old woman had been injured on their property and couldn’t take the time to check on her injuries. Amongst the other mishaps with Itown, this incident really left a bad taste in my mouth.
This is disgusting to claim they can heal others. It’s shoukd be illegal
Yet where are these so called people
Healed by ITown? Not by God?
What a joke! People who go to this church do so to hang out with friends. Friends and entertainment 1st....God after.
Hey Dave the 80’s Price is Right called they want their set and wardrobe back.Sounds whacked
Dave Sumrall, you're such a fake!!! false preacher leading others to hell instead of heaven Sad, deeper and deeper of the fake branding
The Truth
About Itown Church is on
TikTok.
It has over 1.7 million total video views. (most since July 13, 2025)
If you are on TikTok followers us over there, too.
I think WASTE OF TIME.
They don’t care they have not they are not they will not take accountability
…
Keep doing YOUR THING.
YOU are getting to him Sandy. Every week his sermon contradicts YOUR truth! If it weren’t for you doing this he’d have nothing else to false preach about!
Ppl can talk here its a safe place.
Too bad they didn’t care for my mother when she face planted on sidewalk busting her face and hands and had to be transported to hospital.
Many wolves in sheep's clothing! Especially in the church from the ladies and men's gossip group to wives of elders, deacons, board and ministers! And the ministers who are power hungry, narcissistic, glory seekers, we know who they are. God knows, beware!
Where do I even begin? Served every weekend in a volunteer role. Several pastors pursued my husband for months to be on staff. While he did not feel called to be in ministry, he was told that he was clearly not listening to the Lord. One evening, he was volunteering in the room next to where ITLA was being held. He overheard Pastor Dave speaking on what it took to be on HIS platform. He said it would be a privilege to even be considered to speak on his stage. And given the opportunity, there were strict guidelines to follow. He said, "I don't care if the Holy Spirit takes over you. If you ever go one second over the time limit you will never speak again." *that was our first big red flag*
Then we transition into the Annex at Fishers HS. One afternoon while we were tearing down the stage, Pastor Dave hollered at a well known staff member that she let him down because he was completely out of his pre-workout powder. He asked her to leave the building, drive to GNC to retrieve, deliver to his house, and then return to tend to his children. (At the time, Dave and Kate were interviewing several nannies in-between and after services). She then proceeded to ask him which credit card she should use... his personal or business card. You can take a guess at which one he said. This is the day we decided to stop tithing.
The final straw was a day my husband and I weren't serving and just attending service. Dave was giving his talk about giving of your time and offering. His exact words were, "If you're not willing to give of yourself and your finances, you can give up your seat to someone who will. We don't NEED you. We can fill your seat in 2 seconds." That was the last time we ever attended itown church.
Below is a statement as short and sweet as I can get it for now. I also may have things I remember later while looking through all my photos and stuff from that time. My memory was affected by the trauma caused to me by itown Church. I did not get the opportunity to go to actual college, so I apologize if my grammar is hard to read. I'll provide my contact info at the end of this email so you can reach out to me once you've read through the information provided.
I interned with the staff of iTown Church for over 2 years and attended itown Church for approximately 5 years. Late in my high school career a friend of mine invited me to visit iTown Church, I jokingly said yes. I went and the atmosphere that was curated and man-made "perfection" drew me in by design. Some years later after being this “born again christian", I decided to attend the first ever "class" of full-time ITLA with the mutual understanding of being trained well, growing our relationship with god and then iTown Church would assist you in transitioning into the world to do full-time ministry work wherever you are feeling led. Nothing could ever surpass getting to serve god all day everyday, except making it a living. The start of this 2 year program was pure bliss to me: serving the lord all day and being around people I loved and could learn from. I was even forcing a smile after having to do cross-fit until I would throw up and then graded on said workout because at iTown Church the more physically fit you are, the closer you are to God. Around the mark of the second year is when I became aware and things started to click. I was in the office with iTown Church's staff almost always, and I was in meetings hearing about how they curate that "holy spirit feeling" for people during services, I was making spreadsheets, scrubbing toilets - you name it. I was starting an internship under Jake Baird, after finishing one interning for Heather Chaulk. Along with my internship for Jake, I would mostly fall under his assistant at the time Callie Carroll (Cahall). I didn’t understand the hell I had gotten myself into. I was paying $10,000 dollars to a church to have what little self-esteem I had mustered up over the past year slowly destroyed. Nothing was ever good enough: my ideas, my work, my dedication, my money, the countless hours. etc. They always want more and more. This all ended with a grand finale that consisted of a meeting (that no one even asked for) with Jake and Callie. In this meeting I was told to stop interning now, itown Church does not and will not want to hire me. I bawled my eyes out over how much that made me feel not good enough, but that’s fine, I never thought that was a guarantee, that was made clear from the start of the program. I was however prepared to take the resources that I paid for and was offered by iTown Church and begin a full time ministry career elsewhere. Little did I know, there were no plans of this ever happening. During my internship I became close with James and Sarah Kruse, who were about to launch their own church in Boston, MA. I used what little of my own money I had left after giving itown Church my $10,000 tuition for ITLA and went to their church launch in Boston, MA. I fell in love with the city, the people, and the vision and values the Kruse’s held. This was it. This is where I needed to be. I did all the extensive research of what it would take to uproot my whole life and take it across the country, and compiled this information for Jake, so that he could ask in what ways the church could assist me in this uprooting (not just financially, but with other resources). The answer was nothing. No help of any kind, no resources, no guidance, and no financial investment into making this happen, despite my large financial investment into the church. My work, my life, and my whole self came crashing down. Not all at once, but slowly and painfully. I was so distraught, how could I let this happen? I'm only 19 and I invested all my money into this 2 year program, and I got literally nothing in return except starting my adult life off now living in poverty. I am still living in poverty to this day. Ripped from me all at once was everything I planned my 20’s to be. I am well aware these things take time and hard work, but with the $10,000 and essentially more than full time un-paid work I had put into advancing “gods kingdom” (iTown Church) surely was enough to at least push me in the direction of even a possible ministry position. I have been a shell of who I was since this. My heart is still broken. My time, myself, and all my money I could have used to start my life were stolen. It's partially my fault for trusting any business like that. The lack of money and the psychological damage kept me from going to a real college. I'm still poor, I don't have a home to call my own and I don't get to eat but once a day most days because I can't afford it. Dave Sumrall lives in a castle. This is the deepest pain I have ever known, to the point I have almost taken my own life several times, hospitalized twice (once for 3 days and once for 7 days). I will not get into the gory details of my downward spiral, but to this day I still suffer the consequences of trusting iTown Church. I believe my life would have gone significantly different had I never knew it existed.
I am so sorry that happened to you! I went through ITLA too. It is a scam! We paid THEM to work/serve. 
You can lead a man to a Bible but you can’t make him live by the word of God.
The people that “just go there” don’t see all that really goes on. Thats what the illusion is for. The noise is loud. The lights are blinding. The decor is stunning . Childcare is provided. The manipulation is endless!
I hope everyone hurt by itown is able to find peace at church again! My heart aches for the people that no longer feel comfortable and have lost trust in churches! It hurts to know that itown has hindered peoples relationships with god! It’s the people not god!
Itown taught me firsthand that churches either have an altar or a stage.
And the choice, is intentional.
(Hint: it’s a real strong indication of WHO really wants the worship
I am saddened by the number of people who have shared that they applied for financial help through the Benevolence Fund at Itown "Church". Everyone that has shared their story here in the group or with me personally was turned down. I have been told that they make an appointment with the applicant, go over their financial information and in the end tell them that they do not qualify because they did not tithe enough. Some of these people had been volunteering at Itown numerous hours per week. These people have put their heart and soul into building Itown and then refused help when they need it. Isn't that what the fund is for? Anyone who has attended, do you know of anyone who actually received help through the Benevolence Fund at Itown?...
Okay, let me get this straight....Dave Sumrall thinks that people in our community that were hurt at Itown Church (and speak out about it) are the problem. In effect, he is saying that those people are keeping others from Jesus. He wants you to think that Itown Church is the only place where you can get that connection. He is missing the entire point. He and Itown Church are not taking responsibility for their own actions....Again, there is no accountability there and they will literally tell you that if you don't like it there, "there are a lot of other good churches in the area" and they encourage (or force) you to leave. I have had numerous people tell me that is what happened to them there. Maybe, Itown should address what the real problem is....how they treat people and how lots of people have walked away with church hurt that has lifelong consequences....including me.
Wow! Crazy as his dad
No they are the problem
Honestly, I can't comprehend why he chooses to show flashy cars and expensive clothing while teaching. The audience he draws in appears to be nothing more than money-hungry individuals. A friend of mine who worked with Dave has made it clear that his primary focus is on making money. Both of them were part of the big I-town crowd, and it's evident where Dave's priorities lie.
Why would anyone at this church be accountable for anything when they’ve done nothing wrong? That is their mindset. From the heart the mouth speaks. I think even Dave knows what he accuses others of saying about his church, is true.
Rising contributor
“ if you’re constantly surrounded by people that say ..man you go to that crazy church and you know they’re a bunch of liars and it’s a cult and God isn’t for today and everybody’s just after you for your money… all those things are made up and they planted those people and it’s all hype and it’s just emotionalism, the more you have that in your ear the less you will be able to believe. It’s important for us to make sure that we don’t have critical people in the crowd around us that are keeping us from Jesus”
CORRRRRECTION DAVE!!
It is important that YOU don’t have those critical people in YOUR crowd, keeping you from the brainwash
Please tell us WHEN is God never FOR today?
Who said that? NOBODY!
“They made it up…?”
YOU MADE IT UP.
“ they planted those people”
DAVE!! ARC is a church PLANTING network
And while we’re on it…
Tell us… WHY does Itown have an
IN DOC division PRISON MINISTRY yet they’ll call the police on you on their campus and have you arrested for asking questions.
While the left hand is busy at the prison the right hand is about to slap on the handcuffs.
WHY IS THAT DAVE??
Are they making that up too?
I’m so glad that my daughter finally walked away when Dave started preaching his homophonic rhetoric. I attended at FHS at Christmas one year and the sermon was so odd. It was obvious that the whole show revolved around the pastor’s need to feel like a celebrity. He had to make some little jokes about basketball (so the guys would pay attention), something funny about his kids, which I’m sure they’d be embarrassed to have heard (to make parents and grandparents buy in), and then he had some silly video of his staff and kids telling the story of Joseph and Mary’s trip and Jesus birth (to lower the expectations of a thought provoking sermon). All of that was clearly just “entertainment.” I preferred thought provoking sermons so I was disappointed. But then in the sermon he said that Jesus was a millionaire…. And I gasped out loud. Not another soul seemed surprised.
That’s when I was pretty sure this place was a cult.
My family and I would go to Saturday evening service when they had them a few years ago. This one afternoon, after the first Saturday evening service, my grandma was walking to the car over by the youth barn and the ground was not even with the sidewalk. There were no signs. She didn't notice, tripped over the edge of the sidewalk and went face first into the sidewalk. She is also on blood thinners so there was a lot of blood on the sidewalk. I ran into the church to find someone on the first responder team and while I was doing this, my mom called to get an ambulance to take her to the hospital. There was a fire truck and ambulance out in the parking lot helping my grandma. A church staff member comes out and stands with us. He takes our information and says the church will be reaching out to check on my grandma and to see if she needs any help. She didn't receive one call asking how she was doing or if she needed anything. The staff member probably only took our information to help protect themselves. We could have went after the church because of the negligence on their part, but we didn't want to do that because at that time, Itown was our church. Its still upsetting to this day to know they don't care about those who are in their congregation.
My Child was in one of the Sumrall kids classes, and the child was showing off their new $400 Nike shoes.
The Foster Closet is overstocked with hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory and its all a chaotic Mess
Dave and Kate live in a 3 million dollar mansion, with guest house, basketball court, pool, 8 bedrooms, and 40 car garage. They recently removed any of their public information. They never go anywhere in public and their kids aren't allowed any contact with social media or the internet. Their kids wear T shirts over bathing suits to swim on the Beach!
Dave has a special blocked off area at Olson farms that's filled with luxury clothes, shows, suits, food, furniture, and no one is allowed in without ringing the buzzer
Just thought I’d send you a quick message after watching your part 11 on tik tok. I certainly do not share a similar experience with you but have had some feelings about itown church for some time. We visited a couple times. I think probably early 2020 leading into an election year and just before COVID really hit. There were some things said during the service by various worship/prayer leaders that I felt were politically charged and definitely sent a message about who church leaders felt this congregation should be supporting politically. Regardless of one’s political beliefs, I felt this was inappropriate for Sunday service. Then Covid happened. As you mentioned, there was some controversy about how itown handled things in that setting. As I recall it, they were late to the game in shutting things down, continued with the small services, and when they opened back up…did not do anything of significance to encourage or enforce masking or social distancing. I am a nurse and at the time, I was working here in one of the Fishers hospitals. It really appeared to me (and my coworkers) that we were admitting a lot/disproportionate amount of itown members for Covid. Some of them were very sad and quite serious situations. Now you might wonder how a nurse would even know where someone they are admitting goes to church. As a population, this group was very vocal about where they went, that god was going to protect them, and that they weren’t going to be scared into masking, social distancing, etc. Now based on where we live, I get that these views may be somewhat common, so to some extent this may have just been something to be chalked up to living in a very red county in a very red state. But the message from these folks was so consistent that it seemed evident that to some extent, it was likely rhetoric they were hearing from leadership within that church. It got to the point where many of my coworkers (who do not necessarily live here in fishers and/or have any familiarity with itown) would come out of a room and say “well, I just admitted another one from the cult”. And everyone knew exactly what that meant. I also incidentally learned some details about the pastor purchasing his high dollar home which, if I remember correctly, happened during Covid. I remember thinking how appalling it was that he would make this very extravagant purchase (regardless of anyone’s beliefs beliefs/opinions on pastor salaries) at a time when many in his congregation were likely unable to work, losing their jobs, and uncertain about their financial futures. Extraordinarily insane to promote behavior that could jeopardize his congregation’s health, seemingly lack all awareness that people were scared and struggling with their financial situations/future, and then use money that had likely come largely from these very people to purchase a million dollar home. I had heard such great things about this church and was excited when they built right near my home. Now I am disgusted every time I see it. I am confident in saying they do not know, love, and serve the same Jesus that I do in that building.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. This is how I feel about there. All the lights, loud music, too many people trying to pull you in and a building for you to get lost in. It’s like a devils playground with a bunch of lions roaring at you… waiting for the weakest link to appear to eat you alive. I went there before and would never go back again.
I went there during covid Dave was saying something like the devil wants to seperate people and people have the most power when there are groups and we should all get together still and pray together and they aren't gonna be shut down...
Hi! I just wanted to introduce myself! Excuse the grammar and punctuation! 
Like many I have had my own experience with iTown. I actually went through their ITLA program (leadership development) and I was interning. While I was on a mission trip to the LA dream center. We had a free day. So we went to the beach there was a Zoltar from the 1988 movie, Big. (I had not seen one in person before) I got excited and I stuck a dollar in it. One day we were on a walk to get lunch. myself and someone else walked into a vape shop(not a THC shop) so she could ask to use their restroom. I bought a coil for my vape that had burnt out in my suitcase. I am a recovering addict. I have worked hard many for years to make a new life. I had quite smoking cigarettes because I wanted to grow more with them. After that they decided to send me home from the mission trip that all my friends and family paid for and took my internship away because of “witchcraft” and “smoking” because I was “keeping it a secret” when I had been talking to my pastor about and working with him and his wife on it. When I went in to meet with the pastor That was reviewing my internship. He straight up, accuse me of lying and no matter how I explained it to him. So I got shitty him and I started asking him about his sins. Asked him how many times he watched porn or yelled and his wife and how many alcoholic beverages he had a week. And of course those questions weren’t answered. I walked out never looked back. This just a little bit of my story.
I also learned in ITLA that Dave doesn’t write his own sermons. Pastor Adam writes most of them. They also just reuse them once someone has been there long enough you will be able to point them out. Some just change a few things but mostly the same.
Witchcraft?? What have THEY been smoking?!
This is the opposite of Christianity. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
Did anyone else leave Northeast when iTown took it over? They deliberately drove out 80 percent of the congregation.
There is a Redditt feed about Itown Church.....interesting....
See more at this link:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Indiana/comments/1m8c1tr/itown/
I have watched many times on TV so today I figured I would attend the Bluffton campus. After service I had a question for the so called leader and right in the middle of my question he walked away to talk to two women walking out. Literally stop them in their tracks to see if they have their welcome gift. Totally ignored that I was even standing there when he reached around me to get the bag for their welcome gift and their sign in information. This kind of action shows he does not have no reason to be in leadership. Like I said, today was the first time at that church. I will not be going back. I've had a relationship with the Lord for many years and I could not feel the holy Spirit to even move me to stay. I left immediately. Please if you attend this church lady's watch out
I live in Bluffton… I will never attend this “church” but I’m floored after hours and hours of reading and researching this “business” (it’s a business to profit not a church)… I keep seeing their $70,000 brand new black Chevy Silverados wrapped w the iTown logo driving all over town… how many people could be helped just w the cost of ONE brand new Chevy Silverado cruising thru Bluffton… the parking lot is PACKED each service every single Sunday with parking control officers waving and smiling at everyone driving by on HWY 1… I am ashamed that my fellow townspeople support and congregate to this cult like a flock of lost sheep… it’s just a sad sad shame
Don’t even get me started on the different pair of Jordans he wears each week
This is beyond disturbing, all of it. Churches are supposed to be a resource and help people. Unfortunately, this church, along with many others, don’t care about people, and the pastor continues to bask in wealth. I stopped going to my church several years ago after an entire sermon was shaming everyone to give more money to the church. I walked out in complete shock, disgust, and feeling disappointed.
Glad your not at that demonic place any longer! The holy spirit showed you just who they are. Follow that!
I switched churches a couple years ago because of an incident that happened to me when I worked there, which I’ll explain later. I now attend Heartland Church and saw Pastor Chris Brown and his family and Ashley Geheb now attend Heartland and they used to be very big there at ITOWN. Does anyone know what happened to them and why they don’t go to itown anymore?
Hi! I'm new to this group. I recently joined because my son and daughter-in-law joined ITown Church in May 2021 with my 10 yr old granddaughter. We was a very close family and by late Oct. 2021 they blocked everyon in our family and in hers. They say we are all toxic and that they were told by the church you forgive and love from afar. I have not seen them since then. They even changed there phone # no contact since late 2021. My granddaughter is now 14. Has completely destroyed our family. I go to church and I am in a recovery group healing through Christ it is a 12 step program and that is not what our recovery group books say you handle problems. In our group you ask for forgiveness through Christ and then forgive others, do Amends, the Reconciliation if possible. So sad that a church is ministering to remove toxic people even if it’s family. You can not agree with what others say or think and be labeled toxic. Our whole family (parents 55-57, grandparents 85-87, cousins, aunts&uncles) not including her whole family removed from their lives.
I've waived over posting my story for months. There's so much to say about the church but in the sake of seeming a disgruntled employee, I'll say this... I wanted to work for Connect Classes to help families, teachers, and kids to be in control of education for their kids. I really wanted things to work out and I believed in the mission. However, I got caught up in what I was told to do (despite the ethics) and wanted to do what was the "mission." I came to realize it was not biblical and very hypocritical. I quit when my boss would yell at me in private and change rules according to how much a family gave in tithes to the church. When I asked why 12 people quit within 2 weeks, I was told it was because of "Satan."
I just want to say that if I ever offended you or upset you, I'm so sorry. I got so caught up in the business of ITOWN church that I lost the purpose for why I was there.
Please forgive me.
So sorry, scary the control they have. I don't understand how they stay open. They are not a church of Jesus!
So sorry to hear ! We work with foster children and our goal as it is God's goal is to restore the family unit and not cut them off . A church is not suppose to do this ! God wants to see restoration in families ! Praying !
Isn't it scary how these itown people who are obviously deciphals of the devl, can rip families apart?! Wake up people! God doesn't want this! You're following Satan!
Noooo it is not good / I would rather leave my kid at Applebees unattended
Anonymous member 992 No dont put your kids there
I served at itown and went there for several years. I worked at the daycare for a year and a half or so. When my dad died i had ZERO people reach out to me to see how I was doing. Even had the director tell me if i wanted to keep my son there for the rest of the month (i had to quit) then i needed to pay the rest of that months tuition full price. Someone even offered to pay it for me and she didn’t let them. Keep in mind my siblings and I had to pay for the funeral out of pocket and i had to take my 7 month old at the time to the funeral home because not a single person offered me help. They don’t care about you if you’re not a member there. They fired teachers who weren’t attending itown because they “didn’t fit the vision”
Run don't walk, grab your child and run away
I would not go anywhere near that cult
Anonymous member 953The older kids are expected to help in every corner possible. They don’t get paid and are told to deal with the issues and not bother the parents during service times. The stuff the teachers kids is CRAZY!! They told my child if he doesn’t tell his friends about God and they don’t go to church, they will all burn after death. Every day..all day. It will hurt so bad. Also, God will judge them for not spreading his word and that will be a determining factor if they get in or not.
The so called security are creepy and perverted. They look at women like a three course meal. The women who work there treat you like 2nd class citizens. I would never walk my family through those doors again.
If you are asking about Itown's Day Care....there have been numerous people who have posted about their negative experiences there. I have also had a lot of conversations with parents and ex-employees....so do not ignore the Red Flags! There are multiple issues at Itown Church, including their Day Care. After my horrible experience, my advice is do not trust ANYONE with your child or teen, even if they appear to be a trusted pastor, especially at Itown Church!
* there are multiple posts and videos in this group explaining what happened to me. If you have any questions, reach out to me directly.
Anonymous member 988
Noooo it is not good / I would rather leave my kid at Applebees unattended
Anonymous member 992No dont put your kids there
I served at itown and went there for several years. I worked at the daycare for a year and a half or so. When my dad died i had ZERO people reach out to me to see how I was doing. Even had the director tell me if i wanted to keep my son there for the rest of the month (i had to quit) then i needed to pay the rest of that months tuition full price. Someone even offered to pay it for me and she didn’t let them. Keep in mind my siblings and I had to pay for the funeral out of pocket and i had to take my 7 month old at the time to the funeral home because not a single person offered me help. They don’t care about you if you’re not a member there. They fired teachers who weren’t attending itown because they “didn’t fit the vision”
Run don't walk, grab your child and run away
I would not go anywhere near that cult
Anonymous member 953
The older kids are expected to help in every corner possible. They don’t get paid and are told to deal with the issues and not bother the parents during service times. The stuff the teachers kids is CRAZY!! They told my child if he doesn’t tell his friends about God and they don’t go to church, they will all burn after death. Every day..all day. It will hurt so bad. Also, God will judge them for not spreading his word and that will be a determining factor if they get in or not.
The so called security are creepy and perverted. They look at women like a three course meal. The women who work there treat you like 2nd class citizens. I would never walk my family through those doors again.
If you are asking about Itown's Day Care....there have been numerous people who have posted about their negative experiences there. I have also had a lot of conversations with parents and ex-employees....so do not ignore the Red Flags! There are multiple issues at Itown Church, including their Day Care. After my horrible experience, my advice is do not trust ANYONE with your child or teen, even if they appear to be a trusted pastor, especially at Itown Church!
* there are multiple posts and videos in this group explaining what happened to me. If you have any questions, reach out to me directly.
February 6, 2026
Join us for United 2026,
hosted at our Olson Farms campus–a powerful
marriage conference
designed to encourage, equip, and strengthen
married couples.
Pastors Dave and Kate
will be sharing
Powerful Biblical Truths
to
Help Build
Strong, healthy Relationships
and provide
practical encouragement for
Your Marriage
Whether you are newlywed or have been
married for decades,
United
has something for everyone
In the biblical context,
"uncleanness"
Refers to a state of ritual impurity
that prevents
individuals from participating in
certain religious activities
and requires
specific purification rites.
This concept is primarily found in the
Old Testament,
particularly within the
Mosaic Law,
and is associated with
both
physical and moral dimensions
Old Testament Context
The concept of uncleanness is extensively detailed in the Pentateuch, especially in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. Uncleanness can arise from various sources, including contact with certain animals, bodily discharges, skin diseases, and contact with dead bodies. Leviticus 11-15 provides comprehensive regulations on what constitutes uncleanness and the necessary steps for purification.
For example,
Leviticus 11 outlines dietary laws, declaring certain animals unclean and unfit for consumption. "You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you" (Leviticus 11:8). Similarly, Leviticus 15 addresses bodily discharges, stating, "When a man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean" (Leviticus 15:2).
Uncleanness also extends to moral and ethical behavior. In Leviticus 18, God commands the Israelites to avoid the practices of the surrounding nations, which are described as defiling: "Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves" (Leviticus 18:24).
Purification Rites
The process of purification from uncleanness often involved washing with water, offering sacrifices, and waiting for a specified period. For instance, after touching a dead body, an individual was required to undergo a purification process involving the ashes of a red heifer mixed with water
(Numbers 19:11-13).
New Testament Perspective
In the New Testament, the focus shifts from ritual uncleanness to moral and spiritual purity. Jesus Christ challenged the Pharisaic emphasis on external rituals, emphasizing the importance of inner purity. In Mark 7:15, Jesus teaches, "Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, but what comes out of a man, that is what defiles him."
The Apostle Paul also addresses uncleanness, often in the context of moral impurity. In Galatians 5:19, he lists "sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery" as acts of the sinful nature. Paul urges believers to live by the Spirit and avoid such behaviors, emphasizing the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in leading a life of holiness.
Theological Significance
Uncleanness in the Bible underscores the holiness of God and the need for His people to be set apart. The laws concerning uncleanness served as a constant reminder of the separation between the holy and the profane, pointing to the need for atonement and reconciliation with God. Through Christ's atoning work, believers are cleansed from all unrighteousness, as stated in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The biblical teaching on uncleanness ultimately points to the necessity of a pure heart and a life dedicated to God, reflecting His holiness in both conduct and character.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Uncleanness
The distinctive idea attached to ceremonial uncleanness among the Hebrews was that it cut a person off for the time from social privileges, and left his citizenship among God's people for the while in abeyance. There is an intense reality in the fact of the divine law taking hold of a man by the ordinary infirmities of flesh, and setting its stamp, as it were, in the lowest clay of which he is moulded. The sacredness attached to the human body is parallel to that which invested the ark of the covenant itself. It is as though Jehovah thereby would teach men that the "very hairs of their head were all numbered" before him and that "in his book were all their members written."
Thus was inculcated so to speak
A bodily Holiness
Nor were the Israelites to be only "separated from other people," but they were to be "holy to God,"
(Leviticus 20:24,26)
"a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation."
The importance to physical well-being of the injunctions which required frequent ablution, under whatever special pretexts, can be but feebly appreciated in our cooler and damper climate. Uncleanness, as referred to men, may be arranged in three degrees:
That which defiled merely "until even." and was removed by bathing and washing the clothes at the end of it; such were all contacts with dead animals. That graver sort which defiled for seven days, and was removed by the use of the "water of separation;" such were all defilements connected with the human corpse. Uncleanness from the morbid perpetual or menstrual state, lasting as long as that morbid state lasted; and in the case of leprosy lasting often for life. As the human person was itself the seat of a covenant token, so male and female had each their ceremonial obligations in proportion to their sexual differences.
There is an emphatic reminder of human weakness in the fact of birth and death-man's passage alike into and out of his mortal state--
being marked with a stated pollution
The corpse bequeathed a defilement of seven days to all who handled it, to the "tent" or chamber of death, and to sundry things within it. Nay, contact with one slain in the field of battle or with even a human bone or grave, was no less effectual to pollute than that with a corpse dead by the course of nature.
(Numbers 19:11-18)
This shows
that the source of pollution
lay in the
mere fact of death
The duration of defilement caused by the birth of a female infant being double that due to a male, extending respectively to eighty and forty days in All, (Leviticus 12:2-5) may perhaps represent the woman's heavier share in the first sin and first curse. (Genesis 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:14)
Among causes of defilement should be noticed the fact that the ashes of the red heifer burnt whole which were mixed with water and became the standing resource for purifying uncleanness in the second degree, themselves became a source of defilement to all who were clean, even as of purification to the unclean, and so the water.
Somewhat similarly the scapegoat, who bore away the sins of the people, defiled him who led him into the wilderness, and the bringing forth aid burning the sacrifice on the Great Day of Atonement had a similar power.
This lightest form of uncleanness was expiated by bathing the body and washing the clothes.
Besides the water of purification made as afore said, men and women, in their "issues," were, after seven days, reckoned from the cessation of the disorder, to bring two turtle-doves or young pigeons to be killed by the priests.
All these kinds of uncleanness disqualified for holy functions: as the layman so affected might not approach the congregation and the sanctuary, so any priest who incurred defilement must abstain from holy things.
(Leviticus 22:2-8) [LEPER, LEPROSY]
The religion of the persians shows a singularly close correspondence with the Levitical code.
Ephesians 5:3
But sexual immorality, and
all uncleanness,
or
covetousness,
let it
not even be mentioned
among you,
as
becomes saints;
The Truth will Set You Free
So He said to the Jews who
had believed Him,
“If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered.
“We have never been slaves to anyone. How can You say we will be set free?”…
Leviticus 15:24
And if a man lie with her at all, and the uncleanness of her separation come upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.
Leviticus 15:25
"'If a woman has a discharge of her blood many days not in the time of her period, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her period; all the days of the discharge of her uncleanness shall be as in the days of her period: she is unclean.
Leviticus 15:26
Every bed whereon she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her period: and everything whereon she sits shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her period.
Leviticus 15:30
The priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before Yahweh for the uncleanness of her discharge.
Leviticus 15:31
"'Thus you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, so they will not die in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is in their midst.'"
Leviticus 15:32
This 'is' the law of him who hath an issue, and of him whose seed of copulation goeth out from him, for uncleanness thereby,
Leviticus 16:16
and he shall make atonement for the Holy Place,
because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel,
and because of their transgressions,
even all their sins; and so he shall do for
the Tent of Meeting, that dwells
with them in the midst of their uncleanness.
In the modern era, zoologists have applied the idiom to the
use of aggressive mimicry by predators,
whether the disguise
is as the prey itself, or as a different but harmless species.
The phrase originates in the
Sermon on the Mount
by
Jesus recorded in the Christian
New Testament:
"Beware of false prophets, which come
to you
in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly
they are ravening wolves"
The sermon then
suggests that their true nature
will be
revealed by their actions
("by their fruits shall ye know them", verse 16).
In the centuries following, the phrase was used many times in
the writings of the Church Fathers
Hidden Agenda
Their actions, while seeming kind, are
driven by
selfishness, control, or malice
.
Lack of Genuine Fruit
They may talk of virtue but their lives do not exhibit
humility or spiritual fruit
They are unwilling to submit to God's Authority or
be held accountable for their actions.
Exploitative Behavior
They may prey on vulnerable individuals, particularly in financial Context
or Exploit Personal
Dignity to Abuse and Steal Spiritual Control
The term is frequently used to describe corrupt politicians,
deceptive salespeople,
or abusive individuals masking their
true nature.
The phrase appears across literature to signify
hidden dangers
behind polite, harmless facades.
Communication
Deception of woman, with self-portrait
Interpersonal Deception Theory
explores the interrelation between
communicative context and sender and receiver cognitions
and behaviors in deceptive exchanges.
Some forms of deception include:
Lies: making up information or giving information that is the opposite or very different from the truth.
Equivocations: making an indirect, ambiguous, or contradictory statement.
Concealments: omitting information that is important or relevant to the given context, or engaging in behavior that helps hide relevant information.
Exaggerations: overstatement or stretching the truth to a degree.
Understatements: minimization or downplaying aspects of the truth.
Untruths: misinterpreting the truth. Buller and Burgoon (1996) have proposed three taxonomies
to distinguish motivations for deception based on their Interpersonal Deception Theory:
Instrumental: to avoid punishment or to protect resources
Relational: to maintain relationships or bonds
Identity: to preserve "face" or the self-image
Appearance Mimicry
In the biological world, mimicry involves deception by similarity to another organism, or to a natural object. Animals for example may deceive predators or prey by visual, auditory or other means.
Camouflage
Main article: Camouflage
This wallaby has adaptive colouration which allows it to blend with its environment.
The camouflage of a physical object often works by breaking up the visual boundary of that object. This usually involves colouring the camouflaged object with the same colours as the background against which the object will be hidden.
Military camouflage as a form of visual deception is a part of many campaigns.
Disguise
Main article: Disguise
Disguises are used to create the impression of a false appearance.
In romantic relationships
There are three primary motivations for deception in relationships.
Partner-focused motives
Using deception to avoid hurting the partner, to help the partner to enhance or maintain their self-esteem, to avoid worrying the partner, and to protect the partner's relationship with a third party. Partner-focused motivated deception can sometimes be viewed as socially polite and relationally beneficial, such as telling white lies to avoid hurting your partner. Although other, less common, partner-focused motives such as using to deception to evoke jealous reactions from their partner may have damaging effects on a relationship.
Self-focused motives
Using deception to enhance or protect one's own self-image, maintain or establish their autonomy, avoid constrictions, unwanted activities, or impositions, shield themselves from anger, embarrassment, or criticism, or resolve an argument. Another common self-focused motive for deception, is a continuation of deception in order to avoid being caught in a previous deception. Self-focused deception is generally perceived as a more serious transgression than partner-focused deception, because the deceiver is acting for selfish reasons rather than for the good of the partner or relationship.
Relationship-focused motives
Using deception to limit relationship harm by avoiding conflict or relational trauma.
Relationally motivated deception can be beneficial to a relationship, and other times it can be harmful by further complicating matters. Deception may also be used to facilitate the dissolution of an unwanted relationship.
People who negotiate feel more tempted to use deceit. In negotiation, it includes both parties to trust and respect one another. In negotiations, one party is unaware of what is going on in the other side of the thing that needs to be negotiated. Deception in negotiation comes in many forms, and each has its reaction (Gaspar et al.,2019).
Price reservation: Not stating the real budget or price that one has in mind.
Misrepresentation of interests: Getting interests if the buyer seems desperate.
Fabrication of facts: This is the most immoral part, where the person lies about materials, misleading information to get a sale.
Omitting relevance:
Not stating something that is helpful to know: for example, a car can be like new but it does not help if the seller omits the fact that there is a problem with the transmission.
For legal purposes, deceit is a tort that occurs when a person makes a factual misrepresentation, knowing that it is false (or having no belief in its truth and being reckless as to whether it is true) and intending it to be relied on by the recipient, and the recipient acts to his or her detriment in reliance on it. Deceit may also be grounds for legal action in contract law (known as misrepresentation, or if deliberate, fraudulent misrepresentation),
or a criminal prosecution, on the basis of fraud
Deception impacts the perception of a relationship in a variety of ways, for both the deceiver and the deceived. The deceiver typically perceives less understanding and intimacy from the relationship, in that they see their partner as less empathetic and more distant.
The act of deception can also result in feelings of distress for the deceiver, which become worse the longer the deceiver has known the deceived, as well as in longer-term relationships. Once discovered, deception creates feelings of detachment and uneasiness surrounding the relationship for both partners; this can eventually lead to both partners becoming more removed from the relationship or deterioration of the relationship.
In general, discovery of deception can result in a decrease in relationship satisfaction and commitment level, however, in instances where a person is successfully deceived, relationship satisfaction can actually be positively impacted for the person deceived, since lies are typically used to
make the other partner feel more positive about the relationship.
In general, deception tends to occur less often in relationships with higher satisfaction
and commitment levels and in relationships where partners have known each other longer,
Not by my own will but the shepherd's folly
The beast reared by me will make me his prey,
For gratitude cannot change nature
Jesus's saying, "Don't cast your pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6), means to use discernment when sharing holy, precious things (like spiritual truth or wisdom) and not to offer them to those who will not appreciate or understand them, but will instead trample on them and attack you, as pigs would with valuable
pearls, potentially leading to ridicule and harm. It's a warning to avoid wasting sacred truths on those who are cynical, hostile, or unwilling to receive them, urging believers to move on when the message isn't welcome, just as they would shake dust off their feet.
While responsibilities vary, common themes for men include providing (financially and emotionally), protecting (family's well-being), leading (guiding family with love and example), teaching/mentoring, and self-discipline, often emphasizing responsibility towards family, self, and community.
These roles focus on nurturing, guiding, and ensuring the security and growth of loved ones, alongside personal integrity and community involvement, reflecting traditional and faith-based perspectives.
A man who doesn't care for his child (or family) is 1 Timothy 5:8:
"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel". This verse emphasizes that failing to provide for one's family, including children, is a serious moral failure, worse than what even non-believers would do, as it shows a denial of Christian principles.
Provider & Protector:
Financially supporting the family and safeguarding their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, offering security and stability.
Leader & Guide:
Taking initiative to guide the family, making decisions, and setting a positive example, often through servant leadership.
Husband & Father (Caregiver):
Loving, respecting, and nurturing his wife, and actively participating in the raising, teaching, and emotional support of his children.
Teacher & Role Model:
Instilling values, character, and life skills in children and others through both words and actions, demonstrating integrity.
Self-Discipline & Personal Growth:
Managing emotions, taming passions, controlling behavior, and pursuing personal growth to better serve others.
Romans 1:32 : "Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things but also approve of those who practice them." This verse highlights the severity of complicity, where even approving of sin is seen as participating in it.
1 Corinthians 5:6 : "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?" Paul warns the Corinthian church about the dangers of allowing sin to persist within the community, as it can corrupt the entire body, implicating all in the sin.
Ephesians 5:11 : "Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Believers are called to separate themselves from sinful actions and to actively expose them, avoiding any form of complicity.
2 John 1:11 : "Anyone who greets him shares in his wicked work." This verse warns against even seemingly minor forms of complicity, such as offering support or encouragement to those who are engaged in false teachings or sinful practices.
The biblical teaching on complicity underscores the importance of personal integrity and the call to holiness. Believers are urged to maintain a clear distinction between righteousness and sin, avoiding any association that might lead to shared guilt. The Scriptures consistently call for active resistance to sin, both in personal conduct and in the broader community, emphasizing the need for vigilance and moral courage.
Psalm 50:18
When you saw a thief, then you consented with him, and have been partaker with adulterers.
Proverbs 29:24
Whoever is partner with a thief hates his own soul: he hears cursing, and denudes it not.
Romans 1:32
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
2 John 1:10,11
If there come any to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
Deuteronomy 4
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God,
and you will find Him
if you search for Him
with all your heart and all your soul.”
Pursue God and you will
discover that
He has been pursuing you
God is not finished yet;
this is about revival. This is about who is pursuing whom.
"As
there is need,
that it may
minister Grace
to the hearers"
The GOAL
is to be TIMELY and situationally
appropriate,
using WORDS to impart
God's favor, kindness, and help
to those listening, making
your speech a blessing.
666
the "number of a man,"
associated
with an apocalyptic figure of evil that causes
Death and Persecution
Revelation 13:18, it is a human number
7
is the number of perfection
(God),
while 6 is the
Number of Man
(created on the 6th day)
The repetition 666 signifies total imperfection,
falling short
of
God's holiness,
and a
human
attempting to deify himself
"Let no corrupt communication
proceed
out of your mouth"
This prohibits speech that is abusive and dishonest
Compared to decaying
Fruit
IT'S HAPPENING
THERE ARE HUMAN BEINGS EXISTING TODAY
THAT KILL,
STEAL, AND DESTROY
COMPLICIT IN UNSPEAKABLE, HIDDEN, TRICKERY,
BLASPHEMOUS,
MANIPULATIVE, ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR
MISUSE OF POWER
AND HARMING FAMILES, PREACHING
A FALSE GOSPEL
WHILE GROWING IN REVENUE
PROLONGING DESTRUCTIVE TRAUMA,
FAILING TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY
COVERING UP TRUTH, SECRECY,
TRESSPASSING, SPYING, IMMORALITY,
HARMING SOCIETY TO SERVE FALSE GODS
DISHONEST AND CORRUPT
NO EXCUSES
FOR
EVERYONE INVOLVED
WE ALL KNOW
WHO THE VICTIMS ARE AND WHO
PARTICIPATES IN
THE ABOMINATION
Complicity,
the participation or involvement
in wrongdoing or sin, The Scriptures
Provide numerous insights
into the
nature of complicity
emphasizing the importance of
personal
Responsibility and the Consequences
of
Being
Complicit in the Sins of others.'
1. Exodus 23:2 : "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd." This verse warns against joining others in wrongdoing, highlighting the danger of collective sin and the importance of standing firm in righteousness.
2. Leviticus 19:17 : "You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him." Here, the Scripture emphasizes the responsibility to confront sin rather than silently condoning it, which would make one complicit.
3. Proverbs 1:10-15 : "My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them. If they say, 'Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause...' my son, do not walk the road with them or set foot upon their path." This passage advises against joining in the schemes of the wicked, underscoring the importance of avoiding complicity in their actions.
God’s Word reveals the source
of the evil
so prevalent in our world
That source is a powerful spirit being—a kind of super-angel--
who once served God
but rebelled and now hates God and everything He stands for.
The Bible refers to this being as
Satan the devil,
words that mean “enemy” or “adversary” and “slanderer.”
The apostle Peter calls him “your enemy the devil”
(1 Peter 5:8, New International Version, emphasis added throughout).
The Bible reveals that these words describe him well.
That’s what he is, and that’s what he does.
Jesus Christ referred to this being as “a murderer from the beginning” and “the father of [lies]” (John 8:44).
If you believe Jesus is real, you must believe Satan is also real because Jesus repeatedly affirms his existence!
The Bible clearly shows that our cultures and societies are powerfully influenced by Satan. The apostle John writes that “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Every human civilization has been seduced by this evil being’s insidious lies and deception. The tragic result has been thousands of years of misery and suffering.
Satan’s deception is so pervasive that the Bible calls him “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4). In the original Greek wording here, the apostle Paul identifies him as the theos—the god, the one who is worshiped—of this aeon, this age, this era in mankind’s history. Jesus himself calls Satan “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31).
Consider what this reveals about Satan’s influence—that most of humanity unwittingly follows and worships the devil as its god.
Most assume much of humanity worships
the God of the Bible.
But God Himself clearly tells us that’s not true,
that mankind as a whole follows
in the footsteps of a different god—a lying
and deceptive god!
Understanding these sobering truths explains so much of what is so terribly wrong with our world. Paul explained that, because of Satan’s unseen grip on mankind, most people fail to understand or accept the truth of the Bible. They do not understand or believe the gospel—the wonderful good news—of God’s incredible plan for mankind.
As Paul put it, “. . . The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ . . .” 2 Corinthians 4:
But the true followers of God are never without hope, “because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
God gives us the knowledge and help we need to resist Satan in every way. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you,” He tells us. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”
(James 4:7).
Arm yourself with the knowledge
of your
enemy revealed in this issue
and stand against him with
God’s help
Nothing could be more important!
The
"world of the occult"
Practice of hidden, esoteric, or supernatural
knowledge,
It covers, but is not
limited to,
divination, magic, and spiritism
Occultists seek to gain spiritual insight, influence personal circumstances, or acquire power
Satanism is not easily
defined.
There are
several "divisions" of
Satanism
The symbols associated
with the
Mark of the Beast,
SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST
Book of Revelation,
Are its placement on the
right hand
or forehead, the number
666,
and its function as a sign of allegiance to the Beast/Antichrist and economic control, preventing buying or selling without it, serving as a counterfeit to God's seal. While some interpret it literally (microchips, tattoos), many see it symbolically as a representation of one's loyalty and behavior, contrasting with the faithful's seal of God.
Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23–27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 1:17–18). To guard against falsehood and false teachers, it’s important to know the truth and know the characteristics of the counterfeit. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine.
Jesus said, “A tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). So, believers are to be fruit inspectors. Knowing the look, texture, and taste of a healthy apple is important. So is knowing the look, texture, and taste—and smell—of a rotten one. Here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:
1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called “blessed.” In 2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus’ humanity. First John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”
2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).
3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 1:11 says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).
For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.
In contrast to Christians, Satanists themselves disagree on their very fundamental principles. Christians may differ in opinion or conviction about interpretation of certain Bible passages, but they believe the same foundational principle that Jesus is God’s Son who paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Satanists argue among themselves whether Satan even exists and whether they are worshiping him or themselves. In essence, they are a confused group bound by lies. John 8:44 perhaps applies to Satanists: “You belong to your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
It is because of these lies that there is a plethora of ideologies within Satanism. Some of Satanism’s practices are constant, and Satanists' unity is found more in rituals than in an underlying belief system. Satanists do certain things; they do not have to believe certain things.
Most Satanists, devil worshipers, diabolists, Luciferians, and members of the Church of Satan claim to have roots in LaVeyan Satanism, named after Anton LaVey, the author of the Satanic Bible and founder of the first Church of Satan. LaVey presumably started the First Church of Satan in 1966. As a self-proclaimed authority on everything evil, he began giving weekly lectures at a cost of $2.00 per person. And thus the Church of Satan was born.
The basic commonality in all the branches of Satanism is a promotion of self. All forms of Satanism claim that life exists to consume and that selfishness is a virtue. Some Satanists hold that the only existence they will ever know is here on Earth. Thus, devil worshipers live for the moment, and their creed is gluttony and debauchery.
Satanism pledges its allegiance to Satan, even while some in the Church of Satan believe that no God or devil exists. Most in the Church of Satan also believe that there is no redeemer for them or anyone else. Each person is fully responsible for the path of his own life. Still, they pray to Satan in rituals, asking for his sovereign hand to be manifest in their lives. This kind of thinking reveals the influence of lies and deceptions in their philosophy. Whether Satanists believe in him or not is irrelevant to Satan. The end result is the same—their souls are in bondage to him, and, unless God’s grace intervenes, they will experience eternity in hell.
In short, Satanism may or may not involve worshiping Satan, but it is a conscious effort to NOT worship the one true God. Romans 1 gives a clear look into the heart and motives of a Satanist. They have “depraved minds to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness” (vv 28-29). People who have been misled by Satan into this lifestyle have a hard time understanding God’s concept of grace and freedom. Instead, they live for themselves, by themselves.
Second Peter 2 contains a warning to anyone who would follow after Satanism or any other thing rather than God: “These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity” (vv. 17-19).
Wicca is a neo-pagan religion that has been growing in popularity and acceptance in the United States and Europe. There are many websites and books claiming to teach “real” Wicca, but the truth is, there is no consensus among Wiccans as to what the religion is all about. The reason for this is that Wicca, as it is practiced now, is only about 50 years old. Wicca is a belief system that Briton Gerald Gardner cobbled together in the 1940s and 1950s from a variety of religious traditions and beliefs as well as Freemason rituals. Since Gardner published several books espousing his system of worship, many offshoots and variations of Wicca have sprung up. Some Wiccans are polytheistic, worshiping more than one deity, while others worship only the “God” or the “Goddess.” Still other Wiccans worship nature, and call it Gaea, after the Greek earth goddess. Some Wiccans pick and choose parts of Christian doctrine to embrace, while others totally reject Christianity. Most practitioners of Wicca believe in reincarnation.
Most Wiccans will vehemently deny that Satan is part of their pantheon, citing major doctrinal differences between themselves and Satanists. Wiccans generally promote moral relativity, disdaining labels like “good” and “evil” and “right” or “wrong.” Wicca has one law or rule, called the Rede: “Do what ye will, harm ye none.” At first blush, the Rede seems like complete, uninhibited personal license. You can do whatever you want, as long as no one gets hurt; however, Wiccans are quick to point out that the ripple effect of one’s actions can carry far-reaching consequences. They articulate this principle in the Three-fold Law, which says, "All good that a person does to another returns three-fold in this life; harm is also returned three-fold."
One major factor that contributes to the abiding fascination with Wicca is the purported use of spells and magick (a deliberate misspelling intended to separate Wiccans from magicians and illusionists). Curiosity seekers, as well as spiritual neophytes, are most eager to delve into these mysteries. Not all Wiccans practice witchcraft, but those that do claim magick is to them what prayer is to a Christian. The difference between the two is that Wiccans claim magick is simply using their minds to control matter, or they are appealing to their favorite deity to do them a favor, while Christians call upon an omnipotent, omnipresent God to heal people and to intervene and work in their lives. Because the Rede disallows witches from hurting others and the Three-fold Law spells out the consequences for Rede-breakers, witches who practice magick prefer to call themselves “nature witches” or “white witches” to further distance themselves from Satanists.
Wicca is basically a religion that is about minding your own business and living peaceably with your neighbors and environment. Wiccans are eager to draw parallels between themselves and biblical Christianity for the sake of earning credibility, but what does the Bible have to say about this religion? You won’t find the word “wicca” in the Bible, so let’s evaluate the beliefs in light of what God says about them.
Wiccan spells are idolism--Romans 1:25 says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things, rather than the Creator…” Who wants to settle for second best? In Isaiah 40, God paints a picture of how much greater the Creator is than His creation. If you are worshiping anything besides the Creator, you are not only spinning your wheels, you are guilty of idolatry.
Wiccan spells bring false hope. Hebrews 9:27 says, “…Man is destined to die once, after that, to face judgment.” God says we get one chance at life, and that is it. There are no do-overs. If we don’t accept God’s gift of Jesus in our lifetime, He judges us as unwilling to be in His presence, and we are sent to hell.
Wiccan spells bring disillusionment. Mark 7:8 says, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” God is God, and we are not. We have a decision to make. Are we going to take God at His word and adopt His worldview, or are we not? Knowing God takes a lot of discipline. Wicca is a religion that takes a pack of lies, ties it in a romantic ribbon, and searches out a well-intentioned, but lazy and gullible mark to sell its hollow doctrines.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says, “Let no one be found among you who… practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells…Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD...” Wicca witchcraft is a sin, and God hates it. Why? Because it is an attempt to cut off our dependence on God and get answers apart from Him.
Sin isn’t just a heinous, socially disagreeable action. Sin is our decision to disagree with God on any topic—to rebel against Him. Sin is saying, “God, I want to live my life my way.” Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” This isn’t bodily death, this is spiritual death: eternal separation from God and all the blessings that His presence brings. This is the definition of hell: the absence of God’s presence. That is what our sin gains for us.
Thankfully, Romans 6:23 doesn’t end there. It goes on to say, “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God knew that we would all rebel in one way or another, and He provided a way for us to avoid that separation—through faith in Jesus Christ. Wicca witchcraft is nothing more than another lie from Satan, the enemy of our souls, who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
In John 8:42–47, Jesus performs a spiritual paternity test for Jewish religious leaders. The Pharisees professed to be children of Abraham (John 8:33, 37, 39), but Jesus told them, “You are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, NLT).
Jesus identifies the devil as a liar. There is no truth in the devil because his character is wholly deceitful and dishonest. God, by nature, is truth (Jeremiah 10:10; Psalm 43:3; 25:5; 26:3; 86:11; Isaiah 65:16). He is the uttermost opposite of the devil. It is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18; see also Numbers 23:19), for He only speaks the truth. But lies roll effortlessly off the devil’s tongue because untruthfulness is his “native language” (John 8:44).
The Pharisees claimed Abraham as their father, but their character was nothing like that ancient patriarch. Abraham was “God’s friend” (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). He obeyed God and listened to His truth. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father” (John 8:39–41).
Jesus essentially said that a person’s nature reveals his true paternity. If Abraham is our spiritual father, we share in his character. If Abraham is our father, we will have the faith of Abraham. We will believe in God and obey His truth (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6). If God is our Father, then we “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:1–4) and walk in His truth (Ephesians 5:8–9; 2 John 1:4; 3 John 1:4). And if the devil is our father, then we share in his evil nature, and there is no truth in us.
The devil is the original liar. Jesus calls him the “father of lies,” referring to Genesis 3:1–13, where the serpent lied to Eve, thereby introducing sin into the world. Satan’s first lie was a contradiction of God’s truth. As the archenemy of God, the devil opposes God and His purposes in this world (Matthew 16:23).
One of the primary tactics the devil uses against God’s people is to falsely accuse them and distort God’s truth (Revelation 12:10; Job 1:8–11; Zechariah 3:1–2; Acts 13:8–10). Satan’s goal is to separate people from God (1 Thessalonians 3:5; Luke 22:31; 1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26). The devil often lures people away by making sin attractive (Matthew 4:1–11; 1 Corinthians 7:5; James 3:14–16). The apostle Paul warned, “For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The devil’s lies sound appealing and rational, but they lead people captive to sin and, in the end, death.
Jesus urged the Jewish leaders to hold on to His teachings so they might know the truth, and that truth would set them free (John 8:31–33; Galatians 5:1). God’s truth sets us free from sin and death (John 8:36), but the devil’s lies keep us in bondage.
Satan’s deception prevented the Pharisees from hearing, understanding, and loving Jesus (John 8:42–44). The devil had blinded their minds and hardened their hearts to God’s truth (2 Corinthians 3:14; 4:4). They were sold out to the devil. Jesus told them, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47). The Pharisees belonged to their father, the devil.
The devil’s essential disposition is that of a liar. There is no truth in the devil because lying is all he knows. He has been deceiving people since the beginning of time (Genesis 3:4–5; 2 Corinthians 11:3). He is a devious perverter of truth (2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26) and a counterfeiter of truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9). He is always scheming ways to deceive anyone who will give him an inch of control over their thoughts and lives (Ephesians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 2:10–11; 1 Timothy 2:14; 1 Peter 5:8). But Jesus Christ is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Knowing Him and abiding in His Word is the only way to experience true spiritual freedom (John 8:31–32).
Satan is the “father of lies” in that he is the original liar. He is the “father” of lies in the same way that Martin Luther is the “father” of the Reformation and Robert Goddard is the “father” of modern rocketry. Satan told the first lie in recorded history to Eve, in the Garden of Eden. After planting seeds of doubt in Eve’s mind with a question (Genesis 3:1), he directly contradicts God’s Word by telling her, “You will not certainly die” (Genesis 3:4). With that lie, Satan led Eve to her death; Adam followed, and so have we all.
Lying is Satan’s primary weapon against God’s children. He uses the tactic of deceit to separate people from their heavenly Father. Some of his more common lies are “there is no God,” “God doesn’t care about you,” “the Bible cannot be trusted,” and “your good works will get you into heaven.” The apostle Paul tells us that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), so that what he says and does sounds good and seems reasonable. But it is nothing more than a false appearance.
Many of Satan’s lies tend to perpetuate themselves. This is what happened when Eve convinced Adam to also believe the devil’s lie. Today, Satan still uses people to spread his lies for him. Often, he uses charismatic but foolish people to further his falsehoods, as in the case of false religions and cults.
The Bible has many names for Satan to describe his true nature, including “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “tempter” (1 Thessalonians 3:5), “deceiver” (Revelation 12:9), “Beelzebub” (literally, “lord of the flies,” the ruler of demons, in Matthew 10:25), and “Belial,” meaning “wicked” (2 Corinthians 6:15).
Satan has told more lies to more people (and even angels) than any other being ever created. His success depends on people believing his lies. He has used everything from “little white lies” to huge, pants-on-fire whoppers to deceive folks. Adolph Hitler, a man who learned how to lie effectively, once said, “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”
Whether a lie is small or large is not really the issue. Lies are of the devil. The Bible teaches that all liars “will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Warnings are never pleasant, but they are better than ignorance of danger; the Bible faithfully warns sinners of danger, including the danger of lying. Proverbs 19:9 also teaches that liars will be punished.
Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), and He will never deceive you. Thankfully, Jesus is also the Savior, and His death and resurrection provide the basis for your forgiveness of all sin, including the sin of lying. Come to Jesus in faith and humility, and you will find that “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Greed is a strong and selfish desire to have more of something, most often money or power. There are many warnings in the Bible about giving in to greed and longing for riches. Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal… You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:19, 24b). Did Jesus pursue the acquisition of money? No. On the contrary, He became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9) and had “no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). Neither did Jesus pursue power. Rather, He instructed, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:43–45).
Greed and a desire for riches are traps that bring ruin and destruction. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” and Christians are warned, “Do not put your trust in wealth” (see 1 Timothy 6:9-10, 17-18). Covetousness, or having an excessive or greedy desire for more, is idolatry. Ephesians 5:5 says, “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” The principle to remember is contained in Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
It is the love of money, and not money itself, that is the problem. The love of money is a sin because it gets in the way of worshiping God. Jesus said it was very hard for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God. When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (see Matthew 19:16-22). By instructing him to give up his money, Jesus pointed out the young man’s main problem: greed or a love of money. The man could not follow Christ because he was following money. His love of this world interfered with his love for God.
Greed refuses to be satisfied. More often than not, the more we get, the more we want. Material possessions will not protect us—in this life or eternally. Jesus’ parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13–21 illustrates this point well. Again, money or wealth is not a problem. The problem is our attitude toward it. When we place our confidence in wealth or are consumed by an insatiable desire for more, we are failing to give God the glory and worship He deserves. We are to serve God, not waste our time trying to become rich (Proverbs 23:4). Our heart’s desire should be to store up riches in heaven and not worry about what we will eat or drink or wear. “But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (see Matthew 6:25-34).
Enlightenment of the Heart
Paul prayed for believers to have the
"eyes of their heart"
opened to understand the
Hope, Riches, and Power of God
Discernment and Truth
Spiritual eyes allow for seeing and understanding the truth of God's Word.
The "Lamp of the Body"
As discussed in Matthew 6:22–23, healthy spiritual eyes fill the body with light,
hile unhealthy eyes (focusing on sin/darkness) lead to darkness within.
Removing Obstacles
A crucial part of using spiritual eyes is self-examination—taking the "plank"
out of one's own eye before judging others.
Vs. Occult/ESP
Biblical spiritual insight is distinct
from,
and often opposed to,
"third eye"
or clairvoyant practices,
which are warned against
We can judge with
righteous judgment—we can judge rightly—by submitting to
God in faith
and seeking to understand
His Word.
This is one possible application of Jesus’ words
in John 7:24:
“Do not judge by the outward appearance,
but judge
with righteous judgment”
Signs of Opened Spiritual Eyes
Increased Spiritual Awareness
A heightened consciousness of spiritual matters
Understanding Scripture
The ability to see "wonderful things" in God's law
Distinguishing Truth from
Deception
Recognizing the schemes of Satan.
Seeing God's Work
Recognizing the
"glorious light of the gospel"
Without spiritual grounding
in Christ,
We will never arrive at a knowledge
of the Truth
In context (2 Timothy 3:1–5), Paul describes the moral decadence evident
In the last days
Some people appear godly but
deny the
Power of Godliness
Counterfeit
Christianity that is Powerless
to change lives,
often
seen in social gospels
Universalism
is the belief that everyone
will be saved
There are many people today who hold
to universal salvation
For some it is an over-emphasis
on the
love and compassion of God--
and the neglect of the
righteousness and justice of God--
that leads
them to believe God
will have
mercy on every living soul
Knowledge of the truth here is
more than
intellectual assent;
it is God’s revelation in Christ,
who is
“the way, and the truth, and the life”
(John 14:6, ESV).
To arrive at a knowledge of the truth, we must do
more than
accumulate facts about Christ.
It’s not enough to learn religion;
we must have faith
in Christ
Commentator Albert Barnes stated the problem this way: “Nothing is more common than for persons to be very busy and active in religion, and even to ‘learn’ many things about it, who still remain strangers to the saving power of the gospel” (comment on 2 Timothy 3:7, Notes on the Bible, 1834).
Knowing the truth involves having
a personal
relationship with Christ:
“This is eternal life:
that they
know you, the only true God,
and
Jesus Christ, whom you have sent”
(John 17:3, ESV)
How can we know Christ unless we immerse ourselves
in God’s Word?
Jesus told His disciples,
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”
(John 8:31–32, ESV).
A hardened heart cannot receive or know Christ.
Many people fail to arrive at a knowledge of the truth because of spiritual blindness. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul writes, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (ESV). Unbelievers do not submit to God’s revelation in Christ because of pride. However, believers trust the Lord with all their hearts and do not lean on their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6). Believers know that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10, ESV).
The Holy Spirit helps believers to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. In John 16:13, Jesus promised, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (ESV). The Spirit illuminates Scripture and reveals Christ. Reading and studying the Bible will not produce fruitful results without the Spirit’s help. He guides us toward the truth so we can trust and obey Christ.
Arriving at a knowledge of the truth is not a simple intellectual or academic exercise; it requires growing and maturing in the faith. James 1:22 states, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (ESV). Genuine knowledge transforms our lives: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:17). Paul prays for the Colossians to “be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:9–10, ESV). Knowing the truth changes how we think, speak, and act.
To know the truth, we must heed the gospel message and trust in Christ, who saves and sanctifies us. We must humble ourselves, rely on the Holy Spirit, and live the truth. Second Timothy 3:7 warns of the futility of intellectual pursuits without God. It calls us to pursue a deeper relationship with God that renews our minds and spirits. This can only be done through the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit: “Sanctify them in the truth,” Jesus prayed, “your word is truth” (John 17:17, ESV).
¿Puedo quedarme después
de clase?
Believers look
to the
Alpha and Omega
for salvation,
identity, and strength,
rather than
Relying on earthly, physical power
My favorite Aunt
moved to the US from Puerto Rico
at the age of 7
She Spoke to our cousins in Spanish, while my uncle
spoke in English
That was Smart- now they
Are bilingual!
The thing we we always loved about our cousin Jessica
is that
she was a well trained Ice- Skater
One of my favorite sayings I heard from Latino Students
while teaching in SW FL was
¿Puedo quedarme después de clase?
I taught Art in other Cultures
-being-
My students favorite class because 50% were
first and second
Latino generation
Our School
Represented Every Latin Nation!...
I had to learn Spanish
REAL QUICK!
My Roommate (Dominican) always took me
Salsa Dancing
(I stook out like a sore thumb being the only Blonde, we even would
drive to Miami
where I LOST my PURSE and ID!)
I Taught Painting, Sculpture, Photography
and Visual Communications
We have Banners
of every one
of their Nations painted on
the ceiling
of my Art Classroom
An Iconic Sculpture we learned
about is
The Basílica Menor de la Virgen de Monserrate
A historic Roman Catholic shrine in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, dedicated to the Virgin of Montserrat.
Established in the late 16th century (circa 1590) on a hill by Don Gerardo González to honor a reported miracle, it is a significant pilgrimage site.
The site originated from a chapel built by Catalan landowner Don Gerardo González, who credited the Virgin with saving him from a wild bull.
It is a major, active, and historic pilgrimage site in Puerto Rico, often referred to as the Basilica of the Black Virgin of Montserrat.
The structure features a mix of styles, including a prominent bell tower with Mozarabic/Moorish elements.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
In 1975
as the Santuario de la Monserate de Hormigueros and
Casa de Peregrinos.
Situated on the highest hill in the urban center
of Hormigueros,
it includes the church, the Pilgrim’s House, and
surrounding scenic, hilly terrain.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TF44IiUdBgs
Gods Heart
for
ALL PEOPLE
of
EVERY LAND,
LANGUAGE and CULTURE
is the
Gospel Message
Not of Flesh and Blood
but to See and Hear
God desires His followers to be people
of the truth
Narrow is the Gate
Proclaim the Gospel
True Love Rejoices in the Truth
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1444195770433166
Despite people loving darkness rather
than light,
God made the way
to rescue them from sin and its consequences. Isaiah described the
Messiah as a great light
who would come into “the land of deep darkness”
(Isaiah 9:2).
Jesus referred to Himself as the light of the world (John 8:12), thereby connecting Himself to the prophesied Messiah who would bring true light into the world
(John 1:9).
He is the “light of all mankind” (John 1:4) and the light and salvation for those who trust in Him
(Psalm 27:1).
The One who opened blinded
eyes
can bring us out of
spiritual
darkness and into His marvelous
light
(1 Peter 2:9)
The Gospel
Truth and Biblical Love
Redefining biblical terms like "love" to mean
universal affirmation
rather the need for repentance
Jesus as a "Banner"
(Jehovah Nissi)
represents him
as a
rallying point for victory,
a source
of protection, and a focal point
for faith
amidst life's struggles,
rooted in
Exodus 17:15 and Isaiah's prophecy.
It signifies a, spiritual guide
where
believers look to him for salvation,
identity, and strength,
rather than
relying on earthly, physical power.
Significance of the Banner
A banner (or ensign) in the Bible serves as a rallying point in battle, a signal, and a sign of victory.
"The Lord is My Banner"
After the Israelites defeated the Amalekites, Moses built an altar named "The LORD is my Banner" (Jehovah Nissi), identifying God as their source of victory.
Jesus as the Banner:
Jesus fulfills the prophecy of being a banner to the nations (Isaiah 11:10), lifting people's sights from the mundane to spiritual focus.
Refuge and Hope:
The banner represents a place of safety and hope to which believers flee during times of distress or devastation, as described in Psalm 60:4-5.
Identity and Love:
The banner symbolizes the love of Jesus over his people and provides a shared identity as followers of God.
In Philippians 4:7 we have a wonderful promise:
“The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
It is important to note the context of this promise, because that’s where we find the condition: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (verse 6). God’s peace is promised to guard those who pray—with thanksgiving—about everything. This peace will transcend our ability to understand it.
There are other gifts of God that are not fully comprehensible to us. The gift of salvation is “indescribable” (2 Corinthians 9:15). The complexity and wisdom of God’s plan is inscrutable (Isaiah 55:8–9). According to Ephesians 3:19, the love of Christ is something else so great we will never fully understand it. Likewise, human reasoning is incapable of fully comprehending the peace of God.
The believer who places his or her full confidence in a loving God and is thankful in every circumstance will possess a supernatural peace. An inner calm will dominate the heart. The faithful believer will know peace—his heart and mind are “guarded” by it—despite the tempest raging without. No one, especially those outside of Christ, will be able to fathom that peace. To most, it will remain a mystery how someone can be so serene in the midst of turmoil.
The peace that comes from being in a right relationship with God is not the peace of this world. The world’s peace depends on having favorable circumstances: if things are going well, then we feel peaceful; when things go awry, the peace quickly dissipates. Jesus made the distinction between His peace and the world’s vacillating peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27).
God’s supernatural peace
surpasses
natural understanding
The world places constant pressure on believers to conform to its understanding of identity and purpose.
For believers, however, we must find our identity in Christ. Life will not make sense until we do.
To find our identity in Christ, we must accept that our worth is not defined by societal standards, achievements, or personal qualities but by our relationship with Christ. The Bible teaches that we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), redeemed by the blood of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), adopted into God’s family (John 1:12), and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). These teachings fundamentally alter how we view ourselves and our relation to Christ.
Finding our identity in Christ begins with understanding that we are created in God’s image. This foundational belief affirms our inherent worth and dignity, countering any negative self-perceptions or societal devaluation. Embracing this truth requires faith, seeing ourselves the way God sees us. The beauty of this truth is knowing that we have God-given value and purpose.
John 3:21 describes a believer as one who “lives by truth [and] comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” Believers “live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)” (Ephesians 5:8–9). Having been rescued from the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13), believers no longer hide in the darkness of sin. They live in the light (1 Thessalonians 5:5–6; 1 John 1:7). Believers will not reach perfection on this earth, but they do not continue to actively live in sin (1 John 3:6; 5:18). They allow God’s light to shine in and through them as they are transformed by God’s love and truth and reflect His character.
Jesus told believers, “You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). We are no longer the people who loved darkness rather than light. Instead, we are “children of the light and children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). We allow the light of God’s truth and love to shine in our lives and out into the dark world around us.
In Isaiah 61:1–3, the prophet described the Messiah’s God-ordained mission to minister to the needs of the poor and disadvantaged. He began, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1).
Seven hundred years later, Jesus Christ launched His public ministry by preaching from this exact text, applying Isaiah’s words to Himself: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18–19). Jesus concluded, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21), identifying Himself as Israel’s promised Messiah and Servant-King who would proclaim good news to the poor.
“Good news” is a favorable announcement. To “proclaim good news” is to announce or convey a message of positive information about important or recent events. The Greek verb describing this action is euangelizomai. The writers of the New Testament assigned this word specifically to the preaching or proclaiming of the gospel (evangelion). Proclaiming the good news means preaching God’s message of redemption of sinful humanity through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. From the verb euangelizomai, we get our English term evangelize. We proclaim the good news or evangelize when we preach the message of salvation in Jesus Christ—that the kingdom of God has come to earth in the person of God’s own Son, who brings with Him the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life (Matthew 4:23; Romans 10:15).
In the Old Testament, “the poor” were those who had no inheritance, who were financially impoverished and of low social status, or who were downtrodden, oppressed, disadvantaged, and destitute. The poor were helpless and dependent upon powerful people and unfavorable circumstances.
“The poor” are also those who live in dependence on God. The Psalms, especially, use the concept of poverty literally and symbolically to express reliance on God as protector, deliverer, and Savior of the poor (Psalm 12:6; 35:10; 102:17; 116:6). These concepts of “the poor” continue into the New Testament, as people living in poverty and the humble who live by faith in God are “the poor.” In Jesus Christ’s great Sermon on the Mount, the Lord begins with the Beatitudes, preaching, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours” (Luke 6:20, NLT). The “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3) are people who recognize their own spiritual poverty—they realize their desperate need for God, turn to Him, and receive the richest blessings He graciously offers through faith in Jesus Christ.
From prison, John the Baptist sent word to ask Jesus if He was indeed the promised Messiah of Israel. Jesus answered, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Luke 7:22). The fact that Jesus proclaimed good news to the poor was one of the authoritative marks of His Messiahship (Matthew 11:2).
James contended, “Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5, NLT). The apostle Paul explained the extent of Christ’s unselfish kindness to the poor ones He came to save: “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9, NLT).
The prime objective of Jesus Christ’s entire ministry was proclaiming the good news of salvation to the poor. He is a Savior who meets the needs of the poor—both materially and spiritually. What’s more, He thoroughly satisfies them (Luke 1:53; 6:20–21; Matthew 5:6).
Exodus 17:15–16 tells us, “Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, ‘Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.’” “The Lord is my Banner” is the translation of the Hebrew Yahweh-Nissi.
Earlier in Exodus 17, we read of the Amalekites attacking the Israelites at Rephidim. Joshua and the Israelites fought against the Amalekites while Moses stood on top of a hill with the staff of God in his hands. When Moses’ hands were lifted, the Israelites were winning; when his hands were lowered, the Amalekites were winning. Understandably, Moses grew tired, so he sat on a stone, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands. The children of Israel gained the victory (verse 13). God then instructed Moses to write the account of the battle on a scroll so that it would be remembered (verse 14). It was then that Moses built the altar he named “The Lord is my Banner.” That name proclaims God’s leadership and the protection of His people.
A banner is something that identifies and unifies a particular group of people. For example, a military flag or standard is sometimes called a banner. The Israelites’ saying, “The Lord is my Banner,” was a way of identifying themselves as the unified followers of the Lord God. A banner also functions as a rallying point for troops in a battle. The altar Moses built in Exodus 17 marked the place where God intervened on behalf of His people and promised to utterly defeat His enemies.
Psalm 20:5 says, “May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.” In verses 6–8 we read, “Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.” God’s people continue to say, “The Lord is my Banner,” because it is in His power that the enemies are vanquished (see also Psalm 60:4–5). The Lord is our Banner in that He is the One under whom we unite. He is our Savior. We are rescued by Him and identified in Him.
In Matthew's story of Jesus, these are His parting words to His eleven remaining disciples. Verses 18–20 are often called the "Great Commission" because Jesus is sending His hand-chosen disciples out into the world to accomplish a specific mission: Make more disciples. This comes with some noteworthy inclusions, but what is also crucial are things which Jesus does not say.
Specifically, the disciples are to make more disciples of all nations. This means people from every people group and ethnicity on earth. Through Jesus, God's relationship with humanity has moved beyond Israel to include people from every corner of the world who come to the Father through the Son.
Jesus' command is to make "disciples." A disciple is someone who becomes like his or her master by living in a servant relationship to him. They learn from and submit to that person's example. That's what each of the eleven disciples hearing this for the first time had done in answer to Jesus' call. It is now what they will invite others to participate in from around the world.
Discipleship to Jesus involves at least the two things Jesus mentions in this command: baptism and obedience. The disciples are commanded to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The choice to be publicly baptized is evidence that someone has believed in Jesus and made the commitment to follow Him. The disciples were given the authority to baptize that person in the name of God, declaring that person's position in the eternal family of God.
Notable is that Jesus does not command His disciples to "print Bibles," or anything similar. The written Word of God is our ultimate reference for matters of faith (1 Corinthians 4:6; Acts 17:11). It was intended for that purpose by God (2 Timothy 3:16–17). It is not meant to be the only means, or even the primary means, by which new Christians learn about faith (Acts 8:30–31). The primary work of the Great Commission is to "make disciples," which means the cooperative, mentoring process we now refer to as "discipleship" (Acts 18:24–28; Hebrews 10:25; 13:7).
Romans 12:1–2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” As followers of Christ, we are not to be conformed to this world’s pattern.
In Romans 12:2, Paul has a “don’t” follow by a “do.” The negative command is to not conform to the pattern of this world. As the J. B. Phillips Bible translates it, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould,” which is what the Greek term for “conform”--syschēmatizō—means: “to form according to a pattern or mold.”
The same term is found in only one other place in the New Testament, which is 1 Peter 1:14: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance.”
What exactly do Paul and Peter mean by telling Christians to not conform to the world? The Christian and the world are not to be “like-shaped.” That is, we should not allow ourselves to be pressed into following the corrupt customs, ungodly principles, or evil plans of action promoted by worldly men. The blessed man, according to Psalm 1:1, resists being conformed to the pattern of the world:
“Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers.”
Just as a boat is in the water, but not of the water, the Christian is in the world, but not of the world. Followers of Christ pattern their lives after their Lord (see 1 Peter 2:21), not according to the principles of the world, which the Bible says is controlled by the devil, the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
The reference to “world” is not the physical world, but rather the aion or age. The Bible says that Christians are delivered from this present evil age (Galatians 1:4), which Satan oversees and which is marked by idolatry, fleshly lusts, and rebellion. The believer lives by the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:5), even while residing in this world.
The key to escaping the world’s grip of conformity is the metamorphosis (rendered “transformed” in Romans 12:2) of the Christian’s mind. This is accomplished through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit who is working to change believers’ hearts and minds from within, so that their obedience to God might be natural and immediate (see Romans 7:6; 8:5–9; Jeremiah 31:31–34; 2 Corinthians 3:6–7; Ephesians 4:22–24).
The eyes of the Lord is an anthropomorphic expression, meaning that it attributes humanlike qualities to God. God, who is spirit (John 4:24), does not have a physical body with eyes and ears, or arms and legs. The omniscience of God is most often the intended implication of the eyes of the Lord, as seen in Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”
Nothing and no one in heaven and on earth can escape being observed by the watchful, all-pervading eyes of the Lord. God is always assessing, appraising, overseeing, superintending, and safeguarding His creation. God sees all people and knows all people, both the evil and the righteous.
Since the eyes of the Lord are everywhere, so too is His presence. Thus, the idiom also expresses God’s omnipresence: “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
The eyes of the Lord conveys the all-knowing, all-seeing limitlessness of God, and yet at the same time His personal, ever-caring nature. The Bible tells us that God is always paying attention to our needs: “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry” (Psalm 34:15). Believers can count on the individual, intimate care and concern of a loving God: “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:18).
The eyes of the Lord often indicates His recognition and the bestowing of His favor: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8; see also 1 Peter 3:12). Likewise, the phrase frequently expresses His protection: “It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (Deuteronomy 11:12). The heavenly Father keeps a fond eye on His children: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:3–4).
The Bible tells us that God sees everything: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13; see also Psalm 11:4). The Lord’s field of vision is omnidirectional and unrestricted. Nothing we do can be hidden or kept secret from Him. Closed doors and locked chambers will not obscure His vision. He sees everything, including our sins, which displease Him, and the depravity of the world, which breaks His heart (Jeremiah 17:9–10).
In His sovereign knowledge and foresight of all things, God is never caught off guard or taken by surprise. Nothing happens to Him or to His children unexpectedly. We may find ourselves in difficult circumstances, but we can rest assured that God is in control. As the psalmist reassures, God will be there with us: “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Psalm 139:8–12).
The concerned and compassionate eyes of the Lord are always on us, penetrating even our darkest night. From the moment we are conceived and every day thereafter, He sees us (Psalm 139:16). The Lord keeps His eyes on His children to protect and preserve them and lead them home. May we pray daily for the Lord to equip us “with everything good” so that we “may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:20–21).
Focus on Self
The message centers on
human
capability, gain, or experience
rather than
The Glory of God
and the
Work of Christ
Not Flesh and Blood
Not Culture,
Not Heritage, Not Color, Not Politics,
Not Language-
Not Attributes
Political Ideology or Human Reasoning but to
Powers in the unseen world
Glenn Beck reviews his biggest issue with Bad Bunny's
performance and
why TPUSA's Kid Rock show
sent a
Gospel Message
Ephesians 6
The
Message of Jesus Christ and Redemption
Preaching a version of Jesus that is not the divine, crucified, and
risen Savior of the Bible,
such as viewing him as a mere teacher or an angel
These are just a few of the many
that warn Christians
to test the message
that
people or spirits proclaim
This is true in all situations but most importantly when a person or spirit is claiming to speak for God. Christians are to be discerning hearers and readers of all messages. The reason for the admonition to “test the spirits” or “test all things” is that there are “many false prophets” or “wolves in sheep’s clothing” that try to lead Christians astray. Sadly, there are many people who claim to speak for God who are presenting a false gospel that is powerless to save. Such errant teaching leaves people with a false hope of salvation and, in a way, inoculates them from the true message. People who are deceived into thinking everything is fine will be more resistant to the truth.
Second Corinthians 11:13-15 warns us that “such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” So the reason for testing the spirits, for testing all religious teaching, is to see if it is truly from God or if it is a lie from Satan and his servants.
The word discern and its derivatives are translations of the Greek word anakrino in the New Testament. It means “to distinguish, to separate out by diligent search, to examine.” Discernment is the ability to properly discriminate or make determinations. It is related to wisdom. The Word of God itself is said to discern the thoughts and intentions of one’s heart (Hebrews 4:12).
A discerning mind demonstrates wisdom and insight that go beyond what is seen and heard. For example, God’s Word is “spiritually discerned.” To the human mind without the Spirit, the things of God are “foolishness” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The Spirit, then, gives us spiritual discernment.
King Solomon was known for his power of discernment, making many wise decisions and moral judgments (1 Kings 3:9, 11). Christians today are to be discerning as well. Paul prayed for believers “to discern what is best . . . until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10).
A discerning person will acknowledge the worth of God’s Word: “All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who have knowledge” (Proverbs 8:8-9). Seeking discernment is a goal for all who desire to walk righteously: “Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them” (Hosea 14:9).
We are commanded to “hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). But, unless we have true discernment, how can we determine what is “evil” and what is “good”? In order to maintain the purity of the gospel, the church must distinguish truth from heresy. Wisdom also demands that we properly discriminate between what is “best” and what is merely “good.”
Discernment has many collateral benefits. “My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (Proverbs 3:21-24).
Just as Solomon sought discernment and wisdom (Proverbs 1:2; 1 Kings 3:9-12) to explore the handiwork of God (Ecclesiastes 1:13) and seek the meaning of life (Ecclesiastes 12:13), so should believers seek “the wisdom that comes from heaven” (James 3:17). We must study the Scriptures which are “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).
May our prayer be “I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes”
(Psalm 119:125).
Ephesians 5:11 delivers a clear directive: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” The first part of this command urges Christians to avoid sinful deeds, that is, everything contrary to God’s commands. This includes sexual immorality, greed, and foul language (Ephesians 5:3–4). However, adhering to Christian conduct extends beyond mere avoidance of sin; we are also called to expose sin where it is hidden in the darkness. Understanding what it means to expose the works of darkness becomes our responsibility.
In the preceding verse, Paul urged his readers to “find out what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10), which serves as an initial step. To expose the works of darkness, we must discern the difference between what pleases the Lord and what doesn’t. God defines what’s right and wrong, not we, and not societal norms. Once we’ve established the parameters of right and wrong from God’s perspective, we take a public stand for righteousness and denounce evil deeds. In contemporary culture, defining right and wrong can be perceived as judgmental, particularly when God’s standards clash with worldly values. Nevertheless, God commands us not to ignore evil but rather to unveil its dangers and encourage others to steer clear of it.
In a post-Christian culture, Christians live like Israelites in Babylon. Much of what is celebrated in our world is abhorrent by biblical standards. That is why we must be aligned with Scripture; to lose sight of Scripture is to risk operating out of a faulty view of morality influenced by the media and the world system. To expose the works of darkness, we must avoid falling in love with those works or the system that produces them. As the apostle John wrote, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15–17).
Exposing the works of darkness also entails radiating the light of Christ through our words and actions. Merely labelling an act as wrong is insufficient; a diagnosis is incomplete without solution. The act of exposing darkness must always be coupled with a call to repentance—a change of mind about Christ, sin, and salvation—and faith in Christ’s offer of perfect forgiveness. Only the light can dispel the darkness.
The principle of exposing the works of darkness can likewise be applied in our interactions with our Christian brothers and sisters. We should hold ourselves accountable (Luke 17:3; Galatians 6:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:14), which includes the compassionate confrontation of a fellow believer who may be straying. James goes a step further, encouraging us to strive for the restoration of those who have wandered from the truth, saying that “whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James 5:19–20).
A scriptural understanding of truth encompasses more than simple honesty. The Bible reveals truth as a moral concept rooted in God’s character (Psalm 43:3; 25:5; 26:3; 86:11; Isaiah 65:16). He is the “God of truth” (Isaiah 65:16, NLT), and His truthfulness embraces His steadfastness, trustworthiness, and eternal faithfulness (Psalm 117:2).
Most commonly, discussions of truth have to do with speaking the truth (Psalm 15:2; Proverbs 12:17). Lying is the opposite of telling the truth (Jeremiah 9:3), and God never lies (Titus 1:2). The Bible says that God is not only truthful, but He Himself is the essence of truth. The reliability and trustworthiness of His being were highly significant to the biblical writers in expressing God’s truthfulness. When Scripture speaks of truth, it refers to a completeness of moral integrity that influences how one thinks and behaves (Psalm 86:11; 119:30, 43–44; Malachi 2:6).
God demonstrates that He is truth in the faithfulness and dependability of His words, actions, and dealings: “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” (Numbers 23:19, NLT; see also 1 Samuel 15:29). God’s Word holds true, and we can trust everything He does (Psalm 33:4). He is completely reliable (Psalm 31:5). The Lord is a rock-solid, trustworthy foundation for life because He is entirely reliable and consistent in His character (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 145:13; 2 Timothy 2:13).
God’s laws and instructions outline the way of truth that is meant to lead people to Him (Psalm 19:7; 119:30, 42–45; Malachi 2:6–7). The Bible says God’s Word is truth: “The entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160, HCSB). As the Logos—the living, incarnate Word of God—Jesus Christ is truth (John 1:14, 17; John 6:32). Jesus Himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Scripture also says that the gospel message is truth (Galatians 2:5, 14; Ephesians 1:13). That message is the good news of salvation—that Jesus is the only way to everlasting life with God. Through Jesus, “we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life” (1 John 5:20, NLT). Likewise, the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of truth” who dwells within believers and leads them “into all truth” (John 14:17, NLT; see also John 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 5:6).
Paul does not “set aside the grace of God” (Galatians 2:21, NKJV). To do so would mean treating God’s grace as unnecessary or insufficient. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. Without it, we could not be saved. When sinners attempt to be justified by works, they indirectly say that God’s grace is not enough to save them.
Paul defends the integrity of the gospel. God’s saving grace in Christ is not a backup plan; it is the only plan. Rejecting this grace in favor of law-keeping effectively denies the cross.
Suppose justification and righteousness could come through law-keeping. If that were true, “Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21, NKJV). The Incarnation of the Son of God, His humiliation, and death were all unnecessary if we could have saved ourselves. If all we needed was the law to follow, then Christ died for nothing. If sinners can be made right with God through law-keeping, Jesus’ death was a tragically needless miscalculation. Paul argues for the opposite: sinners cannot justify themselves, and Jesus’ death on the cross was an absolute necessity.
Scripture repeatedly affirms the necessity of Jesus’ death for salvation and the imputation of righteousness. In Romans 3:20–22, Paul declares, “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight. . . . But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed . . . even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe” (NKJV). Elsewhere, Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NKJV).
Christ accomplished what the law never could. He atoned for our sins and gave righteousness to all who believe in Him. Galatians 3:24 explains that “the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (NKJV). Justification by faith comes exclusively through Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10).
The truth of God’s Word
also holds
sanctifying power for the believer
In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus asked the Father, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth” (John 17:17, NLT). Since the Bible is truth, Christians ought to study it, working hard to understand and correctly apply it to their lives (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16–17). As we deepen our knowledge and insight into God’s Word, its truth will set us free (John 8:32).
God desires His followers to be people of the truth
(Ephesians 4:25)
He loves those who tell the truth and detests those who lie (Proverbs 12:22; 6:16–19). The Lord underscores the importance of truth by presenting us with “the belt of truth” as the first piece of our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10–17). The rest of our armor is held secure when the truth is wrapped around us. Otherwise, we are defenseless against the lies of our adversary, the devil, who is the father of lies (John 8:44).
The Bible says that God delights in truth. “The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth,” declares the psalmist (Psalm 145:18, NLT). Because of truth’s high value, Solomon counsels, “Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction and insight as well” (Proverbs 23:23). God takes pleasure in seeing His truth reflected in the character of His children (Psalm 15:1–5; 51:6). He calls believers to worship Him in truth (John 4:24), love others in truth (1 John 3:18), and always speak the truth (Ephesians 4:15, 25; Zechariah 8:16).
The word translated “ashamed” means “disgraced” or “personally humiliated.” A person “ashamed” in this way is like someone singled out for misplacing his confidence—he trusted in something, and that something let him down. The word can refer to being dishonored because of forming the wrong alliances. So, when Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel, he is saying his confidence in the gospel is not misplaced. There is no disgrace in declaring it. Paul had given his life to proclaiming the truths that Jesus Himself had revealed to him (Acts 9:3–6; 2 Corinthians 12:2–4). He explained to the Romans why he did not believe that he had wrongly identified with Jesus and why proclaiming Jesus’ message was his life’s work.
The application can extend to us as well. Just as Paul placed his confidence in the gospel of Christ, so can we. We can proclaim with boldness the truths that God has revealed in His Word, with no fear that our confidence is misplaced. “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:11; cf. Isaiah 28:16). We can rest in the knowledge that the Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of Scripture never changes (2 Peter 1:21; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). What was true thousands of years ago is still true. The offer of salvation that was presented to people of the first century is still open to us (Acts 2:39; John 17:20).
To live unashamed of the gospel means we proclaim it,
but it also means we apply it to our lives and show we believe it. Paul’s life choices supported his message.
He did not preach one thing and live another.
We are “ashamed of the gospel” when we allow sin in our lives to go unchecked (Matthew 3:8).
When we indulge in worldliness and carnal desires or blatantly disobey scriptural standards, we indicate that we lack confidence in our own message (1 Corinthians 3:3; 1 Peter 2:11).
When we “walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, and sit in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1), we are being ashamed of the gospel. We are not allowing its truth to penetrate our lives so that others see its changing power.
To live unashamed of the gospel means that we, like Paul, allow it to dominate our lives to the extent that everyone within our sphere of influence can see that we have “been with Jesus”
(Acts 4:13).
Truth is not simply whatever works.
This is the philosophy
of pragmatism—an ends-vs.-means-type approach.
In reality,
lies can appear to “work,” but they are
still lies and not the truth.
Truth is not simply what is coherent or understandable.
A group of people can get together and form a conspiracy based on a set of falsehoods where they all agree to tell the same false story, but it does not make their presentation true.
Truth is not what makes people feel good. Unfortunately, bad news can be true.
Truth is not what the majority says is true. Fifty-one percent of a group can reach a wrong conclusion.
Truth is not what is comprehensive. A lengthy, detailed presentation can still result in a false conclusion.
Truth is not defined by what is intended. Good intentions can still be wrong.
Truth is not how we know; truth is what we know.
Truth is not simply what is believed. A lie believed is still a lie.
Truth is not what is popular.
Truth is not what is publicly proved
A truth can be privately known
(for example, the location of buried treasure)
“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33, NKJV). The context of 1 Corinthians 14 deals with some problems the Corinthians had regarding speaking in tongues and prophesying during the gathering of believers for worship, prayer, and teaching—what we would today call the “church service.” Things had been getting out of hand in Corinth. When the church met, people were speaking in tongues with no one interpreting, and more than one person was prophesying at the same time. Pandemonium and chaos were the result.
Paul says that this babble—this confusion—is neither proper nor beneficial in the church, and he gives some practical life examples: “Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying?” (1 Corinthians 14:7–9).
Then Paul makes application: “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” (1 Corinthians 14:23).
Or, as the NLT puts it,
“If unbelievers . . . hear everyone speaking
in an unknown
language, they will think you are crazy.”
God is not the author of such confusion.
Revelation chapter 13 gives insight into this beast that wields authority over every tribe and tongue. The beast is described as having seven heads, ten horns, and ten diadems on the horns (Revelation 13:1). This is a picture of the beastly empire, a coalition of nations that rise to power to subdue the earth under Satan’s control. Revelation’s later references to the beast describe an individual—the man who is the political leader and world ruler. The beast engages in blasphemy (verses 6–7) and garners worship from those whose names are not inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life (verse 8). The dragon, Satan, empowers the beast and collaborates with a second beast, a false prophet who supports the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:7 underscores the reality of spiritual warfare. Although the dragon is a defeated foe, it remains resolute in opposing God by targeting His children (Revelation 2:17). During the tribulation, when the Restrainer has been removed (2 Thessalonians 2:6), Satan enlists the aid of the two humans in a bid to usurp God’s authority over every tribe and tongue. The Antichrist “will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). The people on earth at the time will align with either God through Christ or with Satan through the beast. There will be no neutral ground.
Also, Revelation 13:7 alludes to God’s sovereignty, even over the actions of the dragon and the beast. The authority of these evil beings over every tribe and tongue is contingent on God’s permission. As Joni Eareckson Tada once wrote, “God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves” (www.desiringgod.org/articles/ten-words-that-changed-everything-about-my-suffering, 9/7/21, accessed 4/30/24). Even in their rebellion, the dragon and all those who reject God remain subject to God’s sovereignty. Philippians 2:10–11 affirms that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (ESV).
The entire book of Revelation calls for unwavering perseverance from God’s faithful ones. Presently, Christians face varying degrees of persecution, with the world’s rejection of biblical values becoming increasingly evident. The spirit of the antichrist is already at work in the world (1 John 4:3). We must be sure to steadfastly adhere to the truth of the gospel and “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 1:3, NASB).
In much of Western art, Jesus is portrayed as having white skin and light hair. Is that what Jesus really looked like? If not, why is He so often portrayed that way?
First, it is important to remember that the Bible nowhere gives a physical description of Jesus. The Bible does not say anything about Jesus’ height, weight, skin color, hair color, or eye color. Such things are not important to understanding who Jesus is. The closest the Bible comes to describing what Jesus looked like is a non-detailed sketch of what Jesus was not like in Isaiah 53:2: “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (ESV). Essentially, Isaiah 53:2 is saying that Jesus was ordinary-looking. The description of the glorified Jesus having white hair and bronze skin in Revelation 1:14–15 should not be understood literally unless you also believe Jesus has seven stars in his right hand, a sword in His mouth, and a face as bright as the sun (Revelation 1:16).
According to the Bible, Jesus was a Jew, a.k.a., a Hebrew or Israelite. Jesus lived in the Middle East and was of Semitic descent. As a result, He very likely would have had light- to medium-brown skin, brown eyes, and dark-brown to black hair. While Middle Easterners occasionally have light skin, comparable to that of Europeans, such skin tones are rare in that part of the world. Was Jesus white? The answer is that He was very likely not white.
So, if Jesus likely was not white, why is He so often portrayed that way? If you examine artists’ portrayals of Jesus from around the world, you find that they often portray Jesus in a way similar to what people look like in that particular culture. Europeans portray Jesus as a European. Africans paint Jesus as an African. Asians illustrate Jesus in a way that makes Him look Asian. People prefer to picture Jesus as looking somewhat like them, or at least like people they are familiar with.
Is it wrong to do this? Not necessarily. As long as we do not allow our preferred image of Jesus to become an idol, there is nothing in the Bible that speaks against imagining Jesus looking a certain way. Jesus is the Savior for “all nations” (Matthew 28:19; Galatians 3:8). No matter a person’s skin color, race, ethnicity, or nationality, he or she can experience forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God through the crucified and risen Christ. The love of Jesus transcends skin color. Having no physical description of Jesus, people naturally imagine the Son of Man to be like themselves.
So, we should not be dogmatic in our preferred image of Jesus. The fact that the Bible nowhere gives a physical description should serve as a caution against arrogance and presumption on this subject. What Jesus looked like does not really matter. His physical appearance has absolutely nothing to do with His being the Savior of the world (John 3:16).
The Bible mentions a scarlet
thread
in several different contexts, from
an unusual childbirth
to the
high priestly garments to
the conquest of Canaan.
One reference to the scarlet thread in the Bible occurs during the birth of the twin sons of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38:27–30). As Tamar was giving birth, the arm of one twin, Zerah, reached out of the birth canal, and immediately the midwife tied a scarlet thread to the baby’s wrist to designate Zerah as the firstborn. As it turned out, however, Zerah was not the firstborn; the arm was withdrawn into the womb, and the other twin, Perez, was born first.
In the case of Perez and Zerah, the scarlet thread was to indicate who was to have the designation and privileges of the firstborn. To all appearances, Zerah seemed to be the one, but God had different plans, and Perez was the firstborn.
In God’s providence, it was through Perez that the line of the Lord Jesus Christ proceeded
(Matthew 1:3)
The Bible also mentions scarlet thread or
scarlet yarn as
part of the tabernacle’s curtains
(Exodus 26:1)
and the high priest’s ephod (Exodus 28:6),
along with
threads of gold, blue, and purple.
Scripture does not comment on the significance of
those colors in the curtains or ephod,
but some commentators surmise that the
gold, blue, and purple
foreshadow
Christ’s glory,
heavenly origin, and
kingly position,
while the scarlet thread represents
Christ’s atoning work
on the cross through
the shedding of His blood
Another significant mention of scarlet thread is in Joshua 2. Two spies had been sent to Jericho in advance of the Israelites’ taking of that city. The spies were hidden in Jericho by Rahab the harlot, who expressed her faith in Israel’s God and protected the spies (see Hebrews 11:31).
Rahab allowed the Hebrew spies to escape from Jericho by letting them down through her window by means of a rope made of scarlet thread.
As they departed, the spies told Rahab, “Tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window” (Joshua 2:18), with the promise that she and her household would be kept safe in the coming invasion.
By faith, Rahab obeyed: “And she tied the scarlet cord in the window”
(verse 21)
Later, when the walls of Jericho fell down and the Israelites took the city, Joshua commanded that Rahab and her family be spared (Joshua 6:22–23). Marking her home was, of course, the “cord of scarlet thread.” It’s easy to dismiss the color of Rahab’s rope as mere coincidence, but the scarlet color is significant.
The rope in her window was a sign of her faith and
led to her salvation,
as she was not destroyed with the rest of Jericho.
The scarlet rope—the color of blood—worked for Rahab much as the blood of the Passover lamb had worked during the exodus: every home marked with blood was spared death that night (Exodus 12:13).
God’s mercy and forgiveness of Rahab the harlot
was signified by a
rope of scarlet thread, which becomes a symbol of
the blood of Christ.
Theologians and Bible students sometimes refer to
“the scarlet thread running through the Bible.”
By this they mean that the Bible’s theme is
Jesus Christ and His sacrifice
for the
redemption of mankind
The blood of Christ runs throughout the entire Bible, symbolically. It is seen in the animals killed in Eden to provide garments for Adam and Eve, the ram that took Isaac’s place on the altar of Moriah, the Passover lamb, the institution of the sacrificial system, the scarlet rope of Rahab, and the thousands of years of sacrifices performed at the tabernacle and temple.
The scarlet thread runs all the way up to
John the Baptist’s declaration,
“Look, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
and to the foot of the cross,
where Jesus finally says, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22),
and that’s why the symbolism of the scarlet thread in the Bible is significant.
The scarlet thread is the theme of atonement found throughout the pages of Scripture.
Who was killed by God for not impregnating?
The person killed by God
for not
impregnating his deceased brother's wife,
as described in
the Bible's Book of Genesis, is Onan, son of Judah.
Onan refused to fulfill the levirate marriage custom of providing an heir for his brother Er by spilling his semen on the ground, a practice seen as wicked by the Lord, who then put Onan to death.
(Genesis 38:8-10)
The Duty:
Judah instructed Onan to marry his brother Er's widow, Tamar, to raise offspring for Er.
Onan's Act:
Knowing the child would not be considered his own, Onan practiced coitus interruptus (pulling out) and "wasted his seed on the ground".
God's Judgment:
The Bible states, "What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death also".
Why it happened:
Refusal of Duty:
The primary reason was Onan's deliberate refusal to fulfill his obligation under the law to provide an heir for his brother's lineage.
Financial Incentive:
He wanted to avoid forfeiting his potential inheritance as the firstborn if a son were born to Tamar.
Sin vs. Contraception:
While often linked to modern ideas of contraception, the biblical account emphasizes his disobedience and selfish motive in refusing to provide offspring for his brother.
Onan, the second son of Judah and his Canaanite wife Shua (Genesis 38:4, 1 Chr 2:3), was struck dead by God for refusing to father a child with his widowed sister-in-law, Tamar. Following the death of his older brother Er, Onan was commanded to perform a levirate marriage to provide an heir for his brother. Instead, Onan intentionally wasted his semen on the ground during intimacy to avoid producing an heir that would not be considered his own, which was deemed wicked by the Lord.
The Levirate Law
The Levirate Law (from the Latin levir, meaning "husband's brother") was a custom later codified in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 25:5–10).
Requirement: If a married man died childless, his surviving brother was obligated to marry the widow.
Purpose: The primary goal was to ensure the deceased man's "name would not be blotted out from Israel". The firstborn son from the new union was legally considered the heir of the deceased brother, allowing his lineage and property to remain within the family.
Protection for Widows: The law provided social and financial security for widows, who were otherwise vulnerable and could not own property in that society.
Refusal: If a brother refused this duty, he was subjected to a public shaming ritual called halitzah. The widow would remove his sandal, spit in his face, and he would be known as "The House of Him Who Had His Sandal Pulled Off". While some interpret Onan's death as a condemnation of his specific method of birth control, many scholars argue his true sin was selfishness and the deception of his family. By pretending to fulfill the law but ensuring no heir was born, he likely sought to keep his brother's portion of the inheritance for himself.
Genesis 38:9-10 New Living Translation (NLT)
So whenever he had intercourse with his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother. But the LORD considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother.
Pregnancy before marriage is not uncommon in contemporary America, but it was rare in the Jewish culture of Mary and Joseph’s day. In the shame-honor culture in which they lived, it brought a life-long stigma upon the parents and the child. Unlike the engagement period prior to marriage today, betrothal was a serious legal contract which that could be undone only by divorce or death. It typically lasted a year, during which time the couple lived apart and observed sexual abstinence. Betrothal was as legally binding as marriage, and if one of the parties had sexual relations with a different person, it was considered adultery.
As was common in their culture, Jewish women at that time frequently married at age twelve to fourteen. Men, who took on adult responsibilities at age thirteen, generally married between eighteen and twenty.
This background helps us appreciate the very difficult situation that Mary faced as a betrothed teenage girl who was pregnant but not yet officially married. What would her parents think? How would the community react, not only to her but also to her father, whose had responsibility it was to safeguard the virginity of his daughters? How would Joseph respond?
Mary’s pregnancy was a calling from God that carried a high personal cost. But because of her trust in God and her devotion to Him, she willingly accepted the call, knowing full-well that the road ahead would not be easy. Mary’s response invites us to examine our own trust and devotion to God. Are we willing to follow her example of faith and costly obedience?
Prayer
Lord, help me like Mary to be willing to accept Your call on my life with
joy and obedience, despite the stigma and shame that I might have to
endure for serving You. Amen.
Much of the book of Isaiah is record of God working with a sinful people to give them a confident hope of future redemption. The book of Isaiah records the events surrounding Israel and Judah, from Isaiah’s calling in 740 BC, “the year that King Uzziah died” (Isaiah 6:1), to sometime after the Assyrian King Sennacherib died (681 BC). During this time, Assyria invaded and conquered the northern kingdom of Israel (722 BC) and attempted to conquer the southern kingdom of Judah. Babylon then conquered Assyria, and an invasion of Judah was coming. These calamities were a result of God’s judgment on a sinful people (Isaiah 1; see Deuteronomy 28:62–68).
God describes the sin of Judah as being “as scarlet” and “red like crimson” in Isaiah 1:18 (KJV). Scarlet often represented wealth and royalty (cf. Jeremiah 4:30; Matthew 27:28), but in the context of Isaiah 1:18, scarlet and crimson represent contamination, a deep stain of sin. To achieve a scarlet-colored fabric, a material would be soaked in a scarlet dye. This staining process illustrates how sin had permeated the fabric of society; the sins of God’s people were “as scarlet.” The stain of sin had infused their very hearts.
This concept of the “stains” of sin is seen elsewhere in Scripture (Jeremiah 2:22; 1 Timothy 6:14; 1 Corinthians 6:11). Sin is often depicted as a stain, and righteousness is depicted as pure white. In Revelation 7, for example, a great multitude of people gather around God’s throne, all wearing white robes. An angel identifies the people: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” It is the blood of the Lamb—Jesus Christ—that is required to take away the stain of sin and make one righteous (see John 1:29).
All of us are born stained and sinful (Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1–3). We are all in need of cleansing. What can wash away our sin, which is as scarlet and red as crimson? By the grace of God, we can be cleansed through faith in Jesus Christ. Peter puts the good news this way: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:18–20).
Sin is like a crimson stain, indicative of blood guilt. But, to the eternal praise of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can be cleansed of that stain: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
Matthew is establishing the line of Jesus from Abraham. This establishes that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's covenant with Israel to bless all the nations. It also proves He is the fulfillment of God's promise to David that his descendants would always sit on the throne of Israel. Matthew began in familiar territory for all Jewish people. Abraham was the father of Isaac, who was the father of Jacob, who was the father of twelve sons, the fourth-born of which was Judah.
Now Matthew follows the line through Judah, who was the father of twin boys named Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38:27–30). These boys were born to him as the result of a sordid sexual encounter with his daughter-in-law Tamar, described in Genesis 38. Judah failed to follow through on providing the widowed Tamar with a husband, according to the levirate marriage custom. So she disguised herself as a prostitute and became pregnant with Judah's child.
Tamar is the first of five women mentioned in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus and not nearly the only person connected to questionable moral choices. This is significant. First, genealogies did not require the mention of any women, at all, since the line was passed through male descendants. Matthew goes out of his way to mention these women, including a conception under questionable circumstances
However, this fits into the focus of Matthew's book: Jesus, who came to offer grace and forgiveness from God to humanity through His own life and death and resurrection. It also fits with the counter-cultural way in which Jesus honored and esteemed women during His ministry on earth. As someone once involved in a profession considered despicable—a tax collector for the Romans—Matthew would have appreciated God's ability to use sinners to accomplish His will.
Matthew continues following the line from Judah's son Perez to his son Hezron (Genesis 46:12) and to his son Ram (1 Chronicles 2:9).
Judah was the fourth son of Jacob with his wife Leah, and the head of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The other 11 tribes descended from Judah’s brothers and half-brothers.
Judah’s second-to-youngest brother, Joseph, was preferred by their father, and Judah and his brothers hated Joseph (Genesis 37:3–4). One day, the brothers threw Joseph in a cistern and conspired to kill him. The eldest sibling, Reuben, argued against this course of action, intending to rescue Joseph from the others (verses 21–22). But while the brothers ate lunch, and in Reuben’s absence, a caravan approached, and Judah came up with a plan to sell Joseph to the caravan’s merchants as a slave (verses 26–17). The brothers agreed, and Joseph was sold and taken to Egypt.
It is possible that Judah felt remorse or guilt for his actions, for “at that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah” (Genesis 38:1). There, Judah married a Canaanite woman who gave Judah three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. When Er grew up, Judah gave him a wife named Tamar. But Er was an evil man, so the Lord put him to death (verse 7). Following the custom of levirate marriage, Tamar was then given to Onan, who selfishly refused to give Tamar children (verse 9); he was also put to death by the Lord for his actions. Shelah was too young to take a wife, so Judah ordered Tamar to live as a widow in her father’s house (verse 11).
After several years Judah’s own wife died, and he grieved. When he recovered, he traveled to Timnah to oversee to the shearing of his sheep. Tamar, still a widow in spite of the fact that Shelah had grown up, heard that her father-in-law was coming, and she devised a plan. Tamar put on a veil and pretended to be a prostitute on the road to Timnah (Genesis 38:14). The veil hid her identity from Judah, and Judah slept with her. Tamar became pregnant, which had been her goal all along. Three months later, when Judah found out that his supposedly chaste daughter-in-law was pregnant, he was filled with rage: “Bring her out and have her burned to death!” he demanded (verse 24). As she was being brought out for punishment as a harlot, Tamar produced evidence that her pregnancy was due to Judah’s own immorality. Judah saw his hypocrisy and repented, saying, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah” (verse 26). Judah did not have sexual relations with Tamar after that. She later gave birth to twins, two boys named Perez and Zerah (verses 29–30).
Meanwhile, God was with Judah’s brother Joseph in Egypt, elevating Joseph to a place of power second only the Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:39–40). Joseph had interpreted the king’s dream warning of seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and so Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of gathering grain to store for the lean years. Under Joseph’s supervision, a large amount of grain was set aside (verse 49). When the great famine came upon the land, it affected even Canaan. Judah and his brothers traveled from Canaan to Egypt to buy some of the surplus food. Joseph eventually revealed himself to his brothers, who were remorseful for what they had done to him (for more on this, see Genesis 42 – 45).
Soon, Joseph brought his entire family to the land of Egypt, where their descendants would live for several hundred years, according to God’s great plan for His people. This is where Jacob died, and before he passed, he called all his sons to bless them. In spite of all Judah’s faults, his blessing from Jacob was both rich and wonderful; in it, Jacob foretold that Judah’s house would be the greatest, and the scepter, or rule, would not depart from his descendants (see Genesis 49:8–12 for the full blessing). Jacob’s words held true, for, many years later, Judah’s line produced King David and his dynasty and, eventually, through the line of Perez, came the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5).
It seems that every few years, a
red heifer
(red cow) is born in Israel,
and it results in thinking that
the return of Jesus is near
Why is this?
What does a red heifer have to
do with
the end times?
The rabbi Maimonides (1135—1204) taught that the tenth red heifer would be sacrificed by the Messiah Himself (Parah Adumah, ch. 3, § 4). The Temple Institute, a group advocating the construction of a third temple, reports that five flawless red heifers from Texas arrived in Israel on September 15, 2022 (https://templeinstitute.org, accessed 9/22/22). Many people view this event as a fulfilment of prophecy, since the acquisition of a red heifer is a major step forward in plans for a new temple.
The Mosaic Law specified that the red heifer was to be “without defect or blemish” and to have never borne a yoke (Numbers 19:2). The sacrifice of the red heifer was unique in the law in that it used a female animal, it was sacrificed away from the entrance to the tabernacle, and it was the only sacrifice in which the color of the animal was specified.
The slaughtering of a red heifer is described in Numbers 19:1–10. Eleazar the priest was to oversee the ritual outside the camp of the Israelites. After the animal was killed, Eleazar was to sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tabernacle seven times (verse 4). Then he left camp again and oversaw the burning of the carcass of the red heifer (verse 5). As the red heifer burned, the priest was to add “some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool” to the fire (verse 6).
The commands concerning the red heifer were yet another foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ for believers’ sin. The Lord Jesus was “without blemish,” just as the red heifer was to be. As the heifer was sacrificed “outside the camp” (Numbers 19:3), Jesus was crucified outside of Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:11–12). And, just as the ashes of the red heifer cleansed people from the contamination of death, so the sacrifice of Christ saves us from the penalty and corruption of death.
The red heifer ritual as established in the Mosaic Law was fairly simple; in the interval since that time, Judaism has added many standards and extra criteria. Talmudic tradition speaks of the type of rope the red heifer was to be bound with, the direction it was to face when being slaughtered, the words spoken by the priest, the wearing of sandals during the ritual, etc. The rabbinical rules listed many things that would disqualify a red heifer from being sacrificed: if she had been ridden or leaned on, if she had a garment placed over her, if a bird had rested on her, and if she had two black or white hairs, among many other conditions not found in the biblical text.
According to the futurist timeline of eschatology, there will indeed be a third temple of God in Jerusalem. Jesus prophesied a desecration of the temple to occur during the tribulation (Matthew 24:15; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4); for that to happen, there obviously will need to be a temple. Assuming those who dedicate the end-times temple follow Jewish law, they will need the ashes of a red heifer, mixed with water, for the ceremonial cleansing. If a blemish-free red heifer has truly been found and is in Israel, that could be one more piece falling into place for the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
The rapture is not contingent on the presence of any particular cow. Must a red heifer be found before the temple is rebuilt? Not necessarily, although temple advocates certainly want one for ceremonial purposes. Are animal sacrifices of any type required today? No, Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the law, and His sacrifice provides true forgiveness and life eternal.
Scripture explicitly
contrasts
the red heifer ceremony
with
the greater sacrifice of Christ:
“The ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are
ceremonially unclean
sanctify them
so that they are outwardly clean.
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ,
who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished
to God,
cleanse our consciences from acts that
lead to death,
so that we may serve the living God!”
(Hebrews 9:13–14).
The Golden Calf (Exodus 32)
and the
Red Heifer (Numbers 19)
are connected
biblical symbols of sin and purification
The Calf represents
Israel's idolatry, while the Red Heifer's ashes
provide
the ritual purification required for
contact with death,
serving as a symbolic atonement.
The unblemished red cow
acts as a "mother"
cleaning the "filth" caused by
the calf
While Moses was on Mount Sinai,
the Israelites
created a golden calf
to worship,
representing a
major act of disobedience and
spiritual impurity
The incident brought death and ritual
impurity to the camp
It represents the ultimate breaking of the covenant
and the
human tendency toward idolatry
A perfectly red cow, without blemish and which has never worn a yoke, must be sacrificed outside the camp.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” The New American Standard Version says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
The cow is burned
completely, and its ashes are mixed
with water to create
a "water of lustration" used to purify
those who
have come into contact with a corpse.
Rashi and other commentators connect the Red Heifer to the Golden Calf,
arguing that the mother (the cow)
should come and clean up the mess of her child (the calf).
A Call to Holiness
(Hebrews 12:14–17)
Therefore prepare
your minds for action
Be sober-minded
Set your hope fully on
the
grace to be given you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ
As obedient children,
do not
conform to the passions of your
former ignorance
But just as He who
called you
is holy, so be holy in all you do,
for it is written:
“Be holy, because I am holy.”
Since you call on a
Father who judges each one’s work
impartially,
conduct yourselves
in reverent fear during your stay
as foreigners
For you know
that it was not with perishable things
such as silver or gold
that you were redeemed from
the empty way of life
you inherited from your forefathers,
but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without
blemish or spot.
He was known
before the foundation of the world, but was
revealed in
the last times for your sake.
Through Him you believe in God,
who raised Him from the dead and
glorified Him;
and so
your faith and hope are in God
The Enduring Word
(Isaiah 40:6–8)
Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For,
“All flesh is like grass,
and all its
glory like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the
flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord stands
forever.”
And this is the word that was proclaimed
to you.
Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Revelation 5:9
And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Hebrews 9:14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!
Exodus 12:5
Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.
1 Corinthians 5:7
Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Leviticus 22:20-21
You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. / When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be acceptable.
Revelation 13:8
And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.
Matthew 26:28
This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Acts 20:28
Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
Hebrews 9:12
He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.
Isaiah 53:5
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
Colossians 1:20
and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.
Romans 3:25
God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
1 Peter 2:22-24
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: …
1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Exodus 12:5
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
John 1:29,36
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world…
For many Christians, the Red Heifer is a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus, with its redness representing blood, its unblemished nature representing sinlessness, and its sacrifice outside the city gate mirroring the crucifixion.
Divine Paradox: The ritual is considered a chok (a divine statute without a rational explanation), which paradoxically makes the pure, who prepare it, unclean, while making the unclean, clean
He is not the God of the dead, but of
the living:
therefore ye do greatly mistake
When the dead rise,
they will neither
marry nor be given in marriage; they
will be like
the
angels in heaven
The Greatest Commandment
(Deuteronomy 6:1–19; Matthew 22:34–40)
Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate.
Noticing how well Jesus had answered them,
he asked Him,
“Which commandment is the most important of all?”
Jesus replied
“This is the most important:
‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind
and
with all your strength.’
The second is this:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
No other commandment is greater than these.”
“Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied.
“You have stated correctly
that God is One and there is no other
but Him,
and to
love Him with all your heart and with all
your
understanding and with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself.
This is more important than all burnt
offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that the man had answered
wisely,
He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
And no one
dared to question Him any further
Whose Son Is the Christ?
(Matthew 22:41–46; Luke 20:41–44)
While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,
He asked,
“How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?
Speaking by the
Holy Spirit, David himself declared:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand
until
I put Your enemies
under Your feet.”’
David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how can He be David’s son?”
And the large crowd listened to Him with delight.
Matthew 22:32
‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
Luke 20:38
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.”
Exodus 3:6
Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Romans 14:9
For this reason Christ died and returned to life, that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
Acts 7:32
‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. / And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Hebrews 11:13-16
All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. / Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. / If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ...
Genesis 17:7
I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
Genesis 26:24
and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”
Genesis 28:13
And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.
Isaiah 41:8-10
“But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend— / I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, ‘You are My servant.’ I have chosen and not rejected you. / Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Isaiah 26:19
Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her dead.
Job 19:25-27
But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth. / Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. / I will see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him, and not as a stranger. How my heart yearns within me!
Daniel 12:2
And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Romans 4:17
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Romans 14:9
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Hebrews 11:13-16
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth
Mark 12:24
And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
Proverbs 19:27
Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.
Hebrews 3:10
Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
The phrase "killed her beasts" and "mingled her wine" symbolizes the comprehensive and intentional preparations Wisdom makes for her guests.
He took what they handed him and made it into an
idol cast in the shape of a calf,
fashioning it with a tool.
Then they said, “These are your gods,
Israel,
who brought you up out of Egypt.”
https://www.openbible.info/topics/golden_earrings
"... Go, get down, for your people which you brought up out of the land of Egypt have become corrupt... "
The Mixed Multitude
"And the Israelites traveled from Ramses toward Sukkot; approximately 600,000 adult males on foot, besides the children. A mixed multitude also left with them... " (Ex. 12:37 - 38)
A vast number of people participated in the exodus from Egypt. This verse numbers the "adult males" alone as being in the vicinity of 60 myriad. This classification includes all those who were over the age of 20 (there were 80,000 souls under the age of 20), excluding the aged and infirm who cannot travel without assistance. All this was only the tally for the household heads, "besides the children," and the women. Each family numbered at least five souls - in all, rabbinical tradition reckons that some three million people were involved in this great event. Also, this entire figure does not take the tribe of Levi into account. Their numbers were not counted here by Moshe since they had been exempted from the servitude by Pharoah when they were in Egypt.
The mixed multitude which this verse mentions was a group which numbered well over a million souls. They originated from among the Egyptians and from the ranks of many other nations as well, hence the term "mixed multitude." When they saw the great glory of Israel revealed, they desired to convert to Judaism and to leave Egypt together with Israel.
Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moshe: My creations have already caused Me to descend once before to observe the destruction they wrought - as it is written, "And G-d went down to see the city;" "Let us go down;" "I will go down and see" (Gen. 11;18). Now, Moshe, it is your turn to "go down," for it is appropriate behavior for a servant to emulate his master.
When Moshe heard this, he was afraid that this meant Israel could no longer obtain forgiveness. But the Holy One was aware of his fears and told him, "Moshe, did I not tell you at the bush, ' have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt'? (Ex. 3:7). You are but a human being, and you see with only one vision. But I see with two. I see that in the future, they will come to Sinai and accept my Torah, and I will descend at Sinai with My quadriga (Latin; a chariot drawn by four animals abreast) - and they will "unhitch" one of the four animals of my chariot, thereby angering Me! As Scripture states (Ez. 1:10) "And they four had the face of an ox from the left side." And it is written (Psalms 106:18 - 19), "They made a calf in Horev, and worshiped a molten image. They exchanged their glory for the likeness of an ox that eats grass!"
But the Holy One explained to Moshe: "Go down, for your people have become corrupt." It does not state "the people," but "your people" - for the Holy One said to Moshe: "Your people have created the calf! For I told you, "And I will take out My hosts, My people the Children of Israel (Ex. 7)," but you caused all of this - by insisting upon accepting the mixed multitude. They are not My people. My people did not do it - as it is written, "Israel does not know, My people does not consider" (Isaiah 1).
Moshe, you pleaded before Me that it is better to accept them! But I foresaw what they would do in the future... and it is they who made the golden calf, for they are idolaters, and they caused My people to sin together with them. They said, "These are your Gods, Israel," and not "our Gods" - for it is they who were responsible.
Who is greater than Moshe, chief of all the prophets, who most certainly had only the best of intentions, but inevitably caused these evil ones to become a snare for Israel... and they have continued to cause Israel anguish to this very day. They are the cause for the extension of the exile. It was clear to G-d that they would cause Israel damage and confuse them, leading them astray from the true service, but He did not want to say this explicitly to Moshe. Everyone has free choice, and perhaps even they could repent. But instead, it was they who influenced Israel to sin. If the mixed multitude would not have been clinging to Israel, G-d would have lead them straight into the Promised Land. They are like an open wound; an evil mixture that always incites and lures Israel from serving G-d.
The Bible's laws of impurity are very similar to the laws of leprosy, for the state of impurity which renders a person further from G-d is like a spiritual leprosy... the idolatry which is represented by the golden calf. Just as He commanded that the purification of the leper be accomplished with cedar and hyssop, so too, the impure must be separated, and sprinkled on the third and seventh day. This one is separated because of his contact with death, just as a leper is considered like one dead.
The Golden Calf and the Red Heifer
We have learned that the sages gave a hint for understanding the red heifer: it is related to the sin of the golden calf. "To what can this be likened? To a maid who worked in the palace of the king. One day her child came and soiled the palace with his filth. The king said, 'let the mother come, and clean her child's filth'." This is the concept of atonement for the golden calf, for the Holy One said, "Let the red heifer come, and atone for the golden calf."
Why must the heifer be red? To rectify the infamous idol which shone with a reddish hue... it is an atonement for Israel's "red" sin. And in general, Scripture likens sin to red: "Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be white as wool" (Isaiah 1:18). Says the Holy One: Since Israel's sins are red, let the heifer also be red - and when it is burned, its ashes are white... thus the prophet assures his people in the Creator's name that G-d promises "they shall whiten as snow."
In order for the heifer to be fit, it must never have carried a yoke. This is an allusion to Israel, who threw off the yoke of Heaven in insubordination when they worshiped the golden calf.
Why must the heifer be given to Eleazar, and assistant, and not to the Kohen Gadol himself? Because Aharon oversaw the creation of the golden calf, and therefore it would not seem proper for him to officiate with the heifer. There is a principle, "the same one who was prosecutor, cannot become a defense attorney."
The heifer is burned, an allusion to the calf that was burned: "And he took the calf which they had made, and burned it in the fire... " (Ex. 32:20)
Three species are used: hyssop, cedar, and scarlet wool, which are reminiscent of the 3,000 who fell at the sin of the calf. And why these three? The cedar is the highest, and the hyssop is the lowest... and whoever is haughty (equal to the sin of idolatry) must become like a worm (from which the red dye is obtained) in his own eyes, as King David prayed: "I am a worm and not a man" (Psalms 22:7). If he will lower himself, his sins will be atoned.
Just as the sin of the golden calf exerts its influence forever, as it states "and on the day that I will remember you and I will remember your sin" (Ex. 32:34), so too the Holy One commanded that the ashes of the red heifer be kept as a remembrance for all generations: "and they shall be for the congregation of the Children of Israel for a remembrance."
And just as the golden calf rendered all those who participated in it impure - for idolatry causes impurity, as it is written: "You shall cast it away as a thing impure... " (Isaiah 30:22), so the heifer renders all those who come in contact with it impure.
And: As Israel became pure through the ashes of the golden calf, which Moshe burned and ground into a dust - "... and he burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it upon the water... " So Israel becomes pure through the ashes of the red heifer.
But why must the heifer be free from all blemish?
... Because at their spiritual source, according to their true exalted nature, Israel is perfect and free from blemish.
the entire precept can be seen as an affectionate allegory to Israel herself - the Holy One compares His nation with the secret of that which cleanses her.
How fitting that the heifer which figures so importantly in the process of Israel's purification, must be completely red, perfect and without blemish.
Israel is red, as it is written (Lamentations 4:7) "... they were more ruddy in body than rubies."
Israel is perfect - so the verse states (Song of Songs 5:2) "... open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect... "
Israel has no blemish, as it is written (ibid. 4:7), "You are all fair, my love, there is no blemish in you."
"The red heifer will atone for their gold which is red. As it is perfect and without blemish, let it atone for the nation which is perfect. Israel was perfect but became blemished through this sin; the sprinkling of the ashes will restore their perfection and cleanse them of their blemish.
"Against God"
Sin as Rebellion:
Sin is defined as a violation of God's law and character, effectively making the sinner an enemy of God.
Anger Toward God:
It is common for people to be angry with God, often stemming from personal suffering or unmet expectations, though it is framed as a failure to recognize His sovereignty.
Moral Monster Allegation:
Critics often claim God is evil or immoral, which addresses by examining the problem of evil, the Old Testament wars, and the necessity of a divine moral standard.
Consequences:
Rejecting God leads
to serious
consequences, including
separation from Him and,
ultimately,
the judgment of hell.
God's Hatred:
God is capable of perfect, holy hatred against
sin and evil,
which is distinct from human sin-filled hatred
The Way of Folly
The woman named Folly is loud;
she is naive and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat in the heights of the city,
calling out to those who pass by,
who make their paths straight.
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
she says to him who lacks judgment.
“Stolen water is sweet,
and
bread eaten in secret is tasty!”
But they
do not know that the
Dead are there,
that her guests are in the
depths of Sheol
The Consequences of
Accepting
Wisdom or Folly
Wisdom has Built her House;
she has
Carved out
Its Seven Pillars
She has Prepared her Meat,
She has mixed her Wine;
She also
Has Arranged her Table
She has Sent out her female
Servants;
She Calls out on the Highest Places
of the City
“Whoever is Naive, let him
Turn in Here
To those who Lack Understanding,
she has said,
“Come, Eat some of My Food,
And Drink
Some of the Wine I have Mixed
Abandon
Your Foolish Ways so that
You May Live
And Proceed in the Way
of
Understanding.”
Whoever corrects a mocker is asking for insult;
whoever reproves a wicked person receives abuse.
Do Not Reprove a Mocker or he will
Hate you;
Reprove a Wise person and he
Will Love You
Give Instruction
To a wise person, and he will become
Wiser Still;
Teach a Righteous person and he Will
Add to his Learning
The Beginning
of
Wisdom is to fear the Lord,
and
Acknowledging
the
Holy One
Is understanding
For because of me your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise,
you are wise to your own
advantage,
but if you have mocked, you
alone
must bear it.
The woman called Folly
is brash,
she is naive and does not know anything
And she has
sat down at the door
of her house,
on a
seat at the highest point
of the city,
calling out to those who are passing by her
in the way,
who go straight on their way.
“Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
To those who lack understanding she has said,
“Stolen waters are sweet,
and food obtained in secret is pleasant!”
But they do not realize that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of the grave.
Proverbs 9:2 (KJV) states: "She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; She hath also furnished her table." This verse depicts Lady Wisdom preparing a lavish,, metaphoric banquet to invite the simple and lacking in understanding to gain insight and life.
Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
James 1:14-15
But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
2 Samuel 11:2-4
One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. / So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” / Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. / But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Ephesians 5:11-12
Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. / For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.
1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
Psalm 36:1-4
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD. An oracle is in my heart regarding the transgression of the wicked man: There is no fear of God before his eyes. / For his eyes are too full of conceit to detect or hate his own sin. / The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and well-doing. ...
Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
Jeremiah 23:14
And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
Hosea 7:6-7
For they prepare their heart like an oven while they lie in wait; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire. / All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls upon Me.
Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who
plot evil on their beds!
At morning’s light
they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.
- Proverbs 9:1 sn Chapter 9 forms the conclusion of the lengthy introduction to the book. Both wisdom and folly will make their final appeals; and both appeal to the simpletons. Wisdom offers life with no mention of pleasure; folly offers pleasure with no mention of death. The first twelve verses concern accepting wisdom: the invitation of wisdom (1-6), the description of the responses (7-11), and the consequence (12). Verses 13-18 concern accepting folly: the invitation (13-17) and the consequence (18).
- Proverbs 9:1 sn Wisdom is personified as a wise woman. She has prepared a house and established it on seven pillars. This is a reference to the habitable world (e.g., 8:31). For the equation of the house and the world, e.g., 8:29; Job 38:6; Ps 104:5 (also G. Boström, Proverbiastudien [LUÅ], 1-14).
- The “seven pillars” have been variously interpreted, but since seven is a number for completeness and sacredness, the idea seems to be that wisdom produced a perfect world.
- Proverbs 9:2 tn Heb “she has slaughtered her slaughter [animals].” English does not prefer to use a cognate verb and noun for butchering an animal in food preparation. Cf. KJV “hath killed her beasts”; NAB “has dressed her meat”; NASB “has prepared her food.”
- Proverbs 9:2 sn Wisdom has prepared a sumptuous banquet in this house and sends out her maids to call the simple to come and eat (M. Lichtenstein, “The Banquet Motif in Keret and in Proverbs 9, ” JANESCU 1 [1968/69]: 19-31). The figures of meat and wine represent the good teaching of wisdom that will be palatable and profitable (implied comparisons). Cf. Isaiah 55:1-2 and John 6:51, 55 for similar uses of the figures. The idea of mixing wine could refer to the practice of mixing wine with spices or with water (as the LXX text assumes; e.g., Prov 23:30; Isa 5:22). Mixed wine was the most intoxicating; thus, her wisdom is attractive. All the imagery lets the simple know that what wisdom has to offer is marvelous.
- Proverbs 9:3 tn The Hebrew imperfect can be a general present. The prior perfect verbs tell what she has done in preparation, while the imperfect tells what she now does. But it is also possible, given the past time context of the previous verbs, that the imperfect should be understood as past habitual, “she would call,” or as a preterite (without the vav consecutive), “she called.” This would be in line with the next verse which uses a perfect, “she has said.”
- Proverbs 9:3 tn The text uses two synonymous terms in construct to express the superlative degree.
- Proverbs 9:4 tn Heb “[As for one] lacking of mind—she has said to him.” The pronominal suffix is a resumptive pronoun, meaning, “she has said to the [person] lacking of mind.”
- Proverbs 9:4 tn The Hebrew word לֵב (lev) means both the “heart” and the “mind.” By metonymy, the mind stands for understanding or judgment.
- Proverbs 9:4 tn The Hebrew switches to the perfect verb form to introduce the speech in the following verses. It lets us know what her message has been. It is possible that the imperfect verb in the previous verse should be understood as a past habitual, “she would call” or as a preterite (without the vav consecutive), “she called.” tc The LXX supports the reading of the verb as a perfect. But at the similar construction in 9:16, the LXX reads a participle, which would be present time. The consonants are the same for both forms. It is possible that the verb should be read as a participle in both verses. The present tense could certainly fit the context.
- Proverbs 9:5 tn The construction features a cognate accusative (verb and noun from same root). The preposition ב (bet) has the partitive use “some” (GKC 380 §119.m).
- Proverbs 9:5 tn The final verb actually stands in a relative clause although the relative pronoun is not present; it modifies “wine.”sn The expressions “eat” and “drink” carry the implied comparison forward; they mean that the simple are to appropriate the teachings of wisdom.
- Proverbs 9:6 tn There are two ways to take this word: either as “fools” or as “foolish ways.” The spelling for “foolishness” in v. 13 differs from this spelling, and so some have taken that as an indicator that this should be “fools.” But this could still be an abstract plural here as in 1:22. Either the message is to forsake fools (i.e., bad company; cf. KJV, TEV) or forsake foolishness (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).
- Proverbs 9:6 tn The two imperatives are joined with vav; this is a volitive sequence in which result or consequence is expressed.
- Proverbs 9:6 tn The verb means “go straight, go on, advance” or “go straight on in the way of understanding” (BDB 80 s.v. אָשַׁר).
- Proverbs 9:7 tn The active participle יֹסֵר (yoser) describes one who tries to correct by means of instruction and discipline; it is paralleled by the Hiphil participle which refers to someone who rebukes or reproves another. Anyone trying this on these types of people would be inviting trouble.
- Proverbs 9:7 tn Heb “receives for himself.”
- Proverbs 9:7 tn The word means “dishonor” or “disgrace.” It is paralleled with מוּמוֹ (mumo), translated “abuse.” The latter term means “blemish,” although some would emend the text to read “reproach.” The MT is figurative but not impossible to interpret: Whoever tries to rebuke a wicked person will receive only insults and perhaps physical attack.
- Proverbs 9:7 tn The verb “receives” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
- Proverbs 9:8 tn In view of the expected response for reproof, the text now uses a negated jussive to advise against the attempt. This is paralleled antithetically by the imperative in the second colon. This imperative is in an understood conditional clause: “if you reprove a wise person.”
- Proverbs 9:8 tn Heb “lest he hate you.” The particle פֶּן (pen, “lest”) expresses fear or precaution (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 79, §476). The antonyms “love” and “hate” suggest that the latter means “reject” and the former means “choosing and embracing.”
- Proverbs 9:9 tn Heb “Give to the wise.” The object, “instruction” (or possibly rebuke), is implied. Most translations either supply the object (NIV, NLT, Holman) or change the verb to “instruct” (NASB, ESV, NKJV, NRSV).
- Proverbs 9:9 The parallelism shows what Proverbs will repeatedly stress, that the wise person is the righteous person.
- Proverbs 9:9 tn The Hiphil verb normally means “to cause to know, make known,” but here the context suggests “to teach” (so many English versions).
- Proverbs 9:9 tn The term “his” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of smoothness and clarity.
- Proverbs 9:10 sn The difference between תְּחִלַּת (tekhillat) here and רֵאשִׁית (reʾshit) of 1:7, if there is any substantial difference, is that this term refers to the starting point of wisdom, and the earlier one indicates the primary place of wisdom (K&D 16:202).
- Proverbs 9:10 tn Heb “fear of the Lord.”
- Proverbs 9:10 tn Heb “knowledge of the Holy One” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). Knowledge of God implies an understanding of his character and ways and acknowledging or adopting his values. The noun דַּעַת (daʿat), traditionally taken as “knowledge” from the root יָדַע (yadaʿ, “to know”), may also be related to the root דָּעָה (daʿah, “to seek, request,” see NIDOTTE 959, s.v.). The homonym of דַּעַת (daʿat) is not widely recognized, but the meaning of seeking or having concern for God (and his ways) would fit the context well. Cf. Hos 6:3 for an example of the verb דָּעָה.
- Proverbs 9:10 tn The word is in the plural in the Hebrew (literally “holy ones”; KJV “the holy”). It was translated “holy men” in Tg. Prov 9:10. But it probably was meant to signify the majestic nature of the Lord. As J. H. Greenstone says, he is “all-holy” (Proverbs, 94). This is an example of the plural of majesty, one of the honorific uses of the plural (see IBHS 122-23 §7.4.3b).
- Proverbs 9:11 tn The preposition ב (bet) here may have the causal sense (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 45, §247), although it could also be means (Williams, 44, §243).
- Proverbs 9:11 tn The verb וְיוֹסִיפוּ (veyosifu) is the Hiphil imperfect, third masculine plural, but because there is no expressed subject the verb may be taken as a passive.
- Proverbs 9:12 tn The text simply has the preposition ל (lamed) with a suffix, but this will be the use of the preposition classified as “interest,” either for advantage or disadvantage (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 48-49, §271).
- Proverbs 9:12 tn The word “if” does not appear in the Hebrew but is understood from the first half of the line through the convention of ellipsis and double duty.
- Proverbs 9:12 tn Here the conjunction vav begins a second conditional sentence, laying down an antithetical condition. It uses the perfect form of a dynamic verb in contrast to the first verb (the stative perfect for present time). While it is advantageous to be or become wise at any time, once you have mocked, there will be a consequence for it.
- Proverbs 9:12 tn The use of the imperfect tense here could be the simple future tense (cf. NASB, NRSV “you…will bear it”), but the obligatory nuance is more appropriate—“you must bear it.” These words anticipate James’ warnings that the words we speak will haunt us through life (e.g., James 3:1-12).
- Proverbs 9:12 tc The LXX has an addition: “Forsake folly, that you may reign forever; and seek discretion and direct understanding in knowledge.”
- Proverbs 9:13 tn Heb “a woman of foolishness.” This could be translated as “foolish woman,” taking the genitive as attributive (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV). But in view of the contrast with the personification of wisdom, this word probably also represents a personification and so can be taken as a genitive of apposition, the woman who is folly, or “the woman, Folly” (cf. NIV). For clarity and stylistic reasons the word “called” has been supplied in the translation.
- Proverbs 9:13 tn The meaning of the word comes close to “riotous.” W. McKane describes her as restless and rootless (Proverbs [OTL], 366).
- Proverbs 9:13 tn The noun means “foolishness” (cf. KJV “simple”; NAB “inane”). Here it could be classified as a metonymy of adjunct, or as a predictive apposition (when a substantive is used in place of a noun; see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 15, §67).
- Proverbs 9:13 tn The ignorance here in Proverbs must be moral ignorance. But see D. W. Thomas for the idea that the verb means “become still,” “be at rest,” yielding here the idea of restless (“A Note on בַל־יָדְעָה in Proverbs 913,” JTS 4 [1953]: 23-24).
- Proverbs 9:13 tc The text of v. 13 has been difficult for translators. The MT has, “The foolish woman is boisterous, simplicity, and knows not what.” The LXX reads, “A foolish and impudent woman comes to lack a morsel, she who knows not shame.” The Syriac has, “a woman lacking in discretion, seductive.” Tg. Prov 9:13 translates it, “a foolish woman and a gadabout, ignorant, and she knows not good.” The Vulgate has, “a woman foolish and noisy, and full of wiles, and knowing nothing at all.”
- Proverbs 9:15 tn The infinitive construct “calling out” functions epexegetically in the sentence, explaining how the previous action was accomplished.
- Proverbs 9:15 tn The term “her” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
- Proverbs 9:15 tn The noun is a genitive of location after the construct participle. Its parallel word is also an adverbial accusative of location.
- Proverbs 9:15 tn The participle modifies the participle in the first colon. To describe the passers-by in this context as those “who go straight” means that they are quiet and unwary.
- Proverbs 9:16 tn The word לֵב (lev; “heart, mind”). By metonymy, the mind stands for understanding or judgment.
- Proverbs 9:16 tc The LXX reads “she exhorts saying” a present indicative plus a participle. This implies a verb missing in the Hebrew and reading the vav plus perfect verb וְאָמְרָה (veʾamerah, “and has said”) as a participle וְאֹמְרָה (veʾomerah, “and says”). The participle would be present time. The consonants are the same for both forms and the present tense could certainly fit the context. The loss of another verb might explain the presence of the conjunction vav beginning the form. tn Heb “And [as for one] lacking of mind—and she has said to him.” The expression is almost identical to v. 4, except this verse adds the conjunction vav twice. The parallel is deliberate, showing the competing appeals for those passing by.
- Proverbs 9:17 sn The offer is not wine and meat (which represented wisdom), but water that is stolen. The “water” will seem sweeter than wine because it is stolen—the idea of getting away with something exciting appeals to the baser instincts. In Proverbs the water imagery was introduced earlier in 5:15-19 as sexual activity with the adulteress, which would seem at the moment more enjoyable than learning wisdom. Likewise bread will be drawn into this analogy in 30:20. So the “calling out” is similar to that of wisdom, but what is being offered is very different.
- Proverbs 9:17 tn Heb “bread of secrecies.” It could mean “bread [eaten in] secret places,” a genitive of location; or it could mean “bread [gained through] secrets,” a genitive of source, the secrecies being metonymical for theft. The latter makes a better parallelism in this verse, for bread (= sexually immoral behavior) gained secretly would be like stolen water.
- Proverbs 9:18 tn Heb “he does not know.”
- Proverbs 9:18 sn The “dead” are the Rephaim, the “shades” or dead persons who lead a shadowy existence in Sheol (e.g., Prov 2:18-19; Job 3:13-19; Ps 88:5; Isa 14:9-11). This approximates an “as-if” motif of wisdom literature: The ones ensnared in folly are as good as in Hell. See also Ptah-hotep’s sayings (ANET 412-414).
- Proverbs 9:18 tc The LXX adds to the end of v. 18: “But turn away, linger not in the place, neither set your eye on her: for thus will you go through alien water, but abstain from alien water, drink not from an alien fountain, that you may live long, that years of life may be added to you.”sn The text has “in the depths of Sheol” (בְּעִמְקֵי שְׁאוֹל, beʿimqe sheʾol). The parallelism stresses that those who turn to this way of life are ignorant and doomed. It may signal a literal death lying ahead in the not too distant future, but it is more likely an analogy. The point is that the life of folly, a life of undisciplined, immoral, riotous living, runs counter to God’s appeal for wisdom and leads to ruin. That is the broad way that leads to destruction.
Sin often
Harms another person,
but,
ultimately,
all sin is against
God
The Bible contains many references to people admitting, "I have sinned against God" (Exodus 10:16; Joshua 7:20; Judges 10:10). Genesis 39:9 gives us a closer look at this. Joseph was being tempted to commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife. In resisting her, he said, "My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" It is interesting that Joseph did not say that his sin would be against Potiphar. This isn’t to say that Potiphar would be unaffected. But Joseph’s greater loyalty was to God and His laws. It was God he did not want to offend.
David said something similar after he had sinned with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). When confronted with his sin, David repented in great sorrow, saying to God, "Against You and You only have I sinned" (Psalm 51:4). He had clearly sinned against Bathsheba and her husband, too, but it was the violation of God’s law that grieved David the most. God hates sin because it is the antithesis of His nature and because it harms us or someone else. By sinning against God, David had also hurt other people.
When someone commits a crime, the person who was harmed by the crime is not the one who punishes the criminal. Only the state can legally mete out punishment. It is the law that judges a person guilty or innocent, not the victim. It is the law that was violated. Regardless of the worthiness or innocence of the victim, all crimes are ultimately committed against the established law. If you rob your neighbor’s house, you have obviously wronged your neighbor, but it is not he who holds you accountable. It is the higher law you have violated. The state bears the responsibility to convict and punish you; your neighbor, although affected by your crime, defers to the state.
In the same way, all moral law begins with God. Because we were created in the image of God, we have His moral law written within our hearts (Genesis 1:27). When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden, God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:22). At that time, no written law had been given, as far as we know. Yet God had clearly communicated His will to Adam and Eve, and they knew that they had sinned and ran to hide from God (Genesis 3:10). Their shame after sinning was intuitive.
We also know intuitively when we have sinned.
Sin is a Perversion
of
God’s Perfect Design
We all bear
the very
Image of God Himself,
and
When we Sin, we Mar that Likeness
We were
Created to be Mirrors
of the
Glory of God
(Ephesians 2:10; 4:24; Hebrews 2:7).
Sin is a big
Smudge on the Mirror,
and it Diminishes
the
Beauty and Holiness we
were
Designed to Reflect
When we sin, we step outside the
Purpose
for
which we were Created,
thus
violating God’s moral law,
and we are
Accountable to Him
for
the Trespass
Romans 3:23 says,
"All have sinned and come
short of
the glory of God."
Sin is anything that
Falls short of
God’s Plan
So, whether it
Harms us or someone else,
every sin is
ultimately against a
Holy God
In Matthew 6:22-23,
Jesus
describes the eye as the
"Lamp of the Body,"
"Healthy"
(generous) eye
-FILLS-
the body with
Light,
while an
"Unhealthy" (greedy)
Eye
Leads to darkness
Ephesians 6:4
Fathers,
Do not Provoke
your
Children to Wrath;
instead,
Bring them up
in the
Discipline and Instruction
of the Lord
Do not let
Your adorning be External
the
Braiding of Hair and the
Putting on of
Gold Jewelry,
or the
Clothing you Wear
I will greatly rejoice
in the
Lord; my soul shall
Exult in my God,
for he has clothed me
with the
garments of salvation;
he has covered me
with the
Robe of Righteousness,
as a bridegroom
decks
Himself like a Priest
with a
Beautiful Headdress,
and as a
Bride Adorns herself
with
Her Jewels
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear--
but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands
This imagery
connects inner perception,
specifically
toward money, with spiritual state,
warning that
devotion to wealth (idolatry)
Blinds
The Heart to God
Jesus uses
the eye
metaphor in the
Sermon on the Mount
to represent one’s perspective or focus.
A "Good" Eye
(Greek: haplous, meaning generous/sound)
indicates a
Life focused on
God,
A Good Name
An "Evil" or Bad Eye
signifies
Greed and Envy
Idolatry
is not just bowing to statues,
but placing
anything—especially money,
material possessions,
Or Career--Above God
The "love of money" is identified
as a
Root
of all kinds of evil,
causing
People to Wander from Faith
Matthew 6:21 states,
"For where your
Treasure is, there your Heart
will be also,"
highlighting that
financial devotion
Reveals
True Worship
Worship in Spirit and
in Truth
To be spiritually blind is not to see Christ, and not to see Christ is not to see God
(Colossians 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:6).
Spiritual blindness
is a
Grievous
Condition
experienced by those
who do not
Believe in God
Jesus Christ,
and
His Word
(Romans 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:12).
Those who reject Christ
are
The Lost
(John 6:68-69).
Being
Spiritually Blind, they are Perishing
(2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Revelation 3:17).
They choose not to
Accept
the Teachings of Christ
and
His Authority in their lives
(Matthew 28:18).
They are Blind
to the
Manifestations of
God
As Revealed throughout
His Word and Jesus Christ
(John 1:1; Acts 28:26-27).
They are described as those who “do not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Peter spoke of such people as “scoffers [who] will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires” (2 Peter 3:3; see also Proverbs 21:24; Jude 1:18). Those who reject Christ and His Word are spiritually blind and cannot understand the truth of the Scriptures. The truth sounds foolish to them (Isaiah 37:23; 1 Corinthians 1:18). The Bible describes those denying God as fools (Psalm 14:1; Matthew 7:26). Because of their blindness and rejection of God and His Word, they are in a perilous, unsaved condition (John 12:48; Hebrews 2:2-4).
The spiritually blind are simply unable to understand God’s Word (Matthew 13:13; Deuteronomy 29:4). Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17). Paul echoed this when he told the believers in Rome, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:8-9). Those outside of Christ are not of God because their lives are steeped in the things of the world with all its passions, their eyes blind to the Spirit of God. The Apostle John said, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” but that person’s love “is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
The cause of spiritual blindness is made quite clear in the Scriptures: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul refers to Satan as the “god of this world.” Extraordinarily evil (John 8:44), Satan destroys the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5), masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and is the cause of all temptations (Luke 4:2; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Corinthians 7:5). He revels in scheming against and trapping the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:26). Satan’s goal is to devour the weak who fall prey to temptation, fear, loneliness, worry, depression, and persecution (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Without God and left to ourselves, we easily succumb to the devil’s schemes. We can become so mired in the affairs of this world and its moral darkness that, in the end, God turns us over to spiritual blindness and eternal condemnation (John 12:40; Romans 1:24-32).
As Believers,
we have the
Spirit of God
Reigning
In our lives
to ward off the debilitating effects of Satan’s power and the world’s influence
(1 John 4:13).
John tells us,
“Whoever Confesses that
Jesus is the Son of God,
God
Abides in Him, and he in God”
(1 John 4:15).
Satan wars within and without us. His weapons are deceitful and crafty schemes to make us doubt and stumble (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 4:14). Yet God has provided us with powerful weapons to ward off his flaming arrows (Ephesians 6:10-18). As believers we can overcome the evil one and remain in the Light and never become spiritually blind. For, in truth, Jesus has given us His wonderful promise: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
What
Defiles a Man
(Mark 7:14–23)
Jesus called the crowd to Him and said,
“Listen and understand
A man is not defiled by
what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
Then the disciples came to Him and said,
“Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
But Jesus replied,
“Every Plant
That My Heavenly Father
Has not Planted
will be pulled up by its
Roots
Disregard them!
They are blind Guides
If a blind Man
Leads a blind man, both will
Fall into a Pit.”
Peter said to Him, “
Explain
this parable to us.”
“Do you
Still not Understand?”
Jesus asked.
Do you not yet realize that whatever
enters the mouth
Goes into the stomach and then is
Eliminated?
But the things that
come out of the mouth come from
The Heart,
and these things
Defile -A Man-
For out of the heart come
evil thoughts,
murder, adultery, sexual
immorality,
theft, false testimony, and
slander.
These are what defile
A Man
but eating with unwashed
hands
does not defile him.”
Judging Others
(Luke 6:37–42; Romans 14:1–12)
1“Do not judge, or you will be judged. 2For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? 5You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then
you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock
(Luke 11:5–13)
7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
12In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow Gate
(Luke 13:22–30)
13Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit
(Luke 6:43–45)
15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
The House on the Rock
(Luke 6:46–49)
24Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.
26But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”
The Authority of Jesus
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,
because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
The Bible warns that worshiping idols (including money) makes people "like them"—blind and lifeless, unable to see spiritual truth.
Anything can become an idol if we consider it more important than God. God is clear that we must not have any idols in our lives as the Bible tells us, “Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 26:1). Money is a common idol that many of us struggle with in different seasons of our lives. When we financially struggle, it's easy for money to consume our hearts, allowing fear and frustration to grow. When financially comfortable, it's easy to lean on money as the (false) sense of our joy.
In essence, “hypocrisy” refers to the act of claiming to believe something but acting in a different manner. The word is derived from the Greek term for “actor”—literally, “one who wears a mask”—in other words, someone who pretends to be what he is not.
The Bible calls hypocrisy a sin. There are two forms hypocrisy can take: that of professing belief in something and then acting in a manner contrary to that belief, and that of looking down on others when we ourselves are flawed.
The prophet Isaiah condemned the hypocrisy of his day: “The Lord says, ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men’” (Isaiah 29:13). Centuries later, Jesus quoted this verse, aiming the same condemnation at the religious leaders of His day (Matthew 15:8-9). John the Baptist refused to give hypocrites a pass, telling them to produce “fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8). Jesus took an equally staunch stand against sanctimony—He called hypocrites “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15), “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27), “snakes,” and “brood of vipers” (Matthew 23:33).
We cannot say we love God if we do not love our brothers (1 John 2:9). Love must be “without hypocrisy” (Romans 12:9, NKJV). A hypocrite may look righteous on the outside, but it is a façade. True righteousness comes from the inner transformation of the Holy Spirit not an external conformity to a set of rules (Matthew 23:5; 2 Corinthians 3:8).
Jesus addressed the other form of hypocrisy in the Sermon on the Mount: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5). Jesus is not teaching against discernment or helping others overcome sin; instead, He is telling us not be so prideful and convinced of our own goodness that we criticize others from a position of self-righteousness. We should do some introspection first and correct our own shortcomings before we go after the “specks” in others (cf. Romans 2:1).
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He had many run-ins with the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees. These men were well versed in the Scriptures and zealous about following every letter of the Law (Acts 26:5). However, in adhering to the letter of the Law, they actively sought loopholes that allowed them to violate the spirit of the Law. Also, they displayed a lack of compassion toward their fellow man and were often overly demonstrative of their so-called spirituality in order to garner praise (Matthew 23:5–7; Luke 18:11). Jesus denounced their behavior in no uncertain terms, pointing out that “justice, mercy, and faithfulness” are more important than pursuing a perfection based on faulty standards (Matthew 23:23). Jesus made it clear that the problem was not with the Law but the way in which the Pharisees implemented it (Matthew 23:2-3). Today, the word pharisee has become synonymous with hypocrite.
As children of God, we are called to strive for holiness (1 Peter 1:16). We are to “hate what is evil” and “cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). We should never imply an acceptance of sin, especially in our own lives. All we do should be consistent with what we believe and who we are in Christ. Play-acting is meant for the stage, not for real life.
Jesus cleansed the temple of the money-changers and sellers of merchandise because of His disgust at what they had made of God’s house of prayer and His zeal to purify it from the abuse of ungodly men. Judea was under the rule of the Romans, and the money in current use was Roman coin. However, the Jewish law required that every man should pay a tribute to the service of the sanctuary of “half a shekel” (Exodus 30:11–16), a Jewish coin. It became, therefore, a matter of convenience to have a place where the Roman coin could be exchanged for the Jewish half shekel. The money-changers provided this convenience but would demand a small sum for the exchange. Because so many thousands of people came up to the great feasts, changing money was a very profitable business and one that resulted in fraud and oppression of the poor.
Also, according to the Law, two doves or pigeons were required to be offered in sacrifice (Leviticus 14:22; Luke 2:24). Yet it was difficult to bring them from the distant parts of Judea, so a lucrative business selling the birds sprang up, with the sellers gouging the faithful by charging exorbitant prices. There were other merchants selling cattle and sheep for the temple sacrifices as well. Because of these sellers who preyed on the poor and because of His passion for the purity of His Father’s house, Jesus was filled with righteous indignation. As He overturned the tables of the money-changers, He condemned them for having turned God’s house of prayer into “a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). As He did so, His disciples remembered Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.”
Jesus’ first cleansing of the temple is described in John 2:11–12 as having occurred just after Jesus’ first miracle, the turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. John makes it clear that it was “after this” that He went to Capernaum, where He “stayed for a few days.” Then in the next verse (verse 13), John tells us that the “Passover of the Jews was at hand” (NKJV). These verses trace Jesus’ movements over a short period of time from Cana in Galilee to Capernaum and eventually to Jerusalem for the Passover. This is the first of the two times Jesus cleansed the temple. The Synoptic Gospels do not record the temple cleansing mentioned in John 2, instead only recording the temple cleansing that occurred during Passion Week.
The second cleansing of the temple occurred just after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem the last week of His life. This second cleansing is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not in John. There are differences in the two events, aside from their being nearly three years apart. In the first cleansing, temple officials confronted Jesus immediately (John 2:18), whereas in the second cleansing, the chief priests and scribes confronted Him the following day (Matthew 21:17–23). In the first event, Jesus made a whip of cords with which to drive out the sellers, but there is no mention of a whip in the second cleansing. So there are two recorded occasions when Jesus cleansed the temple—the first time at the beginning of His public ministry, and the second time just after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem shortly before He was crucified.
In Romans 1:16–17, the apostle Paul emphasizes the theme of his letter—the power of the gospel. The message of the gospel does not just contain power; it is God’s power for all who believe, receive, and obey the good news about Jesus Christ: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” Paul states that the gospel is God’s power at work for salvation and for the revelation of His righteousness.
The Greek word (dikaiosynē), translated as “righteousness” in Romans 1:17, refers to the legal status of being in right standing or right relationship with God because the moral requirements of His character have been satisfied. It is the only way we can ever stand before a holy God (see Hebrews 10:11–19). The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel means that the gospel message tells us how God makes us right in His sight, that is, through faith in Jesus Christ.
God took His Son, the perfect, spotless Lamb of God, and made Him “who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT; see also Romans 5:6–9; 8:3). By dying on the cross, Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our guilt and sin. He took our punishment and satisfied all the requirements of God’s law. He died as a substitute in our place because we could never meet God’s holy standard of perfection. We are made righteous or right with God through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. This truth is revealed in the gospel and imparted freely to all who trust in Him.
In Romans 3:21–26, Paul details how God’s righteousness is revealed: “God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law. . . . We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. . . . God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3:21–26, NLT).
When we believe in Jesus and receive Him as our Lord and Savior, God applies Christ’s sacrificial work to our lives. We stand before God, and He declares us forgiven, acquitted, and innocent of sin. This is the doctrine of justification. God pronounces us righteous in Christ. God’s only Son—the person Jesus—is the righteousness of God revealed through the gospel. He is everything we need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3) and to gain eternal life (John 17:3; 1 John 5:20).
Our righteousness is a gift from God based on faith (Romans 4:16; Ephesians 2:8–9). It is not based on our own worthiness or anything we do (Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16). Our right standing before God is grounded on our total trust and reliance on the complete work that Christ accomplished on our behalf.
Nothing makes
God’s righteousness
more
clearly and powerfully
known
to a lost and dying
world than the
message of the gospel
Paul lived to preach the gospel (Acts 20:24; Philippians 1:21), and so should we, as Jesus commanded: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15, NLT). The gospel is “foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
When we share
the gospel,
its power brings people
to
salvation and the
righteousness of God is revealed.
Genesis 35:4
So they gave to Jacob all the
foreign gods
that they had, and the rings that were
in their ears
Jacob hid them under the terebinth
tree
that was near Shechem
So Aaron said to them,
“Take off the
Rings of Gold
that are in the
Ears
of your Wives,
your sons, and your daughters,
and bring them to me.
Chapter 9 of Proverbs
uses personification to describe
Wisdom and Foolishness
as women
Why would the author use women as his examples?
The answer is found in the descriptions used of these two terms. Wisdom is discussed in Proverbs 9:1–12, where it is personified as a wise woman. This wise lady has built her house (verse 1), has prepared a great dinner (verse 2), and gives wisdom to those who lack it (verses 3–5).
The benefits to those who seek wisdom include becoming wiser and increasing in learning (verse 8).
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
(verse 10).
Wisdom is even said to add years to one’s life
(verse 11).
In Proverbs 9:13–18,
folly
is associated with a seductive woman.
Folly
(“foolishness” in some translations)
is loud,
seductive, and knows nothing
(verse 13).
"uncleanness is in her skirts"
comes from Lamentations 1:9,
representing Jerusalem’s profound
sin,
moral
impurity,
and
coming judgment
It acts as a metaphor for
spiritual defilement
that is visible to all,
symbolizing a fall from grace
due to disobedience
and
neglect of consequences
Symbol of Sin:
The soiled garment represents the
visible, undeniable guilt of the nation,
often linked to
idolatry and broken covenant.
Context of Defilement:
The imagery alludes to
a woman in her menstrual
impurity,
with the filth
staining her garments,
signifying
she is ceremonially unclean.
Lack of Repentance:
The verse notes that she
"did not consider her future"
or
"last end,"
indicating a
stubborn refusal to repent before her downfall.
Public Shame:
It contrasts with protective clothing (like in Ruth),
representing
public exposure and abandonment
by her lovers.
She seduces
the simple who pass by
(verses 14–17).
Those who turn to her find
death
(verse 18).
In contrast to the
lady Wisdom who
provides
fine
food and wine,
the woman Folly
provides
stolen
water and bread
eaten
in secret
(verse 17).
The ninth chapter of Proverbs, then,
calls readers to embrace wisdom
and to
flee from folly or foolishness.
A Tree and Its Fruit
(Luke 6:43–45)
15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
Those who do receive many benefits, while those who do not will experience judgment.
These teachings resemble in some ways the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 22:1–14 and Luke 14:15–24 of responding in a positive manner to God’s Word. The call to wisdom also closely resembles the New Testament’s call to salvation.
Further, a chiastic structure is present in Proverbs 9 that highlights verses 7–12 as the central focus of the teaching. These verses include a clear call to the benefit of wisdom. Verse 10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, / and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
The personification of both wisdom and folly as two different women presents the benefits of wisdom and the judgment associated with folly. A woman of wisdom benefits her husband, just as a woman of folly can destroy a husband.
These words are written as advice from a father to a son (Proverbs 2:1; 3:1; 4:20; 5:1, 20; 6:20; 7:1), so the illustrations of two kinds of women are a powerful method to illustrate God’s wisdom. Reading these words in this context provides a deeper understanding of the passage and much application for life today.
just as a camel cannot pass through a sewing needle, a rich person cannot enter heaven by relying on their own merits or riches.
Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." There are many other biblical warnings about the sin of pride. But why is pride so strongly warned against? Why is pride a sin? Is it always a sin to feel proud of something you have accomplished? It is very important to understand what precisely is the pride that God hates (Proverbs 8:13).
The Remedy:
The Bible calls for
turning
from idols to worship
The True God
The love of money is dangerous, as the Apostle Paul tells us, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). While money in and of itself is not a bad thing, the love of money keeps us from living the Golden Rule.
But God doesn’t want us to place anything as an idol in our lives. Once we establish something as an idol, it becomes our “god." It is extremely dangerous to place anything as the “god” of our lives except for the true God.
Technically, repentance is a change of mind, not a turning from sin. The Greek word translated “repentance” is metanoia, and the meaning is simply “a change of mind.” In common usage, however, we often speak of repentance as “a turning from sin.” There is a good reason for this.
Repentance is often associated with salvation in Scripture. What happens when the Holy Spirit begins His work to bring a person to salvation? The Spirit gives the sinner a personal understanding and infallible conviction that the facts concerning his spiritual state are true. Those facts are his personal sin, the eternal punishment due him for his sin, the substitutionary nature of Jesus’ suffering for his sin, and the need for faith in Jesus to save him from his sin. From that convicting work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8), the sinner repents—he changes his mind—about sin, the Savior, and salvation.
When a repentant person changes his mind about sin, that change of mind naturally leads to a turning from sin. Sin is no longer desirable or fun, because sin brings condemnation. The repentant sinner begins to abhor his past misdeeds. And he begins to seek ways to amend his behavior (see Luke 19:8). So, ultimately, the result of the change of mind about sin is good deeds. The sinner turns away from sin toward faith in the Savior, and that faith is shown in action (see James 2:17).
The change of mind (repentance) is not precisely the same as the active turning from sin and visible performance of good deeds, but one leads to the other. In this way, repentance is related to turning from sin. When people speak of repentance as a turning from sin (rather than a change of mind), they are using a figure of speech called metonymy. In metonymy, the name of a concept is replaced with a word suggested by the original.
Metonymy is quite common in everyday language. For example, news reports that begin, “The White House issued a statement today,” are using metonymy, as the name for the building where the President lives is substituted for the name of the President himself.
In the Bible we can see other examples of metonymy. In Mark 9:17 the father states that his son has “a mute spirit” (NKJV). The evil spirit itself is not mute. The evil spirit causes the boy to be mute. The spirit is named after the effect it produces: a mute child. The metonymy here replaces the cause with the effect. Similarly, using the word repentance to mean “a turning from sin” replaces the cause with the effect. The cause is repentance, a change of mind; the effect is a turning away from sin. A word is replaced by a related concept. That’s metonymy.
In summary, repentance is a change of mind. But the full biblical understanding of repentance goes beyond that. In relationship to salvation, repentance is a change of mind from an embrace of sin to rejection of sin and from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ. Such repentance is something only God can enable (John 6:44; Acts 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25). Therefore, true biblical repentance will always result in a change of behavior. Maybe not instantly, but inevitably and progressively.
Humility can be defined as the absence of pride, just as darkness is the absence of light. We cannot become more humble by focusing on humility, as it becomes a source of pride when we believe we have achieved it. C.S. Lewis describes humility not as thinking less of ourselves, but as thinking of ourselves less. With that definition in mind, the Bible has much to say about seeing ourselves in proper perspective. Holding the biblical perspective humbles us.
Humility increases when we are willing to be humbled by God, circumstances, and others. Our sinful natures do not want to be humbled. We tend to protect our pride as though it were our best friend, but pride gets in the way of our relationship with God. He resists the prideful but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). He will work with us when we desire humility, but the development of humility will be painful. Despite the discomfort, we find an added measure of grace to sustain us as we suffer through the refining process.
The first step in humbling ourselves is to challenge our motives for the things we do. Whenever we see that our actions are geared to elicit favorable opinions from others, we should bring it to the Lord. We can pray something like this: “Lord, You see what I’m about to do here. Is this for Your glory or for mine? Examine my heart. Am I desiring to give You praise or keep some for myself?” It’s not always wrong to want to make a good impression, but when we make the majority of our choices based on pleasing people, we may have a pride problem. We can confess our wrong motives and commit to doing only that which glorifies the Lord and not us. That may mean staying off social media for a while, refraining from bragging about our latest promotion or vacation, and deferring the praise we get to another who also deserves it.
Another step in humbling ourselves is to evaluate our response when we are slighted, overlooked, or underappreciated. We admit to ourselves and to God that the sting of self-pity we feel is pride demanding to defend itself. Rather than give in to it, we instead choose to embrace the opportunity to learn humility. We can pray something like this: “Father, I’m hurt and angry right now because they left me out (or didn’t appreciate me, etc.). Thank You for this opportunity to deal with some areas of pride in my life that I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed. If I’m overlooked, I take comfort knowing Christ was also overlooked, rejected, and misunderstood.”
Learning to be more humble involves capturing prideful moments and bringing them to the Lord so they cannot grow. We allow Him to turn something harmful into something beneficial for our growth. Recognizing areas of pride is a critical part of defeating it, so we must be prepared to agree with the Lord when He points them out to us.
The Bible gives examples of proud men who nevertheless humbled themselves when faced with the judgment of God. King Hezekiah struggled with pride, but he humbled himself and turned away God’s wrath from Judah and Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:25–26). The wicked kings Ahab (1 Kings 21:27–29), Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 12:1–12), and Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:10–13) all wisely chose to humble themselves and seek the Lord’s mercy. In each case, mercy was granted.
The Bible lavishes praise on the humble. Jesus, of course, modeled humility (Matthew 11:29). Moses was “more humble than any other person” (Numbers 12:3). Paul reminded the Corinthians that, even though he was an apostle and their spiritual elder, he was humble when he was among them (2 Corinthians 10:1). Jesus taught that those who wish to be great must be the most humble (Matthew 23:12). Many places in Scripture command us to humble ourselves (Ephesians 4:2; 1 Peter 3:8; 5:6). If we don’t humble ourselves, God will do it, and that can be even more painful (Luke 1:52; 18:14).
When we abandon ourselves to the will of God, there is no room for pride. He may require us to do some humbling things, but it will be for our betterment. We cooperate with Him in the process by seeking unimportant jobs, working behind the scenes, helping when no one else does, and reminding ourselves that our reward is in heaven (Matthew 6:4). Those whose gaze is locked firmly on eternity find it easier to embrace humility on earth.
As we learn to be more humble, we discover that the place of the humble is a place of beauty. To continue Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, once Christiana and her friends make their descent into the Valley of Humiliation, they find it to be a peaceful, abundant land. The author describes it: “This Valley of Humiliation . . . is the best and most useful brave piece of ground in all those parts. It is fat ground, and . . . consisteth much in meadows. . . . Behold how green this Valley is, also how beautified with lilies (Song. 2:1). I have also known many labouring men that have got good estates in this Valley of Humiliation . . . for indeed it is a very fruitful soil, and doth bring forth by handfuls.”
Pray and ask God to help you with this sin. God is excited when we live with a repentant heart. When you pray to God, ask Him to help you place Him as the God of your life, not money. While it can be difficult for many individuals to turn away from having money as an idol, it is more than possible for God to help you overturn this false worship.
A second sign money is an idol is if you have jealousy toward those who are richer. When money becomes an idol, you can never have “enough” money. You will not be satisfied with what you have. Instead, you will want more and more. The love of money will cause jealousy to rot our bones. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” When money is our idol, it's too easy to grow obsessed with it and envy others, damaging your relationships.
As believers, we do not need to be jealous of others. Cain was jealous of his brother Abel, and his jealousy caused him to murder his brother (Genesis 4:3-8). In the same way, when money is an idol in our life, it can lead us to destroy others for their money, and as crime tv shows reveal, it leads some to kill. There have been numerous robberies and thefts by not only the impoverished but the rich—people taking other people's lives for the dollar bill.
It's a slippery slope, friends. Repent, turn to the Lord, and ask for His help in your struggle against idolizing money.
The Sum of a
A Good Name
A good name is
more desirable than great riches;
favor is
better than silver and gold.
The rich and the poor have this in common:
The LORD is Maker of them all.
3The prudent see danger and take cover,
but the simple keep going and suffer the consequences.
4The rewards of humility and the fear of the LORD
are wealth and honor and life.
5Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse;
he who guards his soul stays far from them.
6Train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it.
7The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.
8He who sows injustice will reap disaster,
and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
9A generous manb will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
10Drive out the mocker, and conflict will depart;
even quarreling and insults will cease.
11He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips
will have the king for a friend.
The LORD’s eyes keep watch over knowledge,
but He frustrates the words of the faithless.
The slacker says, “There is a lion outside!
I will be slain in the streets!”
14The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;
he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.
15Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
16Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich
will surely lead to poverty.
Thirty Sayings of the Wise
Saying 1
17Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise--
apply your mind to my knowledge--
18for it is pleasing when you keep them within you
and they are constantly on your lips.
19So that your trust may be in the LORD,
I instruct you today—yes, you.
20Have I not written for you thirty sayingsc
about counsel and knowledge,
21to show you true and reliable words,
that you may soundly answer those who sent you?
Saying 2
22Do not rob a poor man because he is poor,
and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,
23for the LORD will take up their case
and will plunder those who rob them.
Saying 3
24Do not make friends with an angry man,
and do not associate with a hot-tempered man,
25or you may learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
Saying 4
26Do not be one who gives pledges,
who puts up security for debts.
27If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
Saying 5
28Do not move an ancient boundary stone
which your fathers have placed.
Saying 6
29Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will be stationed in the presence of kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.
James, a
servant of God
and of
the Lord Jesus Christ,
to the twelve tribes
which are
scattered abroad,
greeting.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Matthew 5:29
If your right eye
causes you to stumble,
pluck it out
and
throw it away from you
For it is more profitable
for you that one
of your members should
perish,
than for your
whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Jesus’ teaching on radical repentance (Matthew 5:29-30, 18:8-9) or Paul’s analogy of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:21). Matthew 5:29-30 states, "if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out... And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off".
Metaphorical Radical Action (Matthew 5 & 18): These verses are generally understood not as a command for self-mutilation, but as a metaphor for taking drastic, serious action to remove sin or temptation from one's life. It emphasizes that losing a "part" of one's life is better than losing one's entire soul to hell.
Luke 5:4-7
When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” / “Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” / When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear. ...
Matthew 4:19
“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
John 15:5
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 2:5-8
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” / Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons. / Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. ...
John 20:27
Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”
John 6:9-11
“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?” / “Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them. / Then Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.
1 Samuel 9:6-8
“Look,” said the servant, “in this city there is a man of God who is highly respected; everything he says surely comes to pass. Let us go there now. Perhaps he will tell us which way to go.” / “If we do go,” Saul replied, “what can we give the man? For the bread in our packs is gone, and there is no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?” / The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have here in my hand a quarter shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way.”
You Have Searched Me and
Known Me
For the choirmaster.
A Psalm of David.
1 O LORD, You have searched me
and known me.
2You know when I sit and when I rise;
You understand my thoughts from afar.
3You search out my path and my lying down;
You are aware of all my ways.
4Even before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, O LORD.
5You hem me in behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
8If I ascend to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle by the farthest sea,
10even there Your hand will guide me;
Your right hand will hold me fast.
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light become night around me”--
12even the darkness is not dark to You,
but the night shines like the day,
for darkness is as light to You.
13For You formed my inmost being;a
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Marvelous are Your works,
and I know this very well.
15My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was woven together
in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all my days were written in Your book
and ordained for me
before one of them came to be.
17How precious to me are Your thoughts,b O God,
how vast is their sum!
18If I were to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;
and when I awake,
I am still with You.
19O God, that You would slay the wicked--
away from me, you bloodthirsty men--
20who speak of You deceitfully;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.c
21Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD,
and detest those who rise against You?
22I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them as my enemies.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
24See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the way everlasting.
Footnotes:
13 a Hebrew my kidneys
17 b Or How amazing are Your thoughts concerning me
20 c Hebrew Your enemies take in vain or Your enemies bear up in vain;
LXX Your enemies take Your cities in vain
Psalms 90–106
From Everlasting to Everlasting
A prayer of
Moses the man of God
Lord, You have been our dwelling place
through all generations.
Before the mountains were born
or
You brought forth the
earth and the world,
from
everlasting to everlasting
You are God
3You return man to dust,
saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
4For in Your sight a thousand years
are but a day that passes,a
or a watch of the night.
5You sweep them away in their sleep;
they are like the new grass of the morning--
6in the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it fades and withers.
7For we are consumed by Your anger
and terrified by Your wrath.
8You have set our iniquities before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9For all our days decline in Your fury;
we finish our years with a sigh.
10The length of our days is seventy years--
or eighty if we are strong--
yet their pride is but labor and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11Who knows the power of Your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear You are due.
12So teach us to number our days,
that we may present a heart of wisdom.
13Return, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on Your servants.
14Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen evil.
16May Your work be shown to Your servants,
and Your splendor to their children.
May the favor of the Lord our God
rest upon us;
establish for us the work of our hands
yes,
establish the work of our hands!
In the Bible,
hearing is often associated
with
obedience and understanding
The Hebrew word "shema," which means "hear," is foundational in Jewish tradition, as seen in the Shema prayer: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). This call to hear is not merely about auditory perception but involves a response of faith and obedience.
In the New Testament, Jesus frequently emphasizes the importance of hearing His words. In the Parable of the Sower, He states, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Mark 4:9). This phrase underscores the necessity of spiritual receptivity and discernment. Hearing, in this context, is linked to understanding and accepting the message of the Kingdom of God.
The Apostle Paul also highlights the significance of hearing in the process of faith. In Romans 10:17, he writes, "Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" . This indicates that hearing the gospel message is essential for the development of faith.
Seeing
Seeing in the Bible often symbolizes perception, insight, and revelation. Physical sight is frequently used as a metaphor for spiritual understanding. In the Old Testament, the prophets were often called "seers" because they had the ability to perceive divine visions and communicate God's messages to the people.
In the New Testament, Jesus performs numerous miracles of healing the blind, which serve as both physical restorations and spiritual illustrations. For instance, in John 9, Jesus heals a man born blind, leading to a discourse on spiritual blindness and sight. Jesus declares, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind" (John 9:39). This statement highlights the contrast between those who recognize their need for spiritual enlightenment and those who are self-satisfied in their perceived understanding.
The Apostle Paul also speaks of spiritual sight in his letters. In Ephesians 1:18, he prays that "the eyes of your heart may be enlightened" , indicating a desire for believers to gain deeper spiritual insight and understanding of God's purposes.
Interconnection of Hearing and Seeing
Hearing and seeing are interconnected in the biblical narrative, often working together to convey a fuller understanding of God's revelation. In the prophetic literature, visions (seeing) are often accompanied by words from God (hearing), as seen in the experiences of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
In the Gospels, Jesus' teachings (hearing) are frequently accompanied by signs and miracles (seeing), which authenticate His message and reveal His divine authority. The interplay between hearing and seeing is evident in the Transfiguration account, where the disciples both see the glorified Christ and hear the voice of God affirming His Sonship (Matthew 17:1-8).
In the eschatological vision of Revelation, John both hears and sees the unfolding of God's final plan, illustrating the comprehensive nature of divine revelation. The repeated exhortation, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 2:7), emphasizes the importance of attentive hearing in the context of visionary revelation.
Overall, hearing and seeing in the Bible are not merely physical senses but are deeply connected to spiritual perception and response. They are integral to understanding and participating in the divine narrative, calling believers to a life of faith, obedience, and insight.
Matthew 6:22
"The lamp of the body is the
eye
If therefore your
eye is sound,
your whole body will be
full of light
Her filthiness clung to
her skirts;
she did not consider her
future
Her fall was astounding;
there was none to comfort her
“Look, LORD, on my affliction, for the enemy
has triumphed.”
God’s Judgment on the Ungodly
(2 Peter 3:1–7)
Beloved, although I made every effort to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt it necessary to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith entrusted once for all to the saints. For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation.
They turn
the
grace of our God
into
a license for immorality,
and
they deny our
only
Master and Lord,
Jesus Christ
Dont Walk, Run with the
Vision
The eye, a vital organ
of vision,
is frequently mentioned in the Bible,
both in literal and metaphorical contexts.
It serves as a symbol of
perception, understanding, and moral discernment.
The eye
is often associated with
the
heart and mind,
reflecting
one's inner thoughts
and
intentions.
he Bible tells us directly,
“Those who trust in their riches will fall,
but the righteous
will thrive like a green leaf”
(Proverbs 11:28)
How can we cultivate "hearing ears" and "seeing eyes" in our daily lives?
Proverbs 20:12:
“Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both.”
Foundational Truth: God Creates, We Cultivate-
Physical and spiritual perception are divine gifts (Psalm 94:9).
- Because the Creator gives these senses, we steward them with intentionality (1 Corinthians 4:2).
Training Our Hearing Ears•
Daily Scripture intake—read aloud so the Word shapes inner hearing (Romans 10:17).
• Meditative listening—pause after reading; let the text echo in the heart (Psalm 119:97).
• Prompt obedience—respond immediately to what God says (James 1:22).
• Moments of silence—step away from constant noise to discern the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12).
• Wise counsel—listen to mature believers; God often speaks through His people (Proverbs 15:22).
Sharpening Our Seeing Eyes•
View life through a biblical lens—measure every sight against the truth of Scripture (Psalm 19:8).
• Notice God’s handiwork in creation—each sunrise is a sermon (Romans 1:20).
• Track providence—keep a journal of answered prayers and divine appointments (Psalm 105:5).
• Guard visual input—turn from images that dull spiritual sight (Matthew 6:22-23).
• Look for the needy—train eyes to spot those requiring mercy (1 John 3:17).
Daily Practices That Unite Hearing and Seeing
- Scripture memorization—stores words that clarify vision (Psalm 119:11).
- Corporate worship—songs and sermons tune ears and eyes together (Colossians 3:16).
- Communion and baptism—visible reminders of audible promises (1 Corinthians 11:26).
- Nature walks with Scripture—read a psalm outdoors, connecting Word and world.
Dangers That Dull the Senses•
Relentless media noise (Amos 8:11-12).
• Pride that assumes we already know (Jeremiah 5:21).
• Selective hearing—accepting only comfortable truths (2 Timothy 4:3).
• Visual temptation—images that entice to sin dim spiritual eyesight (Job 31:1).
Encouragement from God’s Promises-
“Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.” (Matthew 13:16)
- “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27)
- “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things from Your law.” (Psalm 119:18)
Living It Out Today•
Begin the morning with a short psalm read aloud.
• Schedule two five-minute silence breaks to recalibrate hearing.
• Observe one piece of God’s creation and thank Him for it by name.
• End the day journaling where you sensed His voice and saw His hand.
The Lord who crafted
ears and eyes delights
to
sharpen them
By humble dependence,
diligent
practice, and wholehearted
obedience,
believers develop the
capacity
to hear His voice and see
His work in
every ordinary moment
Procreation is central to
God’s plan for families
and the world,
as seen in His command to Adam and Eve, “be fruitful and multiply,” a directive that is repeated to future generations (Genesis 1:28; cf. 9:1). Expanding on this theme, the Bible declares that children are a blessing from God (Psalm 127:3–5), thereby making parenting a sacred responsibility. To this end, Scripture provides fathers and mothers with moral principles and practical instructions—from explicit commands to wise guidance—for raising their sons and daughters.
God designed parenting to occur in the context of a family, the foundation of which is marriage. The Bible defines marriage as a lifelong, monogamous covenant between one biological male and one biological female (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:7). Heterosexual marriage not only makes procreation biologically possible, but through the complementary pairing of a man and woman, children experience the full breadth of the image and likeness of God that He imprinted on humanity’s two genders when He created them (Genesis 1:26, 2:18; cf. Ephesians 5:22–33).
While God designed parenting to occur within the context of a child’s biological family, adverse circumstances sometimes require the support and care of adoptive parents or legal guardians. An example of this is seen in the story of Esther. After her parents died, her uncle “Mordecai took her as his own daughter” (Esther 2:7, ESV). In such situations, adults other than a child’s biological parents get to experience the blessing of raising children.
Whatever the makeup of the child’s family, biblical parenting starts with modeling faithfulness to God in a winsome manner to their children (Exodus 12:24; 13:8). A father and mother’s relationship with God should be so evident that it solicits questions from their children (Exodus 12:26–27; Deuteronomy 6:20–25; Joshua 4:6–7). With this aim, parents can follow the examples of holy fathers in the Bible like Joshua, whose devotion to God characterized his household, and holy mothers like Hannah, whose persistence in prayer shaped her child’s identity and purpose in life (Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:11).
In addition to parents exemplifying faith in God, the Bible emphasizes the crucial role fathers and mothers have in directly teaching their children to follow Jesus. The Bible assigns parents the primary role of discipleship (Matthew 28:19; John 8:31; Psalm 78:4). This implies that, while others such as Sunday school teachers and youth pastors, can support a child’s faith, God obligates parents to undertake the primary discipleship role in their sons’ and daughters’ lives (Deuteronomy 6:6–9).
In practice, discipling children starts with teaching them about God. Deuteronomy 6:7 commands parents to continuously teach God’s words in their home: “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (ESV; cf. Deuteronomy 31:12–13; Proverbs 3:6). Similarly, in the New Testament, fathers are told to raise their children in the “instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Given that children, like their parents, possess a sinful nature, it’s crucial for fathers and mothers to avoid intentionally provoking their children to sin and to guard against accidentally doing so (Ephesians 6:4; cf. Matthew 18:6).
God also assigns parents the task of teaching their children how the Bible applies to life. Understanding the relevancy of Scripture not only edifies a child’s faith, but also forms character, values, priorities, and decisions. Applying the Bible cultivates integrity (Proverbs 15:27), humility (Proverbs 16:19), and purity (Proverbs 20:9). Also, as children gain more independence, parents should work to protect their children from making decisions that could have long-term negative consequences (Numbers 30:2–15).
Furthermore, disciplining children is pivotal to biblical parenting (Deuteronomy 8:5; 2 Samuel 7:14; Proverbs 13:24), and a lack of it negatively impacts a child’s future (Proverbs 19:18). Yet biblical discipline is not merely punitive but formative. Discipline is designed to refine a child’s behavior, mirroring God’s loving discipline of His people (Hebrews 12:6).
Other aspects at the heart of biblical parenting include emotional nurturing, physical provision, and keeping children safe. First, godly parenting is rooted in love, expressed through heartfelt emotions such as compassion (e.g., Psalm 103:13). Second, responsible parents provide essential needs, like food and drink, to their children (Proverbs 31:13–14; 1 Timothy 5:8). Third, parents are tasked with protecting and defending their children, ensuring their safety (e.g., Deuteronomy 22:14–15).
To carry out
the
responsibilities God has given them,
it’s important for
fathers and mothers
to develop
a fervent prayer life
(e.g., 1 Samuel 2:1–10; Luke 1:46–56).
While the work of raising children is
challenging,
with God’s help,
parents can
experience the blessing expressed in
Proverbs 22:6,
“Train up a child
in the way he should go;
even when he
is old
he will not depart from it”
Proverbs 22:6 notes,
“Train up a child
in the way
he should
go;
even when he
is old he will not
depart from it”
Does this verse promise that raising children in a godly manner will always result in children who follow God as adults? What about all the godly parents whose children rebel?
Proverbs, as a literary form, are not direct promises; rather, they are general observations of life that are typically true. This helps to explain why some parents faithfully raise their child to follow God, yet the child rebels against God as an adult.
Proverbs 22:6 teaches that it is generally true that a child raised to love God will continue to do so as a grown-up. This was the observation of life from 3,000 years ago, and it continues to prove itself today. Most Christian parents who raise their kids in a godly manner will leave a legacy of children who love God as adults. Bringing up a child in “the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4) dramatically increases the likelihood that the child will hold to Christ in later life.
A great biblical example can be found in the life of Timothy.
In 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul says, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
Timothy’s mother and grandmother both loved God and raised Timothy to do so as well. Timothy joined Paul as a missionary associate as a young man and became one of his most trusted companions. The New Testament mentions Timothy by name twenty-five times as a missionary, aide to the apostles, and pastor.
I AM THE WAY
To what? To our eternal destiny. There are ends closer at hand than this which man, if left to himself, seeks before all other things — pleasure, fortune, glory, science. That is what the heathens ardently demanded of their gods; but never by a single word did Jesus Christ offer to lavish them upon men.
1. I know that when we speak of the higher aim of life, worldlings shrug their shoulders and smile; and a certain school, now in high favour, gravely affirms that we can neither attain it nor even so much as understand it. But I needs must know whither I go, and if I deem foolish the man who would fling himself in a railway train or embark upon a vessel without asking where the steam power or the breath of the wind is taking him, by what appellation shall I characterize those who allow themselves to be borne away in the voyage of life without knowing whether their destination is death or life?
2. "But," says the sceptic, "supposing a higher life is indeed reserved for man, how shall he know it? So many ways are open before us! How find out the right path?" Not much science is required to discover which is the path to be preferred, of pleasure or duty, iniquity or justice, selfishness or sacrifice, pride or devotion, purity or corruption. And heathens themselves have understood this well. But how much more simple, and solemn has the question become since Christ said, "I am the Way!" To know if He speaks true, I have only to consider whither He means to lead me. What then is the end which He sets before me? It is the one, holy, just and good Being reigning over all beings: it is harmony governing the world, man loving man. Well, if that is the end towards which Christ would lead me, what need have I to argue further? Were I the most ignorant of men, I would instinctively understand that I must indeed tend towards this aim. Were I the most learned, what could I add to this ideal?
I AM THE TRUTH
1. That is what greatly astonishes many of those who hear Him. They are willing to accept Christ as the instructor of souls. But if Jesus Christ had been nothing more than this, we instinctively feel that, after having guided men to the true God, He should have retired in the background and re-echoed the words of the Forerunner: "God must increase, and I must decrease." Others, and among these many of the noblest benefactors of mankind, have been compelled to speak thus. Aristotle, Copernicus, Newton, Bacon, Descartes might be unknown to us without this fact depriving their works of aught of their value. And in the religious order, knew we nothing whatever of Moses, David, or St. Paul, we would none the less be in possession of the genesis of the world, of the most heart-thrilling hymns and of the grand doctrine of grace. These men were the witnesses of the truth. This Jesus Christ has also been; but more than all this, and that is why He utters these words, which in the lips of Moses, David, or St. Paul, had been blasphemy: "I am the Truth."
2. What is truth? It is the exact relation between two things. Thus a word is true when it corresponds perfectly with the fact or the idea it expresses; and arithmetical calculation is true when it gives accurately the results of a relation between two different quantities. Every truth, therefore, supposes a relation. Well, truth in religion will be the harmonious, and perfect relation between man and God. Now Jesus Christ has not only taught us what this relation is, but that He has realized it in His person. You ask what is the true religion. We point to Jesus Christ and answer: "Behold it."
I AM THE LIFE
At
Life-Giving Churches
1. Life, which is the most habitual and common of phenomena, is the most unfathomable of mysteries. Materialism, which triumphs today in so many schools, is stopped by this problem as before a brazen door forever sealed. The Eternal God alone calls forth life; I know the terrible objection, if God alone is the Author of all life, wherefore evil? To this the gospel answers that the world is not in a state of order, that evil has, from the origin, been the consequence of the improper use of liberty. But have you observed how closely the notion of sin and that of death are bound up together; have you remarked that the sublime promise of life is essentially reserved for that alone which is in harmony with the will of God? Consequently, strong is our faith, we are able to say to all the powers of evil: "You shall not live forever." The gospel is the doctrine of life; earth has been visited by the perfect Being, and according to His own words: "As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself." Alone the Son of God hath life in Himself. Therefore can He say: "I am the Life."
2. As Christ possesses life in Himself, He also brings life. Life alone can bring forth life. Christ came into a world which was literally dried up. What He did in Judea He has done in Rome, in the uncivilized world; what He did in olden time He is doing today; and whilst it remains a fatal law for these nations that civilization alone leads them to destruction, it also remains a certain and striking fact that civilization with Jesus Christ is able to transform and save them. But if Christ brings life to nations, it is by imparting it to souls individually.
Godly Parenting
is essential today, just as it has
been
throughout history.=
Fathers and Mothers
are the key
To Raising Godly
young men and women
Who
Love God and live for Him
Despite the blessing that pastors, youth leaders, and
other godly influences are,
no one can replace the role of
godly parents
who live out their Christian faith and
pass it on to their children.
This is why the author of Proverbs 22:6 could
Rightly claim,
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Based on Proverbs 22:6,
Training a Child
"In the Way he should Go"
means
intentionally cultivating
A Child's
Character and Spiritual Life
according
to God’s Truths,
often focusing on their individual,
God-Given
Temperament
It involves
Modeling
Godly, Healthy Habits,
Consistent
Discipline, Teaching Scripture,
and
Fostering
A
Personal Relationship
with God
Direct
your children onto the
Right Path,
and when they are
older,
they will
not leave it
The phrase “fishers of men” was spoken by Jesus when He was calling two of His disciples, Simon Peter and Andrew, to follow Him. “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
‘Come, follow me,’
Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’
At once they left their nets and followed him”
(Mark 1:16–18; see also Matthew 4:19).
The idea behind fishing is to know the fish you are looking for and attract it so you can make the catch. To catch a fish we must know what equipment to use, the habitat and depth of the water we are fishing in, as well as the kind of bait the fish will go after. After we understand everything we need for real fishing, then how do we relate that to being fishers of men?
God asks us to make disciples of all nations
(Matthew 28:18–20).
Just as we need equipment to be fishermen,
we need equipment to be fishers of men.
Putting on the armor of God is one way to be ready at all times with everything we need (Ephesians 6:10–18). Especially important are the shield of faith with which we ward off the opposition from demonic forces who don’t want to see men saved by the gospel of Christ (v. 16) and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (v. 17). Without these two pieces of spiritual equipment, we will find fishing for men’s souls impossible.
Not only must we have the armor of God as our equipment, but we must also know the fish we are trying to catch. Knowing the lost condition of the people around us will help us to understand that, no matter how good we are at fishing, we will never “catch” the fish on our own. No reasoned argument will convert the soul of a darkened mind, because “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). But God can and frequently does penetrate the darkness with the glorious gospel, and He uses us to do it. He knows which “fish” are His; therefore, we are to seek His wisdom and His guidance on all our fishing expeditions. Prayer is essential.
Lastly we must offer
the only
effective net—the
Gospel
of
Jesus Christ
To those who are perishing, the message of the cross is foolishness, but to us, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). The gospel message has the power to change lives, shine light into darkness, and deliver evil men from hell. There is power in no other message and no other “net” can catch the fish of God. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). This was Jesus’ message to Peter and Andrew—follow Me, learn of Me, know and understand My mission and My message. Only then will you be able to be fishers of men.
John 21
He said to them,
“Cast the net
on the right side of the boat, and you
will find some.”
So they cast it, and now they were
not able to haul it in,
because of the quantity of fish.
Dictionaries define righteousness as
behavior that is morally justifiable
or
Right
Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness. The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness.
The Greek New Testament word for “righteousness” primarily describes conduct in relation to others, especially with regards to the rights of others in business, in legal matters, and beginning with relationship to God. It is contrasted with wickedness, the conduct of the one who, out of gross self-centeredness, neither reveres God nor respects man. The Bible describes the righteous person as just or right, holding to God and trusting in Him (Psalm 33:18–22).
The bad news is that true and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is an amazing truth. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
This means that we are made righteous in the sight of God; that is, that we are accepted as righteous and treated as righteous by God on account of what the Lord Jesus has done. He was made sin; we are made righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was treated as if He were a sinner, though He was perfectly holy and pure, and we are treated as if we were righteous, though we are defiled and depraved. On account of what the Lord Jesus has endured on our behalf, we are treated as if we had entirely fulfilled the Law of God and had never become exposed to its penalty. We have received this precious gift of righteousness from the God of all mercy and grace. To Him be the glory!
The Scripture has several words translated "right" and the usage of the term, "right hand" ranges from a direction, to the opposite of wrong, what is just or what conforms to an established standard, and to a place of honor or authority. In the case of division or appointment in the Bible, the right hand or right side came first, as when Israel (Jacob) divided the blessings to Joseph’s sons before he died (Genesis 48:13-14).
In addition, a person of high rank who put someone on his right hand gave him equal honor with himself and recognized him as possessing equal dignity and authority. And this is what the Apostle Paul writes of Jesus Christ in Ephesians. "And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age" (Ephesians 1:19-21). Here we see God exalting Jesus above all others by seating Him at the right hand of the Father.
"God’s RIGHT hand"
Means
Messiah
to whom is given
the
Power and Authority
to subdue
His enemies
(Psalm 110:1; Psalm 118:16).
We find a quote in Matthew 22:44 from Psalm 110:1, which is a Messianic Psalm. "The Son of David" is claimed by the LORD Jesus Christ as He is the "greater son of David" or the Messiah. In this passage of Matthew 22, Jesus questions the Pharisees about who they think the "Christ" or the Messiah is. "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make Thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?" (Matthew 22:41-45, KJV). The position of the Messiah is at God’s right hand.
The fact that Jesus Christ is at the "right hand of God" was a sign to the disciples that Jesus had indeed gone to heaven. In John 16:7-15, Jesus told the disciples that He had to go away and He would send the Holy Spirit. So the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) was proof positive that Jesus was indeed in heaven seated at the right hand of God. This is confirmed in Romans 8:34 where the Apostle Paul writes that Christ is sitting at God’s right hand making intercession for us.
Therefore, what we can say is that "God’s right hand" refers to the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ, and He is of equal position, honor, power, and authority with God (John 1:1-5). The fact that Christ is "sitting" refers to the fact that His work of redemption is done and when the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in (Romans 11:25), Christ’s enemies will be made His footstool. When the end of the age comes, all prophecy will be completed, and time will be no more.
“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds
a town with violence!
Is it not indeed from the LORD of hosts that peoples
toil for fire,
and nations grow weary for nothing?
For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the
glory of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea”
(Hab 2:12-14).
The vision God commanded Habakkuk to write (Hab 2:2) is found in Habakkuk 2:5-20. In this vision, the nations that have been violently conquered by the Chaldeans take up five “woes” of divine judgment against their conquerors (Hab 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19).
Though directed against the Chaldeans, these woes also pertain to every person and nation that has advanced in this world through coveting, greed, violence, lust, and false worship (see 1 John 2:16). All such people toil for things that will, in the end, be burned up by fire. They weary themselves for dust in the wind (Hab 2:13; see Jer 51:58).
But like a black cloth used to display a sparkling diamond, these woes provide the backdrop for a vision truly worth waiting for by faith (see 2:3-4). There is coming a day when the protection of police and armies will no longer be required. There will be no need for courts or jails. Hospitals will be completely emptied of patients and doctors. Pastors and evangelists will be forced to find new employment as well. For just as the waters cover the sea, so every place where people live will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD (Hab 2:14; 3:3; see Isa 11:9).
Because this vision is God’s direct answer to Habakkuk’s complaints in chapter 1 (see 1:2-4), the prophet breaks forth into a praise-filled prayer in chapter 3. And what does Habakkuk pray for? The very thing Yeshua taught us to pray for as well: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10).
I’m still reframing my brain patterns after watching the bad bunny half time performance,
which is definitely unfit for kids under the age of 35
There’s no magic rabbit hole that will clarify that manifestation of Artistry
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1380962923346535
In Ephesians 6:12, the apostle Paul introduces the believers in Ephesus to the reality of spiritual warfare in the Christian life: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NLT). Before discussing the armor Christians must wear in combat and their weapons of warfare, Paul stresses that the battle is spiritual, not physical. We do not fight against flesh and blood means we do not face a physical enemy but a spiritual one.
Christian warfare consists of a spiritual strategy fought with supernatural weapons against an unseen enemy. The opposition is real but not visible to the naked eye. Beneath the surface, an invisible spiritual battle is raging. We fight this war not with tangible weapons like guns and ammunition, nor with bodily defenses such as kicks and punches, but by daily putting on the whole armor of God, always praying, standing firm in the Word of God, and staying alert (Ephesians 6:13–18).
If we do not fight against flesh and blood, whom are we wrestling with, and who are our spiritual enemies? Paul named these opponents as the devil and his schemes, the rulers, authorities, and “powers of this dark world,” and “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10, 12). His description seems to indicate a pecking order of evil beings who do Satan’s bidding to oppose God’s will on earth.
The apostle Peter also warned believers to remain vigilant against the devil: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8–9).
We do not fight against flesh and blood means that our enemies are not human but demonic. Many in Paul’s Ephesian audience had previously dabbled in the occult (Acts 19:18–20) and would have been familiar with the devil and his evil forces.
The Bible calls the devil, or Satan, “the prince of this world” (John 12:31), “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2), “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and “the accuser” of believers (Revelation 12:10). This is our true enemy.
Paul says, in our fight with this enemy, we must be aware of his tactics (2 Corinthians 2:11). And in Ephesians 6:11–12, Paul mentions three main traits of Satan’s spiritual forces. First, they are powerful. They have authority to rule in the world. Second, they are evil. These wicked spiritual enemies use their power to wreak destruction. They are associated with darkness and not light, wickedness and not good. And, third, they are shrewd. They know how to scheme and strategize. They are so skilled at deception that sometimes they come disguised as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) or wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15).
The Land of Israel is very unusual.
It’s a country where
heaven and earth meet in a special way
You can dig up real relics that testify that the
Bible is fact, not fiction,
connecting
spiritual stories with tangible earthly realities.
“We often separate the spiritual from the
material world,
but God does not,” Dr. Erez Soref
teaches in
the new series on Nehemiah.
Before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost sent the Good News out to every nation, the story of the Bible was firmly tethered to the Land of Israel. Trudging through deserts, digging wells, building walls and fighting enemies… so it’s not surprising that the story of the Bible, Israel and God’s plan for humanity can be literally be found in the ground in archaeological digs.
So much has already been found in the layers beneath our feet here in the Land of Israel:
– A jug with Gideon’s name on it
– The remains of 211 Philistines in a graveyard
– The charred evidence of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem
– A pillar that mentions Judea from the time of the Romans
– A first century synagogue beside the Sea of Galilee with an eyewitness representation of the temple menorah
– Fragments of purple cloth from the time of King Solomon
– And most recently one of the 2,700 year old Lachish reliefs has been identified as showing not only Jerusalem but also King Hezekiah
… and much, much more, the list is long!
Dinesh D’Souza recently talked about the importance of archeological discoveries in the Land of Israel that back up the Bible:
“The power of this biblical archeology is that at the time when the world has become more secular, it’s almost as if we’re getting it’s almost like God is sending us a message, but this time, not in the thunderous language of Moses or Abraham, but through the quiet whisperers of stones and forensic evidence in stone inscriptions, artefacts, writing on pottery, all this kind of stuff,” he said while being interviewed in Jerusalem.
Click here to read more!
https://www.oneforisrael.org/digging-up-the-truth.../
“They will lick the dust like a serpent, like reptiles of the earth.
They will come trembling out of their fortresses; to the LORD our God they will come in dread and they will be afraid before You. Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from the days of old”
(Mic 7:17-20)
The book of Micah ends with a rapid burst of allusions and citations of key passages from the Torah, the purpose of which is to rekindle the reader’s faith in the fulfillment of God’s promises. The promised seed of Eve, whom Micah tells us will be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2), will defeat the serpent (Mic 7:17; see Gen 3:14-15). No matter how grim Israel’s spiritual condition may appear, God will indeed pardon the iniquity of his people, just as he did when Moses interceded on their behalf after the sin of the golden calf (Mic 7:18; see Exod 34:5-10). God will completely cast the sins of his people into the depths of the sea, just as he had buried the Egyptians under the waters of the Reed Sea (Mic 7:19; see Exod 15:5). And the people can never undo God’s election nor outdo God’s faithfulness, because of his unchanging oath, which he swore to the patriarchs (Mic 7:20; see Deut 7:7-8).
What I find most remarkable is Micah’s profoundly new-covenant reading of the Torah. He relates to it far more as a book of eschatological promises that must be fulfilled than as a book of laws that must be kept (see Matt 5:17). This is not to say that Micah negates the necessity of obedience, but rather that he does not place the burden of the final outcome upon our religious performance.
For in the end, Israel’s hope, and ours, does not depend on the gifts and offerings we bring to God at the temple in Jerusalem, but on the gift and the offering God has given to us in Bethlehem.
Proverbs 25:12:
"To one who listens, valid criticism is like
a gold earring
or
other gold jewelry."
Proverbs 15:31:
"Whoever heeds
life-giving correction
will be at
home among the wise."
Proverbs 15:5:
"Only a fool despises a parent's discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise."
Proverbs 15:32
Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
but he who
listens to reproof gains intelligence.
Psalm 141:5:
"Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness!
If they correct me, it is soothing
medicine
Don't let me refuse it."
Proverbs 12:1:
"To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate
correction
The Reply of the Tongue Is from the LORD
1The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD.
2All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes,
but his motives are weighed out by the LORD.
3Commit your works to the LORD
and your plans will be achieved.
4The LORD has made everything for His purpose--
even the wicked for the day of disaster.
5Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD;
be assured that he will not go unpunished.
6By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil.
7When a man’s ways please the LORD,
He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him.
8Better a little with righteousness
than great gain with injustice.
9A man’s heart plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
10A divine verdict is on the lips of a king;
his mouth must not betray justice.
11Honest scales and balances are from the LORD;
all the weights in the bag are His concern.
12Wicked behavior is detestable for kings,
for a throne is established through righteousness.
13Righteous lips are a king’s delight,
and he who speaks honestly is beloved.
14The wrath of a king is a messenger of death,
but a wise man will pacify it.
15When a king’s face brightens, there is life;
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.
16How much better to acquire wisdom than gold!
To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.
17The highway of the upright leads away from evil;
he who guards his way protects his life.
18Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20Whoever heeds instruction will find success,a
and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
21The wise in heart are called discerning,
and pleasant speech promotes instruction.
22Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessor,
but the discipline of fools is folly.
23The heart of the wise man instructs his mouth
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
25There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way of death.
26A worker’s appetite works for him
because his hunger drives him onward.
27A worthless man digs up evil,
and his speechb is like a scorching fire.
28A perverse man spreads dissension,
and a gossip divides close friends.
29A violent man entices his neighbor
and leads him down a path that is not good.
30He who winks his eye devises perversity;
he who purses his lips is bent on evil.
31Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is attained along the path of righteousness.
32He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior,
and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city.
33The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the LORD.
Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet
א
ALEPH
1Blesseda are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the Law of the LORD.
2Blessed are those who keep His testimonies
and seek Him with all their heart.
3They do no iniquity;
they walk in His ways.
4You have ordained Your precepts,
that we should keep them diligently.
5Oh, that my ways were committed
to keeping Your statutes!
6Then I would not be ashamed
when I consider all Your commandments.
7I will praise You with an upright heart
when I learn Your righteous judgments.
8I will keep Your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me.
God’s Judgment on the Earth
1Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth
and leaves it in ruins.
He will twist its surface
and scatter its inhabitants--
2people and priest alike, servant and master,
maid and mistress, buyer and seller,
lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.
3The earth will be utterly laid waste
and thoroughly plundered.
For the LORD has spoken this word.
4The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and fades;
the exalted of the earth waste away.
5The earth is defiled by its people;
they have transgressed the laws;
they have overstepped the decrees
and broken the everlasting covenant.
6Therefore a curse has consumed the earth,
and its inhabitants must bear the guilt;
the earth’s dwellers have been burned,
and only a few survive.
7The new wine dries up, the vine withers.
All the merrymakers now groan.
8The joyful tambourines have ceased;
the noise of revelers has stopped;
the joyful harp is silent.
9They no longer sing and drink wine;
strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.
10The city of chaos is shattered;
every house is closed to entry.
11In the streets they cry out for wine.
All joy turns to gloom;
rejoicing is exiled from the land.
12The city is left in ruins;
its gate is reduced to rubble.
13So will it be on the earth
and among the nations,
like a harvested olive tree,
like a gleaning after a grape harvest.
14They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
from the westa they proclaim the majesty of the LORD.
15Therefore glorify the LORD in the east.
Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel
in the islandsb of the sea.
16From the ends of the earth we hear singing:
“Glory to the Righteous One.”
But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away!
Woe is me.”
The treacherous betray;
the treacherous deal in treachery.
17Terror and pit and snare await you,
O dweller of the earth.
18Whoever flees the sound of panic
will fall into the pit,
and whoever climbs from the pit
will be caught in the snare.
For the windows of heaven are open,
and the foundations of the earth are shaken.
19The earth is utterly broken apart,
the earth is split open,
the earth is shaken violently.
20The earth staggers like a drunkard
and sways like a shack.
Earth’s rebellion weighs it down,
and it falls, never to rise again.
21In that day the LORD will punish
the host of heaven above
and the kings of the earth below.
22They will be gathered together
like prisoners in a pit.
They will be confined to a dungeon
and punished after many days.
23The moon will be confounded
and the sun will be ashamed;
for the LORD of Hosts will reign
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and before His elders with great glory.
Rejoicing in Trials
(Philippians 1:12–20)
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position. 10But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
Good and Perfect Gifts
13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.b 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.c
Hearing and Doing
19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. 27Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Freedom in Christ
1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.
2Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. What matters is faith expressing itself through love.
7You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth? 8Such persuasion does not come from the One who calls you. 9A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough. 10I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.
11Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12As for those who are agitating you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves!
13For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”a 15But if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.
Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person
who stirs up conflict in the community.
Giving to the Needy
(Deuteronomy 15:7–11)
1“Be careful not to perform your righteous actsa before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
The Lord’s Prayer
(Luke 11:1–4)
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
So then, this is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.
Proper Fasting
16When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Treasures in Heaven
(Luke 12:32–34)
19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rustc destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Lamp of the Body
(Luke 11:33–36)
22The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good,d your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad,e your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Do Not Worry
(Luke 12:22–31)
25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first the kingdom of Godg and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
Paul warns Timothy, an elder of the church in Ephesus, that there will come a time when people “will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3, NKJV); instead, “they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” The idea of “enduring” sound teaching has to do with “tolerating” it or putting up with it. In other words, people will refuse to listen to what is good and right. They will be intolerant of the truth.
Prior to the warning, Paul establishes the source and utility of the Scriptures. The Scriptures are from the mouth of God, or God-breathed, and are beneficial for teaching, among other things, which leads to the maturing and equipping of the Christian (2 Timothy 3:16–17). This maturing and equipping has the purpose of allowing the believer to complete every good work that God has ordained.
Paul exhorts Timothy to be ready to proclaim the Scriptures at all times (2 Timothy 4:1–2), exhorting and correcting others by using the Word of God. Timothy is to study, practice, and then teach the Scriptures (cf. Ezra 7:10). In 2 Timothy 4:3, Paul provides the reason for urgency in such a task: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.”
The Greek word translated “doctrine” is simply referring to “teaching” or “instruction.” Often, teaching and instruction systematized is understood as doctrine. The Greek word translated as “sound” can also be understood as “healthy” or “free from error.” Paul is warning Timothy that there will come a time when people will not desire to hear true or correct teaching—teaching that accords with reality. Instead, “they will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3, NLT).
Usually, understanding sound doctrine requires the individual to change his actions. If it is something he does not want to do, he may reject the teaching. At first, Peter did not want to preach the gospel to the Gentiles due to an improper understanding of what God desired for him to do (Acts 10). However, God patiently corrected his understanding and prepared Peter to proclaim the gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile leader. Peter responded to the sound doctrine and moved forward without fear.
It is important that we, as teachers and learners, heed the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:3. As teachers, we must teach sound doctrine, holding to the truths of Scripture regardless of the consequences. As learners, we must seek sound doctrine and receive it, if we are to live according to the truth. The learner’s desires must take a back seat to the truths of Scripture. Prayerfully, as the learner matures and is transformed by the renewing of the mind, his or her desires align more and more with the sound doctrine of Scripture.
It is beneficial for the learner to desire sound doctrine. It is also important for the learner to test what is being taught. During Paul’s second missionary journey, he travelled across Greece, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to all. Many believed in the gospel (Acts 17:4). Paul eventually reached the town of Berea where he also presented the gospel. The Bereans notably received Paul with eagerness, and they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (verse 11). The Bereans are a perfect example of how the learner ought to desire sound doctrine and examine the Bible to test whether an unfamiliar doctrine is truly sound.
characterized by
openness,
candidness, and forthrightness
(see forthright entry 1 sense 1)
Synonyms of forthcoming
being about to appear or to be produced or made available
John 3:18
It emphasizes that authentic
love and faith
are
proven by consistent,
sacrificial behavior rather than
empty speech.
The Bible nowhere presents an instance
where lying
is considered to be the right thing to do
The ninth commandment prohibits bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16). Proverbs 6:16-19 lists “a lying tongue” and “a false witness who pours out lies” as two of the seven abominations to the Lord. Love “rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). For other Scriptures that speak negatively of lying, see Psalm 119:29, 163; 120:2; Proverbs 12:22; 13:5; Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9; and Revelation 21:8. There are many examples of liars in Scripture, from Jacob’s deceit in Genesis 27 to the pretense of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. Time after time, we see that falsehood leads to misery, loss, and judgment.
There are at least two instances in the Bible where lying produced a favorable result. For example, the lie the Hebrew midwives tell Pharaoh seems to result in the Lord’s blessing on them (Exodus 1:15-21), and it probably saved the lives of many Hebrew babies. Another example is Rahab’s lie to protect the Israelite spies in Joshua 2:5. It is important to note, however, that God never condones these lies. Despite the positive outcome of these lies, the Bible nowhere praises the lies themselves. The Bible nowhere states that there are instances where lying is the right thing to do. At the same time, the Bible does not declare that there is no possible instance in which lying is an acceptable option.
The question then remains: is there ever a time when lying is the right thing to do? The most common illustration of this dilemma comes from the life of Corrie ten Boom in Nazi-occupied Holland. Essentially, the story is this: Corrie ten Boom is hiding Jews in her home to protect them from the Nazis. Nazi soldiers come to her home and ask her if she knows where any Jews are hiding. What is she to do? Should she tell the truth and allow the Nazis to capture the Jews she was trying to protect? Or, should she lie and deny that she knows anything about them?
In an instance such as this, where lying may be the only possible way to prevent a horrible evil, perhaps lying would be the best of the available options. Such an instance would be somewhat similar to the lies of the Hebrew midwives and Rahab. In an evil world, and in a desperate situation, it may be the right thing to commit a lesser evil, lying, in order to prevent a much greater evil. However, it must be noted that such instances are extremely rare. And, even in those situations, lying would still be a sin, because it would still be violating the character of the God of truth (Hebrews 6:18). The vast majority of lies are due to people seeking to protect themselves, promote themselves, or harm someone else. That is why the Bible so clearly, strongly, and consistently condemns lying as a sin.
In Hebrews 2:1–4, the author includes himself in warning all believers not to ignore the salvation that Jesus Christ offers. He states, “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it” (verse 1, NLT). In the Old Testament, those who disregarded and disobeyed God’s law were punished; similarly, we cannot expect to escape punishment “if we neglect so great a salvation” (verse 3, NKJV).
To neglect so great a salvation is a phrase that recalls Israel’s experience. The author of Hebrews remembers the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings (see Hebrews 3:7—4:11) and how the people ignored God’s great salvation. As a result, they lived in captivity for years. The Greek verb (amelēsantes), translated as “if we neglect” in Hebrews 2:3, is from a root word meaning “to be careless of, disregard, pay no attention to.”
Jesus used the same word in the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1–14). The guests summoned to the wedding banquet represent people invited to enter the kingdom of heaven. In the parable, these invited guests “paid no attention” and went to tend to their businesses and farms (verse 5). They all ignored or neglected so great a salvation.
Neglecting salvation is not the same as rejecting it. The author of Hebrews is not talking to sinners and inviting them to be saved. He is speaking to Christians, urging them to pay close attention to the great salvation they have received from the Lord. He wants his brothers and sisters in Christ to understand that careless neglect of one’s salvation has dreadful consequences. Some listeners had apparently heard and responded to the gospel’s truth but were now at risk of drifting away. The writer is sending out a wake-up call. God doesn’t just sit back and let His people drift away into rebellion. He issues warnings, and, when necessary, He disciplines His beloved children (see Proverbs 3:11–12; Hebrews 12:5–7; James 1:12).
To neglect so great a salvation is to “become spiritually dull and indifferent” (Hebrews 6:12, NLT). This happens when we get too comfortable and self-satisfied. We grow careless and complacent. The Bible repeatedly warns against such complacency (Proverbs 1:32;1 Corinthians 10:12; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Hebrews 12:25).
Warren Wiersbe writes in The Bible Exposition Commentary, “More spiritual problems are caused by neglect than perhaps by any other failure on our part. We neglect God’s Word, prayer, worship with God’s people (see Heb. 10:25), and other opportunities for spiritual growth, and as a result, we start to drift. The anchor does not move; we do” (vol. 2, Victor Books, 1996, p. 282).
Our hope of salvation is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:18–20). Instead of drifting aimlessly, we must grab hold of our anchor and “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And . . . run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1–2, NLT). Jesus endured the cross, public shame, and hostility from sinful people, but He did not grow weary or give up (see Hebrews 12:1–3). God wants us to stay laser-focused on Jesus Christ and His salvation and to follow His example so we, too, don’t grow weary and give up.
Rather than neglect so great a salvation, we persevere in working out our salvation, “obeying God with deep reverence and fear” (Philippians 2:12, NLT). We actively pursue a lifestyle of obedience to God and His Word (1 Peter 1:14–16). We yield ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit. Like the apostle Paul, we don’t let ourselves drift but instead recognize this truth: “I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:13–14, NLT).
In the Bible, courage is also called “good cheer” as in Mark 6:50 when Jesus gave the command to the disciples who saw Him walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee and coming toward them. The Greek word translated “courage” and “good cheer” means literally “boldness and confidence.” In the Bible, courage is the opposite of fear. When God commands us to fear not, to be of good cheer, and to have courage, He is always commanding against fear, which is the opposite of courage.
But God doesn’t simply command courage with no reason behind it. In nearly every incident where God says “fear not,” there follows a reason to have courage, and that reason is God Himself, His nature and His perfect plans.
When God calms Abram’s fears after his battle with the kings of Sodom, the captivity of Lot and his rescue, God says, “Fear not, [for] I am your shield” (Genesis 15:1). When Hagar was despairing for her life and that of her child in the wilderness, the angel of the Lord tells her, “Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is” (Genesis 21:17). God’s promise to the Israelites in Isaiah 41:14 is similar: “Fear not [for]…I am the One who helps you.” In each incident, we see God commanding courage, not because it is natural for man to be brave and courageous, but because, when God is protecting and guiding us, we can have courage because we are confident in Him.
In the New Testament, we see the
angel of the Lord
telling Mary to have courage to face the trial
of being pregnant with Jesus
by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit,
despite having no husband
Again, the reason for her courage is that the almighty God controls all things: “Do not fear…for you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30). The shepherds are similarly commanded to be of good cheer and have courage by the angel who brought good tidings of great joy (Luke 2:10), and Zachariah was told not to fear, for his prayer had been heard (Luke 1:13). In each incident, the courage commanded is the result of understanding the foreknowledge and sovereignty of God, whose plans and purposes cannot be thwarted and whose omnipotence makes every circumstance of life subservient to His will.
God’s promises to us have the same rationale. We can be confident, courageous, and of good cheer because of Him. “Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared” (Proverbs 3:25-26). Here is the promise of God’s superintending care for us, a care that is absent from the lives of those who reject Him. But for those who have placed their faith in Christ for salvation, we are to have no fear because “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). In this great promise lies the basis of our confidence, our courage, and our good cheer.
an obligation
or
willingness to accept responsibility
or to
account for one's actions
sin·cere
/sinˈsir/
free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings.
trust·wor·thy
/ˈtrəs(t)ˌwərT͟Hē/
able to be relied on as
honest or truthful
An alarming epidemic of spiritual adultery and “friendship with the world” ran rampant in the early church (James 4:4). James passionately told his readers to repent from their wicked ways and return to the Lord: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8, ESV).
God desires His followers’ wholehearted loyalty and devotion (Exodus 34:14; Mark 12:29–31). Believers who stray from the Lord must submit themselves to God and draw near to Him again through repentance.
“Purify your hearts, you double-minded” was James’ clear and distinct call to inner purification—to recognize and confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness. His language closely resembles that of the psalmist: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god” (Psalm 24:3–4).
James branded the believers “double-minded” because they continued to live with one foot in the world while claiming to love and worship God. Their vacillating was dividing their loyalties. A similar charge was issued against the people of Isaiah’s time: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). Earlier, James noted that double-minded people are “unstable in all they do” (James 1:8).
The apostle John acknowledged that the true children of God who look forward to Christ’s return “purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). The Lord Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). The term pure here indicates the absence of impurity, contamination, or filth. It suggests a single-mindedness of purpose that is free of distractions.
Double-minded people lack purity of heart. The Lord desires His followers to be laser-focused in heart, mind, and purpose (Matthew 6:33). The greatest commandment, Jesus said, is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
Honesty is truthfulness. An honest person has the habit of making accurate, trustworthy statements about life, self, others and God. An honest person represents himself just as he is and tells others the truth about themselves. Honesty is not “expressing everything that goes through your mind.” That’s transparency, and a person can be honest without being transparent. However, no one can be consistently honest without a commitment to the truth. Honesty will, at times, hurt someone’s feelings, but that does not mean that dishonesty is preferable.
Dishonesty is reproved in Scripture. God does not accept a person who “practices deceit” (Psalm 101:7), and Jeremiah 9:5 says of a wicked society, “Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity.” Speaking the truth, or honesty, is a mark of healthy human interaction.
A person who knows the truth but (for whatever reason) says differently is a liar. The Bible emphasizes the importance of making true statements about God. To purposely misrepresent God is a serious offense. A liar is defined, first and foremost, as someone who denies that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22). “Trusting in lies” is consistent with forgetting God (Jeremiah 13:25). And those who claim to know God but contradict Him, add to His words, or refuse to follow or accept His commands are also called liars (1 John 2:4; 5:10; Proverbs 30:6).
Honesty as a character quality is a sign of the Spirit’s work in a person’s soul. God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18); therefore, His presence in a person gives rise to truthfulness. God’s people are honest.
Humankind is not naturally honest (Psalm 116:11). Dishonesty has worldly rewards–lying can often bring financial gain, power, or temporary satisfaction. But the rewards come at a price. Dishonesty leads to more and more wickedness (Proverbs 17:4). Lying to fulfill worldly desires ultimately results in the loss of everything a person has, including his life. Hell’s inhabitants will include “all liars” (Revelation 21:8). “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).
While it is sometimes tempting to lie, misrepresent ourselves, or downplay uncomfortable truths in an effort to avoid conflict, dishonesty is never good for relationships. Speaking dishonest words in order to avoid conflict is flattery (Psalm 12:2). Again, at times honesty will hurt the feelings of others. It’s inevitable. Remember the words of the wise: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6). A friend is willing to wound with the truth; sweet words, if lies, are the enemies of our soul.
That said, honesty should always be accompanied by gentleness. An honest person is motivated by love, not by an obsession with relaying accurate information (Proverbs 19:22). Above all, the honest person is concerned with telling the truth about God and fostering the spiritual growth of other people (Ephesians 4:29). Those who follow Jesus, the Truth (John 14:6), will speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Character is defined as strength of moral fiber. A.W. Tozer described character as “the excellence of moral beings.” As the excellence of gold is its purity and the excellence of art is its beauty, so the excellence of man is his character. Persons of character are noted for their honesty, ethics, and charity. Descriptions such as “man of principle” and “woman of integrity” are assertions of character. A lack of character is moral deficiency, and persons lacking character tend to behave dishonestly, unethically, and uncharitably.
A person’s character is the sum of his or her disposition, thoughts, intentions, desires, and actions. It is good to remember that character is gauged by general tendencies, not on the basis of a few isolated actions. We must look at the whole life. For example, King David was a man of good character (1 Samuel 13:14) although he sinned on occasion (2 Samuel 11). And although King Ahab may have acted nobly once (1 Kings 22:35), he was still a man of overall bad character (1 Kings 16:33). Several people in the Bible are described as having noble character: Ruth (Ruth 3:11), Hanani (Nehemiah 7:2), David (Psalm 78:72), and Job (Job 2:3). These individuals’ lives were distinguished by persistent moral virtue.
Character is influenced and developed by our choices. Daniel “resolved not to defile himself” in Babylon (Daniel 1:8), and that godly choice was an important step in formulating an unassailable integrity in the young man’s life. Character, in turn, influences our choices. “The integrity of the upright guides them” (Proverbs 11:3a). Character will help us weather the storms of life and keep us from sin (Proverbs 10:9a).
It is the Lord’s purpose to develop character within us. “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart” (Proverbs 17:3). Godly character is the result of the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification. Character in the believer is a consistent manifestation of Jesus in his life. It is the purity of heart that God gives becoming purity in action. God sometimes uses trials to strengthen character: “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4). The Lord is pleased when His children grow in character. “You test the heart and are pleased with integrity” (1 Chronicles 29:17; see also Psalm 15:1-2).
We can develop character by controlling our thoughts (Philippians 4:8), practicing Christian virtues (2 Peter 1:5-6), guarding our hearts (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:18-20), and keeping good company (1 Corinthians 15:33). Men and women of character will set a good example for others to follow, and their godly reputation will be evident to all (Titus 2:7-8).
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “integrity” means “the condition of being without blemish, completeness, perfection, sincerity, soundness, uprightness, wholeness.” Integrity in the New Testament means “honesty and adherence to a pattern of good works.”
Jesus is the perfect example of a man of integrity. After He was baptized, He went into the wilderness to fast for forty days and nights, during which time Satan came to Him at His weakest to try to break His integrity and corrupt Him. Jesus was wholly man and wholly God at the same time, and He was tempted in every way we are, yet He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15); that is the definition of integrity. Jesus is the only one who was ever without blemish, perfect, completely truthful, and always showing a pattern of good works.
Christians are called to be like Jesus. In Christ, we are new creations and can be considered without blemish before God (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; Ephesians 1:4–8). In Christ, we also have the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in us, sanctifying us and making us more like Jesus (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). We are also to strive to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12–13). It is by God’s power that we become increasingly people of integrity. We are called to obey God and, in so doing, to be people of uncompromised morality and integrity. Christians should be those who adhere to the truth and who do good works.
“Integrity” in our world today implies moral incorruptibility. Christians should be those who cannot be bribed or compromised because we serve God rather than men (Colossians 3:17, 23; Acts 5:29). We are to be people who keep our word (Matthew 5:37; James 5:12). We are to love those around us in both word and deed (1 John 3:17–18; James 2:17–18; Ephesians 4:29). We are called upon to believe in God and therefore to follow Him in all our ways (John 6:19; 15:1–17). Our lives should line up with our belief in God and evince a trust that His ways are best (Proverbs 3:5–6).
Living with integrity in a world where the corrupt seem favored, not to mention our battle with our own sin nature, is challenging. First Peter 3:13–18 gives this encouragement: “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” To live with integrity is to follow the example of Christ. And we can only live with true integrity by His power, which He graciously and freely gives to all who are His (John 16:33; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13–14).
Rather than true repentance,
Israel often displayed superficial sorrow
while continuing to serve other gods.
They frequently
ignored God's Law and rejected the messengers (prophets)
sent to warn them.
Capable of being perceived
outwardly
having merely the outward appearance of something
not intrinsic or essential
lack of depth in knowledge, reasoning, emotions,
or character
a light, shallow, and frivolous review
suggests a
lack of thoroughness or a
neglect of details.
Appearing
to be true or real only until examined
more closely
"the resemblance between the breeds is superficial"
affecting only the outer part or surface :
not deep or serious
seen only in the outward appearance or manner :
external
a superficial similarity
presenting only an
appearance without substance or significance
concerned only with
the obvious or apparent : not thorough or complete
a superficial analysis
They had a superficial understanding
Israel did not consistently repent due to a deep-seated lack of faith, persistent disobedience, and a hardened heart that strayed into idolatry.
Despite God’s repeated warnings through prophets, their rebellion was rooted in a failure to trust God, leading to judgment, such as captivity and the destruction of their cities.
In Luke 19:41–44, Jesus weeps upon approaching Jerusalem, lamenting its failure to recognize him and the peace he offered. He foretells the city's destruction, where enemies will leave "not one stone upon another" because the people did not know the time of their visitation. This emotional scene signifies his sorrow over their rejection of God's mercy.
False apostles are people who masquerade as Christian leaders, get other people to follow them, and then lead them astray. A true apostle is one who is “sent” by God as an ambassador of Jesus Christ with a divine message. A false apostle is a pretender who does not truly represent Christ and whose message is false.
In 2 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul addresses the problem of false apostles invading the Corinthian church. He describes the false apostles as “those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about” (verse 12). The book of 2 Corinthians is one of Paul’s more “sarcastic” letters, as he contends with the church to recognize the error that had crept into their midst. He contrasts his selfless service with that of the “super-apostles” (verse 5) who were seducing the church with their smooth speech and apparent wisdom. These impostors were pretending to be true servants of Christ, but they did not know the Lord. They were deceivers, preying on gullible Christians in Corinth to profit themselves and boost their ego. Paul chides the church that they “even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face” (verse 20). He even compares these impostors to Satan himself, who also “masquerades as an angel of light” (verse 14).
Paul warned the Ephesian elders about false apostles as well: “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29). They must have heeded his words, because in Revelation 2:2, Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for spotting the false apostles in their midst and rejecting them.
False teachers and false apostles have been plentiful throughout the history of the church. They still infiltrate unsuspecting churches and have even led whole denominations into heresy and apostasy (see 1 Timothy 4:1–4). Scripture gives us clear warning if we will pay attention. First John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
The following are some ways we can identify false apostles:
1. False apostles deny any or all truths about the identity and deity of Jesus Christ. In 1 John 4:3–4, John warns his readers against Gnostic teaching; the test, he says, is Christological: “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” There are many ways a spirit may deny that Jesus is the Christ. From demonic cults to denominations that have veered away from the gospel, evil spirits are always behind the slander of Jesus. Any teacher who attempts to take away from or add to Jesus’ finished work on the cross for our salvation is a false prophet (John 19:30; Acts 4:12).
2. False apostles are motivated by their greed, lust, or power. Second Timothy 3:1–8 describes such teachers in more detail: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
“They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.” Jesus said that an identifying mark of a false apostle/prophet is sinful behavior: “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16, 20; cf. Jude 1:4).
3. False apostles distort or deny the Bible as God’s infallible, inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:16). In Galatians 1:8–9 Paul counters legalism with these strong words: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (KJV). The inspired writings of the apostles are part of the Word of God, and no one has a right to change their message.
4. False apostles refuse to make themselves subject to spiritual authorities, but consider themselves the final authority (Hebrews 13:7; 2 Corinthians 10:12). They will often adopt lofty-sounding titles for themselves, such as “Bishop,” “Apostle,” “Reverend,” or “Father.” This does not mean that every person carrying such titles is a false prophet, only that evil impostors love lofty titles and will self-title to gain a hearing.
False apostles can arise anywhere the Word of God does not reign supreme. From organized churches to home Bible studies, we must always be on guard against “new teachings” or “revelations” that are not subject to the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
Jesus and Zacchaeus
(Numbers 5:5–10)
1Then Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who was very wealthy. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd because he was small in stature. 4So he ran on ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus was about to pass that way.
5When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.”
6So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully. 7And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”
8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The Parable of the Ten Minas
(Matthew 25:14–30)
40“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
(Isaiah 29:1–16)
41As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it 42and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. 44They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.e”
(Matthew 21:12–17; Mark 11:15–19; John 2:12–25)
45Then Jesus entered the temple courtsf and began to drive out those who were selling there. 46He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’g But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’h”
47Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him. 48Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.
Many understand the term repentance to mean “a turning from sin.” Regretting sin and turning from it are related to repentance, but are not the precise meaning of the word. In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8–14; Acts 3:19). In summarizing his ministry, Paul declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). The short biblical definition of repentance is “a change of mind that results in a change of action.”
What, then, is the connection between repentance and salvation? The book of Acts especially focuses on repentance in regard to salvation (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). To repent, concerning salvation, is to change your mind regarding sin and Jesus Christ. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he concludes with a call for the people to repent (Acts 2:38). Repent from what? Peter calls the people who rejected Jesus (Acts 2:36) to change their minds about that sin and to change their minds about Christ Himself, recognizing that He is indeed “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Peter calls the people to change their minds, to abhor their past rejection of Christ, and to embrace faith in Him as their Messiah and Savior.
Repentance involves recognizing that you have thought wrongly in the past and determining to think rightly in the future. The repentant person has “second thoughts” about the mindset he formerly embraced. There is a change of disposition and a new way of thinking about God, about sin, about holiness, and about doing God’s will. True repentance is prompted by “godly sorrow,” and it “leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Repentance and faith can be understood as two sides of the same coin. It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without first changing your mind about your sin and about who Jesus is and what He has done. Whether it is repentance from willful rejection or repentance from ignorance or disinterest, it is a change of mind. Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ.
Repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. No one can repent and come to God unless God pulls that person to Himself (John 6:44). Repentance is something God gives—it is only possible because of His grace (Acts 5:31; 11:18). No one can repent unless God grants repentance. All of salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing us, opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. God’s longsuffering leads us to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), as does His kindness (Romans 2:4).
While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is impossible to truly change your mind without changing your actions in some way. In the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior. That is why John the Baptist called people to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). A person who has truly repented of sin and exercised faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:19–23; James 2:14–26).
To see what repentance looks like in real life, turn to the story of Zacchaeus. Here was a man who cheated and stole and lived lavishly on his ill-gotten gains—until he met Jesus. At that point he had a radical change of mind: “Look, Lord!” said Zacchaeus. “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). Jesus happily proclaimed that salvation had come to Zacchaeus’s house, and that even the tax collector was now “a son of Abraham” (verse 9)—a reference to Zacchaeus’s faith. The cheat became a philanthropist; the thief made restitution. That’s repentance, coupled with faith in Christ.
Repentance, properly defined, is necessary for salvation. Biblical repentance is changing your mind about your sin—no longer is sin something to toy with; it is something to be forsaken as you “flee from the coming wrath” (Matthew 3:7). It is also changing your mind about Jesus Christ—no longer is He to be mocked, discounted, or ignored; He is the Savior to be clung to; He is the Lord to be worshiped and adored.
The word blasphemy, meaning “the act of showing contempt or disrespect to God,” comes from the Greek word blasphemia, which appears repeatedly in the New Testament (e.g., John 10:36; Romans 2:24). Scripture also uses descriptions like “cursing God” (e.g., Revelation 16:11) and “speaking against” Him (e.g., Malachi 3:13) to describe the sin. The Bible-wide meaning of the transgression refers to disparaging God, including profaning His name, defaming His character, and slandering His works. Blasphemy can occur through speech, actions, and attitudes. The consequences for blaspheming God are severe.
Scripture exposes the character of those guilty of the sin of blasphemy, revealing the spiritual and moral corruption within their darkened hearts and minds. They are filled with pride (2 Kings 19:22), devoid of faith (Psalm 73:11), mired in foolishness (Psalm 74:18), enraged with anger (Isaiah 8:21), devoted to idolatry (Daniel 11:36–37), filled with lies (Hosea 7:13), and immersed in heresy (Psalm 10:11). Rather than reflect God’s image and likeness, blasphemers choose to mirror Satan’s adversarial and antagonistic nature (Genesis 1:26–28; cf. Revelation 13:1, 6).
Regarding the expression of corruption, blaspheming God can occur in numerous ways. Some disparage Him with words (e.g., Psalm 139:20), while others do so through actions (e.g., Proverbs 30:8–9). The Bible also documents instances where individuals incited others to blaspheme. For example, Job’s wife urged Job to curse God (Job 2:9), and Paul—before his conversion to Christianity—tried to compel Christians to blaspheme God (Acts 26:11).
The consequences for blaspheming God match the seriousness of the offense. The book of Leviticus recounts the story of a man who cursed and “blasphemed the Name” of Yahweh (Leviticus 24:11). In response to this sin, God instructed Moses to remove the offender from the community and “have all the congregation stone him” to death (Leviticus 24:14). This incident established a precedent for future blasphemers under the law God gave Moses (Leviticus 24:16).
Paul’s first letter to Timothy reveals a shift away from the death penalty as the punishment for blasphemy under the New Covenant that Jesus Christ established (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Luke 22:20). But the consequences for unrepentant blasphemy remain severe. The apostle mentions the excommunication of two men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, from the Christian community, describing their punishment as their being “handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme” (1 Timothy 1:20, ESV). Thus, in contrast to the executed blasphemer in Leviticus, Hymenaeus and Alexander lived. As a reformed blasphemer himself (1 Timothy 1:12–14), Paul likely hoped that these men would experience a transformative conversion like he did (cf. 2 Timothy 2:25–26). Nevertheless, Hymenaeus and Alexander’s consequence for blaspheming God wasn’t irrevocably final but potentially redemptive.
Beyond the nature, expressions, and consequences for blaspheming God, one of the Bible’s most striking passages on the topic concerns the unforgivable sin. After Jesus healed a demon-possessed man, the Pharisees accused Him of using demonic powers to perform the miracle (Matthew 12:22–24). Jesus replied that it’s illogical to argue that Satan is responsible for thwarting the activity of demons. He reasoned, “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself” (Matthew 12:26, ESV).
Jesus went on to explain that “every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven” (Matthew 12:31). He elaborated, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32).
Rejecting the Son of Man, which is forgivable, is not repenting of sin and trusting in Jesus for salvation (cf. Mark 1:15). Indeed, not everyone immediately decides to follow Jesus upon hearing the gospel for the first time. Yet such initial ignorance, confusion, and doubting are pardonable if the person eventually repents and believes.
In contrast, the Pharisees committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in that they accused Jesus of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. The Pharisees had the Law and the Prophets, they had the Holy Spirit stirring their hearts, they had the Son of God Himself standing in their presence, and they saw with their own eyes the miracles He did. Yet they chose defiance. They purposely attributed the work of the Spirit to the devil, even though they knew the truth and had the proof. Jesus declared their willful blindness to be unpardonable. We do not believe this particular type of blasphemy can be duplicated today.
Blaspheming God is a grave sin. Yet for those who have responded to the gospel in faith, this offense, like all others, is forgivable because of the shed blood of Jesus on the cross that washes away sin (1 John 1:7, 9). The consequences for blasphemy were paid by Jesus on the cross for all those who are born again through faith in Christ. Cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s thorough and ongoing sanctifying work (1 Thessalonians 5:23) transforms a believer’s words, actions, and attitudes, enabling him or her to live in a manner that reveres God’s hallowed name (cf. Matthew 6:9).
Psalm 10:4 explains that the proud are so consumed with themselves that their thoughts are far from God: “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” This kind of haughty pride is the opposite of the spirit of humility that God seeks: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The “poor in spirit” are those who recognize their utter spiritual bankruptcy and their inability to come to God aside from His divine grace. The proud, on the other hand, are so blinded by their pride that they think they have no need of God or, worse, that God should accept them as they are because they deserve His acceptance.
Throughout Scripture we are told about the consequences of pride. Proverbs 16:18-19 tells us that “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” Satan was cast out of heaven because of pride (Isaiah 14:12-15). He had the selfish audacity to attempt to replace God Himself as the rightful ruler of the universe. But Satan will be cast down to hell in the final judgment of God. For those who rise up in defiance against God, there is nothing ahead but disaster (Isaiah 14:22).
Pride has kept many people from accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. Admitting sin and acknowledging that in our own strength we can do nothing to inherit eternal life is a constant stumbling block for prideful people. We are not to boast about ourselves; if we want to boast, then we are to proclaim the glories of God. What we say about ourselves means nothing in God’s work. It is what God says about us that makes the difference (2 Corinthians 10:18).
Why is pride so sinful? Pride is giving ourselves the credit for something that God has accomplished. Pride is taking the glory that belongs to God alone and keeping it for ourselves. Pride is essentially self-worship. Anything we accomplish in this world would not have been possible were it not for God enabling and sustaining us. “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). That is why we give God the glory—He alone deserves it.
In order to get “right” with God, we must first understand what is “wrong.” The answer is sin. “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3). We have rebelled against God’s commands; we “like sheep, have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6).
The bad news is that the penalty for sin is death. “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). The good news is that a loving God has pursued us in order to bring us salvation. Jesus declared His purpose was “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10), and He pronounced His purpose accomplished when He died on the cross with the words, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).
Having a right relationship with God begins with acknowledging your sin. Next comes a humble confession of your sin to God (Isaiah 57:15). “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:10).
This repentance must be accompanied by faith – specifically, faith that Jesus’ sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection qualify Him to be your Savior. “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” (Romans 10:9). Many other passages speak of the necessity of faith, such as John 20:27; Acts 16:31; Galatians 2:16; 3:11, 26; and Ephesians 2:8.
Being right with God is a matter of your response to what God has done on your behalf. He sent the Savior, He provided the sacrifice to take away your sin (John 1:29), and He offers you the promise: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21).
A beautiful illustration of repentance and forgiveness is the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The younger son wasted his father’s gift in shameful sin (verse 13). When he acknowledged his wrongdoing, he decided to return home (verse 18). He assumed he would no longer be considered a son (verse 19), but he was wrong. The father loved the returned rebel as much as ever (verse 20). All was forgiven, and a celebration ensued (verse 24). God is good to keep His promises, including the promise to forgive. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Ultimately, the answer to this question is “sin.” It is the sin nature of man that causes us to worship modern idols, all of which are, in reality, forms of self-worship. The temptation to worship ourselves in various ways is a powerful temptation indeed. In fact, it is so powerful that only those who belong to Christ and have the Holy Spirit within them can possibly hope to resist the temptation of modern idolatry. Even then, resisting the worship of idols is a lifelong battle that is part of the Christian life (Ephesians 6:11; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3).
When we hear the word idol, we often think of statues and objects reminiscent of those worshiped by pagans in ancient cultures. However, the idols of the 21st century often bear no resemblance to the artifacts used thousands of years ago. Today, many have replaced the “golden calf” with an insatiable drive for money or prestige or "success" in the eyes of the world. Some pursue the high regard of others as their ultimate goal. Some seek after comfort or a myriad of other passionate, yet empty, pursuits. Sadly, our societies often admire those serving such idols. In the end, however, it doesn’t matter what empty pleasure we chase after or what idol or which false god we bow down to; the result is the same—separation from the one true God.
: subject to giving an account : answerableheld her accountable for the damage
2
: capable of being explained : explainable
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Romans 5:3-5
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Proverbs 24:16
For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Proverbs 28:13
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 5:8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Psalm 37:23-24
The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.
Acts 22:16
And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
The Parable of the Rich Fool
…15And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. 17So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’…
Berean Standard Bible · Download
Cross References
Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-15
He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile. / When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes? / The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep. ...
James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” / You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. / Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
Proverbs 11:28
He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. / Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, / treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
Matthew 13:22
The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Psalm 49:16-20
Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases. / For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down. / Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper— ...
Mark 4:18-19
Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word, / but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Proverbs 23:4-5
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. / When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. / For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. / The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.
Ecclesiastes 2:18-21
I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. / And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. / So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun. ...
Matthew 19:21-24
Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” / When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth. / Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ...
Psalm 39:6
Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.
Colossians 3:2-5
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. / For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. / When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. ...
Proverbs 28:22
A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty awaits him
https://live.itownchurch.com/
True
Worship in Spirit and Truth,
as Taught by
Jesus (John 4:24),
Means
Worshiping
God with your
Whole Heart
(Spirit)
and Aligning your Life,
Understanding, and Actions
with
His Revealed Word
(TRUTH),
Making it
Sincere, Heartfelt, and Centered
on
Jesus Christ,
Not just Outward Rituals or
Locations
It's a holistic,
Transformed Life,
Empowered by the Holy Spirit
and Guided by Scripture,
Honoring
God's Character and Wo
Fruit Tree
But small is the gate and narrow
the way that
leads to life, and only a few find it.
Beware of false prophets.
They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly
they are ravenous wolves.
By their fruit you will recognize them.
Are grapes gathered from
thornbushes,
or figs from thistles?…
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
(Matthew 12:9–14; Luke 6:6–11)
Once again Jesus entered the synagogue,
and
a man with a withered hand was there.
In order to accuse Jesus,
they were watching to see if He would
heal on the Sabbath.
Then Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up among us.”
And He asked them,
“Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do
good or to do evil,
to save life or to destroy it?”
But they were silent.
Jesus looked
around at them with
anger and sorrow
at their hardness of
Heart
Then He said to the man,
“Stretch out your hand.”
So he stretched it out, and it was restored.
The Stovall Weems' Show: How
Bad Actors
in Church Leadership Became
Untouchable
The
Children of the Devil
…Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because
you are
Unable to Accept
My Message
You belong to your father, the devil,
and you want
to
Carry out his desires
He was a murderer from the
beginning,
Refusing to uphold the
Truth
because there is No Truth in Him
When he Lies,
he
Speaks his Native Language
because he is
A Liar and the Father of Lies
But because
I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!…
Genesis 3:4-5
“You will not Surely Die,”
The Serpent told the Woman
“For God Knows
that in
the day you eat of it,
Your Eyes will be Opened
and you
Will be like God, Knowing
Good and Evil
2 Corinthians 11:3
I am afraid, however, that just as
Eve was Deceived
by the
Serpent’s Cunning, Your Minds
may be
Led Astray from your simple and
Pure
Devotion to Christ
After Jesus announced to His disciples that He would
be leaving them soon,
He gave them a statement of great encouragement:
“And I will ask the Father, and He will
give you another
Counselor
to be with you forever--
the
Spirit of Truth”
(John 14:16–17).
The Greek word translated
“Comforter” or “Counselor”
(as found in John 14:16, 26; 15:26; and 16:7)
is parakletos.
This form of the word is unquestionably passive and properly means “one called to the side of another”; the word carries a secondary notion concerning the purpose of the calling alongside: to counsel or support the one who needs it. This Counselor, or Paraclete, is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity who has been “called to our side.” He is a personal being, and He indwells every believer.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus had guided, guarded, and taught His disciples; but now, in John 14—16, He is preparing to leave them. He promises that the Spirit of God would come to the disciples and dwell in them, taking the place of their Master’s physical presence. Jesus called the Spirit “another Comforter”—another of the same kind. The Spirit of God is not different from the Son of God in essence, for both are God.
During the Old Testament age, the Spirit of God would come on people and then leave them. God’s Spirit departed from King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14; 18:12). David, when confessing his sin, asked that the Spirit not be taken from him (Psalm 51:11). But when the Spirit was given at Pentecost, He came to God’s people to remain with them forever. We may grieve the Holy Spirit, but He will not leave us. As Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” How is He with us when He is in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father? He is with us by His Spirit (the Helper—the Parakletos).
To have the Holy Spirit as our Paraclete is to have God Himself indwelling us as believers.
The Spirit teaches us the Word and guides us into truth.
He reminds us of what Jesus has taught so that we can depend on His Word in the difficult times of life. The Spirit works in us to give us His peace (John 14:27), His love (John 15:9–10), and His joy (John 15:11). He comforts our hearts and minds in a troubled world. The power of the indwelling Paraclete gives us the ability to live by the Spirit and “not gratify the desires of the sinful flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit can then produce His fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:22–23) to the glory of God the Father. What a blessing to have the Holy Spirit in our lives as our Paraclete—our Comforter, our Encourager, our Counselor, and our Advocate!
blasphemy is
“defiant irreverence.”
The term can be applied to
such sins
as cursing God or
willfully
degrading things relating
to God
Blasphemy
is also attributing some
evil to
God or denying Him
some good that we
should
attribute to Him.
This particular case of blasphemy, however, is called
“the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” in Matthew 12:31.
(Matthew 12:24).
Notice in Mark 3:30 Jesus is very specific about what the Pharisees did to commit
blasphemy against the
Holy Spirit: “He said this because they were saying,
‘He has an impure spirit.’”
Putting on
ANew Self
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.…
The Truth About Itown Church
KATE SUMRALL IS SUCH A HYPOCRITE!
Kate Sumrall, Dave Sumrall and Itown Church separated me from my daughter, yet she tears up when talking about how important families are and how they "wrap around" families. She did not care about my family when she was grooming and manipulating my daughter behind my back. They used the legal system against me twice to take control of my daughter.
I trusted them with my daughter when she was just 14 years old and they betrayed my trust in the worst possible way.
Anonymous member
God is not a man that He shall be mocked! What’s done in the dark will come to light! Continue to spread the truth to protect more of God’s children from being harmed. To Itown Church Onlookers-Humility and Repentance (turning away from the evil action) are fruits of the spirit. Pride (refusing to acknowledge and rectify the role you’ve played in causing this rift) is a work of the flesh! We stand with Sandy!
Anonymous member
Wrap around and steal families. Sandy Ott Rusk they destroyed your family by taking your daughter.
All-star contributor
Anonymous member yes, they did and then want to act like they are so concerned about families....
Anonymous member It's so EVIL. Keep up your efforts to expose them. It's working!
Anonymous member 743
The church doesn’t actually give anything. Donations from others gave to those families. They write it off on personal taxes. The church offers prayers and letters for DCS and in return ask for money on Sundays. They will convince the parents that Itown homeschool is the best. Then when the child reports abuse guess who covers it up, yep Itown staff… It’s a snake hole. These “degrees” they do have, they cheat online especially Chegg for the answers and then sale their answers and essays. Thats why they won’t talk to you and answer questions….Liability, Non Disclosure Agreements and cameras just about sums it up.
Anonymous member
Anonymous member 743 wow, it sounds like you have have alot of "behind the scenes" information. I would love to do a deep dive on all of it. Let me know if you would be willing to share it with me, so that I could report on it. Totally, anonymously. Feel free to reach out in messenger.
Anonymous member Cult, needs shutdown
Anonymous member
Is she educated about social work? Would like to more about her expertise?
Anonymous member god guides her!
Anonymous member
Then they have the nerve to tell you your family is cursed if they don’t think you are giving enough.
Itown Church can/will manipulate your child/teen if it benefits them. That is exactly what was done to me when I blindly trusted Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and the Itown Church staff with my teenage daughter. As I always say, do not trust ANYONE with your child/teen even if they appear to be a trusted pastor.....especially at Itown Church.
It had been over 5.5 years since I had seen or spoken with my daughter until recently. I felt it was important to update my story....to clarify the changes. My feelings are that she is still under the control of Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and the Itown Church staff. Here you go .....
So sorry, was hoping things would change! A cult is a horrible thing to break free of.cannot believe Olivia wouldn't want her mom, during so many life changes. So sorry!
Wow...super sad so brainwashed. I am so tired of organized religion taking away people's free will
Wow, this video explains so much! The emotional manipulation is real. When he talks about the request for people to raise their hands, certain phrases are word for word what Dave Sumrall says....at each and every service. And he is spot on regarding things that are being taught to our children when they separate them from us. I blindly trusted Dave and Kate Sumrall with my teenage daughter. They betrayed my trust in the worst possible way.....and this video explains exactly how they do it. It is extremely shocking.
Anonymous member
Sumerall is adding on to his home “compound” on 146th. I think her added a pool and guest house but I am not 100% sure…
Before they moved into their new “compound” on 146th, they lived on my street. We had a neighbor pass away while working in his yard, and the Sumeralls were doing their “workouts” running wind sprints up and down our street. The person who died was 2 doors away and neither of them cared enough to go and console the family. Right then and there I lost all respect for them.
Anonymous member
A friend of ours did some of the work on the property near Cabellas and he said kate sumrall walked around dropping f-bombs at the workers complaining that they didn’t know how to do their jobs.
Someone asked Dave why there was no cross in the church and he supposedly said he would never put a cross in one of his church’s….
The way Kate talked to the ITLA the year I was in it. Was so rude and probably the most entitlement I’ve ever felt come from somebody. They made us set chairs up and tear them down. But we had to do it over and over again until it was smooth. Making remarks under her breath, making insulting remarks towards someone’s intelligence.  Jesus would be flipping tables in today’s churches. I am about to start a church in my basement for people that actually want to study the Bible.
I saw Dave & Kate at the Keystone Mall two weeks ago. Kate used to take my fitness classes at the Fishers Y and I almost didn't even recognize either one of them all the work they have gotten done ane things they are taking.
As a pastor's kid, I never understood how they showed up to the gym driving an escalade and a BMW!
But here is my genuine question, do people not see this?! People that attend itown?! Or they all have so much $$ they don't care that this is what their tithe is going towards?
They're wealthy because of the members. Can you imagine how much tithe comes in each week??!! There are 3 iTown Churches. Plus they are part of ARC. With Dave and Kate being the Head of these churches, they are making a killing!! Why don't the members of these churches demand to see how their tithes are being spent and how much these ministers are paying themselves? Come on people wake up! Ministers used to be some of the poorest people! These days they live in mansions!
You should see their gated mansion off 146th/Carey road area on south side of the road.
Why aren’t their salaries disclosed to their church? Isn’t there a board? And does anyone know if they give interviews?
Pastors should be living modestly and helping those struggling in their church. Not flaunting their fortune.
I honestly think that people get brainwashed. It completely clouds your perception
And they have no clue what the tithe was really for
Anonymous member 670
Just wait til they discover all of the mess Madison Park has left for them to clean up. It’s been a money pit for so many years!! Also, they’ll lose a majority of their Olson Farms congregation since most of their draw is now from Anderson now.
They bought it for $6 million.
Anonymous member 687
Sandy Ott Rusk you should pin this post at the top. I’m interested in people’s thoughts on expansion during the middle of a church crisis.
Anonymous member 687
They don’t have enough leaders not to mention pastors for the 3 locations they have now. The turnover rate is through the roof. Every campus just went through a campus pastor transition (for like the 10th time.) The congregation has no clue of the chaos going on behind the scenes. They completely scrambled to keep their “school” afloat after all senior staff quit just before the start of the school year. Hiring basically anyone with a pulse because they didn’t want to admit there was a problem. But somehow we’re gonna have a new school building soon. It’s madness.
What’s funny is it’s just the Dave show. No real leaders other than him. Everything based off of him in the spotlight. “Let’s try and open 2 more locations nowhere near here, but everyone will come and listen to me.” Because I’m so great but treat people like trash.
No one will be discipled, no families will be cared for. Just come attend the weekly show we call “church” and watch me.
All ego and pride. With no real plan.
And what’s truly sad is people go there looking for help. But no one will because they’re too busy trying to “get new people saved” meanwhile they overlook the dumpster fire already going on in their church. It’s a nightmare.
Anonymous member 719
Makes it sound like iTown is doing all this themselves. They’re backed by ARC. It’s just the ARC business model being successful and it gives me the ick that they do it under the guise of anything other than that.
The craziness continues!
I saw this message and instantly thought of this group and why so many joined. I think ppl around the world are tired of this attitude being displayed by leadership.
“There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.” Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT
““If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15 NLT.
To preach topics like forgiveness and actively participate in the tearing down of a family is disgusting. There is no excuse on what has been done to you and furthermore why after 5 years the leadership has not encouraged reconciliation. To all have families themselves, it is truly unbelievable that there is not more being done to restore. Sowing seeds of discord is on God’s list of abominations! I pray for your continued mental strength and healing. We stand with you in your fight for what is right! ““A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.” Matthew 12:33 NLT.
My mom started attending with a friend. She has not spoken to to me her second daughter in 6-8 months. She has me blocked. I asked her a year or so if I could go to church with her? No, this is my own thing!!!!!!
Because of YOU, Kate Sumrall!
YOU took control of my daughter when she was just 14 years old. Behind my back, she was being groomed and manipulated while I unknowingly attended your "church services" each Sunday. I blindly trusted you, your husband and your Itown Church staff with my only child. It was the worst mistake of my life. 14 years later you still have control of her 100% and the nightmare continues. Yet you, Kate Sumrall get up on that stage and wipe away tears as you talk about how badly you feel for the biological parents that are separated from their children that are in your foster care program. YOU actually separated me from my own daughter, Kate Sumrall!
YOU are such a hypocrite!
A healthy church whose leaders loved Jesus and people would have done everything possible to bring mother and daughter back together ! God created families !
Sandy Ott Rusk you got plenty of people behind you including me. What Itown Church did to you is wrong in every way. Me and others have your back and will keep on spreading the truth about this wicked church and demand justice!
As a true Christian and follower of Christ, your story touches my heart everytime I hear it. To stand on a stage and proclaim to spread the good news of Jesus including unforgiveness and love, it is so hypocritical to be complicit in the destruction of your family! Continue to cry loud and spare not. For anyone wondering why she keeps telling her story, it’s because it hasn’t stopped. EVERYDAY these leaders still play a role in keeping her away from her daughter. EVERYDAY these leaders get on a stage and proclaim to be good. &EVERYDAY Sandy will continue to remind them that God hears the voice of the weak. Power may work to silence temporarily but GOD is near the brokenhearted! Stay strong!
I just can’t get over your story. They don’t care enough to address your concerns.
Can you sue them for defamation of character? Obviously you've probably been the topic of all sorts of gossip at itown over all these years. They have ruined your reputation and that means a lot for you being a realtor.
Sandy was my stepmother for alot of years. Always there for me!! Never abusive. Always kind to a young girl who wasn't close with my own mother. I had aloth if fun growing up with Sandy. She will always be someone I look up to!
Anonymous member 731
100% My thoughts Exactly. Kate and Dave are utterly sickening. Their words, actions and perceptions are not the Truth in any Reality.
Im so proud of you Sandy! Keep shining your light! I love you.
Prayers
How do they live with themselves, they have no soul!
Is the foster program Kate references an affiliation through the state? DCS or FSSA? Are the children required to attend ITown?
I'm sorry glad our community came together to fight against this nightmare project and pushed the build site out of our area. The minute I met Dave, I knew in my gut he was not someone who cared about anything or anyone but himself. We saved our community and a golf course by banding together and fighting against him and itown.
Why are they open, cult should be shut down
Evil (shockingly) loves to hide in the church. It’s the last place most of us would expect and a place where the evil doer knows you would least likely look….
Sharing a bit of my story in hopes that it helps someone else feel a little less alone. After coming across this group full of people who have been hurt by itown I finally felt validated in my reasoning for leaving even if it’s different from what others have shared.
I started to attend Itown with my family when I was in middle school. We were invited by family friends during one of itowns recruiting seasons. My family started attending pretty regularly as we were hooked by the bright lights, loud music, and seemingly encouraging messages. As I got into junior high I started attending more and more. I went to every youth event they offered and was highly encouraged to bring friends with me every time and was rewarded when I did.
Pretty early on when Itown met at the old Fishers location my youth leader at the time had told our small group a pretty disturbing story of something she had gone through at our age (it was not an appropriate thing to share with young teens) and I remember sitting there thinking how odd of an adult to be sharing this. Looking back it was a huge red flag for what would come later. When itown moved into the Olsen farms campus I started serving in the preschool area. Around that same time I had come out as gay to one of my youth leaders. I remember so clearly that youth leader telling me that this same sex attraction could be easily solved if only I prayed harder. I was 14 at the time. Coincidentally after telling her that I was then moved around a lot from where I could serve in kids ministry.
That same leader had texted me that this sin was no different than that of an alcoholic or a drug addict and that the devil lived inside of me. Who on earth tells a 14 year old child that the devil is inside them? In this day and age with teens having such severe mental health issues what would make you think that’s ok? And what kind of horrible training is itown giving these youth staff?? She then referred me to a friend of hers who also worked at itown who had recovered from a drug addiction and said that we had a lot in common but that I just didn’t realize it yet.
These leaders worked to manipulate me at 14 into thinking that the devil was physically inside of me and so I kept going back. They would tell me that I was so brave to be seeking out the truth when in reality I was looking for validation that it was ok to just be me. I spent hours and hours praying and searching for answers as to why all of this would be happening. They would tell us that the anxiety or depression that we were experiencing as teens was because we weren’t seeking god enough. Kids who were severely struggling and needed professional help were told by leaders to dig in and figure out what was wrong with them and why they’d be challenged by god to experience this. Absolutely inappropriate to tell a young teen.
I could go on and on about the hurt I experienced at itown but my message has been clear. itown church is not fit for kids and teens.
Long story short- I walked away from itown in 2021 traumatized by my time there. I’m very thankful that there are other people out there that had issues with itown even if there experiences aren’t the exact same as mine.
It’s amazing how far the deception with iTown will go to try to make a buck so they can pay for their shoes and their house.
ITown Church made an attempt to debit my account and the debit was rejected because I had disconnected everything from their ACH and flagged their name at the bank so no account would go through. After this, ITown changed their company ID to a different number to disguise their transaction, and then ran the withdrawal again, which went through that time.
My prayers are with everyone who has experienced hurt and, potentially, monetary harm by Itown. I moved from San Diego in 2017 to Fishers as a college graduate and was directed to try out Itown due to the fact that I was new to the area and did not know anyone my age. After going to a couple of different churches, I settled with Itown because I thought I would find a community there to hang out with but also experience reading the bible together. At first, I was attracted to the warm energy and people my age. I thought I would be able to find community there.
After several months, I informed one of the leaders at Itown that I would love to start volunteering and was instructed that the grow plan was the way to start volunteering, as it would find my spiritual gifts. I felt that this was odd because I grew up in the church and never have I ever once had to go to meetings and fill out a questionnaire to find my “strengths” to volunteer. After taking this questionnaire that was very similar to a myers briggs persoanlity test, I was able to volunteer. One thing I noticed immediately was how the questionnaire was scored, as there were some questions that were skewed towards a couple of volunteer positions but easily could be applied to other things. I get data entry, but a lot of the questions that I was scored on could have went into administration. My intuition had me thinking that they wanted people in a lot of the front facing stuff like ushers and the go team parking team and very small amount of the questions were geared towards other volunteer work. So, I thought that was hilarious. Anyways, while the volunteer jobs were standard church stuff, I initially asked the head of the grow plan that I have a finance degree from a Private Christian college (PLNU) and we were encouraged to use our talents or the skills we learned to help our surrounding community in any way we could. My fellow business classmates would actively help non-profits or local churches in this capacity. It was very normal and accepted. So, asking the grow plan leader, she directed me to the finance and accounting pastor to ask. So, I introduced myself and explained my degree and what my business school encouraged us to do for our community as way to provide help. I explained how we offered something complex as actual accounting/budgeting/inventory work to something simple like building excel spreadsheets as volunteer work. I could give the church 10-15 volunteer hours of my time. The response I was given was the bluntest “no” I have gotten from anyone at Church. While I took the response in stride, as you don’t know what is going on someone’s life, I felt it was very odd that a church that was growing by the weekend wouldn’t need help in that area. I ended up doing data entry before I realized I hadn’t talked to or seen anyone from the team in over a 2 month span. Thats when I left volunteering at Itown and nobody followed up with me as to why. Still went to Itown for another several months.
I was encouraged to apply to the ITLA but I was perplexed by the hours committed to it. Almost like people who did ITLA were either unemployed or in their teenage years so their time commitments were freed up. Also the requirements were strange. Like working out 5 times a week, for example. I think the response I got on that was we have to treat our body like I temple, which is quoted from 1 Corinthians 6:19–20. I responded with to the effect of that verse is totally taken out of context, as Paul was talking about sexual immorality. Has nothing to do with working out or if we are shopping at a free-range, organic, locally sourced food market. That response went as well as you expect it to and I didn’t end of applying to ITLA.
The final straw for me was seeing a young girl, who worked for the media team there, distraught at an Itown small group. When I went up to her to ask what is going on, she explained to me that she is trying to find a second job and she can’t afford rent but she can’t get a second job because of the media work she is doing at Itown. I asked her if she talked to the church about raising her hourly wages. She responded with, “Im doing unpaid internship work for Itown.” I was shocked by that as I thought she was getting paid. I subsequently asked her to just reduce her hours and she replied that she was being pressured by her reporting pastor to keep her hours, even though she can’t even afford rent. I asked her how many hours did she work that week, to which she replied “between 40-60 hours”. I was appalled. I told her that those are violations under federal labor laws and that Itown, from my understanding, has to be offering you a full-time position at the end of your internship or the level of your internship is meeting a level of accreditation that applies for the workforce if the hours you are working exceed 20 hours. If not, she should be getting paid for her work. Somebody working for or interning with Itown overheard me saying that to her. From then on out, I was getting invited to less and less community things to the point where I was going to the normal small group but being left out of the weeknights and weekend plans. I eventually left as it was no longer good for my mental health to be in that environment. I don’t know if that girl left either. I hoped she left Itown and is still going to a more loving Church.
Hi! I'm new to this group. I recently joined because itown are asshats ……
Date: November 3, 2025
To: – ITOWN Prep Accounting
Dear Ms. Bender,
This letter serves as a formal rebuttal and notice of dispute regarding your October 31, 2025 email....
As stated in my October 29 correspondence, our family formally withdrew ________ from ITOWN Prep after it became evident that the program could not provide the specialized learning-difference supports she requires. That withdrawal closed our participation in every respect. We were genuinely hopeful that this matter would not have reached this point. Our initial withdrawal notice was made respectfully and in good faith, with the hope that ITOWN
Prep would respond with understanding and transparency. Unfortunately, the boilerplate reply your office issued — which appears consistent with responses received by other
families in similar situations — leaves no alternative but to seek formal review through the Indiana Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. This letter therefore serves as formal notice that I have submitted a Consumer Complaint requesting a pattern-and-practice investigation into ITOWN Prep’s enrollment representations, billing practices, and record-retention procedures.
Your response acknowledges the withdrawal yet demands payment of a full-year tuition balance totaling $4,050.20. Because ITOWN Prep has repeatedly represented itself publicly as a “homeschool partnership” rather than an accredited school — while simultaneously marketing individualized instruction and issuing report-card-style progress documents — your continued attempt to enforce full-year tuition may constitute a deceptive consumer practice under the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act (IC 24-5-0.5).
For the record, during the 2025–26 school year, ITOWN’s Director of Operations, Tressa Decker, confirmed in writing that she had received and reviewed _______ professional evaluations from Lindamood-Bell and the Dyslexic Institute of Indiana (Camp Delafield).
Mrs. Decker acknowledged her familiarity with those programs and directly asked what
1. supports we expected from ____educator. When we proposed the use of Snap Type Pro and related assistive-technology tools for dysgraphia — standard supports already used successfully at home — ITOWN explicitly rejected their use in the classroom, allowing them only at home. This constitutes clear, documented, administrative-level awareness of_______ diagnosed dyslexia and dysgraphia and a conscious refusal to implement reasonable supports within the program.
Accordingly:
1. All billing, collection, or payment requests related to _________ 2025–26 enrollment are hereby disputed.
2. You are to cease all tuition collection activity and refrain from
transmitting any account information to third-party collectors while this matter is under review by the Indiana Attorney General’s
Consumer Protection Division.
3. Any further communications regarding payment should be directed to me in writing only.
4. A copy of your October 31 message and supporting documents will be included in the official Consumer Complaint file.
Please preserve and be prepared to produce the complete, unaltered set of records and metadata related to ____________ enrollment, withdrawal, and billing, as well as any
records pertaining to other families who have raised similar concerns or received identical communications. This includes, but is not limited to:
• All drafts, revisions, and executed versions of tuition and technology agreements
(with metadata showing editor and timestamp information);
• Emails (with attachments, headers, and metadata) between ITOWN Prep staff, administration, and families concerning enrollment, billing, or withdrawal;
• Deleted or recoverable items from any mailboxes or servers;
•Meeting notes, call logs, and billing records referencing __________ or other
families; and
• Any cloud-based storage or archive locations (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google
Drive, or internal servers) containing these materials.
Do not attempt to alter or “clean” metadata. All digital properties, revision histories, and
audit trails must be preserved in their original form pending review by the Consumer
Protection Division. Failure to preserve may constitute spoliation under Indiana law.
Please confirm in writing within seven (7) days that a litigation hold and record-
preservation process has been implemented and that all relevant custodians and storage
systems — including those containing other affected families’ records — have been
identified.
This notice is made without prejudice to any rights or remedies available under the
Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act (IC 24-5-0.5) or other applicable law.
Anonymous member
Your tuition is basically for childcare. This is the least qualified place to support dyslexia.
Good. Burn it down
"I remember your daughter being on staff when I was very involved but I did not know her well. Over 4 years ago I stopped attending. The pastors/staff members no matter how close their friendship was with each other is not allowed to talk to them or people who have been banned to this day. That is very cultish.The red flags to me is how the church staff members are not allowed to be friends with people who left that is very demonic and these people don’t realize they are trapped."
This is standard operating procedure for ARC churches. The pastors pick their buddies to cover for them.
When they talk about their overseers, they always talk like this, asking personal questions to make it seem like they know them very well and are pure in their personal lives. It makes them look holy and so the congregants will trust them.
I heard that same phraseology at Highlands more times than I can count since day one.
Elected officials and CEO’s give their information out to the public and their constituents. That’s is very bizarre they can’t be contacted to ask questions
Keep fighting for your daughter, Sandy. At some point she’ll see the truth about the exploitation. If these people truly cared about family, they’d encourage her to at least talk with you about what’s bothering her and work things out. Tearing families apart is completely wrong.
After speaking to numerous ex-Itown employees/volunteers, I have been able to confirm a lot of new details about what happened to me and my daughter at Itown Church.....
* I was able to confirm that for years the Itown Church staff was told that my daughter needed to be protected from me. They were told that I was abusive and that I was exploiting my daughter for money. (none of which was true....I had never harmed my daughter nor even been accused of anything like that. I created and ran an organization for 15 years to create awareness, provide education and support for my daughter's medical condition alopecia. During that time it never made a profit. But I did help thousands of families dealing with this mysterious condition. It was devastating to have something that I created to help others be used against me with my own daughter. I had no idea that this was being said about me, as I unknowingly attended the "church" services every Sunday.
* I was told that an Itown Staff Member stood over my daughter at a computer at the Itown Church front desk and instructed/helped her fill out a Protective Order online against me, the afternoon of January 23, 2020...after my innocent visit there at noon that day. She was lied to and told that I came in, demanded information about her and refused to leave. None of which was true.
* 6 people from Itown Church (including 2 pastors) came into the court hearing against me on February 28, 2020...and not one of them were able to testify that I had done anything wrong that day at Itown Church. However, the judge (who admitted that he had attended Itown Church) issued a 2 year Protective Order against me....I have now learned that the Itown Church staff was told that the Protective Order was only for 6 months, down playing the severity of what was done to me.
* I recently confirmed (by an ex-Itown volunteer) that Dave Sumrall said in an Itown Staff meeting, years ago that they could use my daughter "to draw the young people in our area into Itown Church" Because of our organization, my daughter had been featured in the media numerous times and was considered a public figure. Itown, was new at that time so he wanted to tap into her growing public image to build up his "church". I was not the one who wanted to exploit my daughter for person gain, Dave Sumrall was....and did!
As the pieces continue to come together, it becomes glaringly apparent that Itown Church DID groom and manipulate my daughter for years for their own gain. It began when she was only 14 years old, behind my back for years...Today she is 28 years old and has now been under their control for 14 YEARS! .....and I have not been allowed to see or speak to my daughter in over 5 YEARS!
I adore my daughter and miss her every single day. I put my heart and soul into raising her and giving her the best life possible. I know that I was a good mom to her and she appreciated everything until she became under the control of Itown Church.
I DO NOT BLAME MY DAUGHTER IN ANY OF THIS!
She was (and continues to be) a teenage/adult victim of Itown Church.
If you are new to this group, you can hear my complete story here:
https://youtu.be/GIa97hNCod4?si=giaZJShCTkRQj8BS
@everyone
This is what Itown Church should be teaching young people instead of separating them from their parents:
Anonymous member 988Noooo it is not good / I would rather leave my kid at Applebees unattended
Anonymous member 992
No dont put your kids there
I served at itown and went there for several years. I worked at the daycare for a year and a half or so. When my dad died i had ZERO people reach out to me to see how I was doing. Even had the director tell me if i wanted to keep my son there for the rest of the month (i had to quit) then i needed to pay the rest of that months tuition full price. Someone even offered to pay it for me and she didn’t let them. Keep in mind my siblings and I had to pay for the funeral out of pocket and i had to take my 7 month old at the time to the funeral home because not a single person offered me help. They don’t care about you if you’re not a member there. They fired teachers who weren’t attending itown because they “didn’t fit the vision”
Run don't walk, grab your child and run away
I would not go anywhere near that cult
Anonymous member 953The older kids are expected to help in every corner possible. They don’t get paid and are told to deal with the issues and not bother the parents during service times. The stuff the teachers kids is CRAZY!! They told my child if he doesn’t tell his friends about God and they don’t go to church, they will all burn after death. Every day..all day. It will hurt so bad. Also, God will judge them for not spreading his word and that will be a determining factor if they get in or not.
The so called security are creepy and perverted. They look at women like a three course meal. The women who work there treat you like 2nd class citizens. I would never walk my family through those doors again.
If you are asking about Itown's Day Care....there have been numerous people who have posted about their negative experiences there. I have also had a lot of conversations with parents and ex-employees....so do not ignore the Red Flags! There are multiple issues at Itown Church, including their Day Care. After my horrible experience, my advice is do not trust ANYONE with your child or teen, even if they appear to be a trusted pastor, especially at Itown Church!
* there are multiple posts and videos in this group explaining what happened to me. If you have any questions, reach out to me directly.
Sharing a bit of my story in hopes that it helps someone else feel a little less alone. After coming across this group full of people who have been hurt by itown I finally felt validated in my reasoning for leaving even if it’s different from what others have shared.
I started to attend Itown with my family when I was in middle school. We were invited by family friends during one of itowns recruiting seasons. My family started attending pretty regularly as we were hooked by the bright lights, loud music, and seemingly encouraging messages. As I got into junior high I started attending more and more. I went to every youth event they offered and was highly encouraged to bring friends with me every time and was rewarded when I did.
Pretty early on when Itown met at the old Fishers location my youth leader at the time had told our small group a pretty disturbing story of something she had gone through at our age (it was not an appropriate thing to share with young teens) and I remember sitting there thinking how odd of an adult to be sharing this. Looking back it was a huge red flag for what would come later. When itown moved into the Olsen farms campus I started serving in the preschool area. Around that same time I had come out as gay to one of my youth leaders. I remember so clearly that youth leader telling me that this same sex attraction could be easily solved if only I prayed harder. I was 14 at the time. Coincidentally after telling her that I was then moved around a lot from where I could serve in kids ministry.
That same leader had texted me that this sin was no different than that of an alcoholic or a drug addict and that the devil lived inside of me. Who on earth tells a 14 year old child that the devil is inside them? In this day and age with teens having such severe mental health issues what would make you think that’s ok? And what kind of horrible training is itown giving these youth staff?? She then referred me to a friend of hers who also worked at itown who had recovered from a drug addiction and said that we had a lot in common but that I just didn’t realize it yet.
These leaders worked to manipulate me at 14 into thinking that the devil was physically inside of me and so I kept going back. They would tell me that I was so brave to be seeking out the truth when in reality I was looking for validation that it was ok to just be me. I spent hours and hours praying and searching for answers as to why all of this would be happening. They would tell us that the anxiety or depression that we were experiencing as teens was because we weren’t seeking god enough. Kids who were severely struggling and needed professional help were told by leaders to dig in and figure out what was wrong with them and why they’d be challenged by god to experience this. Absolutely inappropriate to tell a young teen.
I could go on and on about the hurt I experienced at itown but my message has been clear. itown church is not fit for kids and teens.
Long story short- I walked away from itown in 2021 traumatized by my time there. I’m very thankful that there are other people out there that had issues with itown even if there experiences aren’t the exact same as mine.
Everything Sandy Ott Rusk said is absolutely true!
My two young adult daughters and I attended together for several years. My oldest enrolled in what was the first ITLA program and paid a lot of money to participate. She was working and covering the cost herself, hoping it would eventually lead to being hired.
When she couldn’t make all the payments, her dad and I stepped in to help because if the payments stopped, she would’ve been kicked out of the program.
ITOWN became her life. At first, I thought that was a good thing for her. But once she was hired on staff, things began to shift. I started to very slowly see and hear things that began to open my eyes to what was really going on.
I was deeply involved myself—attending, volunteering, and leading small groups. One pastor even contacted me after meeting with a woman going through a divorce and asked if I would meet with her, invite her into my group, and help support her.
But over time, especially after I started dating my now-husband, I began to feel like something was missing. The messages started to feel repetitive and shallow. We both sensed we needed more. So we left.
Even after that, I’d still pop in occasionally just to see my daughter, who was still on staff. I kept trying to help her see the reality of ITOWN. At one point, she became very distant when I would do that. I started to get really concerned about her.
She was exhausted, no personal life, no family time, no space to breathe, all in her twenties. I just kept praying she would quit and get her life back. She eventually reached the end of her rope.
She wasn’t paid enough to live on. She was expected to work at all hours, days, nights, and weekends. Family time was almost nonexistent. Christmas was especially painful.
Praise God, she finally left. But it took a massive emotional, physical, and spiritual toll. What she went through left deep scars.
From the outside, it looks great. But once you see behind the scenes, it’s a completely different story. The emotional, financial, spiritual, and verbal abuse is absolutely heartbreaking—and utterly disgusting.
The last time I attended a Christmas service there was just to be able to attend a Christmas Service with my daughter. But I couldn’t even sit through the message. I couldn’t listen to Dave stand up there and lie, not after all I knew about how he and his wife treated their staff.
It’s not only deceptive and disgusting…. it’s devastating.
It breaks my heart to see how many families continue to be damaged by what’s happening in the name of Jesus. I’m beyond thankful my daughter is out, but I still grieve the lasting wounds.
And, I truly believe Dave and Kate will one day be held accountable for what they’ve done.
I pray for each & every family affected by all this.
"This is a letter I sent out many years ago to our friends that remained at itown after we left:
To those I love, my friends that were like family at itown,
We have a grave concern that Pastor Dave is teaching a false Jesus and false gospel. We recently listened to the Values sermon and also heard parts of the first Wednesday sermon preached. Paul warns the early church of false messiahs stating in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 ESV, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” Scripture warns us of false gospels saying in Galatians 1:8 ESV, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” In Pastor Dave’s sermons, he rips multiple verses out of context to get it to say what he wants it to say.
Pastor Dave claimed in his Values sermon that Jesus was emptied of his Deity (stopped being God) when he was born and didn’t get his Deity back until He was water baptized and the Holy Spirit descended on Him. He goes as far as to say he was just like a normal kid. However, scripture rejects this idea. Regarding the Philipians 2:6-7 passage that talks about Jesus emptying himself, Pastor Tony Evans wrote, “He didn’t empty out God and pour in man. Rather, He emptied all of God into man. In other words, He didn’t stop being God.” The very meaning of Immanuel spoke of in the prophecies is “God with us.” When John the Baptist and Jesus were both in their mother’s womb, John lept because he knew he was in God’s presence. Also John the Baptist stated, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ESV)
Pastor Dave stated, “Even though we are not God, we can actually do the same things as Jesus.” His point was to say that we can do the same or greater miracles than what Christ did in His earthly ministry. He used John 14:12 (NASB) to make his point, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” But this does not mean we will heal people like Jesus did. Jesus raised people from the dead, but when is the last time this has happened in our lifetime? Jesus was speaking not of physical healings we would perform, but of preaching the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation (see Romans 1:16). The quantity of people coming to salvation is the greater works not the types of miracles. And ultimately our earthly bodies will fade and eternity is what matters so much more.
Pastor Dave in both his first Wednesday sermon and in the Values sermon claimed that healing is in the atonement. He shared that he looked up to T. L. Osborn and preached similarly in his early ministry years. He boasted that he preached the gospel but then before the altar call told the congregation “If you are sick in your body I want you to stand. If God doesn’t heal your body then why would you expect Him to have the power to heal your soul?” and then prayed over a crippled boy that was healed. This is a distortion of the gospel that leads to false converts. People were not coming to Christ for forgiveness of their sins but to get healing in their bodies. Who wouldn’t want that? It’s appealing to the flesh. John MacArthur said it well when he said, “If every Christian was well and health was a part of the atonement, then people would all be running to get saved for the wrong reason and God’s whole picture of salvation would get all muddied up. God wants people to come to Him because of sin and because of His glory, not so they can be healthy physically.” The healing talked about in Isaiah 53:5 passage is talking about healing from our sins, not bodily healing. That comes when we receive our new bodies in heaven. Think about this, if what Pastor Dave said were true, if your not physically healthy, does that mean Jesus didn’t save you? Are all sick people unsaved?
Lastly, when he preached the parable of the seed growing and quoted Mark 4:26-28, he talks about how the soil is the environment. And by creating an environment of excellence you can convert more people. He goes as far as to say having nice new furniture makes a difference in converting people to Christ. This passage was so out of context and he inserted meaning into the text that wasn’t there through a creative narrative that wasn’t based in scripture. Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 HCSB, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” No where does it say in scripture the environment of the building will lead people to Christ. If that were the case there would be not converts in 3rd world countries that don’t have those things. I have heard Pastor Dave say referring to the Nord Keyboard, “Where the Nord is the Lord is” which is something he was probably taught early in his life from people like Benny Hinn who spoke many times later on at his Grandfather’s (Lester Sumrall) church. I do agree with pastor Dave that we should be glad to go to church. He quoted Psalms 122:1 NASB, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”” However, the reason we should be glad is not because of the beautiful environment but to give thanks and celebrate how Jesus has rescued us and to gather with other believers that we can encourage others and be encouraged. When Ray was on staff, he was disciplined because he didn’t change a lightbulb in the auditorium that went out between services, when they knew he was ministering to a new believer that needed encouragement. He was told the light bulb was more important, not the person. This is absolutely tragic. Don’t you think Jesus would have cared more about that member of His own body more than the lightbulb?
The hallmark mark of every theological cult is to attack the Deity of Christ and twist the Gospel. The Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses’, Christian Scientist and many other cults all detract from Jesus’ Deity in some way. In everything that Pastor Dave has said in that sermon, I would say he has stepped outside of Orthodox Christianity and is preaching a false Jesus, one that cannot save.
I devoted 5 years of my life to Itown church. I do not say all this out of malice but out of concern. Believers are called to contend for the faith (Jude 3). I urge you to test all things to Scripture and see if what he is saying is true. Holdfast to the Word of God".
ITOWN CHURCH CAN NOT REWRITE HISTORY
What was done to me at Itown Church is real. I have witnesses, documentation of the facts and lots of support. I will continue to speak the truth about Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and Itown Church.... because I do not want this to happen to any other parent (or family member).
Here is my full interview with Laura Wellington of Doormat Mom, No More! on her Podcast. Thank you for your support, Laura!
If you attend Itown Church, think it is wonderful and do not think it could happen to you....think again. That is what I thought until January 23, 2020 when I innocently walked into Itown Church to say hello to my daughter who is on staff there. Though, I did nothing wrong and was only there for 10 minutes, I had my entire life turned upside down, with long standing consequences. If you are not familiar with my story you can hear it on this full episode. My message is "Never trust ANYONE with your child/teen even if they appear to be a trusted pastor....especially at Itown Church"
Praise Jesus. God will always show the evil in any and all Churches.
Itown Church has never taken responsibility for any of the harm that they have caused....not to me or any others who have walked away with long standing church hurt. But I have certainly heard Dave Sumrall say, from the stage that he and the church are being attacked. No, he is not being attacked, many are passionately responding to the hurt that they experienced at ITown "Church". If Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and Itown "Church" really cared about people, they would begin a movement to help EVERYONE that they (and their staff) have harmed.
They Are Doing Healings Now, at Itown Church?
Dave Sumrall said some interesting things in he's sermon yesterday. He read 5 testimonies from people who seemed to have praised Itown Church. 2 of the 5 claimed they were "healed" by Itown...One stated that Dave Sumrall prayed over her and magically touched her ear and healed her hearing in that ear. Oh my....They are claiming to do healings now....?
Then Dave Sumrall went on to request other people email their "stories" into them. Sounds to me like they are soliciting the congregation to provide "good stories" to off set the negative stories that are coming out about Itown Church.
This is what they posted. I think this email address might need to hear some of our stories, what do you think?
I have pondered for awhile about this story…as I have several about Itown but those involve others and prob not my story to tell. However, this one truly haunts me. When my family & I still went there, I had my 85 year old mother with us. She tripped, face planting in the sidewalk. She tripped over a portion of grass that didn’t meet the sidewalk. Her left eye immediately turned black n blue, and swelled shut. Her hands were bleeding purfusely. We have to have ambulance take her to hospital for treatment. Not ONE person from Itown called to check up on my mother. Yes, they knew her name, we gave it to the building manager. They also knee mine as well as my son’s. They knew an 85 year old woman had been injured on their property and couldn’t take the time to check on her injuries. Amongst the other mishaps with Itown, this incident really left a bad taste in my mouth.
This is disgusting to claim they can heal others. It’s shoukd be illegal
Yet where are these so called people
Healed by ITown? Not by God?
What a joke! People who go to this church do so to hang out with friends. Friends and entertainment 1st....God after.
Hey Dave the 80’s Price is Right called they want their set and wardrobe back.Sounds whacked
Dave Sumrall, you're such a fake!!! false preacher leading others to hell instead of heaven Sad, deeper and deeper of the fake branding
The Truth
About Itown Church is on
TikTok.
It has over 1.7 million total video views. (most since July 13, 2025)
If you are on TikTok followers us over there, too.
I think WASTE OF TIME.
They don’t care they have not they are not they will not take accountability
…
Keep doing YOUR THING.
YOU are getting to him Sandy. Every week his sermon contradicts YOUR truth! If it weren’t for you doing this he’d have nothing else to false preach about!
Ppl can talk here its a safe place.
Too bad they didn’t care for my mother when she face planted on sidewalk busting her face and hands and had to be transported to hospital.
Many wolves in sheep's clothing! Especially in the church from the ladies and men's gossip group to wives of elders, deacons, board and ministers! And the ministers who are power hungry, narcissistic, glory seekers, we know who they are. God knows, beware!
Where do I even begin? Served every weekend in a volunteer role. Several pastors pursued my husband for months to be on staff. While he did not feel called to be in ministry, he was told that he was clearly not listening to the Lord. One evening, he was volunteering in the room next to where ITLA was being held. He overheard Pastor Dave speaking on what it took to be on HIS platform. He said it would be a privilege to even be considered to speak on his stage. And given the opportunity, there were strict guidelines to follow. He said, "I don't care if the Holy Spirit takes over you. If you ever go one second over the time limit you will never speak again." *that was our first big red flag*
Then we transition into the Annex at Fishers HS. One afternoon while we were tearing down the stage, Pastor Dave hollered at a well known staff member that she let him down because he was completely out of his pre-workout powder. He asked her to leave the building, drive to GNC to retrieve, deliver to his house, and then return to tend to his children. (At the time, Dave and Kate were interviewing several nannies in-between and after services). She then proceeded to ask him which credit card she should use... his personal or business card. You can take a guess at which one he said. This is the day we decided to stop tithing.
The final straw was a day my husband and I weren't serving and just attending service. Dave was giving his talk about giving of your time and offering. His exact words were, "If you're not willing to give of yourself and your finances, you can give up your seat to someone who will. We don't NEED you. We can fill your seat in 2 seconds." That was the last time we ever attended itown church.
Below is a statement as short and sweet as I can get it for now. I also may have things I remember later while looking through all my photos and stuff from that time. My memory was affected by the trauma caused to me by itown Church. I did not get the opportunity to go to actual college, so I apologize if my grammar is hard to read. I'll provide my contact info at the end of this email so you can reach out to me once you've read through the information provided.
I interned with the staff of iTown Church for over 2 years and attended itown Church for approximately 5 years. Late in my high school career a friend of mine invited me to visit iTown Church, I jokingly said yes. I went and the atmosphere that was curated and man-made "perfection" drew me in by design. Some years later after being this “born again christian", I decided to attend the first ever "class" of full-time ITLA with the mutual understanding of being trained well, growing our relationship with god and then iTown Church would assist you in transitioning into the world to do full-time ministry work wherever you are feeling led. Nothing could ever surpass getting to serve god all day everyday, except making it a living. The start of this 2 year program was pure bliss to me: serving the lord all day and being around people I loved and could learn from. I was even forcing a smile after having to do cross-fit until I would throw up and then graded on said workout because at iTown Church the more physically fit you are, the closer you are to God. Around the mark of the second year is when I became aware and things started to click. I was in the office with iTown Church's staff almost always, and I was in meetings hearing about how they curate that "holy spirit feeling" for people during services, I was making spreadsheets, scrubbing toilets - you name it. I was starting an internship under Jake Baird, after finishing one interning for Heather Chaulk. Along with my internship for Jake, I would mostly fall under his assistant at the time Callie Carroll (Cahall). I didn’t understand the hell I had gotten myself into. I was paying $10,000 dollars to a church to have what little self-esteem I had mustered up over the past year slowly destroyed. Nothing was ever good enough: my ideas, my work, my dedication, my money, the countless hours. etc. They always want more and more. This all ended with a grand finale that consisted of a meeting (that no one even asked for) with Jake and Callie. In this meeting I was told to stop interning now, itown Church does not and will not want to hire me. I bawled my eyes out over how much that made me feel not good enough, but that’s fine, I never thought that was a guarantee, that was made clear from the start of the program. I was however prepared to take the resources that I paid for and was offered by iTown Church and begin a full time ministry career elsewhere. Little did I know, there were no plans of this ever happening. During my internship I became close with James and Sarah Kruse, who were about to launch their own church in Boston, MA. I used what little of my own money I had left after giving itown Church my $10,000 tuition for ITLA and went to their church launch in Boston, MA. I fell in love with the city, the people, and the vision and values the Kruse’s held. This was it. This is where I needed to be. I did all the extensive research of what it would take to uproot my whole life and take it across the country, and compiled this information for Jake, so that he could ask in what ways the church could assist me in this uprooting (not just financially, but with other resources). The answer was nothing. No help of any kind, no resources, no guidance, and no financial investment into making this happen, despite my large financial investment into the church. My work, my life, and my whole self came crashing down. Not all at once, but slowly and painfully. I was so distraught, how could I let this happen? I'm only 19 and I invested all my money into this 2 year program, and I got literally nothing in return except starting my adult life off now living in poverty. I am still living in poverty to this day. Ripped from me all at once was everything I planned my 20’s to be. I am well aware these things take time and hard work, but with the $10,000 and essentially more than full time un-paid work I had put into advancing “gods kingdom” (iTown Church) surely was enough to at least push me in the direction of even a possible ministry position. I have been a shell of who I was since this. My heart is still broken. My time, myself, and all my money I could have used to start my life were stolen. It's partially my fault for trusting any business like that. The lack of money and the psychological damage kept me from going to a real college. I'm still poor, I don't have a home to call my own and I don't get to eat but once a day most days because I can't afford it. Dave Sumrall lives in a castle. This is the deepest pain I have ever known, to the point I have almost taken my own life several times, hospitalized twice (once for 3 days and once for 7 days). I will not get into the gory details of my downward spiral, but to this day I still suffer the consequences of trusting iTown Church. I believe my life would have gone significantly different had I never knew it existed.
I am so sorry that happened to you! I went through ITLA too. It is a scam! We paid THEM to work/serve. 
You can lead a man to a Bible but you can’t make him live by the word of God.
The people that “just go there” don’t see all that really goes on. Thats what the illusion is for. The noise is loud. The lights are blinding. The decor is stunning . Childcare is provided. The manipulation is endless!
I hope everyone hurt by itown is able to find peace at church again! My heart aches for the people that no longer feel comfortable and have lost trust in churches! It hurts to know that itown has hindered peoples relationships with god! It’s the people not god!
Itown taught me firsthand that churches either have an altar or a stage.
And the choice, is intentional.
(Hint: it’s a real strong indication of WHO really wants the worship
I am saddened by the number of people who have shared that they applied for financial help through the Benevolence Fund at Itown "Church". Everyone that has shared their story here in the group or with me personally was turned down. I have been told that they make an appointment with the applicant, go over their financial information and in the end tell them that they do not qualify because they did not tithe enough. Some of these people had been volunteering at Itown numerous hours per week. These people have put their heart and soul into building Itown and then refused help when they need it. Isn't that what the fund is for? Anyone who has attended, do you know of anyone who actually received help through the Benevolence Fund at Itown?...
Okay, let me get this straight....Dave Sumrall thinks that people in our community that were hurt at Itown Church (and speak out about it) are the problem. In effect, he is saying that those people are keeping others from Jesus. He wants you to think that Itown Church is the only place where you can get that connection. He is missing the entire point. He and Itown Church are not taking responsibility for their own actions....Again, there is no accountability there and they will literally tell you that if you don't like it there, "there are a lot of other good churches in the area" and they encourage (or force) you to leave. I have had numerous people tell me that is what happened to them there. Maybe, Itown should address what the real problem is....how they treat people and how lots of people have walked away with church hurt that has lifelong consequences....including me.
Wow! Crazy as his dad
No they are the problem
Honestly, I can't comprehend why he chooses to show flashy cars and expensive clothing while teaching. The audience he draws in appears to be nothing more than money-hungry individuals. A friend of mine who worked with Dave has made it clear that his primary focus is on making money. Both of them were part of the big I-town crowd, and it's evident where Dave's priorities lie.
Why would anyone at this church be accountable for anything when they’ve done nothing wrong? That is their mindset. From the heart the mouth speaks. I think even Dave knows what he accuses others of saying about his church, is true.
Rising contributor
“ if you’re constantly surrounded by people that say ..man you go to that crazy church and you know they’re a bunch of liars and it’s a cult and God isn’t for today and everybody’s just after you for your money… all those things are made up and they planted those people and it’s all hype and it’s just emotionalism, the more you have that in your ear the less you will be able to believe. It’s important for us to make sure that we don’t have critical people in the crowd around us that are keeping us from Jesus”
CORRRRRECTION DAVE!!
It is important that YOU don’t have those critical people in YOUR crowd, keeping you from the brainwash
Please tell us WHEN is God never FOR today?
Who said that? NOBODY!
“They made it up…?”
YOU MADE IT UP.
“ they planted those people”
DAVE!! ARC is a church PLANTING network
And while we’re on it…
Tell us… WHY does Itown have an
IN DOC division PRISON MINISTRY yet they’ll call the police on you on their campus and have you arrested for asking questions.
While the left hand is busy at the prison the right hand is about to slap on the handcuffs.
WHY IS THAT DAVE??
Are they making that up too?
I’m so glad that my daughter finally walked away when Dave started preaching his homophonic rhetoric. I attended at FHS at Christmas one year and the sermon was so odd. It was obvious that the whole show revolved around the pastor’s need to feel like a celebrity. He had to make some little jokes about basketball (so the guys would pay attention), something funny about his kids, which I’m sure they’d be embarrassed to have heard (to make parents and grandparents buy in), and then he had some silly video of his staff and kids telling the story of Joseph and Mary’s trip and Jesus birth (to lower the expectations of a thought provoking sermon). All of that was clearly just “entertainment.” I preferred thought provoking sermons so I was disappointed. But then in the sermon he said that Jesus was a millionaire…. And I gasped out loud. Not another soul seemed surprised.
That’s when I was pretty sure this place was a cult.
My family and I would go to Saturday evening service when they had them a few years ago. This one afternoon, after the first Saturday evening service, my grandma was walking to the car over by the youth barn and the ground was not even with the sidewalk. There were no signs. She didn't notice, tripped over the edge of the sidewalk and went face first into the sidewalk. She is also on blood thinners so there was a lot of blood on the sidewalk. I ran into the church to find someone on the first responder team and while I was doing this, my mom called to get an ambulance to take her to the hospital. There was a fire truck and ambulance out in the parking lot helping my grandma. A church staff member comes out and stands with us. He takes our information and says the church will be reaching out to check on my grandma and to see if she needs any help. She didn't receive one call asking how she was doing or if she needed anything. The staff member probably only took our information to help protect themselves. We could have went after the church because of the negligence on their part, but we didn't want to do that because at that time, Itown was our church. Its still upsetting to this day to know they don't care about those who are in their congregation.
Just thought I’d send you a quick message after watching your part 11 on tik tok. I certainly do not share a similar experience with you but have had some feelings about itown church for some time. We visited a couple times. I think probably early 2020 leading into an election year and just before COVID really hit. There were some things said during the service by various worship/prayer leaders that I felt were politically charged and definitely sent a message about who church leaders felt this congregation should be supporting politically. Regardless of one’s political beliefs, I felt this was inappropriate for Sunday service. Then Covid happened. As you mentioned, there was some controversy about how itown handled things in that setting. As I recall it, they were late to the game in shutting things down, continued with the small services, and when they opened back up…did not do anything of significance to encourage or enforce masking or social distancing. I am a nurse and at the time, I was working here in one of the Fishers hospitals. It really appeared to me (and my coworkers) that we were admitting a lot/disproportionate amount of itown members for Covid. Some of them were very sad and quite serious situations. Now you might wonder how a nurse would even know where someone they are admitting goes to church. As a population, this group was very vocal about where they went, that god was going to protect them, and that they weren’t going to be scared into masking, social distancing, etc. Now based on where we live, I get that these views may be somewhat common, so to some extent this may have just been something to be chalked up to living in a very red county in a very red state. But the message from these folks was so consistent that it seemed evident that to some extent, it was likely rhetoric they were hearing from leadership within that church. It got to the point where many of my coworkers (who do not necessarily live here in fishers and/or have any familiarity with itown) would come out of a room and say “well, I just admitted another one from the cult”. And everyone knew exactly what that meant. I also incidentally learned some details about the pastor purchasing his high dollar home which, if I remember correctly, happened during Covid. I remember thinking how appalling it was that he would make this very extravagant purchase (regardless of anyone’s beliefs beliefs/opinions on pastor salaries) at a time when many in his congregation were likely unable to work, losing their jobs, and uncertain about their financial futures. Extraordinarily insane to promote behavior that could jeopardize his congregation’s health, seemingly lack all awareness that people were scared and struggling with their financial situations/future, and then use money that had likely come largely from these very people to purchase a million dollar home. I had heard such great things about this church and was excited when they built right near my home. Now I am disgusted every time I see it. I am confident in saying they do not know, love, and serve the same Jesus that I do in that building.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. This is how I feel about there. All the lights, loud music, too many people trying to pull you in and a building for you to get lost in. It’s like a devils playground with a bunch of lions roaring at you… waiting for the weakest link to appear to eat you alive. I went there before and would never go back again.
I went there during covid Dave was saying something like the devil wants to seperate people and people have the most power when there are groups and we should all get together still and pray together and they aren't gonna be shut down...
Hi! I just wanted to introduce myself! Excuse the grammar and punctuation! 
Like many I have had my own experience with iTown. I actually went through their ITLA program (leadership development) and I was interning. While I was on a mission trip to the LA dream center. We had a free day. So we went to the beach there was a Zoltar from the 1988 movie, Big. (I had not seen one in person before) I got excited and I stuck a dollar in it. One day we were on a walk to get lunch. myself and someone else walked into a vape shop(not a THC shop) so she could ask to use their restroom. I bought a coil for my vape that had burnt out in my suitcase. I am a recovering addict. I have worked hard many for years to make a new life. I had quite smoking cigarettes because I wanted to grow more with them. After that they decided to send me home from the mission trip that all my friends and family paid for and took my internship away because of “witchcraft” and “smoking” because I was “keeping it a secret” when I had been talking to my pastor about and working with him and his wife on it. When I went in to meet with the pastor That was reviewing my internship. He straight up, accuse me of lying and no matter how I explained it to him. So I got shitty him and I started asking him about his sins. Asked him how many times he watched porn or yelled and his wife and how many alcoholic beverages he had a week. And of course those questions weren’t answered. I walked out never looked back. This just a little bit of my story.
I also learned in ITLA that Dave doesn’t write his own sermons. Pastor Adam writes most of them. They also just reuse them once someone has been there long enough you will be able to point them out. Some just change a few things but mostly the same.
Witchcraft?? What have THEY been smoking?!
This is the opposite of Christianity. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
Did anyone else leave Northeast when iTown took it over? They deliberately drove out 80 percent of the congregation.
There is a Redditt feed about Itown Church.....interesting....
See more at this link:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Indiana/comments/1m8c1tr/itown/
I have watched many times on TV so today I figured I would attend the Bluffton campus. After service I had a question for the so called leader and right in the middle of my question he walked away to talk to two women walking out. Literally stop them in their tracks to see if they have their welcome gift. Totally ignored that I was even standing there when he reached around me to get the bag for their welcome gift and their sign in information. This kind of action shows he does not have no reason to be in leadership. Like I said, today was the first time at that church. I will not be going back. I've had a relationship with the Lord for many years and I could not feel the holy Spirit to even move me to stay. I left immediately. Please if you attend this church lady's watch out
I live in Bluffton… I will never attend this “church” but I’m floored after hours and hours of reading and researching this “business” (it’s a business to profit not a church)… I keep seeing their $70,000 brand new black Chevy Silverados wrapped w the iTown logo driving all over town… how many people could be helped just w the cost of ONE brand new Chevy Silverado cruising thru Bluffton… the parking lot is PACKED each service every single Sunday with parking control officers waving and smiling at everyone driving by on HWY 1… I am ashamed that my fellow townspeople support and congregate to this cult like a flock of lost sheep… it’s just a sad sad shame
Don’t even get me started on the different pair of Jordans he wears each week
This is beyond disturbing, all of it. Churches are supposed to be a resource and help people. Unfortunately, this church, along with many others, don’t care about people, and the pastor continues to bask in wealth. I stopped going to my church several years ago after an entire sermon was shaming everyone to give more money to the church. I walked out in complete shock, disgust, and feeling disappointed.
Glad your not at that demonic place any longer! The holy spirit showed you just who they are. Follow that!
I switched churches a couple years ago because of an incident that happened to me when I worked there, which I’ll explain later. I now attend Heartland Church and saw Pastor Chris Brown and his family and Ashley Geheb now attend Heartland and they used to be very big there at ITOWN. Does anyone know what happened to them and why they don’t go to itown anymore?
Hi! I'm new to this group. I recently joined because my son and daughter-in-law joined ITown Church in May 2021 with my 10 yr old granddaughter. We was a very close family and by late Oct. 2021 they blocked everyon in our family and in hers. They say we are all toxic and that they were told by the church you forgive and love from afar. I have not seen them since then. They even changed there phone # no contact since late 2021. My granddaughter is now 14. Has completely destroyed our family. I go to church and I am in a recovery group healing through Christ it is a 12 step program and that is not what our recovery group books say you handle problems. In our group you ask for forgiveness through Christ and then forgive others, do Amends, the Reconciliation if possible. So sad that a church is ministering to remove toxic people even if it’s family. You can not agree with what others say or think and be labeled toxic. Our whole family (parents 55-57, grandparents 85-87, cousins, aunts&uncles) not including her whole family removed from their lives.
I've waived over posting my story for months. There's so much to say about the church but in the sake of seeming a disgruntled employee, I'll say this... I wanted to work for Connect Classes to help families, teachers, and kids to be in control of education for their kids. I really wanted things to work out and I believed in the mission. However, I got caught up in what I was told to do (despite the ethics) and wanted to do what was the "mission." I came to realize it was not biblical and very hypocritical. I quit when my boss would yell at me in private and change rules according to how much a family gave in tithes to the church. When I asked why 12 people quit within 2 weeks, I was told it was because of "Satan."
I just want to say that if I ever offended you or upset you, I'm so sorry. I got so caught up in the business of ITOWN church that I lost the purpose for why I was there.
Please forgive me.
So sorry, scary the control they have. I don't understand how they stay open. They are not a church of Jesus!
So sorry to hear ! We work with foster children and our goal as it is God's goal is to restore the family unit and not cut them off . A church is not suppose to do this ! God wants to see restoration in families ! Praying !
Isn't it scary how these itown people who are obviously deciphals of the devl, can rip families apart?! Wake up people! God doesn't want this! You're following Satan!
Noooo it is not good / I would rather leave my kid at Applebees unattended
Anonymous member 992 No dont put your kids there
I served at itown and went there for several years. I worked at the daycare for a year and a half or so. When my dad died i had ZERO people reach out to me to see how I was doing. Even had the director tell me if i wanted to keep my son there for the rest of the month (i had to quit) then i needed to pay the rest of that months tuition full price. Someone even offered to pay it for me and she didn’t let them. Keep in mind my siblings and I had to pay for the funeral out of pocket and i had to take my 7 month old at the time to the funeral home because not a single person offered me help. They don’t care about you if you’re not a member there. They fired teachers who weren’t attending itown because they “didn’t fit the vision”
Run don't walk, grab your child and run away
I would not go anywhere near that cult
Anonymous member 953The older kids are expected to help in every corner possible. They don’t get paid and are told to deal with the issues and not bother the parents during service times. The stuff the teachers kids is CRAZY!! They told my child if he doesn’t tell his friends about God and they don’t go to church, they will all burn after death. Every day..all day. It will hurt so bad. Also, God will judge them for not spreading his word and that will be a determining factor if they get in or not.
The so called security are creepy and perverted. They look at women like a three course meal. The women who work there treat you like 2nd class citizens. I would never walk my family through those doors again.
If you are asking about Itown's Day Care....there have been numerous people who have posted about their negative experiences there. I have also had a lot of conversations with parents and ex-employees....so do not ignore the Red Flags! There are multiple issues at Itown Church, including their Day Care. After my horrible experience, my advice is do not trust ANYONE with your child or teen, even if they appear to be a trusted pastor, especially at Itown Church!
* there are multiple posts and videos in this group explaining what happened to me. If you have any questions, reach out to me directly.
Anonymous member 988
Noooo it is not good / I would rather leave my kid at Applebees unattended
Anonymous member 992No dont put your kids there
I served at itown and went there for several years. I worked at the daycare for a year and a half or so. When my dad died i had ZERO people reach out to me to see how I was doing. Even had the director tell me if i wanted to keep my son there for the rest of the month (i had to quit) then i needed to pay the rest of that months tuition full price. Someone even offered to pay it for me and she didn’t let them. Keep in mind my siblings and I had to pay for the funeral out of pocket and i had to take my 7 month old at the time to the funeral home because not a single person offered me help. They don’t care about you if you’re not a member there. They fired teachers who weren’t attending itown because they “didn’t fit the vision”
Run don't walk, grab your child and run away
I would not go anywhere near that cult
Anonymous member 953
The older kids are expected to help in every corner possible. They don’t get paid and are told to deal with the issues and not bother the parents during service times. The stuff the teachers kids is CRAZY!! They told my child if he doesn’t tell his friends about God and they don’t go to church, they will all burn after death. Every day..all day. It will hurt so bad. Also, God will judge them for not spreading his word and that will be a determining factor if they get in or not.
The so called security are creepy and perverted. They look at women like a three course meal. The women who work there treat you like 2nd class citizens. I would never walk my family through those doors again.
If you are asking about Itown's Day Care....there have been numerous people who have posted about their negative experiences there. I have also had a lot of conversations with parents and ex-employees....so do not ignore the Red Flags! There are multiple issues at Itown Church, including their Day Care. After my horrible experience, my advice is do not trust ANYONE with your child or teen, even if they appear to be a trusted pastor, especially at Itown Church!
* there are multiple posts and videos in this group explaining what happened to me. If you have any questions, reach out to me directly.
February 6, 2026
Join us for United 2026,
hosted at our Olson Farms campus–a powerful
marriage conference
designed to encourage, equip, and strengthen
married couples.
Pastors Dave and Kate
will be sharing
Powerful Biblical Truths
to
Help Build
Strong, healthy Relationships
and provide
practical encouragement for
Your Marriage
Whether you are newlywed or have been
married for decades,
United
has something for everyone
In the biblical context,
"uncleanness"
Refers to a state of ritual impurity
that prevents
individuals from participating in
certain religious activities
and requires
specific purification rites.
This concept is primarily found in the
Old Testament,
particularly within the
Mosaic Law,
and is associated with
both
physical and moral dimensions
Old Testament Context
The concept of uncleanness is extensively detailed in the Pentateuch, especially in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. Uncleanness can arise from various sources, including contact with certain animals, bodily discharges, skin diseases, and contact with dead bodies. Leviticus 11-15 provides comprehensive regulations on what constitutes uncleanness and the necessary steps for purification.
For example,
Leviticus 11 outlines dietary laws, declaring certain animals unclean and unfit for consumption. "You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you" (Leviticus 11:8). Similarly, Leviticus 15 addresses bodily discharges, stating, "When a man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean" (Leviticus 15:2).
Uncleanness also extends to moral and ethical behavior. In Leviticus 18, God commands the Israelites to avoid the practices of the surrounding nations, which are described as defiling: "Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves" (Leviticus 18:24).
Purification Rites
The process of purification from uncleanness often involved washing with water, offering sacrifices, and waiting for a specified period. For instance, after touching a dead body, an individual was required to undergo a purification process involving the ashes of a red heifer mixed with water
(Numbers 19:11-13).
New Testament Perspective
In the New Testament, the focus shifts from ritual uncleanness to moral and spiritual purity. Jesus Christ challenged the Pharisaic emphasis on external rituals, emphasizing the importance of inner purity. In Mark 7:15, Jesus teaches, "Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, but what comes out of a man, that is what defiles him."
The Apostle Paul also addresses uncleanness, often in the context of moral impurity. In Galatians 5:19, he lists "sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery" as acts of the sinful nature. Paul urges believers to live by the Spirit and avoid such behaviors, emphasizing the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in leading a life of holiness.
Theological Significance
Uncleanness in the Bible underscores the holiness of God and the need for His people to be set apart. The laws concerning uncleanness served as a constant reminder of the separation between the holy and the profane, pointing to the need for atonement and reconciliation with God. Through Christ's atoning work, believers are cleansed from all unrighteousness, as stated in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The biblical teaching on uncleanness ultimately points to the necessity of a pure heart and a life dedicated to God, reflecting His holiness in both conduct and character.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Uncleanness
The distinctive idea attached to ceremonial uncleanness among the Hebrews was that it cut a person off for the time from social privileges, and left his citizenship among God's people for the while in abeyance. There is an intense reality in the fact of the divine law taking hold of a man by the ordinary infirmities of flesh, and setting its stamp, as it were, in the lowest clay of which he is moulded. The sacredness attached to the human body is parallel to that which invested the ark of the covenant itself. It is as though Jehovah thereby would teach men that the "very hairs of their head were all numbered" before him and that "in his book were all their members written."
Thus was inculcated so to speak
A bodily Holiness
Nor were the Israelites to be only "separated from other people," but they were to be "holy to God,"
(Leviticus 20:24,26)
"a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation."
The importance to physical well-being of the injunctions which required frequent ablution, under whatever special pretexts, can be but feebly appreciated in our cooler and damper climate. Uncleanness, as referred to men, may be arranged in three degrees:
That which defiled merely "until even." and was removed by bathing and washing the clothes at the end of it; such were all contacts with dead animals. That graver sort which defiled for seven days, and was removed by the use of the "water of separation;" such were all defilements connected with the human corpse. Uncleanness from the morbid perpetual or menstrual state, lasting as long as that morbid state lasted; and in the case of leprosy lasting often for life. As the human person was itself the seat of a covenant token, so male and female had each their ceremonial obligations in proportion to their sexual differences.
There is an emphatic reminder of human weakness in the fact of birth and death-man's passage alike into and out of his mortal state--
being marked with a stated pollution
The corpse bequeathed a defilement of seven days to all who handled it, to the "tent" or chamber of death, and to sundry things within it. Nay, contact with one slain in the field of battle or with even a human bone or grave, was no less effectual to pollute than that with a corpse dead by the course of nature.
(Numbers 19:11-18)
This shows
that the source of pollution
lay in the
mere fact of death
The duration of defilement caused by the birth of a female infant being double that due to a male, extending respectively to eighty and forty days in All, (Leviticus 12:2-5) may perhaps represent the woman's heavier share in the first sin and first curse. (Genesis 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:14)
Among causes of defilement should be noticed the fact that the ashes of the red heifer burnt whole which were mixed with water and became the standing resource for purifying uncleanness in the second degree, themselves became a source of defilement to all who were clean, even as of purification to the unclean, and so the water.
Somewhat similarly the scapegoat, who bore away the sins of the people, defiled him who led him into the wilderness, and the bringing forth aid burning the sacrifice on the Great Day of Atonement had a similar power.
This lightest form of uncleanness was expiated by bathing the body and washing the clothes.
Besides the water of purification made as afore said, men and women, in their "issues," were, after seven days, reckoned from the cessation of the disorder, to bring two turtle-doves or young pigeons to be killed by the priests.
All these kinds of uncleanness disqualified for holy functions: as the layman so affected might not approach the congregation and the sanctuary, so any priest who incurred defilement must abstain from holy things.
(Leviticus 22:2-8) [LEPER, LEPROSY]
The religion of the persians shows a singularly close correspondence with the Levitical code.
Ephesians 5:3
But sexual immorality, and
all uncleanness,
or
covetousness,
let it
not even be mentioned
among you,
as
becomes saints;
The Truth will Set You Free
So He said to the Jews who
had believed Him,
“If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered.
“We have never been slaves to anyone. How can You say we will be set free?”…
Leviticus 15:24
And if a man lie with her at all, and the uncleanness of her separation come upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.
Leviticus 15:25
"'If a woman has a discharge of her blood many days not in the time of her period, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her period; all the days of the discharge of her uncleanness shall be as in the days of her period: she is unclean.
Leviticus 15:26
Every bed whereon she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her period: and everything whereon she sits shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her period.
Leviticus 15:30
The priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before Yahweh for the uncleanness of her discharge.
Leviticus 15:31
"'Thus you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, so they will not die in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is in their midst.'"
Leviticus 15:32
This 'is' the law of him who hath an issue, and of him whose seed of copulation goeth out from him, for uncleanness thereby,
Leviticus 16:16
and he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting, that dwells with them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Leviticus 16:19
He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and make it holy from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Leviticus 18:19
"'You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.
Leviticus 18:20
And unto the wife of thy fellow thou dost not give thy seed of copulation, for uncleanness with her.
Leviticus 18:23
And with any beast thou dost not give thy copulation, for uncleanness with it; and a woman doth not stand before a beast to lie down with it; confusion it 'is'.
Leviticus 19:31
Ye do not turn unto those having familiar spirits; and unto wizards ye do not seek, for uncleanness by them; I 'am' Jehovah your God.
Leviticus 22:3
"Tell them,'If anyone of all your seed throughout your generations approaches the holy things, which the children of Israel make holy to Yahweh, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from before me. I am Yahweh.
Leviticus 22:5
or whoever touches any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has;
Leviticus 22:8
a carcase or torn thing he doth not eat, for uncleanness thereby; I 'am' Jehovah.
Numbers 5:19
The priest shall cause her to swear, and shall tell the woman, "If no man has lain with you, and if you haven't gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse.
Numbers 19:12
the same shall purify himself with water on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he doesn't purify himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.
Numbers 19:13
Whoever touches a dead person, the body of a man who has died, and doesn't purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of Yahweh; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet on him.
Numbers 19:19
And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him; and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.
Numbers 19:20
But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD; the water of sprinkling hath not been dashed against him: he is unclean.
Deuteronomy 23:10
If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
Deuteronomy 24:1
When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
Deuteronomy 26:14
I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I brought away thereof in uncleanness, nor given thereof for a dead person; I have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah my God; I have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.
2 Samuel 11:4
David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in to him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness); and she returned to her house.
2 Chronicles 29:5
And said to them, Give ear to me, O Levites: now make yourselves holy, and make holy the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and take away everything unclean from the holy place.
2 Chronicles 29:16
The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Yahweh into the court of the house of Yahweh. The Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron.
Ezra 6:21
And the sons of Israel, those returning from the captivity, and every one who is separated from the uncleanness of the nations of the land unto them, to seek to Jehovah, God of Israel, do eat,
Ezra 9:11
which you have commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, The land, to which you go to possess it, is an unclean land through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their filthiness:
Lamentations 1:9
Her uncleanness 'is' in her skirts, She hath not remembered her latter end, And she cometh down wonderfully, There is no comforter for her. See, O Jehovah, mine affliction, For exerted himself hath an enemy.
Ezekiel 22:15
And I have scattered thee among nations, And have spread thee out among lands, And consumed thy uncleanness out of thee.
Ezekiel 24:11
And cause it to stand on its coals empty, So that its brass is hot and burning, Melted hath been in its midst its uncleanness, Consumed is its scum.
Ezekiel 24:13
In thine uncleanness 'is' wickedness, Because I have cleansed thee, And thou hast not been cleansed, From thine uncleanness thou art not cleansed again, Till I have caused My fury to rest on thee.
Ezekiel 36:17
Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.
Ezekiel 36:29
I will save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine on you.
Ezekiel 39:24
According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions did I to them; and I hid my face from them.
Ezekiel 44:25
And unto any dead man they come not for uncleanness, but for father, and for mother, and for son, and for daughter, for brother, for sister who hath not been to a man, they defile themselves.
Micah 2:10
Arise, and depart! For this is not your resting place, because of uncleanness that destroys, even with a grievous destruction.
Zechariah 13:1
"In that day there will be a spring opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
Zechariah 13:2
And it hath come to pass, in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, I cut off the names of the idols from the land, And they are not remembered any more, And also the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness I cause to pass away from the land.
Woe to Oppressors
1Woe to those who devise iniquity
and plot evil on their beds!
At morning’s light they accomplish it
because the power is in their hands.
2They covet fields and seize them;
they take away houses.
They deprive a man of his home,
a fellow man of his inheritance.
3Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“I am planning against this nation a disaster
from which you cannot free your necks.
Then you will not walk so proudly,
for it will be a time of calamity.
4In that day they will take up a proverb against you
and taunt you with this bitter lamentation:
‘We are utterly ruined!
He has changed the portion of my people.
How He has removed it from me!
He has allotted our fields to traitors.’”
5Therefore, you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD
to divide the land by lot.
Reproof of False Prophets
(Ezekiel 13:1–16)
6“Do not preach,” they preach.
“Do not preach these things;
disgrace will not overtake us.”
7Should it be said, O house of Jacob,
“Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient?
Are these the things He does?”
Do not My words bring good
to him who walks uprightly?
8But of late My people have risen up
like an enemy:
You strip off the splendid robe
from unsuspecting passersby
like men returning from battle.
9You drive the women of My people
from their pleasant homes.
You take away My blessing
from their children forever.
10Arise and depart,
for this is not your place of rest,
because its defilement brings destruction--
a grievous destruction!
11If a man of wind were to come
and say falsely,
“I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”
he would be just the preacher for this people!
The Remnant of Israel
(Micah 5:7–15)
12I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob;
I will collect the remnant of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in the midst of its pasture--
a noisy throng.
13One who breaks open the way
will go up before them;
they will break through the gate,
and go out by it.
Their King will pass through before them,
the LORD as their leader.
Isaiah 52:11
Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.
Jeremiah 51:6
Flee from Babylon! Escape with your lives! Do not be destroyed in her punishment. For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves.
Revelation 18:4
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues.
Isaiah 48:20
Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare it with a shout of joy, proclaim it, let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”
Jeremiah 50:8
Flee from the midst of Babylon; depart from the land of the Chaldeans; be like the he-goats that lead the flock.
Zechariah 2:6-7
“Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD. / “Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”
2 Corinthians 6:17
“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
Isaiah 10:3
What will you do on the day of reckoning when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?
Amos 5:11
Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.
Matthew 24:16-18
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. / Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house. / And let no one in the field return for his cloak.
Ezekiel 11:23
And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.
Hebrews 13:13
Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore.
Isaiah 1:28
But rebels and sinners will together be shattered, and those who forsake the LORD will perish.
Jeremiah 10:18
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, at this time I will sling out the inhabitants of the land and bring distress upon them so that they may be captured.”
Luke 21:21
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city
Jeremiah 6:7
As a well gushes its water, so she pours out her evil. Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me.
Isaiah 59:7
Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.
Micah 3:10
who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity.
Hosea 4:2
Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.
Jeremiah 2:34
Moreover, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor, though you did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things
Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!
Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!
Isaiah 1:15
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
Isaiah 1:21
See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers!
Jeremiah 22:17
“But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.”
Matthew 23:31-35
So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. / Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers. / You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell? ...
Acts 7:52
Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers--
Revelation 18:24
And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.
Jeremiah 7:6
if you no longer oppress the foreigner and the fatherless and the widow, and if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods to your own harm,
Isaiah 59:3
For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters injustice.
Ezekiel 22:27
Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.
Ezekiel 24:6-9
Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it…
Zephaniah 3:3
Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
that her
Ezekiel 22:4
Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.
Ezekiel 7:2-12
Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land…
Ezekiel 12:25
For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.
and maketh
2 Kings 21:2-9
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel…
Jeremiah 2:1-3:25
Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, …
Sins of Jerusalem
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“As for you, son of man, will you judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her abominations 3and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O city who brings her own doom by shedding blood within her walls and making idols to defile herself, 4you are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close and have come to the end of your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all the lands. 5Those near and far will mock you, O infamous city, full of turmoil.
6See how every prince of Israel within you has used his power to shed blood. 7Father and mother are treated with contempt. Within your walls the foreign resident is exploited, the fatherless and the widow are oppressed.
8You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. 9Among you are slanderous men bent on bloodshed; within you are those who eat on the mountain shrines and commit acts of indecency.
10In you they have uncovered the nakedness of their fathers; in you they violate women during their menstrual impurity. 11One man commits an abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another wickedly defiles his daughter-in-law; and yet another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter.
12In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.
13Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have shed in your midst. 14Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will act. 15I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you throughout the lands; I will purge your uncleanness. 16And when you have defiled yourselfa in the eyes of the nations, then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
Deuteronomy 4:26
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
Deuteronomy 30:18
I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
Joshua 23:15,16
Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you…
for.
Deuteronomy 12:9
For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.
Psalm 95:11
Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Hebrews 4:1-9
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it…
because.
Leviticus 18:24-28
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: …
Leviticus 20:22-26
Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out…
Psalm 106:38
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
it shall.
Jeremiah 9:19
For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.
Jeremiah 10:18
For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.
Ezekiel 36:12-14
Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men…
And thou shalt say:
Thus saith the Lord GOD:
O city
that sheddest blood in the midst of thee,
that thy time may come,
and that
makest idols unto thyself to defile thee;
How Lonely Lies the City!
(2 Kings 24:10–17)
1Howa lonely lies the city,
once so full of people!
She who was great among the nations
has become a widow.
The princess of the provinces
has become a slave.
2She weeps aloud in the night,
with tears upon her cheeks.
Among all her lovers
there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.
3Judah has gone into exile
under affliction and harsh slavery;
she dwells among the nations
but finds no place to rest.
All her pursuers have overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.
4The roads to Zion mourn,
because no one comes to her appointed feasts.
All her gates are deserted;
her priests groan,
her maidens grieve,
and she herself is bitter with anguish.
5Her foes have become her masters;
her enemies are at ease.
For the LORD has brought her grief
because of her many transgressions.
Her children have gone away
as captives before the enemy.
6All the splendor has departed
from the Daughter of Zion.
Her princes are like deer
that find no pasture;
they lack the strength to flee
in the face of the hunter.
7In the days of her affliction and wandering
Jerusalem remembers all the treasures
that were hers in days of old.
When her people fell into enemy hands
she received no help.
Her enemies looked upon her,
laughing at her downfall.
8Jerusalem has sinned greatly;
therefore she has become an object of scorn.
All who honored her now despise her,
for they have seen her nakedness;b
she herself groans and turns away.
9Her uncleanness stains her skirts;
she did not consider her end.
Her downfall was astounding;
there was no one to comfort her.
Look, O LORD, on my affliction,
for the enemy has triumphed!
10The adversary has seized
all her treasures.
For she has seen the nations
enter her sanctuary--
those You had forbidden
to enter Your assembly.
11All her people groan
as they search for bread.
They have traded their treasures for food
to keep themselves alive.
Look, O LORD, and consider,
for I have become despised.
12Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look around and see!
Is there any sorrow like mine,
which was inflicted on me,
which the LORD made me suffer
on the day of His fierce anger?
13He sent fire from on high,
and it overpowered my bones.
He spread a net for my feet
and turned me back.
He made me desolate,
faint all the day long.
14My transgressions are bound into a yoke,c
knit together by His hand;
they are draped over my neck,
and the Lord has broken my strength.
He has delivered me into the hands
of those I cannot withstand.
15The Lord has rejected
all the mighty men in my midst;
He has summoned an army against med
to crush my young warriors.
Like grapes in a winepress,
the Lord has trampled the Virgin Daughter of Judah.
16For these things I weep;
my eyes flow with tears.
For there is no one nearby to comfort me,
no one to revive my soul.
My children are destitute
because the enemy has prevailed.
17Zion stretches out her hands,
but there is no one to comfort her.
The LORD has decreed against Jacob
that his neighbors become his foes.
Jerusalem has become
an unclean thing among them.
18The LORD is righteous,
yet I rebelled against His command.
Listen, all you people;
look upon my suffering.
My young men and maidens
have gone into captivity.
19I called out to my lovers,
but they have betrayed me.
My priests and elders
perished in the city
while they searched for food
to keep themselves alive.
20See, O LORD, how distressed I am!
I am churning within;
my heart is pounding within me,
for I have been most rebellious.
Outside, the sword bereaves;
inside, there is death.
21People have heard my groaning,
but there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that You have caused it.
May You bring the day You have announced,
so that they may become like me.
22Let all their wickedness come before You,
and deal with them
as You have dealt with me
because of all my transgressions.
For my groans are many,
and my heart is faint.
Leviticus 18:19
You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.
Leviticus 20:18
If a man lies with a menstruating woman and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood. Both of them must be cut off from among their people.
Ezekiel 18:6
He does not eat at the mountain or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her period.
Ezekiel 22:10
In you they have uncovered the nakedness of their fathers; in you they violate women during their menstrual impurity.
2 Samuel 11:4
Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.
Numbers 5:2
“Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body.
Numbers 19:11-13
Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days. / He must purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. / Anyone who touches a human corpse and fails to purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person must be cut off from Israel. He remains unclean, because the water of purification has not been sprinkled on him, and his uncleanness is still on him.
Isaiah 64:6
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
Lamentations 1:17
Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. The LORD has decreed against Jacob that his neighbors become his foes. Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
Matthew 9:20-22
Suddenly a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak. / She said to herself, “If only I touch His cloak, I will be healed.” / Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that very hour.
Mark 5:25-34
And a woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. / She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians and had spent all she had, but to no avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse. / When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up through the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. ...
Luke 8:43-48
including a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians, but no one was able to heal her. / She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. / “Who touched Me?” Jesus asked. But they all denied it. “Master,” said Peter, “the people are crowding and pressing against You.” ...
Matthew 15:19-20
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. / These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”
Mark 7:20-23
He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. / For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, / greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. ...
Acts 15:20
Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.
Leviticus 12:2,4
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean…
Leviticus 20:18
And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
Lamentations 1:8,9,17
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward…
barren women, often focusing on God's power to bring life from barrenness, include Isaiah 54:1, which urges the barren to sing and rejoice as they will have many children. Other notable verses include Psalm 113:9, which says God settles the childless woman as a happy mother, and Galatians 4:27.
- Luke 1:7 (ESV): "But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years".
- Judges 13:2 (ESV): "And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children".
- Luke 23:29 (AMP): "For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not given birth...'".
- Isaiah 54:1 (KJV/NIV/ESV): "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud... for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife".
- Psalm 113:9 (NIV): "He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD".
-
- Galatians 4:27
Reiterates Isaiah 54:1, emphasizing joy and future abundance
.
Shedding Sheds Sovereign Streets Thyself Time Unclean
Ezekiel 22
1. A catalogue of sins in Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews in consequence
17. God will burn them as dross in his furnace
23. The general corruption of prophets, priests, princes, and the people
Numbers 19:13
Whoever touches a dead person, the body of a man who has died, and doesn't purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of Yahweh; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet on him.
Deuteronomy 24:1
When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
Ezekiel 24:13
In thine uncleanness 'is' wickedness, Because I have cleansed thee, And thou hast not been cleansed, From thine uncleanness thou art not cleansed again, Till I have caused My fury to rest on thee.
Leviticus 22:8
a carcase or torn thing he doth not eat, for uncleanness thereby; I 'am' Jehovah.
Leviticus 18:23
And with any beast thou dost not give thy copulation, for uncleanness with it; and a woman doth not stand before a beast to lie down with it; confusion it 'is'.
Leviticus 18:19
"'You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.
Leviticus 18:20
And unto the wife of thy fellow thou dost not give thy seed of copulation, for uncleanness with her.
Leviticus 16:19
He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and make it holy from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Leviticus 15:30
The priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before Yahweh for the uncleanness of her discharge.
Leviticus 15:25
"'If a woman has a discharge of her blood many days not in the time of her period, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her period; all the days of the discharge of her uncleanness shall be as in the days of her period: she is unclean.
Leviticus 15:26
Every bed whereon she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her period: and everything whereon she sits shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her period.
Her Filthiness
Clung to her Skirts;
She
Did Not Consider
Her Future
Her fall was astounding; there was
none to comfort her.
“Look, LORD, on My Affliction,
for the
Enemy has Triumphed”
The Uncleanness of Men
(Deuteronomy 23:9–14)
And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. This uncleanness is from his discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness.
Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits will be unclean. Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. If the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean. Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.
The Cleansing of Men
When the man has been cleansed from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in fresh water, and he shall be clean. On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.
When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening. Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.
The Uncleanness of Women
When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. Anything on which she lies or sits during her menstruation will be unclean, and anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
Whoever touches any furniture on which she was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. And whether it is a bed or furniture on which she was sitting, whoever touches it will be unclean until evening.
If a man lies with her and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will become unclean.
When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period, or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of her menstruation. Any bed on which she lies or any furniture on which she sits during the days of her discharge will be unclean, like her bed during her menstrual period. Anyone who touches these things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
The Cleansing of Women
When a woman is cleansed of her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge.
You Must keep the children of
Israel
Separate from Their Uncleanness,
So that they do not die by Defiling
My Tabernacle,
which
Is Among them
This is the law of
him who has a discharge,
of the man
who has an emission of semen whereby
He is Unclean,
of a woman in her menstrual period,
of any
male or female who has a discharge,
And of a Man
Who Lies
with an Unclean Woman
True
Worship in Spirit and Truth,
as Taught by Jesus (John 4:24), Means
Worshiping
God with your
Whole Heart
(Spirit)
Aligning your Life, Understanding, and Actions
with
His Revealed Word
(TRUTH),
Making it
Sincere, Heartfelt, and Centered
on
Jesus Christ,
Not just Outward Rituals or
Location, It's a holistic,
Transformed
Life,
Empowered by the Holy Spirit
and Guided by Scripture,
Honoring
God's
Character and Work
At ONE FOR ISRAEL
we know
there are many ways to bless Israel,
but we believe …
THE BEST WAY TO BLESS ISRAEL
IS WITH JESUS
The Messianic Jewish community
is young and believers
need a place to go to be trained
in the
Word of God, discipled, and
equipped for ministry
99% of Israelis
don’t know Yeshua (Jesus)
as their Messiah
Established in 1990,
ONE FOR ISRAEL
began as a Bible college and has since expanded to a multi-faceted ministry with the express goal of reaching Israelis with the Good News of Yeshua, training and equipping the Body of Messiah in Israel, and blessing our community with Yeshua’s love.
The story and ministry of ONE FOR ISRAEL is part of something much larger – the miraculous restoration of the Jewish people and the miraculous unity between Jewish and Arab believers in Jesus.
We are seeing not only the physical restoration of Israel after a 2000-year exile, but a spiritual revolution is taking place right in front of our eyes. Jewish people are returning to their God and accepting the Messiah in numbers not seen since the early church! Not only that, but many Arab people are coming to the Lord and many Arab believers are finding a deep unity with their Jewish brothers and sisters.
ONE FOR ISRAEL
exists to do ministry within this miracle.
We are Jews and Arabs, together serving
Messiah Jesus,
sharing the
Gospel with Israel and the world,
making disciples, training leaders,
and
blessing our communities in the
name of Yeshua.
The only Hebrew speaking Bible College
in the world:
ONE FOR ISRAEL BIBLE COLLEGE
Can Jews and Arabs
study together in the same classroom?
Can they study
the Word of God together,
in unity and peace,
serving Jesus as one new man?
Yes!
What started with a handful of students and professors in 1990 has grown into the fully accredited One For Israel Bible College. We’re still the only Hebrew-speaking evangelical seminary in the world, and we’ve seen over 1,000 graduates!
Jewish and Arab students
come from
across the Middle East,
as well as
from around the world,
to become discipled,
equipped, and mobilized here
We are committed to encouraging believers to read and understand the Bible within its literary, historical, and geographical context. For this reason, we also offer unique online courses in Hebrew and English as well as study tours.
Online Courses Platform
FacultyOne For Israel Bible College Faculty, both full-time and adjunct faculty, has a wide array of expertise and disciplines, most notably in the areas of Bible and Theology, Jewish Studies, Biblical Geography and Culture, Archaeology, Practical Ministry, and Leadership and Counseling. In accordance with our mission statement, our faculty members strive to serve under the expectation of being models of Biblical character, intellectual maturity, and leadership in service to others.
All members of our faculty are believers in YESHUA (Jesus) the Messiah.
Most faculty members are Israelis, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, and languages which is typical of Israel, a country made up of immigrants. This multiculturalism united in faith, colors our faculty experience at One For Israel Bible College and shapes the academic atmosphere to the glory of God. Our philosophy of education of the faculty does not stop at mere acquisition of knowledge and proficiency, but it also lovingly emphasizes personal and communal spiritual growth and maturity.
The Campus in IsraelBelievers come from all over Israel to study the Bible, theology, counseling, and practical ministry. They learn to rightly divide the Word of truth and stand strong on the foundations of their faith. Located in central Israel, our seminary offers programs at multiple levels.
Our library
consists of over 10,000 volumes.
One For Israel Bible College
is continually in the process
of increasing the
number of volumes in our library
All this
information is available online
“‘The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy…. Behold, I am going to deal at that time with all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you in, even
at the time
when I gather you together;
Indeed,
I will give you renown and praise among
all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,’
Says the LORD” (Zeph 3:17, 19-20).
Proverbs speaks of the annoyance caused by excessively optimistic people who loudly bless their neighbors at the crack of dawn (Prov 27:14).
Even more annoying, and even insulting, are the Pollyannas of this world who belittle deep trauma and terrible tragedy with the insincere words, “yiheh beseder,” an expression in Hebrew that literally means, “it will be ok.”
Too often, this phrase is tossed out meaninglessly and sounds far more like “hakuna matata,” Timon and Pumbaa’s so-called problem-free philosophy (from The Lion King).
Yet although Israel’s prophets almost always conclude their books with a vision of a glorious future, this is not because they refuse to face the all-too-frequent realities of sin, rebellion, injustice, violence, poverty, exile, war, and death. Rather than burying their heads in the sand, the prophets immersed themselves in divine and unalterable promises.
A clear example is Zephaniah, who borrows his God-singing-over-his-redeemed-people conclusion from Deuteronomy 30, where God promises Moses the making of a new covenant.
The prophetic optimism concerning Israel’s future, as well
as our own confidence that
“all things work together for good,” is not a flight from reality.
It is a certainty as sure and eternal
as God Himself,
firm, faithful, and deeply rooted
in the final two words of Zephaniah’s book:
“Y-H-W-H said!”
“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or stroke
shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished”
(Matt 5:18).
ONE FOR ISRAEL
Is an initiative of native-born
Israelis
on the forefront of high-tech media
evangelism,
proclaiming salvation to Israel,
raising up
spiritual leaders through
ONE FOR ISRAEL’s Bible College
and equipping them
with the tools they
need to transform our communities
https://www.youtube.com/live/eegsp4wmvm0?si=XkNFUZV8TQhAoh0T
“Where do you get the information for what you should do with the things God places in your life?”
On Sunday Pastor Brian walked us through the first 6 chapters of 1 Corinthians - check it out!
Redemption, the "scarlet thread"
woven
from Genesis to Revelation,
Is God rescuing humanity
through the
sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ
This redemptive, or "golden," thread
signifies a costly act of love,
offering
restoration, forgiveness, and
the promise of eternal life.
Luke 15:7, there is "more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents" than over ninety-nine righteous people, emphasizing God's intense delight in salvation. This heavenly rejoicing highlights the immense value of a single soul returning to God, affirming that salvation brings profound, active celebration in the presence of angels.
The master is not satisfied with a partially full banquet hall; he wants every place at the table to be filled.
God desires that no one perish, but rather that all come to repentance and attain eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Eternal life is defined as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, a free gift received by believing in the Son rather than through works.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Whereas Matthew is written primarily to his fellow Jews, Mark’s gospel appears to be targeted to the Roman believers, particularly Gentiles. Mark wrote as a pastor to Christians who previously had heard and believed the Gospel (Romans 1:8). He desired that they have a biographical story of Jesus Christ as Servant of the Lord and Savior of the world in order to strengthen their faith in the face of severe persecution and to teach them what it meant to be His disciples.
Love covers all wrongs, but the wicked find motivation from hatred or spite toward others. In contrast, the righteous are motivated by love. Hatred seeks ways to cause trouble, but love looks for ways to forgive.
This same proverb is quoted in 1 Peter 4:8, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” In this context, the proverb emphasizes that love is expressed through forgiveness of sins.
The idea of love being associated with forgiveness is found frequently in Scripture. One important example is found in 1 John 4:10, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” See also John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16. The work of Christ on the cross—the work of our forgiveness—was an act of divine love.
In our own personal relationships, we also show love in our forgiveness of others. One of love’s characteristics is that “it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5). Love has no list of how or how often it has been offended. Love forgives.
A related idea from Proverbs 10:12 is the concept of “covering” sins. This concept is communicated elsewhere in the Old Testament to describe God’s forgiveness of sins. For example, Psalm 85:2 reads, “You forgave the iniquity of your people / and covered all their sins.” In the New Testament, Romans 4:7 speaks of the blessedness of knowing God’s love and forgiveness: “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”
James 5:19–20 says, “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” Again, the idea of “covering” many sins communicates the fact of a person’s sins being forgiven.
Our lives are to be characterized by godly love that forgives the sins of others. Our extending of forgiveness is motivated by the truth that God has forgiven our sin through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:32). How many times should we forgive? Up to seven times? That was Peter’s question in Matthew 18:21. Jesus’ answer: “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). Where sin increases, grace increases all the more (Romans 5:20). Love covers a multitude of sins—and it keeps on covering.
After healing a man who was lame from birth, Peter explained to the people gathered at the temple that the man had not been healed by Peter’s power. In his explanation of where the power came, he mentioned “the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21, NKJV).
The healed man was walking and leaping and praising God (Acts 3:8), and Peter made sure the onlookers knew that the healing was not done by human power (Acts 3:12). The power was from Jesus, whom the people had disowned and had crucified (Acts 3:13–15). The healing was on the basis of faith in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:16).
Earlier, they had rejected Jesus in ignorance, Peter explains (Acts 3:17). Christ had to suffer and die, just as God had revealed to the prophets (Acts 3:18). The people now had an opportunity to change their minds about Jesus and to return to their Messiah. If they did, they would be forgiven, and times of refreshing would come (Acts 3:19). The same Messiah who died for them would one day return for them (Acts 3:20). Now, Christ is in heaven until the time of restoration of all things that the Hebrew prophets had described (Acts 3:21).
The time of restoration of all things is described by Isaiah:
“The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God. . . .
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:1–2, 5–6).
The time of restoration of all things is mentioned by Paul: “The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). John recorded Jesus saying, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5).
In the temple, Peter pointed his hearers to Jesus, reminding them that God had promised through Moses that God would send another prophet to whom they should listen (Acts 3:22–23; cf. Deuteronomy 18:15). The coming of that prophet would be associated with the time when God will restore everything. Samuel and others had announced “these days” (Acts 3:24)—the time of the restoration of all things. The prophet Malachi announced that another prophet would come before the day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5), and that day would be associated with a restoration (Malachi 4:6). These prophecies were not irrelevant for the people. It was important that they understood that not only was the Messiah coming, but that He had already come.
Peter reminded his audience that they were the sons of the prophets and partakers of the covenant God had made with Abraham (Acts 3:25). In addition to promises of blessing for those who were descended from Abraham, that covenant promised blessing for all the families of the earth through Abraham’s seed (Genesis 12:3b; Acts 3:25). But the first promises of that covenant (Genesis 12:2–3a) included blessings for the descendants of Abraham—which Peter’s audience were. Peter explains that it was for them first that God raised up His Servant, the Messiah, and sent Him to bless the people by turning them from their wickedness (Acts 3:26). Until the time of the restoration of all things, when God’s covenant promises to the descendants of Abraham would be fulfilled, Jesus is in heaven. The people still had time to change their minds about Him and recognize Him as their Messiah.
The healing miracle of the man born lame in Acts 3 was a vivid example of the power of Jesus to restore all things. The people at the temple that day were given an opportunity to repent, moving from unbelief to belief. All who believe in the Messiah will not be disappointed (Romans 9:33; 10:11; 1 Peter 2:6).
Likewise, when we read of the miracles and signs that Jesus and His apostles accomplished, we can recognize who Jesus is and live by believing in His name (John 20:31). One day, the time of the restoration of all things will arrive. God will keep His covenant promises. As surely as those days will come, God will also keep His promises to all who believe in Him. Jesus said that the believing one has eternal life (John 6:47). Just as He has power to heal a lame man, He has power to forgive sin and provide eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Jesus is full of grace, and John says that, from that fullness, we (John, his original readers, and the rest of us who have trusted in Christ) have received grace and more grace. One hallmark of any interaction with Jesus is grace. Christians receive grace and then more grace—grace served on top of grace—grace and then, in place of that, more grace. The point is that Christ is full of grace, and those who know Him get showered with grace.
The Amplified Bible translates John 1:16 this way: “Out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].” What’s abundantly clear is that, when we come to Christ, He dishes out grace in heaping, huge servings.
In John 1:17 Christ is contrasted with Moses and the law. Of course, the law and God’s dealings with Israel did involve grace and truth, but the emphasis was more on obedience and punishment. In the New Testament, law is often contrasted with grace. The law emphasized God’s divine standards and the inability of fallen mankind to meet them, while grace rescues fallen humanity from deserved punishment. The law pinpoints the problem, and grace fixes the problem.
Romans 5:20–21 says the same thing in a slightly different way: “The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
James covers many topics in his letter, but all are focused on his readers’ growth and ultimately written so that they will be lacking nothing. While some teachers and gurus have taught that right living will bring prosperity in health and wealth, James (and the other biblical writers) help us to understand what it really means to be lacking nothing.
Remarkably, James begins that discussion by telling his readers to embrace various tests or trials. He exhorts that we should consider it all joy when we encounter various kinds of difficulties (James 1:2). This might seem counterintuitive and is certainly counter-cultural, but James explains why such rejoicing is proper. The testing of our faith produces endurance (James 1:3). Trials and difficulties test our faith (our belief in Jesus), as we can sometimes wonder if He has left us or forgotten about us. But James reminds that these trials are ultimately for our good. The testing of our faith produces endurance. We are able to face difficulties with more and more strength because we know the outcome of that testing. Endurance also has a result: that we might be lacking nothing. James 1:4 says, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (NKJV). The Amplified Bible brings out the spiritual aspect of the testing process: “And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.”
James is not teaching a wealth and prosperity gospel. In asserting that the testing of our faith brings endurance (or patience), he speaks of our spiritual benefit. Endurance results in our lacking nothing. Far from promising wealth and health, James teaches that trials can often be related to being in humble circumstances (James 1:9), being poor (James 2:5), and even being in need of daily food or clothing (James 2:15). James understands that even those who are poor in other ways can be rich in faith (James 2:5). Lacking nothing isn’t about the absence of difficult circumstances; it’s about having the maturity to endure in difficult circumstances. James adds that there is a unique blessing for those who have persevered under trial and have passed the test (James 1:12a). They will receive the crown of life that is promised to those who love the Lord (James 1:12b).
To be lacking nothing isn’t a material or circumstantial thing; it is a spiritual thing. The brother who is dealing with humble circumstances is to glory in those circumstances (James 1:9) because of the resulting endurance. On the other hand, the rich person is reminded that his better circumstances can depart rapidly, and so can his very life (James 1:10–11).
Just as the farmer waits for what is planted to bear a full harvest, James encourages his readers to be patient and to strengthen their hearts, looking for the coming of the Lord (James 5:7–8). Much of that patience and strengthening comes from undergoing various trials and difficulties. James understands that the key to holding up under those trials is to joyfully endure, knowing the outcome—that we will be mature (or complete) and lacking nothing. We will have everything we need to sustain us through the difficulties of life as we look toward Jesus’ coming.
From faith to faith is an expression found in some versions of Romans 1:17, such as the King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the Christian Standard Bible. The English Standard Version uses the wording “from faith for faith” instead. The meaning of the phrase becomes more evident in the New International Version: “by faith from first to last.” And perhaps the most transparent rendering of the verse for today’s reader is found in the New Living Translation: “from start to finish by faith.”
To fully understand what from faith to faith means, we must consider the phrase in context. In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, the apostle introduces himself to the church in Rome. While many of the believers there would have heard of Paul, they had not yet met him personally. In preparation for a future visit, Paul wants the members of the church to know him sufficiently to discern fact from fiction concerning his identity.
In Romans 1:16–17, Paul reaches the high point of his introductory greeting to the church in Rome: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life’” (NLT).
Nothing mattered more to Paul than fulfilling God’s will for his life, which was to preach the good news of salvation. Without the good news of the gospel, and without the power that is the gospel, there can be no salvation, no freedom from sin, no redemption, and no life. The power of the gospel is the theme of Paul’s letter to the Romans and the ambition of his life.
Paul writes with full knowledge that the church in Rome is facing persecution and suffering under Roman oppression. Many of the believers there are experiencing humiliation and shame because of their faith in Christ. Paul wants them to be assured that the worldly power of Rome cannot hold a candle to the mighty power of God—the gospel of Jesus Christ. That gospel is God’s limitless power directed toward the salvation of men and women. For every person who believes, whether Jew or Gentile, man or woman, black or white, the gospel effectively becomes the saving power of God.
Paul tells the Roman Christians that “in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed” (Romans 1:17). Righteousness is thus a complete and total work of God. Humans tend to view righteousness as something we can achieve by our own merit or actions. But the righteousness of God is different. It is a right standing before God that has nothing to do with human accomplishment or worth. It is received by faith. There is nothing we can do to deserve or earn it.
The exact meaning of Paul’s phrase from faith to faith has been debated, with several plausible explanations proposed. Some understand it in relation to the origin of faith: “From the faith of God, who makes the offer of salvation, to the faith of men, who receive it.” In simpler terms, “Salvation comes from God’s faith (or faithfulness) to our faith.” This was Karl Barth’s impression of the phrase from faith to faith, that salvation is accomplished through God’s faithfulness, which comes first, and our faith in response to that.
Others believe that Paul had the spreading of faith through evangelism in mind: “From the faith of one believer to another.” A third and widely accepted understanding is that from faith to faith speaks of a progressive, growing development of faith “from one degree of faith to another” akin to the “ever-increasing glory” of 2 Corinthians 3:18.
Another view is that Paul meant that from day one of our journey of faith until the very last day, we (the righteous) must live by faith. Whether we are brand-new followers of Christ or seasoned, mature believers who have walked with the Lord for many years, we must trust God “from start to finish” and rely on His mighty power—the power of the gospel—to change our lives and the lives of those we encounter.
In John 9, Jesus and His disciples encounter a man born blind. Turning to Jesus, the disciples ask, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (verse 2, ESV). The disciples’ question reflects the belief that suffering is always linked to personal sin (or the sin of one’s parents). Jesus challenges this belief, saying, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (verse 3, ESV).
In John 9:2, the disciples sought confirmation of a cause-and-effect relationship between sin and suffering. The disciples’ assumptions can be likened to those of Job’s friends, who insisted that Job must have sinned to illicit the wrath of God (Job 4—25). Job’s friends were wrong, and so were the disciples.
Jesus tells the disciples that the suffering of the blind man had a purpose—to display the works of God. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that suffering is not always linked to personal sin. In Luke 13:2–3a, for example, Jesus responds to a report about some Galileans who were killed while offering sacrifices. He asks, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you” (ESV).
We must make room for the works of God in our lives. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, the apostle Paul mentions that God gave him a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him from becoming conceited. His affliction was not directly linked to personal sin; God was doing a work in his life. Likewise, in Galatians 4:13, Paul’s illness became an opportunity for him to preach the gospel to the Galatians.
The crucifixion of Jesus is the best example of someone who suffered but did not sin. As the apostle Peter wrote, “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:22–23, ESV).
Jesus’ statement in John 9:3, “That the works of God might be displayed in him,” reveals the purpose for the man’s blindness. God has a purpose for every kind of suffering. In God’s hands, suffering is not meant to break us but to build us up: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4, ESV).
The phrase the works of God in John 9:3 involves not only the man’s physical healing (which takes place in verses 6–7) but also the revelation of God’s character and glory (see John 11:40). The reason God allows suffering is to allow His children to experience His mercy and power in delivering them or sustaining them. As Paul testified, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV).
In John 9:3, Jesus challenges the disciples, and by extension, all of us, to transcend a deterministic view of suffering. Instead of assigning blame or seeking a direct cause for the suffering, we should focus on the glory of God. In our suffering, the works of God are on full display. God in His wisdom and mercy is cultivating spiritual growth and deeper reliance on Him.
The prophet Ezekiel is shown healing trees with leaves for medicine (Ezekiel 47:12) as part of a series of visions that God gave him regarding the future of Israel (Ezekiel 40:2). In those visions (Ezekiel 40—48) God shows Ezekiel a future temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40—43), sets new rules for a coming prince and the future priests (Ezekiel 44—45), describes the sacrifices to take place during that time (Ezekiel 46), details the topography and boundaries of the restored land of Israel, and numbers the gates of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 47—48).
As God was showing Ezekiel the massive temple that will exist in the future, Ezekiel saw that there was water flowing from under the south side of the temple to the east side of the temple (Ezekiel 47:2). For roughly a thousand cubits to the east (1,700 feet) the water was ankle deep (Ezekiel 47:3). For another thousand it was knee deep, and at the third thousand the water was roughly waist deep (Ezekiel 47:4). Beyond that it was too deep to walk through (Ezekiel 47:5). The river flowed into the sea and made the seawater fresh and teeming with life (Ezekiel 47:8–10). As Ezekiel observed the banks of the river, he saw many trees on both sides (Ezekiel 47:6–7). These trees provided food, and their leaves never withered. “They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine” (Ezekiel 47:12, NKJV).
Ezekiel’s description of a river lined with healing trees matches some aspects of a vision in Revelation 22, where John is shown a similar scene. In the New Jerusalem, John sees the river of life, which comes from God’s throne and the Lamb’s throne (Revelation 22:1). On both sides of this river was the tree of life, which will bear fruit every month, and which had leaves “for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2).
In both Ezekiel and Revelation, the tree of life provides fruit for food each month—a continual harvest, with no dormancy—and the tree heals, having leaves for medicine. Ezekiel and John are describing similar time frames and providing a glimpse of what Jerusalem will look like in the coming kingdom of Jesus. The first thousand years of that kingdom (Revelation 20:2–5) take place prior to God’s final judgments (Revelation 20:11–15), and this is what Ezekiel describes. After that, there will be a new heaven and earth and a new Jerusalem, which will be the epicenter of God’s kingdom from then on (Revelation 21:1–3ff); this is what John describes. In the millennium and the New Jerusalem, the tree of life will be the (primary, at least) healing tree with leaves for medicine (Revelation 22:2).
With the description of the tree of life, the Bible comes full circle. Human history started out with the tree of life in the center of the Garden of Eden. But when Adam sinned, he and all his descendants were barred from accessing that tree, and they were doomed. Then Christ came to save sinners, and those who trust in Him will be granted full access to the tree of life once again. It seems that, in the future kingdom of God, the tree is growing everywhere, not just in one place. Because of the amazing grace of God, we will have life in abundance, partaking of the tree’s unending fruit and benefiting from the healing properties of its leaves like medicine.
James 2:13 says, “Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” When looking for the meaning from any passage, it is always important to look at the context. This chapter, and indeed the whole book of James, is a letter from the apostle James to the Church about practical Christian living. Not only does it deal with how to respond to God, but also how to maintain a Christlike relationship with others.
The first half of chapter 2—which includes verse 13—addresses the favoritism some believers were showing toward the rich at the expense of the poor (verses 1–9). James then goes on to speak about the Law and how breaking even one of God’s commands makes one guilty of breaking all of them—one infraction is all it takes to make one a lawbreaker (verses 10–11). While some in the church may have seen favoritism as a “lesser” sin, James informed them that any sin, no matter how small it seems, constitutes breaking the entirety of God’s Law for His people.
James 2:12–13 fit right into the flow of the previous verses. Verse 12 says, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.” James reminds the believers that they are no longer held under the old Law; instead, they are under a new law of freedom that was established through Jesus’ death and resurrection—born-again believers are under the New Covenant. This liberty, which comes through the gospel of Christ, gives us freedom from the power of sin. Live your life in such a way, says James, that proves that you expect to answer to God some day for your actions. No believer will be able to excuse his sin by saying, “I couldn’t help it,” because the cross of Christ did away with that bondage. We are under the law of liberty now.
In James 2:13, the thought is continued: “Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.” We dare not violate the law of liberty in our hearts by withholding mercy from others. If we who have been shown such great mercy act unmercifully toward our neighbors, then we will be dealt with in similar fashion. Jesus made the same point in the parable of the unforgiving steward (Matthew 18:23–35). And the principle goes back to Solomon’s time: “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered” (Proverbs 21:13). James’ mention of “mercy” here corresponds to his mention of “love” in verse 8: the “royal law” is to love your neighbor as yourself.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus proclaims, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). James gives the converse of that statement in James 2:13, saying, in essence, “Cursed are the unmerciful, for they will be shown no mercy.” A Christian is not under God’s curse. One of the qualities of the Christian is that he shows mercy and compassion toward others.
This brings us to the final statement of James 2:13, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” The idea is that mercy “glories” or “boasts” against judgment, knowing that, where mercy and judgment seem to conflict, mercy wins. The good news for every child of God in Christ is that God’s mercy toward us will triumph over His judgment of us (see Romans 8:1). Our sins may argue against us, but Christ is our loving Advocate who argues for us and prevents us from receiving the judgment we deserve. We, in turn, display God’s type of mercy toward others.
In essence, James 2:13 tells us that, since God will judge us with mercy, we should judge others with mercy. Being merciful is an act that shows our thankfulness for all God has done, and it is made possible through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.
The Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin (Luke 15:3–10) are the first two in a series of three. The third is the “lost son” or the “prodigal son.” Just as in other cases, Jesus taught these parables in a set of three to emphasize His point.
The illustration of the shepherd carrying the sheep on his shoulders was the original figure used to identify Christians before people began identifying Christianity with crosses. In these parables Jesus paints with words a beautiful picture of God’s grace in His desire to see the lost return to Him. Men seek honor and avoid shame; God seeks to glorify Himself through us His sheep, His sons and daughters. Despite having ninety-nine other sheep, despite the sinful rebellion of His lost sheep, God joyfully receives it back, just as He does when we repent and return to Him.
The least of these is a phrase from Matthew 25, where Jesus speaks of those in need. The context is the parable of the sheep and the goats, which describes the judgment of the nations. This judgment will take place in the aftermath of the tribulation in the end times. Jesus explains what will happen at that time:
Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Then the righteous will answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:34–40, ESV).
In contrast to the blessings enjoyed by the “sheep,” the “goats” are cursed with eternal hellfire, “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Jesus gives the reason for the judgment: they had opportunity to minister to the Lord, but they did nothing (verses 42–43). The “goats” ask when they saw the Lord in need—when did they have opportunity to serve Him? Jesus replies, “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me” (verse 45, ESV).
The need of the “least of these” is great, and the difference in treatment they receive is stark. The “sheep” act charitably, giving food, drink, and clothing to the least of these, Jesus’ brothers. The “goats” show no charity but turn a cold shoulder to their needs. It didn’t matter to them that Jesus’ brothers were hungry, thirsty, impoverished, sick, and imprisoned. They just didn’t care. In this way, the righteous and the unrighteous show their true nature. The nature of the righteous is to help others; the nature of the unrighteous is to look out for themselves. The “sheep” are proved to be righteous and the “goats” are proved to be sinful by their respective responses to those in dire need.
In the end-times context of Matthew 25, the “sheep” are those who were saved during the tribulation, and the “goats” are the unsaved who survived the tribulation. The “least of these” are the believing Jews (Jesus’ “brothers” in the flesh) who were persecuted and hunted down by the Antichrist during the great tribulation. During that time of intense trouble, only the righteous will risk their own well-being to help the Jewish people in their distress. The unrighteous will refuse to help, becoming complicit in the Antichrist’s extreme anti-Semitism and genocidal plans.
The redeemed are “eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14), even to the “least of these.” Extending charity to God’s people in difficult situations is godly. The “least of these” are easily overlooked and ignored. During the great tribulation, the Jews will be ostracized, persecuted, and marked for destruction (see Matthew 24:15–22; Daniel 7:21; Revelation 12:17). Non-Jews who remain apathic toward them will provide proof positive that they do not know Jesus.
God has always shown a special concern for the poor and needy (Psalm 35:10). In Matthew 25, Jesus identifies Himself with the poor and needy to the extent that He considers one’s treatment of the “least of these” to equate to how He is treated. A similar perspective is found in Acts 9. As “Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers” (Acts 9:1), the Lord stopped him on the road to Damascus. Saul “fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’” (verse 4). When Saul inquired who was speaking, the Lord replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!” (verse 5). Saul was persecuting Christians, and Jesus took it personally. As far as the Lord was concerned, Saul was persecuting Him.
The parable of the sheep and the goats can find application to our own actions today. The “least of these” could be applied broadly to all believers in Christ or, more broadly still, to all humanity. The followers of Jesus should be proactive in their charitable acts, especially toward those of the family of God (Galatians 6:10). If any of Jesus’ “brothers” are being ostracized, persecuted, or marked for destruction by wicked forces, we have a responsibility to take action to help provide relief from the suffering. Our service to the “least of these” is to Christ Himself. He takes it personally what happens to His own, and the godly should be characterized by charity.
Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This verse follows exhortations such as “Bless those who persecute you” (verse 14) and “Do not repay anyone evil for evil” (verse 17). The theme of the passage is how to love with sincerity (verse 9), and the instructions require us to set aside our natural inclinations. God’s way always challenges our fleshly nature and calls us to live at a higher level by the Spirit’s power. The human way is to curse those who curse us and try to overcome evil with more evil. But, according to Romans 12:21, we can only overcome evil with good. God’s goodness is stronger than any evil.
In John 1:5, the apostle John writes, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” No matter how strong the darkness, it is no match for the light. Darkness cannot overcome it.
John’s reference to light and darkness draws on language from the book of Genesis (cf., Genesis 1:3–5, 14–18, 20–31; 2:7). This suggests that John 1:5 alludes to the first act of creation in making a point about God’s Son. In John’s Gospel light and darkness often have spiritual significance (see John 3:19; 8:12; 12:35, 46). Hence, light is the result of both the act of creation and the act of salvation. God spoke, “and there was light” piercing the darkness (Genesis 1:3). And when the eternal Word of God was made flesh (John 1:1, 14), the radiance of His light could not be overcome by the darkness of a sinful world.
The light of Christ is the life, truth, and knowledge He brings into our world. In the face of spiritual darkness, His light cuts through hearts and illumines sinners (John 1:9; Hebrews 4:12). The reason that many people do not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior is that they “loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19–20). If people do not come to the light, it is not because they lack knowledge of the light, but because they love sin and darkness.
Notwithstanding, darkness cannot overcome the light. It has no power over light. John says, “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12–13). The reward for those who embraced the light of God in Christ was that they saw His glory, “the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (verse 14).
John’s use of the word overcome (John 1:5) indicates a triumphant victory of light over darkness. It suggests that light and darkness are not equal counterparts. Darkness exists, but light persists. Darkness looms in the shadows, but light continues to shine through. Even in the darkness of Jesus’ crucifixion, the light was victorious over Satan, sin, and death. Jesus rose again on the third day (John 19:28–30; 20:1–9). He sends His followers “to open [unbelievers’] eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith” (Acts 26:18).
As we reflect on the fact that the darkness has not overcome the light, we take heart. Evil will not win; it cannot. We are strengthened to embrace the radiance of God’s glory and share the gospel with everyone who remains in darkness. We can be confident that many will hear the gospel and turn to God in faith. The Light will win.
The fact that Christ has conquered death has eternal consequences for us. The good news—the gospel—is grounded in Christ’s victory over death. Without the resurrection, there is no gospel; indeed, there is no hope for us at all: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). But Christ has risen, and, as fellow conquerors with Him, Christians “have passed from death to life” (1 John 3:14). Christ “has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).
The fact that Christ has conquered death means that believers have also been granted victory over death. We are “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Christ is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20), which means that Jesus’ resurrection is the first of many: believers who have “fallen asleep” (died) will be likewise resurrected. Jesus promised His followers, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).
The fact that Christ has conquered death is a fulfillment of prophecy. The psalmist predicted the Messiah would overcome death: “You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay” (Psalm 16:10). Other prophets filled God’s people with the hope that the Lord would one day abolish death: “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:8), and “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” (Hosea 13:14; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:54–55).
In the wilderness of Judea, John the Baptist began his ministry of preparing Israel to receive her Messiah, Jesus Christ. Enormous crowds went to hear John (Matthew 3:5) as he traveled through the region “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Many people received John’s message, confessed their sins, and were baptized (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5). These baptisms stirred up such a commotion that the Pharisees and Sadducees went out to investigate. Aware of their insincerity of heart, John said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7–8).
John spoke severely, challenging these religious leaders’ spiritual pride and hypocrisy head-on. They needed to know that God’s judgment for sin was coming. Baptism is an outward symbol of true heart change. John’s baptism was a “baptism of repentance.” Repentance is the act of changing one’s mind that results in a change of actions. Sincere repentance involves turning away from sin both in thought and action. When the crowds came to John for baptism, they were showing their repentance and identifying with a new life. The Pharisees and Sadducees were detached observers at John’s baptism. They claimed to have repented of their sins—sins they eagerly pointed out in others—yet they lived as sinners, all the while denying their own guilt.
The religious leaders of John’s day had refused to submit themselves to God. They thought they were good enough by way of association with Abraham through their Jewish heritage (see Matthew 3:9; John 8:39). But their religious rituals and spiritual “pedigree” were not enough to please God. The only way for sinners to enter a relationship with God is through genuine repentance and faith. These religious leaders should have been setting an example and taking the lead. Instead, they lived in self-righteous, hypocritical denial of their spiritual condition.
John the Baptist warned, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). The tree represents Israel. If Israel did not repent, it would be cut down and destroyed (see Luke 13:6–10). Only those who genuinely repented and began to produce good fruit would be prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ.
Luke’s gospel gives further insight into what it means to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. John told the people, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones’” (Luke 3:8, NLT). John’s baptism of repentance was meant to be the start of a brand new, continuous life of producing fruit in keeping with righteousness. Our family tree won’t earn us a place in heaven or give us an automatic claim to God’s promises. John told the Sadducees and Pharisees who took pride in their lineage to take a more humble view: just as God had made Adam from the dust of the ground, God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones of the wilderness.
At John’s preaching, the people began to ask, “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10). In other words, “What is the fruit in keeping with repentance?” “John answered, ‘Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same’” (Luke 3:11). He told the tax collectors in the crowd, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to” (verse 13). He told the soldiers, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay” (verse 14). Such actions were the “fruit” of repentance in that they showed the genuineness of the change of heart.
When the apostle Paul began his preaching ministry, he, too, spoke of good deeds as proof of genuine repentance: “I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do” (Acts 26:20, NLT).
The believer’s spiritual life and growth are often compared to a fruit-bearing tree in Scripture. Just as fruit production is proof of life and health in a tree, so are good actions the evidence of spiritual life in Jesus Christ and the presence of God’s Spirit dwelling within a person. Jesus said, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:17–20, NLT).
Fruit in keeping with repentance represents the good deeds and changed behaviors that naturally flow from a truly repentant and transformed heart. In James 2:14–26, James teaches extensively on the subject, explaining that “faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (verse 17, NLT). James concludes, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works (verse 26, NLT).
Paul prays for the Philippians to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11). He gives examples of good spiritual fruit: “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23, NLT; see also Ephesians 5:9; Colossians 1:10; James 3:17).
The believer’s ability to produce fruit in keeping with repentance depends wholly on our intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, who said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5, NLT). The root will naturally produce fruit. Fruit in keeping with repentance is the evidence (as well as a result) of a changed mind, transformed life, and ongoing communion with Jesus.
John 6:37 is a comforting verse for Christians. It reads, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (ESV). The verse hints at the mystery of how divine sovereignty relates to human responsibility. Unfortunately, debates over that mystery can distract us from embracing Jesus’ assurance. What a wonderful promise, that whoever comes to Jesus will never be cast out!
The word whoever holds the invitation open to everyone, regardless of class, ethnic group, gender, or any other qualification. Even the worst offender who comes to Christ will receive forgiveness of sins and a multitude of spiritual blessings. Jesus will not turn anyone away on account of his or her past actions or any other criteria. Such inclusivity is contrasted with the exclusivity of a preceding verse, where Jesus calls Himself the “bread of life” (John 6:35). Both aspects of Jesus’ invitation are offensive in our culture. On one hand, pluralism bristles at the idea of Jesus being the only way, the only bread. On the other hand, our natural tendency is to consider ourselves to be deserving of heaven. The gospel’s invitation to even notorious sinners offends the sensibilities of those who consider themselves to be the good guys. Why should the “deserving” share space with the “undeserving”?
In Capernaum, “when the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw [Jesus] eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” (Mark 2:16). The Pharisees did not understand Jesus’ commitment that “whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Their offense betrayed a heart full of pride and self-righteousness. The Lord came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), not to send repentant sinners away.
Who comes to Jesus? “All those the Father gives.” When we come to Christ, we may not recognize that the Father has called us or that we are His gift to the Son. But God is sovereign. We may not fully understand, but Jesus’ words give us security: He will never drive us away.
No one who trusts in Jesus will be cast out or driven away. To be cast out is to be rejected. Jesus will not shut the door on anyone who genuinely approaches Him in repentant faith. As the Hebrews writer affirms, God “rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus further implores all who are weary to seek rest in Him (Matthew 11:28–30).
The inclusion of the Gentiles is a fulfillment of Hosea 2:23, “I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
John 6:37 attests to our eternal security by revealing Jesus’ willingness to receive anyone who believes in Him. God the Father gave the gift, and Jesus would never cast it away. As Jesus says in the next verse, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). God’s will was that Jesus save all those given to Him and lose none of them (see John 6:39). We can be confident that, regardless of a person’s past, whoever comes to Jesus will never be cast out.
In Romans 11 Paul makes a compelling observation—an affirmation he refers to as a mystery—that a partial hardening has happened until “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25, ESV). The context helps us understand the meaning of the partial hardening and what is the fullness of the Gentiles.
In the first eleven chapters of Romans, Paul catalogs the mercies of God in God’s provision of righteousness through the gospel. First, in Romans 1:1—3:20 Paul considers the universal human need for God’s righteousness, as all are unrighteous and separated from God. Then in Romans 3:21—4:25 Paul lays out how God applied righteousness through faith to all who believe in Jesus, outlining three different and significant types of descendants of Abraham: 1) ethnic Israel (Romans 4:1), 2) believing Gentiles (Romans 4:11), and 3) believing Jews (Romans 4:12). These three sets of descendants of Abraham are especially important for understanding the partial hardening and the fullness of the Gentiles that Paul talks about in Romans 11.
Romans 5—8 discusses the implications of that righteousness applied in freeing believers from the penalty and bondage of sin (Romans 5—7) and assuring them of a present and future of reconciliation and peace with God (Romans 8). At the end of Romans 8 is a powerful affirmation of the believer’s eternal security—God will keep His promises to those who have believed in Jesus Christ, and they will never be separated from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35).
Ephesians 5:25–27 uses Christ’s unique role as the one who sanctifies the church as a model for how a husband should love and care for his wife. These verses say that “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (NKJV).
In marriage, a husband should sacrificially love his wife, as Christ loved the church. Unlike marriage, however, husbands do not “sanctify” or “wash” their wives. But this is something that Christ does for His church. In this context, to sanctify is to set apart for God’s purpose and purify from sin. Through faith in the finished work of Christ, believers are set apart as holy and dedicated to God’s service (see Romans 12:1–2; 1 Peter 1:15–16).
In Ephesians 5:26, the expression washing of water is linked to water baptism, as mentioned in Romans 6:3–4. According to Paul, baptism symbolizes the believer’s death to sin and new life in Christ. The reality is that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV). Water for cleansing also played a part in a bride’s preparation for her wedding day.
There may also be a link between Ezekiel 16:1–13 and Ephesians 5:26–27. In the Ezekiel passage, Israel is portrayed as an abandoned girl who becomes a queen. This passage prefigures the New Testament concept of the church as the bride of Christ, who is sanctified and cleansed for Him. The metaphor is further enriched by Ezekiel 36:25, where God promises to “sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you” (ESV). In Christ, we are thoroughly cleansed.
The culmination of Christ’s sanctifying work is beautifully illustrated in the eschatological visions of Revelation 19:7–9 and 21:2, 9–11. In these passages, the apostle John describes the marriage supper of the Lamb, an event that represents the final consummation of Christ’s relationship with His church. This future event is not only a celebration but a fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan, where Christ presents “the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27, ESV).
Ephesians 5:26 also specifies the agency through which Christ accomplishes His “washing” of the church: it is done “through the word.” In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus said, “Sanctify them [the disciples] by the truth; your word is truth.” The means by which God justifies, saves, and sanctifies His people is the Word of God (see also John 15:3; James 1:18). It is by the Word that God accomplishes His purpose “to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17, NLT).
While the focus of Ephesians 5:26–27 is on Christ’s role, there are practical implications for believers. Because we have been “sanctified” and “washed,” God expects us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV). Such a “walk,” or lifestyle, is not about earning salvation; rather, it is about responding to God’s grace with reverence and obedience.
The church, as the collective body of believers, plays an important role in the sanctification process. This communal aspect of sanctification is emphasized in Hebrews 10:24–25, which encourages believers “to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (ESV).
The sanctification process is both personal and communal. Individually, believers are called to engage with Scripture, allowing the Word of God to cleanse them from sin and transform their hearts and minds (Psalm 119:105; James 1:22–25). Collectively, the church reflects the holiness and purity of Christ, given to the church through what He accomplished on the cross.
Ephesians 5:26–27 presents profound insights into Christ’s role in the sanctification of His church, drawing from Old Testament allegories and culminating in our future union with Him. Not only does this passage reveal the depth of Christ’s love and sacrifice, but it also calls us to a life of holiness and dedication to God’s service. Let us, then, live out the fulness of our spiritual cleansing, demonstrating to everyone that we belong to Christ, who sanctifies us “by the washing with water through the word.”
While discussing these mercies of God, Paul seems to anticipate that his readers might wonder why, if God is so faithful to restore those who believe in Jesus, God’s promises of restoration to Israel do not seem to be fulfilled yet. Simply put, if God is faithful, and if His promises to believers are trustworthy, then why is He not keeping His promises to Israel? It is to answer this concern that Paul writes Romans 9—11, as he introduces the ideas of a partial hardening of Israel and the fullness of the Gentiles (Romans 11:25).
In Romans 9 Paul expresses his love for his Jewish brethren (Romans 9:1–5) and recognizes that the covenant promises are to be fulfilled to a specific group of Abraham’s descendants. Paul shows the distinct groups by highlighting God’s choosing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and affirms that God’s blessing would be for those descendants who believe in the Messiah (Romans 9:33). Salvation would not only be for believing Jews, though, as Gentiles could also call upon the name of the Lord for salvation (Romans 10:12–13). While there are believing Jews and Gentiles, Paul explains that the nation of Israel as a whole has not yet received her Messiah (Romans 10:18—11:10), but they will one day be saved through believing in their Messiah (Romans 11:26).
In the meantime, Paul explains that there is a partial hardening of the nation—that many will refuse the Messiah—until the fullness of the Gentiles occurs. Israel’s hardening will continue until the divinely set number of Gentiles are saved: “Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ” (Romans 11:25, NLT).
Paul recognized that Israel’s failure to accept the Messiah when He came offering the kingdom represented blessing for the Gentiles because, instead of setting up that kingdom on earth at that time, Christ died to pay for the sins of all. In so doing, Christ fulfilled the promise God made to Abraham that in Abraham’s seed all the peoples of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 12:3b). That partial hardening of Israel also represented a shift in focus to the announcement of salvation to the Gentiles. Paul acknowledged himself as an apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) and sought that many Gentiles would come to know Christ so those promises could be fulfilled and then the Jewish people might return to their Messiah (Romans 11:14–15). Paul alluded to this in 2 Timothy 4:17 when he expressed gratitude for God’s sustaining him so that Paul might fulfill his ministry and that all the Gentiles might hear.
Even though God’s promises to save the nation of Israel are not presently being fulfilled, Paul recognizes that God will keep those promises after the fullness of the Gentiles. Paul seems to be building on the foundation of Daniel 9, in which is revealed a 490-year prophetic timeline after which God will accomplish His covenant blessings for Israel. After the first 483 years of the timeline, the Messiah was cut off (Daniel 9:26a), signaling a shift in the focus away from Israel as Gentiles (Rome) would dominate, and there would be wars and desolation. But one day in the future, the ruler who would be known as the Antichrist would make a seven-year agreement with Israel. That last seven years of the timeline would begin to return the focus back to Israel and would conclude the times of the Gentiles of which Jesus spoke in Luke 21:24.
Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was an important sign to the enemies of Israel. Nehemiah told their enemies, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it” (Nehemiah 2:20).
And rebuilding the walls showed that God was with His people. Upon the completion of the walls, Nehemiah wrote, “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God” (Nehemiah 6:16).
The fullness of the Gentiles in Romans 11:25 reminds us of God’s global focus (with the universal proclamation of the gospel of salvation) and chronology (with the times of the Gentiles not yet complete). One day, the fullness of the Gentiles will be complete, and God will deliver the nation of Israel.
Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 1:11). He was loyal to the king and worked with a good, positive attitude. One day, Nehemiah presented the wine with sadness, and the king noticed and asked his cupbearer the reason for his sadness (Nehemiah 2:2). Nehemiah took the opportunity to request a leave of absence in order to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls that remained in disrepair. Nehemiah 2:8 says, “And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.” Nehemiah was an excellent cupbearer because he trusted and honored God in all that he did, and he worked diligently. Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings.” Such was the case with Nehemiah.
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He owns every animal and every bird and every beast. He owns us. For His greatness and goodness, we “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
The Bible uses several metaphors
involving
birth to help explain
what it means to
have a
saving relationship
with Jesus
We find terms such as born again (John 3:3), born of God (John 1:13), and born of the Spirit (John 3:6). They all mean the same thing. Birth metaphors are used because we all understand physical birth. When a baby is born, a new person emerges into the world. The new life will grow, and the young person will come to resemble his or her parents. When we are born of the Spirit, a “new person” arrives with a new spiritual life. And as we grow, we come to resemble our Father in heaven (Romans 8:29).
People try to know God through a variety of means: some try religion or following an ethical code; some turn to intellect or logic; others try to find God in nature; and others through emotional experiences, believing that God inhabits whatever feelings they can muster when they think about Him. None of those bring us one step closer to actually communing with the God of the Bible because He cannot be known through our moral codes, our minds, our environment, or our emotions. He is Spirit, and those who would worship must worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
Imagine trying to paint a portrait using a hammer and nails or trying to bake a meal using pen and paper. It would not help to try harder or cry over it because both tasks are impossible given the tools mentioned. So it is with the flesh and the Spirit. We cannot commune with a holy, incorporeal Being using sinful, fleshly means. Unless our spirits are reborn with life from God’s Spirit, we simply do not have the capability to fellowship with Him. We must be born of the Spirit.
God has instituted a way for fallen human beings to enter His holy presence, and it is the only way we can come to Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). When Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin (John 10:18) and rose again, He opened a door that had been locked. When He died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn in two, symbolizing the fact that He has made a way to enter God’s presence. God has opened the door to heaven so that whoever trusts in His Son’s sacrifice can be born again in his or her spirit (Mark 15:38).
When we place our faith in the risen Christ, a divine transaction takes place (2 Corinthians 5:21). God removes from us the sin, guilt, and condemnation we deserved because of our rebellion against Him. He throws our sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). At the moment of repentance and faith, the Holy Spirit breathes new life into us, and our bodies become His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Our spirits can now commune with God’s Spirit as He assures us that we belong to Him (Romans 8:16).
The clearest verse on
God’s drawing to salvation
is John 6:44
where Jesus declares that
“no one can
come to Me unless the
Father
who sent Me draws him,
and I will raise
him up at the last day.”
The Greek word translated “draw” is helkuo, which means “to drag” (literally or figuratively).
Clearly, this drawing is a one-sided affair. God does the drawing to salvation; we who are drawn have a passive role in the process. There is no doubt that we respond to His drawing us, but the drawing itself is all on His part.
Helkuo is used in John 21:6 to refer to a heavy net full of fish being dragged to the shore. In John 18:10 we see Peter drawing his sword, and in Acts 16:19 helkuo is used to describe Paul and Silas being dragged into the marketplace before the rulers. Clearly, the net had no part in its being drawn to the shore, Peter’s sword had no part in being drawn, and Paul and Silas did not drag themselves to the marketplace. The same can be said of God’s drawing of some to salvation. Some come willingly, and some are dragged unwillingly, but all eventually come, although we have no part in the drawing.
Why does God need to draw us to salvation? Simply put, if He didn’t, we would never come. Jesus explains that no man can come unless the Father draws him (John 6:65). The natural man has no ability to come to God, nor does he even have the desire to come. Because his heart is hard and his mind is darkened, the unregenerate person doesn’t desire God and is actually an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). When Jesus says that no man can come without God’s drawing him, He is making a statement about the total depravity of the sinner and the universality of that condition. So darkened is the unsaved person’s heart that he doesn’t even realize it: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore, it is only by the merciful and gracious drawing of God that we are saved. In the conversion of the sinner, God enlightens the mind (Ephesians 1:18), inclines the will toward Himself, and influences the soul, without which influence the soul remains darkened and rebellious against God. All of this is involved in the drawing process.
There is a sense in which God draws all men. This is known as the “general call” and is distinguished from the “effectual call” of God’s elect. Passages such as Psalm 19:1-4 and Romans 1:20 attest to the fact that God’s eternal power and divine nature are “clearly seen” and “understood” from what has been made, “so that people are without excuse.” But men still do deny God, and those who acknowledge His existence still do not come to a saving knowledge of Him outside of His drawing them. Only those who have been drawn through special revelation—by the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God—will come to Christ.
There are tangible ways in which those who are being drawn to salvation experience that drawing. First, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinful state and our need for a Savior (John 16:8). Second, He awakens in us a previously unknown interest in spiritual things and creates a desire for them that was never there before. Suddenly our ears are open, our hearts are inclined toward Him, and His Word begins to hold a new and exciting fascination for us. Our spirits begin to discern spiritual truth that never made sense to us before: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Finally, we begin to have new desires. He places within us a new heart that inclines toward Him, a heart that desires to know Him, obey Him, and walk in the “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) that He has promised.
The eyes of the Lord is an anthropomorphic expression, meaning that it attributes humanlike qualities to God. God, who is spirit (John 4:24), does not have a physical body with eyes and ears, or arms and legs. The omniscience of God is most often the intended implication of the eyes of the Lord, as seen in Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”
Nothing and no one in heaven and on earth can escape being observed by the watchful, all-pervading eyes of the Lord. God is always assessing, appraising, overseeing, superintending, and safeguarding His creation. God sees all people and knows all people, both the evil and the righteous.
Since the eyes of the Lord are everywhere, so too is His presence. Thus, the idiom also expresses God’s omnipresence: “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
The eyes of the Lord conveys the all-knowing, all-seeing limitlessness of God, and yet at the same time His personal, ever-caring nature. The Bible tells us that God is always paying attention to our needs: “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry” (Psalm 34:15). Believers can count on the individual, intimate care and concern of a loving God: “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:18).
The eyes of the Lord often indicates His recognition and the bestowing of His favor: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8; see also 1 Peter 3:12). Likewise, the phrase frequently expresses His protection: “It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (Deuteronomy 11:12). The heavenly Father keeps a fond eye on His children: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:3–4).
The Bible tells us that God sees everything:
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”
(Hebrews 4:13; see also Psalm 11:4).
The Lord’s field of vision is omnidirectional and unrestricted. Nothing we do can be hidden or kept secret from Him. Closed doors and locked chambers will not obscure His vision. He sees everything, including our sins, which displease Him, and the depravity of the world, which breaks His heart (Jeremiah 17:9–10).
In His sovereign knowledge and foresight of all things, God is never caught off guard or taken by surprise. Nothing happens to Him or to His children unexpectedly. We may find ourselves in difficult circumstances, but we can rest assured that God is in control. As the psalmist reassures, God will be there with us: “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Psalm 139:8–12).
The concerned and compassionate eyes of the Lord are always on us, penetrating even our darkest night. From the moment we are conceived and every day thereafter, He sees us (Psalm 139:16). The Lord keeps His eyes on His children to protect and preserve them and lead them home.
May we pray daily for the Lord
to equip us
“with everything good”
so that we
“may do His will,
working in us that which is
pleasing in
His sight through Jesus Christ”
(Hebrews 13:20–21)
John 10 gives
us a
beautiful portrayal of
Jesus Christ
as the
Good Shepherd
He is the “gate” and “gatekeeper” to the sheep pen,
meaning that
only through Jesus can anyone be made
right with God
and thereby enter the sheepfold
(verses 1–3).
The sheepfold is comprised of members of God’s kingdom. Jesus is the true Shepherd who leads, cares for, and protects His sheep, even to death (verses 3–15).
As the Good Shepherd,
Jesus explains,
“I have other sheep that are not
of this sheep pen
I must bring them also.
They too will listen to my voice,
and there shall be
one flock and one shepherd”
(John 10:16).
Who are these “other sheep that are not of this sheep pen”?
Most scholars understand that the sheep pen introduced
at the beginning of the chapter
represents first-century Jewish believers.
Initially, Jesus focused His ministry on
“the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep
” (see Matthew 10:5–6; 15:24–27, NLT).
At Pentecost, “God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven” were converted to Christianity (Acts 2:5). But, eventually, Peter and Paul would take the message of Christ’s salvation to the Gentiles and to the farthest reaches of the Roman world (Acts 10:1—11:30; 13). The true mission of God’s heart has always been to have one flock comprised of disciples from “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9; see also Matthew 28:18–19; Isaiah 49:6).
The “one flock” is the New Testament Christian church made up of both Jews (from the sheep pen) and Gentiles (the other sheep). Of “the other sheep,” Jesus said, “I must bring them also.” In Romans 11:11–24, the apostle Paul compares the people of Israel to the natural branches of a cultivated olive tree and the Gentiles to the wild branches of an uncultivated olive tree. Most of the natural branches were “broken off” because they rejected their Messiah. In the sheep analogy, these Jews would have failed to enter the sheep pen because they did not come through the gate. The wild branches (the Gentiles) were “grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root” (Romans 11:17). The Gentiles were made partakers of God’s salvation. Jesus has brought them into the sheep pen. Together, Jews and Gentiles—all those who belong to the Good Shepherd—now comprise the spiritually unified “one flock,” the body of Christ, and Jesus is their “one shepherd.”
In Ephesians 2:11–22, the apostle Paul teaches about the oneness that has come to God’s people through Christ: “Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called ‘uncircumcised heathens’ by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11–13, NLT).
Jews and Gentiles have been united with God and with one another through one shepherd—the Good Shepherd. They are all now one flock. Jesus is “our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility . . . to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. . . . For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Ephesians 2:14–18). Later, Paul refers to the oneness of the New Testament church as a “mystery” that “through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6).
God’s plan has always been to gather in one flock “the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one” (John 11:52; see also Isaiah 56:8; Matthew 8:11). Jesus prayed for His flock, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11; see also John 17:21–22). No matter how different we are, no matter how diverse our backgrounds, as redeemed believers in Jesus Christ, we are no longer estranged from one another. We are one flock with one shepherd—fellow citizens of the kingdom of God. Skin color, social class, ethnicity, and nationality are all united in the Good Shepherd’s sheep pen (Ephesians 2:19).
Psalm 112:4 states that the upright person is full of compassion because he receives spiritual enlightenment and insight from the Lord: “Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous” (Psalm 112:4, NKJV). Even in darkness, the godly can see what others cannot because they see with divinely illuminated eyes. Besides gaining the powers of heavenly perception, the upright person receives a gracious heart full of compassion and righteousness because these are attributes of God’s character.
Indeed,
“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion”
(Psalm 111:4, NKJV)
By nature, He is imbued with tenderness, kindness, and compassion (Psalm 119:156; Joel 2:13; 2 Corinthians 1:3; James 5:11). God’s compassion is closely related to His love and mercy. Compassion is a deep empathy for those who are in need. To be compassionate, in the original biblical languages is to have mercy, to feel sympathy, and to have pity.
The compassion of God makes Him acutely aware of and sympathetic to the weakness of humans. King David declared, “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15, NKJV). Out of compassion, God hears when troubled humans cry to Him for help (Isaiah 49:13; Exodus 22:27; Psalm 40:1–2, 11–12).
Throughout His Word, God shows that He is full of compassion and forgiveness toward sinners (Psalm 51:1–2; Isaiah 54:7–8; Daniel 9:9; Jeremiah 12:15; Lamentations 3:22). Although the Lord hates sin and vows to bring judgment on sinners (Job 34:21–27; Psalm 1:4–6; Romans 2:12–16; 2 Peter 2:4–9), His heart longs to see every sinner repent so that He does not have to mete out His judgment (Isaiah 55:6–7; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Matthew 4:17; 1 John 1:9). To the stiff-necked and rebellious who forget all that the Lord has done for them, He is still “a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Nehemiah 9:17). Even after God’s people committed great evil and blasphemies, Nehemiah testified,
“Yet whenever your people turned and cried to you again for help,
you listened once more from heaven.
In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them many times!”
(Nehemiah 9:28, NLT).
The most profound and extravagant expression
of God’s
compassion is in Jesus Christ,
His Son,
whom He sent to be our Savior
(Luke 1:78–79).
Jesus’ ministry was filled with compassion: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36, NLT). Moved by compassion, Jesus healed the sick (Matthew 14:14; 20:34; Mark 8:2), comforted the grieving (Luke 7:13; 8:50; John 11:33–35), fed the hungry (Matthew 15:32), offered rest to the weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28–29), and ministered salvation to the lost (Matthew 9:36; John 8:10–11).
In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21–35), Jesus illustrated the depth of compassion that should fill the heart of every believer. Just as the master took pity and forgave his servant’s debt, we must be willing to forgive others and cancel their debts. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37) and the Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11–32), Jesus continued to define the attitude of compassion that ought to capture the hearts of His followers.
Jesus is the physical embodiment of compassion. He experienced human sorrow, pain, and temptation (Hebrews 4:15). Because we are helpless—powerless to save ourselves—Christ became one of us so that He could rescue us (John 1:14; Philippians 2:6–7). Scripture beautifully expresses how “Jesus, through his suffering,” became “a perfect leader,” the only being fit to bring us to salvation. Christ “became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:10–18, NLT). Jesus took away our sins through His compassionate sacrifice on our behalf and saved us from eternal death.
Because our God is gracious, righteous, and full of compassion (Psalm 116:5), He calls His chosen children to clothe themselves “with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” toward one another (Colossians 3:12). The apostle Paul urged believers to “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Jesus is our perfect model to follow (Luke 10:36–37; John 13:34; 17:18; Philippians 2:1), and He is our ever-present helper, equipping and filling us with the divine power and inspiration to love others with His compassion.
Psalm 119 is an epic poetic composition paying homage to the Word of God. The psalmist marvels at the excellencies and perfections of God’s Word, including its timeless, unlimited, and infinite nature. In Psalm 119:89, he observes, “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven” (NKJV), punctuating the fact that God’s Word is eternal.
In Psalm 119:152, the psalmist testifies, “Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.” Fast forward to the time of Jesus, and the Lord Himself bears witness, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). The Word of God is eternal—it “endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).
Besides “Your word is settled in heaven” (NKJV), other possible translations are “Your word . . . stands firm in the heavens” (NIV), “Your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (ESV), and “Your word is established in heaven forever” (GW). The term settled means “established, to be positioned” and carries the idea of absolute stability. God’s Word is eternal, and it is absolutely and perpetually immutable: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
Human words may fail, but believers can count on God’s Word. Every single word of the Lord is flawlessly accurate and truthful (Proverbs 30:5). His Word was living, active, and relevant in ages past, still is today, and always will be (Isaiah 55:11; Hebrews 4:12).
By His Word, God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence (Genesis 1:1–31; Psalm 33:6; 2 Peter 3:5). God’s Word gave life and sustenance to His people in the past (Deuteronomy 8:3; 30:14–16). Moses told the Israelites that the Lord’s instructions were “not empty words—they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan River” (Deuteronomy 32:47, NLT).
The Word of God still gives life today (Matthew 4:4; John 6:63; Hebrews 1:3; James 1:21). Christians are made alive spiritually and eternally “through the living and enduring Word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).
Your word is settled in heaven also communicates the boundless, unlimited nature of the Word of God. The psalmist reflects, “I have seen a limit to all perfection, but Your command is without limit” (Psalm 119:96, HCSB). God’s Word is not confined but reaches far and wide through space and time, penetrating earthly spheres and accessing heavenly realms. The Bible tells us that God watches over His Word to ensure that His plans are carried out (Jeremiah 1:12). His Word is so settled in heaven and stable on earth that it always accomplishes its goal (Isaiah 55:11).
“The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever,” informs the psalmist (Psalm 119:160, NLT). God’s Holy Word is settled in heaven because it is truth (John 17:17). As God’s perfect gift to us, it cannot be changed. James explains, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV). God has spoken, and God’s Word is eternal, fixed, established, and settled in heaven forever.
The Greek phrase ouk pan rhema, translated as “nothing” in Luke 1:37, expresses the idea of “no word or promise” in the original language. Thus, we can understand the saying, for nothing will be impossible with God, to mean “no word or promise of God will be impossible.” The New International Version renders Luke 1:37, “For no word from God will ever fail.” “For the word of God will never fail,” states the New Living Translation. The American Standard Version says, “For no word from God shall be void of power.” Mary believes and humbly embraces God’s plan, as improbable as these pregnancies sound, for she responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. . . . May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38).
If God declares it, He will do it.
He fulfills His purposes through the power of His word: “For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command” (Psalm 33:9, NLT; see also Psalm 148:5). Our God created everything from nothing. He spoke, and life came into being (2 Peter 3:5). He sustains all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). God’s word always accomplishes what He desires and the purpose for which He sends it out (Isaiah 55:11).
The angel reminded Mary that her Savior, Redeemer, and Lord is the God of the impossible. The miracle He accomplished through Sarah, He was doing again through Elizabeth. And He would perform an even greater miracle through Mary.
As God worked in Mary’s life, He continues to work in ours today. He often chooses to do the unlikely and the humanly impossible to remind us that His purposes and power are not restricted. We must live each day with unwavering faith, knowing and believing that nothing—not one word or promise of God—will be impossible.
In 1 Corinthians 2:9, the apostle Paul made a statement that has thrilled and intrigued believers for many generations: “But as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived’—God has prepared these things for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, CSB). As part of a more extensive teaching about the difference between human wisdom and the wisdom in the message of the gospel, Paul borrowed from the book of Isaiah: “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” (Isaiah 64:4, NLT).
The believers in Corinth were relying on human wisdom to deal with problems in the church. They were valuing worldly intelligence and philosophy above the Christian message. Paul taught that God’s wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10, 12–14) and only understood by the spiritually mature. If the world’s rulers had understood the message of the gospel, they would never have crucified Christ: “Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord” (1 Corinthians 2:6–8, NLT).
Paul summed up mature Christian wisdom as the message of the gospel: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18, NIV). Wisdom is the message of Jesus Christ crucified. Long before the world began, the heavenly Father chose to send His Son to die on a cross and become the way of salvation. And in His inscrutable wisdom, God planned to bring along all those who love Him to share in His glory.
This is what no ordinary human eyes have seen—the revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ. No unregenerated ears have heard and received the truth in the gospel message of salvation. No unenlightened minds have perceived the mysteries of God, for they are beyond human thinking. True wisdom that pierces the senses can only be received and understood through a special revelation from the Spirit of God: “For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets” (1 Corinthians 2:10, NLT).
Just as the Corinthians relied on worldly wisdom, many Christians today still search in all the wrong places for discernment and insight. We think we are making wise decisions, all the while ignoring the counsel of God’s Word. Just as Paul wanted the Corinthians to grow up into maturity, God calls us today “to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15, ESV).
God wants to do so much more for us, in us, and through us if we let Him have His way: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20–21).
Many Christians apply 1 Corinthians 2:9 as a promise of future blessings in heaven. This application has merit, but our heavenly home was not the immediate context of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 2:9 or of the prophecy in Isaiah 64:4. The primary meaning of eyes have not seen what God has planned for those who love Him points to the mystery of the gospel, which is not understood by natural means. The human mind cannot comprehend it because God’s Spirit alone reveals it.
Paul rightly applied Isaiah’s words to support his case that only the spiritually mature can grasp the mysteries of God. Those who see from an earthly perspective with human eyes have not seen all the blessings God has prepared for His children. More beauty and worth are in the message of the gospel than anyone can comprehend apart from the Holy Spirit. The unsaved truly do not know what they’re missing. But there are still unseen wonders that even mature believers are yet to apprehend. Such is the richness and depth of God’s plan of salvation.
If we apply what no eye has seen to what awaits us in heaven, we can correlate it to many rewards promised in Scripture. James speaks of one such anticipated marvel that God has prepared for those who love Him: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).
Even though God has revealed some of His glory to us (1 Corinthians 13:12), the human mind cannot fully grasp the marvelous blessings God has in store for His children. Since the Bible does not tell us a lot about heaven, limited details dim our view. Whatever wonder we’ve seen before, heaven’s guaranteed to be better. Whatever joyous news we’ve heard already, heaven’s news reaches far beyond. Even the most incredible wonders we can dream up fade before the realities God has planned for those who love and follow Him. We know it will be the most incredible experience of our lives to be with the Lord in heaven, but for now, we can only imagine how outstanding it will be.
Redemptive suffering is Paul’s theme in Romans 8:18–27. Because of humanity’s fall, everything in creation has been subjected to God’s curse (Romans 8:20; see also Genesis 3:14–19). Along with every other created thing, believers long with eager anticipation for their ultimate adoption and emancipation from the curse (Romans 8:19). We can endure through the suffering of this present time because even our best experiences here on earth don’t hold a candle to the matchless glory of our future destiny and lasting reality in God’s eternal kingdom. When the curse of sin is lifted in the new heavens and new earth, we will live as “God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay” (Romans 8:21, NLT).
Today’s trials pale in significance when reframed against the setting of heaven’s Eden-like glory. The apostle Peter affirms, “I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 5:1, NLT).
After we have “suffered a little while,” Peter promises that
Christ Himself will restore us and make us
“strong, firm and steadfast” in His eternal glory
(1 Peter 5:10, NLT).
For now, we place our hope and trust in God because we
“through faith
are shielded by God’s power until the
coming of the salvation
that is ready
to be revealed in the last time”
(1 Peter 1:5).
Paul testifies that God gives us the strength to endure all things (Philippians 4:13). And Peter encourages us through every difficulty to “greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:5–6). Again, the apostle urges, “Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world” (1 Peter 4:13, NLT).
Paul describes the suffering of this present time as “our light and momentary troubles”
(2 Corinthians 4:17).
He equates the experience to “groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22, NLT).
A mother can undergo excruciating labor accompanied by the joyous anticipation of embracing her newborn baby. We “groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently)” (Romans 8:23–25, NLT).
Paul describes the sufferings of this present time and then crystalizes their purpose: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT).
The early apostles knew more than most of us ever will about the suffering of this present time. Both Peter and Paul died as martyrs for their faith in Jesus Christ. According to tradition, Paul was beheaded and Peter was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. Yet, even if we suffer as violently as these two brave apostles, we can hold on to the hope of a glorious future where death is conquered and sorrow, grief, and pain will all be wiped away (Revelation 21:4). When we apprehend this indisputable promise from God, we realize that the sufferings of this present time weigh no more than a feather compared to the hefty, eternal weight of glory.
In 2 Corinthians 4:17, the apostle Paul presents a beautiful and emphatic contrast between present afflictions and future glory: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (ESV). Before analyzing the meaning of “eternal weight of glory,” it is essential to understand the broader context of the epistle.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul addresses the challenges faced by the Corinthians and defends his apostolic ministry against accusations and opposition. In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul emphasizes the grace and mercy of God, which sustained Paul and his fellow-laborers during times of toil, weariness, scorn, danger, and constant exposure to death (see 2 Corinthians 4:7–10; cf. 2 Corinthians 11:23–27). Their suffering was not in vain: “So death is at work in us, but life in you” (2 Corinthians 4:12).
Despite these hardships, which continued for the duration of his life, Paul characterizes his trials and tribulations as “light” and “momentary.” The word light denotes something that is easy to bear or of little weight (cf. Matthew 11:30 and 2 Corinthians 1:17). Paul’s use of this term conveys the relative insignificance of present afflictions when juxtaposed with the eternal weight of glory.
Furthermore, the term momentary emphasizes the brevity and fleeting nature of present afflictions (cf. James 4:14). Paul contrasts the temporary nature of suffering with the eternal nature of the glory that awaits believers (see Romans 8:29–30). Even if we were to suffer for the rest of our lives, our afflictions are still momentary because this life will come to an end (2 Corinthians 4:16). And when it does, we will be glorified with Christ (Romans 8:17).
Next, Paul juxtaposes the light and momentary affliction with an “eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” The word weight signifies the substantiality, significance, and overwhelming nature of the future glory that believers will experience (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9, 13:12; 1 John 3:2). Hence, it conveys a sense of immeasurable value and magnitude.
This “eternal weight of glory” stands in stark contrast
to the fleeting
and transitory nature of present afflictions.
The word eternal signifies the everlasting and unending nature of the glory that believers will inherit. It also highlights the incomparable duration and permanence of our future glory.
In Romans 8:18, Paul expresses a similar idea, declaring that the “sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (ESV). This passage reinforces the idea that present afflictions, though seemingly significant, pale in comparison to the future glory that believers will partake in.
In 1 Peter 1:6–7, the apostle notes that suffering has a redemptive purpose: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (ESV). This passage aligns with the theme of present afflictions preparing believers for an eternal weight of glory, as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 4:17.
Second Corinthians 4:17 reminds us that present afflictions, though at times severe,
Are light and momentary
when contrasted with
the
immeasurable weight of glory
that
awaits believers
This provides immense comfort to those enduring trials, assuring them
their suffering is purposeful and temporary,
while their future glory is eternal and incomparable.
May this passage inspire and strengthen our faith as we endure various trials, always mindful of
the surpassing glory that
awaits
us in Jesus Christ
In John 15:13 Jesus states, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” The statement upholds sacrificial love as the ultimate expression of love. In saying this, Jesus prepares His disciples for His crucifixion and shows them what He meant when He told them to “love each other as I have loved you” (verse 12).
All true love involves some kind of sacrifice, as the lover seeks to benefit the loved one. It stands to reason, then, that the greatest love of all would involve a total laying down of one’s life for the loved one. God, who is love, revealed His love for mankind through sacrifice (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Sacrifice is paramount in 1 John 4:10: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” The sacrificial love of God, also known as agape love, stands as the “greater love” and is how the Source of Love saved us.
Romans 1—8 Paul lays out God’s plan for how people can become righteous. Paul’s explanation culminates in Romans 8:35 with the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” In Romans 1:1—3:20 Paul makes the case for the universal need for God’s righteousness as revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of humanity is unrighteous and in need of salvation. No matter one’s ethnicity or heritage, all are in sin and have fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), and the wages of that sin is death (Romans 6:23) or separation from God.
Before Paul asks the question of who shall separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35), Paul explains that the universal human problem is that all are already separated from God. He explains elsewhere that we are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). But Paul announces that the good news about Jesus Christ—the gospel—is God’s way to save all those who believe in Jesus (Romans 1:17). Paul explains how all have become unrighteous through Adam (Romans 5:12–21), and he provides hope in Romans 3:21—4:25, recounting how God made a way for all to be righteous in His sight by believing in Jesus. By faith and not by works God provides justification (or the declaration of righteousness) for all who believe in Him (Romans 3:28). God’s grace has always been applied to human need by faith in Him, and Paul illustrates this by referring to Abraham, who was also justified by faith in the Lord (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4).
Paul explains further in Romans 5—8 that this provision of grace through faith has tremendous implications for those who believe in Jesus, and that God’s grace is an expression of God’s love. God demonstrated His love for us even while we were in sin—Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Now that we have believed in Christ, we are connected to His love in a way we never were before.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? In Romans 5 Paul discusses how we came to be separated from God in the first place—because of Adam’s sin, all who are descended from Adam are under the curse of sin. Adam was created in the image of God, but when Adam sinned, something was added to his nature. When Adam had children, they were now in Adam’s likeness, not just God’s (Genesis 5:3). Even though humanity would still have the image of God (Genesis 9:6), people would also have a sinful nature and be separated from God. Through Adam sin entered the world and made us all sinners (Romans 5:12), but through Christ we have the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17).
If God loves us this much, and we receive His expression of love in grace through faith, then who shall separate us from the love of Christ? This is exactly the question that Paul asks and answers at the end of Romans 8. In Romans 6 Paul shows that we are no longer in bondage to sin—we have new natures, and we are dead to sin but alive in Christ (Romans 6:11). Because we have new life, we should behave like we have new life (Romans 6:12). Despite the new expectation, Paul understands that we still also have the old nature—the flesh (Romans 7:18). There is an ongoing conflict in the believer between the new nature, which is pursuing the good, and the old nature, which is pursuing sin (Romans 7:19–25).
Ultimately, Christ sets us free from the old nature (Romans 7:24–25), yet we can still set our minds on this old way of life and fail in our walk. Paul urges believers not to live this way—we have been set free and should not again allow ourselves to be in bondage. But because we do sometimes, we may lose our confidence that God has delivered us. Because of this tendency to doubt, Paul affirms that we can know we are in Christ because His Spirit is in us (Romans 8:9–11). This assurance of our salvation is not from our works but from the Holy Spirit testifying that we are His (Romans 8:16). God’s purpose in our lives is guaranteed (Romans 8:28–31). What God has promised, He will fulfill.
It is in this context that Paul asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”—the answer is that nothing at all can separate us from His love. After an extensive list of things that cannot separate us from His love (Romans 8:35–39), Paul adds that “no other created thing” can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:39). It is important to realize that we are created things and that even we cannot separate ourselves from the love of Christ. We didn’t deserve to receive the love of Christ in the first place, and we don’t deserve to keep it. He gave us His love by grace through faith, and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
In Galatians 4:8–20, the apostle Paul expresses deep concern over the wayward spiritual condition of the Galatians. The church had come under the influence of Judaizers who preached a false gospel combining God’s grace with human works. As a result, the Galatians had slid back into religious legalism. In a lengthy argument reminding them that righteousness is based on faith in Christ’s work of redemption and not our own works (Galatians 3:1—4:31), Paul conveys the intensity of his love for the Galatians. These converts were the fruit of his evangelistic efforts. He had labored for their salvation, and now he feels like a mother going through labor pains again: “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19).
God’s purpose for every believer is to be transformed into the image and character of Jesus Christ: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29, NLT; see also Ephesians 1:4–11). Paul was eager to see his beloved spiritual children advancing in that purpose, “growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (Ephesians 4:15, NLT). Paul would never cease caring and travailing in anguish until the life of Christ was formed in them.
The word translated as “formed” (morphoomai in Greek) in Galatians 4:19 means “to be or become developed into a distinctive entity,” as in the formation of an embryo in the womb. Paul’s illustration stresses their need to begin growing up spiritually. He ached to see the reality of Jesus Christ living in the Galatians.
At salvation, the life of Christ indwells believers. Jesus said, “I am in them” (John 17:23, NLT), and Paul affirmed, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). But the transformation “until Christ is formed in you” is a life-long process (1 John 3:2; Philippians 3:21; 2 Peter 1:4). Paul told the Colossians, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him” (Colossians 3:10). The process of spiritual growth was being hindered in the Galatians through outward religious performance instead of true inward change (see Colossians 2:20–23). Believers don’t become righteous through their own efforts, observing rules and regulations, but by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit: “And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT; see also Ephesians 4:23; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22; Titus 3:4–7).
Paul told the Philippians that nothing is more important in the Christian life than knowing Christ and becoming like Him. We accomplish this not by obeying the law but through faith in Jesus: “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith” (Philippians 3:8–9, NLT).
Christ is formed in you when there is nothing left to see but Him living in you (Romans 8:9–11; Galatians 3:27). Christ is formed in you when He is your everything and all you need (Romans 7:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 4:15; Philippians 4:19; 2 Peter 1:3).
Beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see
whether
they are from God, for many false
prophets
have gone out into the world”
(1 John 4:1)
In this verse believers are commanded to
“test the spirits to see whether they are
from God.”
These two passages are just a few of the many that warn Christians to test the message that people or spirits proclaim. This is true in all situations but most importantly when a person or spirit is claiming to speak for God. Christians are to be discerning hearers and readers of all messages.
The reason for the admonition to
“test the spirits” or “test all things” is that
there are
“many false prophets” or “wolves in sheep’s clothing”
that try
to lead Christians astray.
Sadly, there are many people who claim to
speak for God
who are presenting a false gospel that
is powerless to save
Such errant teaching leaves people
with a false hope of salvation and,
in a way,
inoculates them from the true message.
People who are deceived into thinking everything is fine will be more resistant to the truth.
Second Corinthians 11:13-15 warns us that “such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” So the reason for testing the spirits, for testing all religious teaching, is to see if it is truly from God or if it is a lie from Satan and his servants.
The test is to compare what is being taught with the clear teaching of the Bible. The Bible alone is the Word of God; it alone is inspired and inerrant. Therefore, the way to test the spirits is to see if what is being taught is in line with the clear teaching of Scripture. In Acts 17:10-11 the Berean Jews were commended because, after they heard the teachings of Paul and Silas, they “examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” The Bereans were called “noble” for doing so.
Testing the spirits means that one must know how to “examine the Scriptures.” Rather than accept every teaching, discerning Christians diligently study the Scriptures. Then they know what the Bible says and therefore can “test all things and hold fast to what is true.” In order to do this, a Christian must “be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The Word of God is to be “a lamp” and “a light” to our path (Psalm 119:105). We must let its light shine on the teachings and doctrines of the day; the Bible alone is the standard by which all truth must be judged.
Many of the principles of God’s kingdom are paradoxes. When the apostle Paul pleaded with God to remove his affliction—one he called a “thorn in the flesh”—the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:8–9, NKJV). The New Living Translation says, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” God’s strength is made perfect in weakness because He delights in taking situations where human strength is lacking to demonstrate the greatness of His power.
God’s denial of Paul’s request for healing turned out to be a blessing in the apostle’s life. One commentary explains that the thorn “kept Paul from imagining himself as a spiritual superman, and revealed to him the reality of his human mortality and weakness despite his extraordinary revelations. The ‘thorn’ also kept Paul pinned close to the Lord, in trust and confidence” (Barnett, P., The Message of 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, InterVarsity Press, 1988, p. 178).
Paul stopped protesting his situation and began to boast and even take pleasure in his weakness so that the power of Christ could work through him: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul expressed the paradox of his condition—that in his frailty, he was strong because his strength came from Christ.
The words made perfect in 2 Corinthians 12:9 mean “fully or entirely accomplished or made complete.” Christ’s power is made complete—it is able to fully accomplish its purpose—when His people are weak and depend on Him for strength. When we, like Paul, stop resisting and complaining and let the power of Christ rest on us, we make room to receive countless unexpected blessings from the Lord. By allowing God’s strength to be made perfect in our weakness, we have the opportunity to display God’s glory flawlessly. “The grace and power of God interlock with human lives at the point of mortal weakness,” writes Barnett (op. cit., p. 179).
Over and over, the Bible gives examples of God’s strength manifesting when His people are weak. Moses, the great leader of Israel, was deeply aware of his human shortcomings (Exodus 4:10). When the Lord called him to go to Pharaoh, Moses cried, “I’m not adequate. Please send someone else!” But God replied, “Go anyway, Moses, because I will be with you” (see Exodus 4:12–15).
Gideon’s story proves that God can accomplish great things through people who forget about their human weaknesses, trust in God’s strength, and obey His guidance (Judges 6:14–16). And, of course, our most notable biblical example, Jesus Christ, was “crucified in weakness” but “now lives by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4, NLT).
First Corinthians 1:27 teaches, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” We must never shrink away from God because of our weakness but run to Him, letting Him equip and empower us to accomplish His will. We must remember His promise: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:29–31).
When we are in a position of need, it allows us to see how much we need God (2 Corinthians 1:9; 3:5; 13:4). The more aware we are of our weakness, the more God can reveal His power through us: “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT).
God’s strength is made perfect in weakness when we put our faith and trust in Him. The Lord’s presence is all we need in times of weakness. His great power and sufficiency rest on us as we find our strength in Him, and He is glorified. We can say with the psalmist, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
The apostle Peter stressed the extreme value and enduring nature of our redemption through Jesus Christ, stating that we “were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19, NKJV).
In the original Greek, the word translated as “you were redeemed” (elytrōthēte) in 1 Peter 1:18 means that believers were “liberated or released by the payment of a price or ransom.” The Jews in Peter’s audience would understand the concept of redemption through the lens of their deliverance from Egypt. Redemption is seen in the Passover and the Jewish system of substitutionary sacrifices (see Exodus 12:1–51; cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7). The Gentiles might comprehend redemption as the payment for a slave to be set free. The New Living Translation illuminates these ideas: “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18–19, NLT).
Jesus Himself said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, NLT; see also 1 Corinthians 6:20; Galatians 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:6). The death of Jesus Christ on the cross paid the ransom price for our spiritual deliverance from our old, empty way of life. Before salvation, we were slaves to sin (2 Peter 2:19; Titus 3:3), but Christ satisfied our debt to set us free (John 8:31–36; Romans 8:1–2; Colossians 1:13–14).
Jesus paid for our freedom, not with “corruptible things” (NKJV) or “perishable things” (ESV, NIV)—that is, nothing subject to decay. In New Testament times, silver and gold were coins used as currency to buy and sell. They were considered decaying commodities or “corruptible things” because they had no eternal value. Money and currency only have worth in this life on earth.
A little later, Peter states that our salvation is “not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). The cost of our redemption and salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ cannot be valued in terms of money or precious metals. These corruptible things will one day burn up, but we who are born again by the Spirit of God will live forever (John 1:13; 1 Corinthians 9:25; 1 Corinthians 15:53–54; cf. Revelation 20:14–15; Matthew 13:42–43, 50).
Though valuable, earthly possessions and worldly treasures are ultimately transient and cannot attain the eternal salvation of our souls. Instead, our redemption is secured only by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (Psalm 49:7–9, 15). As the perfect sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:12–14), Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross is of infinite worth and permanence.
The central message to believers in 1 Peter 1 is to stay strong and stay the course because “we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (Peter 1:4, NLT). We must cultivate holiness and not squander our time living recklessly. We may have to endure hardship and suffering just as Jesus did (1 Peter 2:22–24). But God raised Jesus to glory (1 Peter 1:21), and He will likewise raise us, too (1 Corinthians 6:14). We have been redeemed with an incorruptible ransom. Jesus paid with His precious, eternal-life-giving blood. Thanks to His death and resurrection, we can confidently anticipate the eternal hope of heaven.
No amount of silver and gold can free a lost sinner (see Acts 8:20). We can never be redeemed with corruptible things such as these. But because of God’s great love for us and His immeasurable grace, we have been given the most precious gift of all—the enduring and incorruptible sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His Son (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 9:15).
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes, a list of blessings that describe the inner character of those who are true servants of God and the kingdom of heaven. This teaching was part of Jesus Christ’s intensive discipleship training for His twelve chosen apostles. The fourth Beatitude states, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
The Beatitudes offer solid truths for living as a disciple of Christ. While each Beatitude can stand on its own, they aren’t merely a collection of unrelated statements. They are linked in an unbroken chain, each one building on the previous truth. The first several Beatitudes deal with the condition of the heart; the second set pertains to our relationship with the Lord; the final grouping treats our relationships with others.
Jesus always begins with the heart. When He pronounced a blessing on those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, He touched on the inner state of our hearts.
Drawing from Old Testament passages that describe the downtrodden and oppressed (Psalm 10:17–18; 74:21; 109:22; 140:12; Proverbs 15:15 Job 5:17; Isaiah 30:18), Jesus used language and concepts in the Beatitudes that were familiar to His audience (Psalm 1:1; 34:8; 65:4; 128:1; Proverbs 14:21). Those listening were living under the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire. They were experiencing excessive taxation, denied freedoms, and persecution. The servants of God’s kingdom desperately needed the heavenly perspective and hope of an eternal inheritance that Christ presented in the Beatitudes.
The word blessed in the Beatitudes signifies deep, joy-filled contentment and an inner state of spiritual well-being. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to possess an active spiritual longing: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:2; see also Psalm 63:1; 143:6; Amos 8:11). This desire is not passive; it is a fervent seeking. The servant who hungers and thirsts for righteousness is the same as the one who seeks God’s kingdom and His righteousness before and above everything else (Matthew 6:33). This servant is blessed because he or she experiences a satisfied heart. This servant can say, “It is well with my soul.”
Righteousness speaks of right relationship with God and with other people. The idea of right relationships with others forms the link in the chain to the next section of the Beatitudes, while right standing with God is His gift of salvation given through faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe in Him (Romans 3:22).
Luke’s rendering of the fourth Beatitude holds only the notion of hunger: “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied” (Luke 6:21). But Matthew’s report intensifies the desire for righteousness with the addition of thirst. Those who thirst for righteousness receive the water Jesus offered to the woman at the well: “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:14, NLT). The term filled or satisfied in the Beatitude means that the pangs of hunger and thirst will disappear. The verb is passive, indicating that God Himself will fulfill our intense desire for right relationship with Him. Salvation is His gift. We can’t earn it (Ephesians 2:8).
In summary, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled could be paraphrased as follows: “Deeply joyful and spiritually whole are those who actively seek right relationship with God and, in so doing, discover that He alone can completely save and satisfy their souls.”
The author of Hebrews goes so far as to say that the high priests were “weak” (Hebrews 7:28) because of their own sin, their personal need for sacrifices, and the temporality of the sacrifices they offered. In contrast, Jesus was “perfect,” as He had no sin and therefore no personal need for sacrifices, and the sacrifice He offered was offered only once on the cross. With that once-for-all sacrifice, Jesus paid for the sin of all humanity. As John puts it, Jesus is the propitiation (or satisfaction) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). This means that the price Jesus paid was sufficient to satisfy the debt owed. Jesus’ death was a sufficient sacrifice to cover once and for all the sins of everyone. John also explains that Jesus’ sacrifice had to be applied to each individual—by believing in Jesus, each person would have life in His name (John 20:31).
Jesus’ sacrifice was once for all (Hebrews 7:27), and rather than go to a priest who would make a temporary sacrifice for our sin, we are told to simply believe (or trust) in Christ as the One who has resolved the sin issue on our behalf and provided for our forgiveness and new life.
In Romans 1, Paul addresses the Gentile believers at Rome and begins by explaining his mission, which was to preach the gospel to everyone. He concludes his explanation by saying, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:16–17; cf. Habakkuk 2:4).
The ministry of reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5:18 refers to the work believers have been given to do and the message they declare: you can have a restored relationship with God through Jesus. The verse says this: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
The ministry of reconciliation involves the proclamation of the gospel and its assurance that forgiveness of sin is available in Christ. Sin prevents us from having a relationship with God, but Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the cross made atonement for sin (Hebrews 2:17) and brought harmony to mankind’s relationship with Him. Jesus reconciled us to God. Now we can proclaim that people can repent of their sin and be right with God again through faith in Jesus (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:20–21).
The word translated “ashamed” means “disgraced” or “personally humiliated.” A person “ashamed” in this way is like someone singled out for misplacing his confidence—he trusted in something, and that something let him down. The word can refer to being dishonored because of forming the wrong alliances. So, when Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel, he is saying his confidence in the gospel is not misplaced. There is no disgrace in declaring it. Paul had given his life to proclaiming the truths that Jesus Himself had revealed to him (Acts 9:3–6; 2 Corinthians 12:2–4). He explained to the Romans why he did not believe that he had wrongly identified with Jesus and why proclaiming Jesus’ message was his life’s work.
The application can extend to us as well. Just as Paul placed his confidence in the gospel of Christ, so can we. We can proclaim with boldness the truths that God has revealed in His Word, with no fear that our confidence is misplaced. “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:11; cf. Isaiah 28:16). We can rest in the knowledge that the Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of Scripture never changes (2 Peter 1:21; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). What was true thousands of years ago is still true. The offer of salvation that was presented to people of the first century is still open to us (Acts 2:39; John 17:20).
To live unashamed of the gospel means we proclaim it, but it also means we apply it to our lives and show we believe it. Paul’s life choices supported his message. He did not preach one thing and live another. We are “ashamed of the gospel” when we allow sin in our lives to go unchecked (Matthew 3:8). When we indulge in worldliness and carnal desires or blatantly disobey scriptural standards, we indicate that we lack confidence in our own message (1 Corinthians 3:3; 1 Peter 2:11). When we “walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, and sit in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1), we are being ashamed of the gospel. We are not allowing its truth to penetrate our lives so that others see its changing power. To live unashamed of the gospel means that we, like Paul, allow it to dominate our lives to the extent that everyone within our sphere of influence can see that we have “been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
Second Corinthians 5:14 says,
“For Christ's love compels us,
because
we are convinced that
one died for
all, and therefore all died.”
In this verse, Paul speaks of his motivation for ministry.
There are as many different types of motivations as there are personalities. And of course, the intensity of those motivations can range from mild to obsessive. A young teen might babysit on the weekends because she’s motivated to save up for a new phone. The leader of a free country might be willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of soldiers in order to protect the lives and liberties of those in his realm.
Without the right motivation, very little progress can be made in anything.
Jesus spoke of the importance of motivation when contrasting the hireling and the shepherd. The hireling will take care of the animals because he wants to get paid. But as soon as he sees danger (that is, when wolves appear), he abandons the sheep to protect himself. The shepherd, on the other hand, not only takes care of his flock, but he’s willing to put his life on the line to keep them safe (John 10:7–18).
When the apostle Paul wrote, “The love of Christ compels us,” he was describing the powerful, Spirit-filled motivation that drives followers of Christ to share the gospel in ways that persuade people to commit their lives to Jesus.
When Paul explained this motivation to the Corinthians, he wanted them to not be ashamed of either him or the message of reconciliation that brings life to those who embrace it (2 Corinthians 5:11–15). Paul understood the futility of life without Christ and the empty pursuit of righteousness through self-effort.
Even though the people to whom he preached were often hostile to him, and even called him crazy, the love of Christ compelled him to keep putting the message of hope in front of them. Paul knew that his detractors were starving for a sense of meaning, purpose, and significance in the world—much like we see today.
The love of Christ compelled Paul to share the gospel. The phrase the love of Christ could be interpreted in two ways: Christ’s love for people, or the apostles’ love for Christ. Either provides motivation to take the gospel to distant lands in the face of opposition. The great love of Christ was such that “Christ died for all” people (2 Corinthians 5:14, NLT). Paul’s love for Christ was such that he was willing to die to self (see Galatians 2:20).
This testimony of Paul’s encourages us to ask ourselves, “What motivates us to share the good news of Jesus with others?” Are we driven by a genuine love and affection for Christ, by a clear view of Christ’s love for the lost, or merely by a sense of duty? What motivates us will make all the difference.
When we possess this compelling, Spirit-driven motivation of Christ’s love, we are zealous in seeing the lost reconciled with God. We go to the lost, rather than letting them come to us. We are willing to make ourselves “a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (1 Corinthians 9:19); we “become all things to all people so that by all possible means [we] might save some” (verse 22).
The love of Christ compels us to love the lost enough to share the good news of salvation with them.
In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays to His Father, saying, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). In this verse, Jesus communicates two important facts: God’s Word is truth—God’s Word equals truth—and it’s by that truth that God sanctifies us, or sets us apart for holy service to Himself.
In the same prayer, Jesus prays for His disciples and all who will believe in Him through the gospel (John 17:20). Believers accept God’s words (John 17:6) and accept Jesus as God’s Word (John 17:8). God is truth, and His truth brings salvation to all who accept it (Titus 2:11). Further, God’s written and living Word will sustain believers as they are in the world (John 17:14).
In the High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus confirms that He brought the message of salvation to the world: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Jesus’ mission of bringing the truth has been accomplished (John 17:4), and He turns the focus of His prayer to God working through the disciples and other believers. He confirms that believers will be rejected by the world for believing “Your word is truth,” but believers are also assured joy, God’s protection from the evil one, and sanctification by God’s Word (John 17:13–19).
The Old and New Testaments both affirm that the words recorded in the Bible are God’s words and that they are true. Since God cannot lie, His Word is truth: “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless” (Psalm 18:30). Since God is eternal and unchanging, His Word is always the same: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35; cf. Isaiah 40:8). Jesus uses the Word as He rebukes the devil who was tempting Him: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4; cf. Deuteronomy 8:3).
If we want to know truth, we will look in God’s written Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17) and look to Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:3). John refers to Jesus Christ in John 1:1–2, saying, “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The Word is God’s total message, and Jesus embodied that full message, which is why He is called the “Logos,” or “Word,” of God (Colossians 1:19; 2:9). God is truth. His Word is truth. Salvation comes by accepting Jesus and agreeing that “Your word is truth.”
Jesus said, “Your word is truth.” When we look at the Bible, we see truth. The Bible does not merely contain the truth; it is the truth. Every word is truth, in every part of the Bible. “The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6). This is the doctrine of the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture.
How we respond to God’s written Word and the Word made flesh has an eternal impact on us. Since God’s Word is truth, rejecting the Bible and rejecting Jesus is rejecting God Himself. Believing, cherishing, studying, and obeying God’s Word is the key to salvation, understanding God, and living abundantly (John 10:10). No matter what we may face in this world, we are sustained by the truth prayed over us in Jesus’ prayer: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
In John 15:3, Jesus says to His disciples, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (NKJV). To grasp the profundity of this statement, it is necessary to review the context of John 15 and related passages.
In the preceding verses of John 15, Jesus employs a metaphor of the vine and the branches. The Father is the vinedresser; the Son is the “true vine” (John 15:1). Believers are the branches (verse 5). To ensure maximum fruit production, the Father does two things: 1) He removes unfruitful branches, and 2) He prunes fruitful branches (verse 2; cf. Hebrews 6:7–8).
The word prune means “to cut back or trim.” In horticulture, pruning is a necessary practice in which dead or overgrown branches are removed from a plant to promote growth and fruitfulness. Figuratively, the Father prunes believers to shape them into the image of his Son: “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Hebrews 12:6; cf. Deuteronomy 8:5).
The idea is that the Father, as the vinedresser, lovingly prunes or disciplines those who are already bearing fruit—not for punishment, but to increase fruit production. The disciples are “already clean because of the word” (John 15:3). In this context, that means they were “in a condition fit to bear fruit” (The Expositor’s Greek Testament, Nicoll, W. Robertson).
Here, it is helpful to compare John 13:10 and John 15:3. Earlier, Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, signifying the washing away of sins. Peter, initially resistant, is told by Jesus, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” At that point Judas Iscariot is still with the group, and that is why not all of the disciples were “clean.”
In John 15:3, Jesus speaks again of the disciples’ being “clean,” this time in the context of abiding in the True Vine. At this point, Judas has departed, and Jesus can declare to the rest that “you are already clean.”
The disciples’ cleanness comes through the word spoken by Jesus, underscoring the transformative power of God’s Word. The Word of God sanctifies (John 17:17). The eleven disciples, having been changed by Jesus’ teachings, commands, and promises, are prepared for the next step in their spiritual walk—to bear much fruit.
The concept of cleansing through the Word is found throughout Scripture. In Ephesians 5:26–27, for instance, the apostle Paul writes that Christ has cleansed the church “by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (ESV).
In Psalm 119:9, the psalmist draws a connection between cleansing and obedience to the Word of God: “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word” (NKJV).
The writer of Hebrews says that “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). How we need the Word to keep our thoughts true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8)!
Second Peter 3:18 tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” To grow in grace is to mature as a Christian. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we mature and are sanctified by grace alone. We know that grace is a blessing that we don’t deserve. It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. The sanctification process, becoming more like Christ, is synonymous with growing in grace.
We grow in grace by reading God’s Word and letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16) and by praying. Those actions by themselves don’t mature us, but God uses these spiritual disciplines to help us grow. Therefore, maturing in our Christian life is not about what we do, but about what God does in us, by His grace. Understanding and applying God’s grace in our lives is important. We are not to impair it by being proud, because God says that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Grace is that attribute of God that enables us to break free of our sinful nature and follow Him. It gives us strength and protects us. Without God’s grace, His favor, we would be hopelessly lost in this world. The more grace we have and ask God for, the more mature as Christians we will be.
To grow in grace does not mean gaining more grace from God. God’s grace never increases; it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less. He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should be saved (John 3:16). How much more grace could there possibly be than that? But to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given. The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.
Peter also confirms that we need to grow in our knowledge of Jesus and to have that intimate relationship with Him because the more we know of Him, the more of Him will be seen in our lives. Paul said in Colossians 3:1–4: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
In Romans 9:21, the apostle Paul uses the metaphor of a potter shaping clay to illustrate God’s sovereignty over humanity: “Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” (Romans 9:21, NKJV).
This metaphor is part of a much larger teaching that spans Romans 9—11, focusing on the nation of Israel and its rejection of Christ’s salvation. In chapter 9, Paul explains that salvation is not based on one’s ancestry or any other human merit, but on God’s merciful election (verses 6–13), His justice and mercy (verses 14–18), and His sovereignty (verses 19–29). Paul also demonstrates that, while God is ultimately sovereign over salvation, His purposes embrace the human factor of responsibility in believing the gospel and spreading it (see Romans 10:1–21).
The backdrop for Paul’s analogy of the potter and clay is found in the prophecies of Isaiah (see Isaiah 29:16; 45:9; 64:8) and Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 18:4–6). Both prophets stress the potter’s total control over the molding, reshaping, and functioning of his clay creations, underscoring God’s supreme authority over His creation.
In Paul’s word picture, “vessels of honor” are the clay containers crafted by the potter for noble, respectable, and special uses. These vessels represent individuals or groups of people whom God chooses for honorable, significant, or holy purposes. Vessels of honor encompass those who receive God’s mercy and are set apart to serve Him, thereby revealing His glory (see Romans 9:23–24).
By contrast, “vessels of dishonor” are objects intended for ordinary, less distinguished, or even dishonorable use. These represent people or groups whom God allows to serve more common or less glorious roles, including those who face judgment and do not receive His mercy in the same way as the vessels of honor.
In 2 Timothy 2:20–21, Paul sketches a similar word-image that further illuminates the vessel of dishonor. Here, Paul illustrates the difference between true believers and false followers: “Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (ESV).
Jesus presents the same general truth through the parable of the wheat and the tares (see Matthew 13:24–30). Intermixed in the world are two groups of people, some who are faithful to their Lord (the “wheat” or honorable vessels) and others who are impostors (the “tares” or vessels of dishonor). The sovereign Lord knows who belongs to Him. The vessels of honor demonstrate a life of good works, reflecting His holiness, while the vessels of dishonor deny the truth by their doctrine and their unrepentant lives.
Throughout biblical history, there have been and will continue to be unworthy persons serving inferior and temporary purposes as vessels of dishonor. Some biblical examples include Pharaoh (Exodus 9:16; cf. Romans 9:17), Judas (Acts 2:23), and false prophets and teachers (Matthew 7:15; 2 Peter 2:1–3; 2 Corinthians 11:13–15).
The three biblical metaphors cited above emphasize God’s freedom to assign different roles and destinies according to His plan. God has the right to determine how He uses individuals or groups, just as a potter decides the purpose of each vessel. God has absolute authority over His creation, including His dispensing of either salvation or judgment. Other passages of Scripture develop the teaching that, while God is sovereign, individuals still have responsibility for their responses to Him.
Paul’s primary point in Romans 9:21 is that God is God, and we are not. He is the Potter, and we are the clay. It’s a metaphor that drains us of all pride. He is the Creator, and we are His creation. We may not always comprehend why God does what He does or understand His choices. Nevertheless, it is entirely appropriate and acceptable for Him to construct some vessels for honor and others for dishonor. It is not the vessel’s place to question the potter’s design.
In Romans 9:21, Paul concludes that God must be recognized as free. He is the One with ultimate authority to assign humans to different roles in the ongoing narrative of salvation history for the purpose of fulfilling His overall plan. A vessel of honor is one whom God sets apart for His holy purposes, useful to the Master, and prepared for good works (2 Timothy 2:21). Vessels of dishonor still serve some useful (albeit temporary) purpose in God’s plan. But, eventually, they will hear God declare, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23, ESV). In the end, they will be destroyed (Matthew 13:30; Romans 2:5–11; 9:21–23).
Second Corinthians 5:6–7 says, "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight" (ESV, emphasis added). Other versions use the word live, rather than walk. The "walk" here is a metaphorical reference to the way a person conducts his or her life. We still use the phrase "all walks of life" to mean a variety of lifestyles or cultures
The apostle Paul reminds his readers that followers of Christ must not build their lives around things that have no eternal significance. Rather than pursuing the same things the world pursues, a Christian should focus on the unseen realities such as Jesus and heaven. Paul goes on to say, "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:9–10). Jesus instructed us to store up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19–20; Luke 12:33). He promised rewards to everyone who does His will (Matthew 16:27; 1 Peter 1:17; Revelation 22:12) and punishment for those who reject Him (Matthew 25:24–46; John 3:16–18).
Walking by faith means living life in light of eternal consequences. To walk by faith is to fear God more than man; to obey the Bible even when it conflicts with man’s commands; to choose righteousness over sin, no matter what the cost; to trust God in every circumstance; and to believe God rewards those who seek Him, regardless of who says otherwise (Hebrews 11:6).
Rather than loving the things of this world (1 John 2:15–16), Christians should spend their lives glorifying God in everything they do (1 Corinthians 10:31). It requires faith to live this way because we cannot see, hear, or touch anything spiritual. When we base our lives on the truth of God’s Word, rather than on the popular philosophy of our day, we are going against our natural inclinations. Our natural instinct may be to hoard money, but walking by faith says we should give to those in need (Luke 11:41; Ephesians 4:28). Society may say that sexual immorality is acceptable, but those who walk by faith base their standards on God’s unchanging Word, which says any sex outside of marriage is sin (1 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 5:3; Galatians 5:19). To walk by faith requires that we tune our hearts to the voice of the Holy Spirit and the truth of His Word (John 10:27; 16:13). We choose to live according to what God reveals to us, rather than trust our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6).
The apostle Paul opened his letter to the believers in Philippi by explaining that he often thanked God for them in joyful prayer because of their partnership in sharing the gospel. Paul held a special affection for the Philippian church, which he had founded approximately ten years earlier. Now he expressed confidence in God’s continued work in their lives: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:3–6, NKJV).
Paul had seen firsthand the good work that God had begun in the Philippian believers. In Philippi, on Paul’s second missionary journey, he and his companions encountered Lydia and other women meeting by the riverside for prayer. As Paul preached, Lydia and her household were saved and baptized, and the Philippian church was born (Acts 16:11–15). Later, the Christians in Philippi conducted their house church in Lydia’s home. As the church grew, it became one of the strongest supporters of Paul’s ministry (Philippians 4:10–20).
Paul loved the Philippians deeply and desired to see them continue to grow in Christian maturity and abound in ever-increasing spiritual understanding: “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. so that they will be blameless until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9–11, NLT).
At the time of our salvation, God begins His work in us. We are made alive in Christ—regenerated, made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Then, through an ongoing, lifelong process called sanctification, God finishes, perfects, and completes His work in us. Paul referred to the process when he said, “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6, NKJV). Spiritual growth ought to continue in steadfast believers until the day Jesus Christ returns (2 Peter 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
A brief biblical definition of sanctification is “the Holy Spirit’s work of setting believers apart to be made holy or made like God.” Sanctification is a three-phase process. At the moment of salvation, Christians enter positional sanctification. Jesus’ work on the cross is a finished work—believers stand positionally sanctified as though they already are made holy before God, even though they are not yet completely holy in practice: “For by one sacrifice he [Jesus] has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14).
Progressive sanctification is phase two, in which God, who has begun a good work in us at salvation, continues to transform us into His image, saving us from the practice and power of sin. After the initial cleansing from sin, the committed Christian begins to undergo a daily process of spiritual renewal (Colossians 3:10). The Bible also calls this phase “the sanctifying work of the Spirit,” as the Holy Spirit is the chief agent working in the believer to produce the character of God and the fruit of holiness (1 Peter 1:2; cf. 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Galatians 5:22–23).
From the moment God begins His good work in us until the day of its completion, the Holy Spirit is chipping away, renovating our character, day by day reforming us into partakers of the holy nature of God. God does the work, but believers are also meant to be active in the process, yielding to the effort (Romans 6:13, 19; 12:1) and pressing on toward the upward call to holiness (Hebrews 12:14; Philippians 3:12–14).
God began a good work in us at salvation and then called us to live out the progressing development of being made into His image. The Christian walk is a pathway of ongoing growth. The journey brings us ever closer to God until His work in us is perfect and complete on “the day of Jesus Christ”—that is, the day of Christ’s return when we see Him (Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:23). Complete sanctification is the third phase, also known as glorification.
From the very beginning, throughout the continuation, and until the final stroke, God is working in us (Philippians 2:13). He is the Master Craftsman who never gives up on us (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22). The Lord’s salvation, His glorious redemption of His people, will reach its crowning culmination when Jesus Christ returns. Only then will God, who has begun a good work in you, put His finishing touch on you.
In 1 Corinthians 13:8–13, the apostle Paul compares the Christian virtue of love to other highly prized spiritual gifts and finds them all lacking. Love is uniquely superior (verse 8). As Christians, we share in giving and receiving the grace of God’s love (see 1 John 4:8, 16). This earthly experience of God’s divine love gives us a taste of His perfect grace and glory. Through the love of Christ poured into our hearts (see Ephesians 3:17; Romans 5:5), we participate to a limited degree in the full perfection we will know and enjoy when we stand in God’s presence in eternity: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12, ESV).
Paul explains that spiritual gifts like prophecy, tongues, and knowledge are temporary and partial. Eventually, they “will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless” (1 Corinthians 13:8–10, NLT). In our current state of existence, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are valuable to us and to the church, but their worth will run out when we are face to face with the Lord in heaven. These gifts only give us an obscured, unfinished picture of our spiritual reality, and they will ultimately pass away.
Paul uses two illustrations to explain this truth. First, he employs the example of a child maturing into adulthood: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Right now, we are like children playing with plastic toys that will wear out and become unusable. One day we will trade them in for the enduring, grown-up, perfection of eternity. Second, Paul contrasts looking at someone in a dull, dimly lit mirror with meeting that person face to face. In the Greco-Roman world, mirrors were fashioned out of polished metal discs that reflected a blurred, imperfect image, nothing like seeing someone up close, in vivid, eye-to-eye clarity.
Thus, now we see in a mirror dimly is Paul’s figure of speech for “now we have imperfect knowledge and understanding.” The New Living Translation renders the imagery like so: “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Corinthians 13:12, NLT). Flawless understanding and unrestricted knowledge of matters pertaining to God and His kingdom will only be achieved when we meet Jesus Christ in person.
The apostle John affirms that our knowledge of Jesus is partial now but will become clear when we see Him face to face: “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2, NLT).
Within the Scriptures, we have the complete revelation of God, but our understanding of it remains limited (see 1 Corinthians 8:1–3). As we grow in the faith, we undergo a process of spiritual maturation as individual believers (2 Peter 3:18) and together as the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11–16). Paul calls this progressive development toward Christian maturity “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14, ESV). It is our heavenward journey of intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Along the way, we must stay laser-focused on Jesus, who is the trailblazing forerunner of our quest (Hebrews 12:1–2). He demonstrates the way through His perfect obedience to the Father (John 4:34; 5:30; Luke 22:42). As the Author and Perfecter of our faith, He not only inspires us, but Christ also empowers us to grow toward our heavenly stature. He starts the good work in us and “will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
In the meantime, until the Lord returns or we reach heaven, we have limited understanding and knowledge—we see in a mirror dimly. But one day our onward and upward growth in ever-increasing degrees of Christian maturity will culminate in heavenly perfection as “we bear the image of the heavenly man” (1 Corinthians 15:49).
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NASB).
With those few words—“from glory to glory”—Paul sums up our entire Christian life, from redemption and sanctification on earth, to our glorious eternal welcome into heaven. There is a great deal of content packed into those few words. It’s all so important that Paul labors at great length, from 2 Corinthians 2:14 through the end of chapter 5, to open his readers’ eyes to a great truth. Let’s see why that truth matters so much.
The same Greek word for “glory” is used twice in the phrase from glory to glory, yet each usage refers to something different. The first “glory” is that of the Old Covenant—the Law of Moses—while the second is that of the New Covenant, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both have astonishing splendor.
The Old Covenant was given to Moses directly from God, written by God’s own finger (Exodus 31:18). That root of our Christian faith is glorious indeed; it’s the glory we’re coming “from.” Yet the New Covenant, the glory we’re going “to,” far surpasses that of the Old.
The transformation is from the
glory of the Law.
Like the stone it was written on,
the Law
was inflexible and absolute,
applying to all
Israelites without much regard
for individual circumstances
(Hebrews 10:28).
Though holy, good, and righteous in itself (Romans 7:12), the Law was, for us sinners, the letter that kills us (2 Corinthians 3:6). The Law was an external force to control behavior. In addition, stone, despite its strength, is earthly and will eventually wear away. The Law was merely a temporary guardian (Galatians 3:23–25) until something better came along.
The transformation is to the glory of the New Covenant, which far surpasses the Old in every way. It forgives us of our sin and gives us sinners life (John 6:63). It is written on believers’ hearts by the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 31:33; 2 Corinthians 3:3), so our obedience to God springs up from within us by God-given desires rather than by threats of legal punishment. In place of a cold set of writings as a guide for pleasing God, we now have Father, Son and Holy Spirit making their home with us, fellowshipping in loving intimacy, teaching us everything we must know and do (John 14:23; 16:13). That position in Christ is as permanent, eternal, and spiritual as God Himself, rather than temporary and earthly.
Paul is intent on directing Christians to focus on the spiritual glory of the New Covenant rather than the physical glory of the Old, as many Jews in his day refused to do. He compared the two types of glory by recalling how Moses absorbed and reflected God’s glory for a time after being in his presence (2 Corinthians 3:7–11, 13; cf. Exodus 34:29–35). Though Moses’ glow had a spiritual cause, there was nothing spiritual about the effect—any person, regardless of his relationship with God, could see the glow on Moses’ face, which he covered with a veil.
Not so the glory of the New Covenant. That can be seen only with a believer’s spiritual eyes—what Paul is doing his best to open, so that we discern the gospel’s glory. So he writes, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
But, as we move from glory to glory, there’s something even more important about the glory of the New Covenant that Christians must understand: its supernatural power to transform us. And that brings us to God’s ultimate purpose and destination for every believer, to transform us into the image of His own beloved Son (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:28–30; Philippians 3:20–21).
Before he finishes with the topic of being transformed from glory to glory, Paul presents yet one more astonishing claim: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This is the invitation the Lord makes to all Christians, to have our lives radically transformed here and now, by opening our eyes to see the glorious journey He is taking us on “from glory to glory.”
In Romans 5:1–5, the apostle Paul elaborates on the peace and joy that accompany being justified by faith. A person who puts his or her faith in Jesus Christ is no longer condemned to face God’s wrath but stands secure in a state of grace: “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1–2, HCSB).
Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we are brought into a place of undeserved privilege and favor with God. All is well with our souls. In Christ, we are safe from all harm. This new secure standing results in a sense of peace and joy. To “rejoice” usually means to feel or show great happiness or delight. However, in Romans 5:2, the Greek word translated as “rejoice” actually means “to show off verbally, to boast or exult.” It refers to expressing trust in God to do what He promised. In the context of this passage, rejoicing is not merely a fleeting emotion but a deep-seated sense of assurance grounded in the Lord’s faithfulness. This joy stems from the hope of the glory of God.
The believer’s hope is not wishful thinking but a confident expectation rooted in trust and faith in God. Our joy and hope are firmly anchored upon the assurance that God will fulfill His promises. They are cemented in the character and faithfulness of God. We have joy, hope, and confidence that the future holds the fulfillment of God’s Word to us. In Romans 5:2, this hope is tied explicitly to the “glory of God.”
The glory of God refers to His divine presence (John 1:14), majesty (Psalm 8:1), and holiness (Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 29:2). It represents the manifestation of God’s character and power (Romans 9:23). Because we have peace with God through Jesus Christ, we have obtained complete and unhindered access to God’s glorious presence (see Hebrews 4:16). Paul says in Ephesians 3:12, “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence” (NLT).
For believers, rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God involves an expectation of sharing in the fullness of God’s glory. We have the forward-facing assurance of our ultimate completion in Jesus Christ (see Philippians 1:6), as Paul explains in Colossians 1:27: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This hope includes the anticipation of eternal life (1 Peter 1:3–5), the resurrection of the body (Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17), and the ultimate redemption of creation (see Romans 8:19–21; 1 Peter 5:10).
While believers will fully experience God’s glory in the future, there is also a present aspect to this glory. As Christians live in a state of grace, they reflect God’s glory through their lives (Matthew 5:14–16; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:10; Philippians 2:15). Our transformation and sanctification are ongoing processes that reveal God’s character and glory to the world (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 4:20–24).
Interestingly, Paul does not shy away from the reality of suffering. Immediately following Romans 5:2, he states, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (Romans 5:3–4, NLT).
Everything in our lives, even suffering, has a good purpose (Romans 8:28). Suffering, when faced with faith, produces perseverance or endurance. Perseverance, in turn, shapes and develops character. This character is not self-made but formed by the Holy Spirit’s work within believers (Romans 15:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 3:16; Titus 3:5).
Ultimately, this process strengthens
our hope.
The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in this dynamic: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). The Spirit reassures us of God’s love and the certainty of His promises, making our hope steadfast (see Hebrews 6:19–20).
Rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God is not dependent on circumstances but on the unchanging promises of God. We can rejoice in our secure position with God in Jesus Christ, regardless of what is happening around us. We can persevere through trials, knowing they will lead to spiritual growth and unwavering hope.
Rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God transforms our perspectives, priorities, and interactions. We experience a living hope that develops resilience in the face of adversity and cultivates a lifestyle that honors God. As ambassadors of this hope, we share the message of God’s grace and glory with others.
Genesis 7:1-24 NLT
When everything was ready, the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.Take with you seven pairs—male and female—of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice, and take one pair of each of the others.Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood.Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.”So Noah did everything as the LORD commanded him.Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth.He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives.With them were all the various kinds of animals—those approved for eating and for sacrifice and those that were not—along with all the birds and the small animals that scurry along the ground.They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky.The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights.That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives.With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind.Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes.A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD closed the door behind them.For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth.As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface.Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earthrising more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks.All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people.Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died.God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat.And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.
As sin spread across the Earth, God’s grace still made a way to be saved.
And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
Genesis 7:1, KJV
So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him...After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.
Genesis 7:5 & 10
When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:11-12
As sin spread across the Earth, God’s grace still made a way to be saved.
That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives. With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind. Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.
Genesis 7:13-16
As sin spread across the Earth, God’s grace still made a way to be saved.
Flood Traditions Table
[Humanity] deliberately forgets that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.
2 Peter 3:5-6
What the Ark teaches us about God’s grace:
God’s Grace is Great
God’s unearned favor, freely given to undeserving sinners, at great cost to Himself.
What the Ark teaches us about God’s grace:
God’s Grace is Great
God’s Grace still includes an Invitation
A Boat:
Built for travel, navigation, and direction
Has a destination and usually a means of steering
Emphasizes movement and control
Purpose: to carry people or goods from point A to point B
An Ark:
Built for survival and preservation
No steering, sails, or navigation mentioned
Emphasizes dependence rather than control
Purpose: to keep life safe while God determines the destination
Where is God in the midst of our troubles?
According to Psalm 34:18,
He is close by:
“The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he saves
those crushed in spirit”
The question of evil and suffering remains one of the critic’s quickest objections to the existence of God, or at least to the existence of the Christian God. Many Christian thinkers have written insightful books on the subject, and there’s a lot to gain from these resources. However, knowing that suffering can coexist with a good God only solves part of the problem. What about when we are suffering? Theodicy may not help much. We need more than that.
The Christian is expected to run to God’s Word for help. Among other passages that bring comfort, Psalm 34:18offers a reassurance that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
How does this work? How does God stay close to the brokenhearted? If He’s God and we’re not, shouldn’t He be far away?
A distant god is the deistic conception. The God of the Bible is nothing like that. While He’s self-sufficient, He is interested and vested in His creation. In the pages of Scripture, we see God taking an active role in human history. He communicates with people, gives instruction for proper behavior, judges when needed, and ultimately comes down to redeem them from the guilt of sin (Ephesians1:7).
Multiple passages show God’s heart for the downtrodden and oppressed. Examples are Psalm 82:3, Zechariah 7:10, Proverbs 22:22–23, Amos 5:11, Deuteronomy 10:18, Psalm 146:7–9, and Matthew 25:34–39.
Here are some ways God remains near the brokenhearted:
1. He offers comfort. The apostle Paul is not a stranger to suffering, pain, and persecution. In 2 Corinthians 11:24–28, we get a glimpse of what life was like for the apostle. It certainly was not the American Dream:
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Paul had many things about which he could have boasted. His experiences were incredible. He lists some of them in 2 Corinthians 11:22–28 to illustrate that, while he above others might have reason to boast in his own flesh—his experiences and his abilities—he would only boast in Christ. Paul recognizes that we have no real power in ourselves except for Christ in us, and he explains in Philippians 3:4–7 that, even though he has quite a list of impressive achievements, he counts all those as loss for the sake of Christ. They are worthless—even having negative value—in comparison to the joy of knowing Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 12:1 Paul provides an example of how a person should not find his or her identity and confidence in personal achievements because only God’s grace is sufficient. While showing mercy means not giving to someone what he does deserve, showing grace means giving to someone what he doesn’t deserve. God shows grace in giving us life and providing for us and strengthening us for the path ahead. That grace is sufficient—it is all we need.
To illustrate the principle, Paul tells of a man who was caught up to the third heaven and saw and heard indescribable things. This man was remarkably privileged, and it seems apparent in the context that Paul is talking about himself. He adds that, because of the greatness of the revelations he was given, he was also given a thorn in his flesh that would keep him from exalting himself (2 Corinthians 12:7). While Paul tells us very little about the nature of this “thorn” (what he also refers to as a messenger from Satan), he makes clear that its purpose was to help ensure his humility. Paul begged God that this thorn might go away, and God repeatedly said no to Paul’s request. God’s response to Paul is found in 2 Corinthians 12:9—“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
God was reminding Paul that the strength behind Paul’s ministry was not Paul’s experiences or abilities, nor was it the absence of difficulty. On the contrary, Paul’s ability to be faithful in ministry and survive incredibly difficult times was due to God’s grace. God’s grace is sufficient. When we are weak, God’s strength is even more evident. Paul could rejoice and boast in God because Paul knew the power that God exerted in Paul’s life through God’s grace. Paul could then boast in God’s strength, recognizing that, even when we are weak, God is strong. He provides the strength for us to withstand whatever challenges are before us.
Paul illustrates this same idea in Philippians 4:11–13. He explains that he has learned how to be content in any circumstance no matter how severe. When things are going well or when things are going badly, Paul knows that contentment doesn’t come from circumstances—contentment comes from recognizing that we can do whatever God intends for us to do through Christ who strengthens us. God is so gracious to provide strength when it is needed so that we can find our identity, our confidence, and our contentment in Him. This is what God meant when He said that His grace is sufficient—it is all we need.
Paul’s suffering is more than many people will ever experience, yet at the beginning of the same letter is a doxology that shows what must have helped Paul go through the difficulties: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4).
There are many ways God comforts us. He gives the “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). He reminds us of His promises in Scripture. He moves through the people around us. This is why we should continually fellowship with God and other followers of Jesus. The cliché “no man is an island” applies to the Christian faith. Fellow believers can offer resources, advice, a listening ear, and shoulders to lean on.
Furthermore, God is sovereign over everything that happens to us—good or bad (Romans 8:28). This pushes us to rest in His wisdom, even when we don’t understand.
Other passages that talk about God’s comfort include Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 23:4, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 5:4, and Hebrews 13:5–6.
2. He delivers us. Besides offering comfort, God can also show us a way out of the situation. In the Lord’s Prayer, we’re instructed to say, “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Jesus wouldn’t have included this part of the prayer if it weren’t necessary.
This doesn’t mean God is a genie and we can rub the lamp (à la Aladdin) to escape all suffering. God’s perspective is different from ours, and sometimes He lets us go through particularly difficult situations. We don’t always know why this happens, but there are good reasons.
For the non-Christian, suffering is a wake-up call and a reminder that this world doesn’t satisfy (Ecclesiastes 1:2). For the Christian, suffering is a means by which God sanctifies us to become more like Jesus (Romans 5:1–5; Philippians 1:29; 1 Peter 4:12–16).
That being said, God is also our deliverer, both in this life and the next. We can be reassured that God at times does take trouble away from people; when He doesn’t, we can trust that He has a better plan.
3. He walks us through suffering. The evergreen poem “Footprints in the Sand” comes to mind. God carries us through the suffering while trimming out sin in us so we will be “conformed to the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29).
It is worth noting that Christianity doesn’t promise a life void of suffering. A trouble-free life is the promise of prosperity preachers and the view of some Eastern religions, but that’s not what we get in the Bible. Jesus promised His followers that “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Paul also told Timothy that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Even the incarnate Son of God didn’t have all His wishes met here on earth. When the ordeal in front of Him seemed too much, He entrusted Himself to the Father’s will and was comforted (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–41; Luke 22:40–46). This should serve as a good example and an encouragement in our trials. God understands our weaknesses, and both the Son and the Holy Spirit intercede for us (Romans 8:26–27, 34; Hebrews 4:15; 7:25; 1 John 2:1).
4. He remains faithful. Finally, God remains near to the brokenhearted by being faithful, even if we struggle with remaining faithful to Him (2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 10:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24). Just as He remained faithful to Israel in their times of rebellion, He remains faithful to His people today. God never abandons those He calls His own.
God is our compassionate comforter and deliverer. Even when we don’t feel Him near, His promises remain unchanging. We should pray for help during times of trouble while trusting in His goodness. We should also be willing to comfort the brokenhearted around us. God comforts us so we can extend that comfort to others (2 Corinthians 1:4).
The Bible has a lot to say about perseverance in several different contexts. Clearly, the Scriptures teach that those who “overcome” and persevere in the faith will inherit eternal life (Revelation 2:7). This truth is also expressed in Colossians 1:23 where we see that people will be holy, blameless, and above reproach “if they continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” So all Christians should be in agreement that those who are ultimately saved are those who do persevere and continue to believe the gospel.
There are two very distinct views on the issue of perseverance of the saints among Christians. The first is the Arminian view that it is possible for true Christians to turn away from God and not persevere. This is consistent with the concept of salvation which has man’s “free will” at the center of it. It is logically consistent that, if man’s “free will” choice is the determining factor of his salvation, then it would also be possible for that man to later choose to reject God and thereby lose his salvation.
However, the Bible clearly teaches that we are “born again” by the Holy Spirit, which results in our coming to faith in Christ. All who have been “born again” do have eternal security and will persevere. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is founded in the promise that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6) and Jesus’ declaration that “all that the Father gives me will come to me” and “I shall lose none of them that he has given me” (John 6:37, 39).
Beyond the concept of perseverance in regard to salvation, there are biblical exhortations to persevere in the Christian life. In his pastoral epistles to Timothy, the apostle Paul reminds the young pastor to “watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16). Timothy’s character was that of a godly man, and his doctrine was sound and scriptural. Paul warned him to watch them both closely and persevere in them because—and this is a warning to all Christians—perseverance in godly living and believing the truth always accompany genuine conversion (John 8:31; Romans 2:7).
Further exhortations to persevere in the Christian life come from James, who warns us to be “doers of the word and not hearers only” because those who hear but do not do are “deceiving themselves.” “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it [perseveres]…this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22-25). The sense here is that the Christian who perseveres in godliness and the spiritual disciplines will be blessed in the very act of persevering. The more we persevere in the Christian life, the more God grants His blessings upon us, thereby enabling us to continue to persevere. The psalmist reminds us that there is great reward in persevering in the Christian life. In keeping God’s commandments, there is “great reward” for our souls (Psalm 19:11), peace of mind, a clear conscience, and a witness to the world more eloquent than many words.
James also exhorts us to persevere “under trials” because those who do will be blessed and will receive the “crown of life” which God has promised (James 1:12). Just as the true believer will be eternally secure in his salvation, his faith will also persevere in affliction, sickness, persecution, and the other trials of life that befall all believers. If we desire to live godly lives in Christ, we will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), but the faithful will persevere, kept by the power of the Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our salvation and who will keep us “strong to the end,” persevering so we will be “blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:8)
In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul quotes an astonishing statement from the Psalms: “There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). How can Paul, and David before him, make such a sweeping declaration? Of all who have ever lived, not even one person has really sought after God? There’s no question that billions of people have sought after a god, but they have not always sought after the true God.
This fact ties directly to Adam and Eve’s sin prompted by Satan’s deception. Throughout the history of mankind, the treachery promulgated by Satan has been so thorough that the natural man can perceive only bits and pieces of the real truth about God. As a result, our conceptions about God are blurred. It’s only when God chooses to reveal Himself to us that the pieces begin to fall together as our eyes are opened to truth. Then, truly seeking God becomes possible.
Jesus tells us in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Here Jesus is telling us that our continuing to seek God, desiring to know Him more, is the essence of true life, eternal life. The most important thoughts our minds can entertain are thoughts of God, because they will determine the quality and direction of life. Seeking God, then, is an ongoing responsibility and privilege for all Christians.
But we also know that seeking God is not always an easy thing to do, not because God is elusive, but because our minds are saturated with misconceptions and deceits planted by Satan and reinforced by the culture, not to mention the sinful nature of our own hearts and the general deceitfulness of sin (Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:13–15). But the good news is that these mistaken beliefs are done away with through coming to know God and growing in our relationship with Him. This starts when we turn to Him for salvation and put our trust in Jesus Christ. When we are saved, we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit who helps us to know God and even transforms our hearts to want to seek Him (Ephesians 1:13–14; Philippians 1:6; 2:12–13; Romans 8:26–30). Romans 12:2counsels, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We learn the truth about God and seek Him through reading His Word (the Bible). We seek God also through prayer and in times of worship. We seek God both individually and corporately. Spending time with other believers in Jesus who are also seeking God is important to help us continue to seek Him (Hebrews 10:24–25).
Second Chronicles 15:2–4 is instructive for us. This passage was written over two thousand years ago to a people like us: “[Azariah the prophet] went out to meet Asa and said to him, ‘Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.’”
Their instructions were simple: when they sincerely sought God, things went well, but when their desire to seek Him waned and eventually ceased altogether, their world came apart. Sin increased, morality declined, and contact with God ceased. The admonitions to the children of God of that time are clear to us today: “If you seek him, he will be found by you.” This profound principle is repeated throughout Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7; Acts 17:27; James 4:8). The idea is that, when we draw near to God, He reveals Himself to us. God does not hide Himself from the seeking heart.
“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29).
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
God’s justice and mercy are seemingly incompatible. After all, justice involves the dispensing of deserved punishment for wrongdoing, and mercy is all about pardon and compassion for an offender. However, these two attributes of God do in fact form a unity within His character.
The Bible contains many references to God’s mercy. Over 290 verses in the Old Testament and 70 in the New Testament contain direct statements of the mercy of God toward His people.
God was merciful to the Ninevites who repented at the preaching of Jonah, who described God as “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2). David said God is “gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:8–9, NASB).
But the Bible also speaks of God’s justice and His wrath over sin. In fact, God’s perfect justice is a defining characteristic: “There is no God apart from me, a righteous [just] God and a Savior; there is none but me” (Isaiah 45:21). “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
In the New Testament, Paul details why God’s judgment is coming: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5–6).
So the Bible showcases the fact that God is merciful, but it also reveals that He is just and will one day dispense justice on the sin of the world.
In every other religion in the world that holds to the idea of a supreme deity, that deity’s mercy is always exercised at the expense of justice. For example, in Islam, Allah may grant mercy to an individual, but it’s done by dismissing the penalties of whatever law has been broken. In other words, the offender’s punishment that was properly due him is brushed aside so that mercy can be extended. Islam’s Allah and every other deity in the non-Christian religions set aside the requirements of moral law in order to be merciful. Mercy is seen as at odds with justice. In a sense, in those religions, crime can indeed pay.
If any human judge acted in such a fashion, most people would lodge a major complaint. It is a judge’s responsibility to see that the law is followed and that justice is provided. A judge who ignores the law is betraying his office.
Christianity is unique in that God’s mercy is shown through His justice. There is no setting aside of justice to make room for mercy. The Christian doctrine of penal substitution states that sin and injustice were punished at the cross of Christ and it’s only because the penalty of sin was satisfied through Christ’s sacrifice that God extends His mercy to undeserving sinners who look to Him for salvation.
As Christ died for sinners, He also demonstrated God’s righteousness; His death on the cross showcased God’s justice. This is exactly what the apostle Paul says: “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:24–26, emphasis added).
In other words, all the sin from Adam to the time of Christ was under the forbearance and mercy of God. God in His mercy chose not to punish sin, which would require an eternity in hell for all sinners, although He would have been perfectly just in doing so. Adam and Eve were not immediately destroyed when they ate the forbidden fruit. Instead, God planned a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15). In His love God sent His own Son (John 3:16). Christ paid for every single sin ever committed; thus, God was just in punishing sin, and He can also justify sinners who receive Christ by faith (Romans 3:26). God’s justice and His mercy were demonstrated by Christ’s death on the cross. At the cross, God’s justice was meted out in full (upon Christ), and God’s mercy was extended in full (to all who believe). So God’s perfect mercy was exercised through His perfect justice.
The end result is that everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus is saved from God’s wrath and instead experiences His grace and mercy (Romans 8:1). As Paul says, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9).
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
Jesus is our inspiration and finest example in every challenge of life. Scripture encourages us to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1–2, ESV).
The writer of Hebrews compares believers to athletes in a race. Jesus has gone before us in this race. He has crossed the finish line of faith in victorious triumph and is now seated on the heavenly throne at God’s right hand. To reach our goal, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. The Lord’s steadfast endurance and unfaltering obedience establish the ideal pattern for us to follow whenever we struggle. If we keep Him always in our sight, we will find the strength and courage to endure. Moreover, we can live confidently, knowing that He who began His good work in us will continue carrying it to completion until the day when Christ returns (Philippians 1:6).
Jesus endured far more than we ever will when He obeyed His Father and undertook the cross. The cross involved extreme suffering and unimaginable shame for our Lord: “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed” (Isaiah 53:3–5, NLT).
Despising the shame is the same as disregarding it. Jesus chose to disregard or ignore the shame and disgrace that the cross would bring to Him. He let Himself be despised by humans as He took upon Himself all the sins of the world. Imagine the mortification the sinless, spotless Lamb of God must have felt! Yet Jesus chose to disregard or despise the shame of the cross. He obediently finished the work that God had given Him to do (John 17:4).
What was it that empowered Jesus to endure the cross, despising the shame? It was His future-focused faith, which is the primary subject of this segment of Hebrews. The Lord concentrated on “the joy that was set before him.” He knew by faith that God would not leave Him in the grave forever but would raise Him back to life (see Psalm 16:8–10; Acts 2:24–33) and exalt Him to glory in heaven (see Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:34–36).
The joy set before Jesus—the motivation that enabled Him to endure—included the salvation that His sacrifice would bring: “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time” (Hebrews 10:10, NLT). Jesus acknowledged the disgrace and humiliation of the cross, but these perils were of no consequence to Him. Instead, He kept His eyes on the coming glory and the salvation of souls that His death on the cross would make possible (see John 3:14–16; Acts 5:30–31; Romans 5:9–10; 10:9–10; 1 John 4:9–10; 2 Timothy 1:9–10; Revelation 7:9–10).
The faith heroes showcased in Hebrews 11 also lived for the future and the joy set before them, enabling them to endure (Hebrews 11:10, 14–16, 24–27). The apostle Paul did likewise: “I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen” (2 Timothy 2:10, NLT). We can overcome faintheartedness and persevere in the face of hardship, “despising the shame,” when we keep our attention fixed on Jesus (see 2 Timothy 2:11–12; Romans 6:8; 8:17; Hebrews 10:36). He is the joy set before us that enables us to press on and run the race set before us (Philippians 3:12–14).
Many places in Scripture extol the faithfulness of God. Lamentations 3:22–23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” So, what is faithfulness?
The Hebrew word translated “faithfulness” means “steadfastness, firmness, fidelity.” The opposite of being faithful is to be ever-changing or wishy-washy. Psalm 119:89–90says, “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations.” Here faithfulness is equated with God’s Word. God speaks never-ending truth. If God spoke something a thousand years ago, it still stands. He is faithful to His Word, because His Word is an expression of His character. The promises He made still hold true because He does not change (Malachi 3:6). We see this illustrated from a human perspective in a couple married for many years. When the wife lies on her deathbed, her husband sits nearby holding her hand. He won’t leave her, even though she no longer recognizes him. He is faithful to the promises he made to her. In the same way, God remains faithful to His promises, even though we are often unfaithful to Him (2 Timothy 2:13).
We learn to trust the character of a person by getting to know that person. We would not entrust our bank account to a stranger we met in line at the post office—we have no experience with him. We don’t know his character. Before we know God, we are afraid to trust Him. We don’t yet know who He is or what He may do. We learn to trust God by getting to know His character. There are three ways we can get to know Him: studying His Word, reviewing His working in our own lives, and learning to follow His voice.
When we study God’s Word, a pattern emerges. We learn that God never changes and never lies (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29). We learn through Scripture that God has never failed in the past (Isaiah 51:6). He was always true to His Word as He worked in the lives of the ancient Israelites. When He said He would do something, He did it (Numbers 11:23; Matthew 24:35). We begin to build trust upon His proven character. We can trust that God will be true to Himself. He will never cease acting like God. He will never cease being sovereign, being holy, or being good (1 Timothy 6:15; 1 Peter 1:16).
We learn through our own history that He has never failed us, either. One command God often gave the Israelites was: “Remember” (Deuteronomy 8:2; Isaiah 46:9). When they remembered all God had done for them, they could more easily trust Him for the future. We need to intentionally remember all the ways God has provided for us and delivered us in the past. Keeping a prayer journal can help with this. When we recall the ways God has answered our prayers, it equips us to continue asking and expecting answers. When we come to Him in prayer, we know that He always hears us (1 John 5:14; Psalm 34:15). He provides what we need (Philippians 4:19). And He will always make everything work together for our good when we trust Him with it (Romans 8:28). We learn to trust God’s future faithfulness by remembering His past faithfulness.
And we can also learn to trust Him by learning to distinguish His voice from the others that compete for attention. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27). We who belong to Jesus need to cultivate the ability to hear Him. He speaks primarily through His Word, but He can also speak through other people, through circumstances, and through the inner confirmation of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16). As we carefully read and meditate upon Scripture, the Holy Spirit often quickens our hearts to a verse or passage and helps us claim it and apply it to our current situation. What the Spirit shows us in His Word is to be taken by faith as His message to us. We build trust by claiming His promises and applying them to our lives.
Above all things, God loves for us to demonstrate faith (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is trusting in the character of God before we see how He is going to work things out. He has given us His Word, and His promises still stand. As we see the ways He brings His promises to fulfillment, our trust in His faithfulness grows. Just as our trust in other people grows with daily interaction, our trust in God grows the same way. We trust Him when we know Him, and to know Him is to trust Him. When we know Him, we can rest in His goodness, even when we don’t understand the circumstances that seem to contradict it. We can trust that God’s plan for us will prevail (Proverbs 19:21). As a child trusts a loving father, we can trust our heavenly Father to always do what is right.
Jesus is described as the author and perfecter, or finisher, of our faith in Hebrews 12:2. An author is an originator or creator, as of a theory or plan. The Greek word translated “author” in Hebrews 12:2 can also mean “captain,” “chief leader” or “prince.” Acts 3:15uses the same word: “And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (KJV), while the NIV and ESV use the word “author” instead of “prince.” From this we can deduce that Christ is the originator of our faith in that He begins it, as well as the captain and prince or our faith. This indicates that Jesus controls our faith, steers it as a captain steers a ship, and presides over it and cares for it as a monarch presides over and cares for his people.
The Greek word translated “perfecter” in Hebrews 12:2 appears only this one time in the New Testament. It means literally “completer” or “finisher” and speaks of bringing something to its conclusion. Putting the two words together, we see that Jesus, as God, both creates and sustains our faith. We know that saving faith is a gift from God, not something we come up with on our own (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that gift comes from Christ, its creator. He is also the sustainer of our faith, meaning that true saving faith cannot be lost, taken away or given away. This is a source of great comfort to believers, especially in times of doubt and spiritual struggles. Christ has created our faith and He will watch over it, care for it, and sustain it.
It is important for us to understand that God in Christ is not only the creator and sustainer of our saving faith, but He is also the sustainer of our daily walk and the finisher of our spiritual journey. For if God in Christ is not the author of our new life, and if Christ is not the finisher and perfecter of our faith through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power, then we are neither born again nor are we a true follower of Christ. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).
In Ephesians 2:4, the apostle Paul writes, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us” (ESV). The word but signals an emphatic contrast between verses 1–3 and verses 4–10. Therefore, to understand the meaning and significance of God’s being “rich in mercy,” we need to review the immediate context.
Ephesians 2:1–3 paints a sobering picture of the human condition. In verse 1, Paul writes that we were “dead” in trespasses and sins. This does not mean that we were physically dead because, in the next verse, he writes that we followed “the course of this world” and “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (verse 2, ESV). As a result, we “lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (verse 3, ESV).
The contrast between human impoverishment and divine abundance could not be more striking. God is not only merciful; he is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4). The Greek word for “rich” means that God abounds in mercy. As Jeremiah testified, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23, ESV). In other words, God’s mercy is overwhelmingly generous. We do not deserve it, yet He continues to give it. How great is our God!
Even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, God was still merciful to us “because of his great love for us” (Ephesians 2:4). God’s love is more than sentimental feelings; it is a love that moved Him to action: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV; cf. Romans 5:8). God loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us. Now, that is true and unconditional love!
Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our salvation (Hebrews 12:2). He started the work, and He will see it to completion. Paul writes that God “made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:5, ESV). We were dead. Now, we are alive. Not because of our own efforts, but because of His grace:
He has “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:6–9, ESV).
Mercy is not only about what God does; it is also about who He is: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). He is always loving, compassionate, and forgiving. Let us not, however, take His mercy for granted. Instead, let us make every effort to walk in righteousness, continuously thanking Him for being rich in mercy: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).
In Romans 5:17, the apostle Paul makes a stunning claim: “For if by one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (NKJV). This verse contrasts the curse that came through Adam’s sin with the superabundant blessings that come through Christ. Paul declares that Christ not only reversed the effects of Adam’s sin, but He accomplished something far more significant—the dispensing of abundant grace. As a result, believers receive God’s gracious gifts and will reign in life.
Romans 5:12–21 is theologically dense. In this section, Paul contrasts Adam and Christ. Sin and death entered the world through Adam (Romans 5:12), but Christ’s sacrificial obedience brought justification, righteousness, and eternal life (Romans 5:16).
Paul uses an a fortiori argument to emphasize the supremacy of Christ’s work. The phrase much more appears in Romans 5:15, 17, and 20. The logic is this: if Adam’s sin had such a profound effect in cursing humanity, how much more will Christ’s redemptive work overflow to bless us?
Romans 5:17 not only focuses on the objective reversal of Adam’s sin but on the subjective experience of believers who “receive” what Christ accomplished. It is here that Paul introduces the concepts of the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. Receiving these gifts means we will “reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” We will triumph over sin.
The abundance of grace we have received through faith in Christ is overflowing and superabundant. It is enough grace to match and exceed Adam’s sin. In Romans 5:20, Paul writes, “The law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (NKJV). Grace is God’s unmerited favor. In the context of Romans 5:17, it refers to God’s gracious initiative in salvation. God does not reluctantly forgive; He floods our hearts with “grace upon grace” (John 1:16, ESV).
God’s “gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17) clarifies what grace includes. In Pauline theology, righteousness is often forensic. In other words, God declares sinners to be righteous through faith in Christ’s atoning work (cf. Romans 3:24–26). His decree makes us positionally righteous, even before we are practically (or experientially) righteous. Righteousness is not something that is earned; it is a gift of grace.
The abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reveal the supernatural origin of our redeemed lives. We do not “reign in life” (Romans 5:17) because of our virtue or strength, but because we have received God’s overflowing grace. We have been declared righteous in God’s sight.
Paul does not stop at justification. He looks forward and writes that we “will reign in life.” Believers are under the dominion of grace and participate in Christ’s victory and authority (cf. Romans 6:14; Ephesians 2:6). When Christ returns for His “glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27, NKJV), we shall reign with Him in heavenly glory (cf. Revelation 22:5).
Reigning in life is not about exercising worldly power or accumulating wealth but about experiencing newness of life, emancipation from sin’s control, and fellowship with the risen Savior.
Romans 5:17 is a breathtaking summary of the gospel. Adam’s sin brought death, but Christ’s obedience brought grace, righteousness, and life. Salvation is God’s sovereign and gracious initiative. He forgives our sins and exalts us to reign in life—here, now, and forevermore.
Receiving God’s grace and righteousness is an ongoing experience of being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). We are clothed not in our failures but in Christ’s perfect righteousness.
In Jesus’ parable of the talents, the Lord tells of two faithful servants who used what they had been given to increase the master’s wealth. When the master returned from a long absence, he rewarded his two faithful servants and said to each of them, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21, 23). Every Christian longs to hear those words from Jesus’ lips someday in heaven.
We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), but we are saved “to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus spoke of laying up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20), and His parable of the talents hints at various rewards for those who faithfully serve Him in this world.
To hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” from Jesus, first make sure you are saved. The unbelieving will never hear those words, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). And recognize that Jesus is not only your Savior; He is also your Lord (see Luke 6:46). “Serve the LORD with gladness!” (Psalm 100:2, ESV).
Here are some ideas on ways you can serve the Lord:
1. Share the gospel. The Lord Jesus desires us to make disciples, teaching others of the nature and character of God and sharing the meaning of His death and resurrection (Matthew 28:18–20).
2. Help the disadvantaged. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19–31, the rich man is condemned because he doesn’t help Lazarus and because he trusts in his wealth too much. Don’t put self-gratification before the needs of others. First John 3:17 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
3. Forgive others of their offenses. This isn’t the same as reconciliation or trust, but it means you renounce vengeance. The Lord Jesus modeled forgiveness: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to [the Father] who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).
4. View your position of authority as an opportunity to help the people under you, and view your position of subservience as an opportunity to submit to your authority, just as Jesus submitted to the Father’s authority. Either way, you can be Christlike, because Jesus was both master and servant to different people. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
5. Seek to know the character of God better through church fellowship, listening to sermons, studying the Bible, praying, and chronicling how He seems to have been involved in your life.
6. Recognize that every advantageous position you’re in is because of God, the Source of every blessing: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17).
7. Be willing to be unpopular, displaying rare courage like the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable (Luke 10:30–37). Do what the Bible says is right, always. “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29, ESV).
8. In introspective moral judgment (evaluating your own character), look at the character of Jesus as a measure rather than rationalize your questionable actions and attitudes. Show humility.
It all comes down to this: love God more than anything, and love others sincerely (Mark 12:30–31). At the judgment seat of Christ, those who are faithful to the Lord who saved them will hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” No true servant of the Lord could ask for more.
Second Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” In this verse, Peter explains that the seeming delay of Christ’s second coming is not because God is slow or unable to fulfill His promise. Rather, God is giving sinners an opportunity to turn to Him in faith.
In the preceding verse, Peter writes, “Do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, ESV). This analogy illustrates that God operates outside the constraints of time. What may seem like a long delay to us is but a moment from God’s perspective. God transcends our temporal expectations, viewing redemptive history from an eternal standpoint.
God’s patience is a recurring theme in Scripture, emphasizing His everlasting mercy toward sinners. In Romans 2:3–4, Paul rhetorically asks, “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (ESV). Here, as in 2 Peter 3:9, God’s patience is linked to His desire for mankind’s repentance and salvation. God is not indifferent to sin, nor is He “slow in keeping his promise.”
God’s patience was also evident in the Old Testament. In Ezekiel 18:23, God declares, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” (ESV). God desires for sinners to repent and live rather than die and face judgment. The prophet Jonah expressed the same conviction that God desires to save sinners: “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2, ESV).
There is nothing “slow” about how God works. The “delay” in the second coming of Christ should not be seen as a failure of God to keep His promise but as an extension of His grace and mercy. He is giving sinners more opportunity to positively respond to the gospel, and believers should rejoice in God’s grace as well as His faithfulness. As 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (ESV).
Hebrews 10:23 encourages believers to “hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (NLT). Despite apparent delays in the fulfillment of God’s promises, He is not being “slow.” Believers are called to trust in God’s perfect faithfulness and timing. The second coming of Christ will happen. Until then, God is patiently waiting for sinners to repent.
Second Peter 3:9 provides an understanding of God’s patience and why Christ has not yet returned. God’s “slowness,” then, allows more time for repentance and salvation, and this reflects His desire that none should perish but that all should come to repentance. Rather than grow impatient and demand God act on our timetable, we should actively participate in sharing the gospel with a world in need.
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath
given us an understanding,
that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that
is true,
even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
“It is hard for you to kick against
the pricks”
was a Greek proverb, but it was also familiar to the Jews and anyone who made a living in agriculture. An ox goad was a stick with a pointed piece of iron on its tip used to prod the oxen when plowing. The farmer would prick the animal to steer it in the right direction. Sometimes the animal would rebel by kicking out at the prick, and this would result in the prick being driven even further into its flesh. In essence, the more an ox rebelled, the more it suffered. Thus, Jesus’ words to Saul on the road to Damascus: “It is hard for you to kick against the pricks.”
Of the better-known Bible translations, the actual phrase “kick against the pricks” is found only in the King James Version. It is mentioned only twice, in Acts 9:5 and Acts 26:14. The apostle Paul (then known as Saul) was on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians when he had a blinding encounter with Jesus. Luke records the event: “And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 26:14 KJV). Modern translations have changed the word pricks to goads. All translations except the KJV and NKJV, omit the phrase altogether from Acts 9:5.
The conversion of Saul is quite significant as it was the turning point in his life. Paul later wrote nearly half of the books of the New Testament.
Jesus took control of Paul and let him know his rebellion against God was a losing battle. Paul’s actions were as senseless as an ox kicking “against the goads.” Paul had passion and sincerity in his fight against Christianity, but he was not heading in the direction God wanted him to go. Jesus was going to goad (“direct” or “steer”) Paul in the right direction.
There is a powerful lesson in the ancient Greek proverb. We, too, find it hard to
kick against the goads.
Solomon wrote, “Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path” (Proverbs 15:10).
When we choose to disobey God,
we become like the
rebellious ox—driving the goad deeper and deeper.
“The way of the unfaithful is hard”
(Proverbs 13:15)
How much better to heed God’s voice, to listen to
the pangs of conscience!
By resisting God’s authority we are only punishing ourselves.
When a person responds well
to discipline,
they confess their sin and receive cleansing.
First John 1:9 promises,
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."
However, if the wayward person rejects correction, death may result.
First John 5:16–17
exhorts believers to pray for a brother
who sins,
but explains there is sin
that leads to death,
for which believers should not pray
Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1–10 (see also 1 Corinthians 11:30). The “sin unto death” is willful, continuous, unrepentant sin. God has called His children to holiness (1 Peter 1:16), and God corrects them when they sin. We are not “punished” for our sin in the sense of losing salvation or being eternally separated from God, yet we are disciplined.
“The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son
” (Hebrews 12:6)
First John 5:16 says there comes a point when God can no longer allow a believer to continue in unrepentant sin. When that point is reached, God may decide to take the life of the stubbornly sinful believer. The “death” is physical death. God at times purifies His church by removing those who deliberately disobey Him. The apostle John makes a distinction between the “sin that leads to death” and the “sin that does not lead to death.” Not all sin in the church is dealt with the same way because not all sin rises to the level of the “sin that leads to death.”
In Acts 5:1–10 and 1 Corinthians 11:28–32, God dealt with intentional, calculated sin in the church by
taking the physical life of the sinner.
This is perhaps also what Paul meant by “the destruction of the flesh” in 1 Corinthians 5:5.
John says that we should pray for Christians who are sinning, and that God will hear our prayers. However, there may come a time when God decides to cut short a believer’s life due to unrepentant sin. Prayers for such an unheeding person will not be effective.
God is good and just, and He will eventually make us “a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27). To further that end, God chastens His children. May the Lord preserve us from the hard-heartedness that would cause us to commit the “sin unto death.”
The church has grown to over five thousand members, many of them still in Jerusalem (Acts 4:4). The first members are from Galilee (Acts 1:13–15) and the second, larger batch are from as far away as Rome, Alexandria, and Mesopotamia (Acts 2:9–11). Many didn't expect to stay long in Jerusalem; those who live there share their possessions and even sell land and homes to support those who are struggling (Acts 2:44–45; 4:32–37).
The Bible doesn't give specifics about Ananias and Sapphira. This is not the Ananias who helps Saul repent and find forgiveness in Jesus (Acts 9:10–19). Nor is it the high priest Annas (Acts 4:6) or the high priest Ananias (Acts 23:2) or the paralytic Aeneas (Acts 9:32–33). We just are only told that Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land and appear to be active members of the church. Their motivation for doing so, however, proves their motives are at least partially insincere.
"Property" doesn't necessarily mean land. The Greek means anything that can be possessed, such as houses and furniture. However, Peter later identifies the property as land (Acts 5:3). The account of Ananias and Sapphira comes right after a short comment about Barnabas, another church member who sold land and gave the proceeds to the apostles (Acts 4:36–37). But while Ananias and Sapphira's story ends here, Barnabas the encourager becomes an essential part of the spread of the gospel. He acts as a liaison between the church in Jerusalem and Saul, the convert who had persecuted the Jesus-followers (Acts 9:26–30), and he invites Saul into ministry in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:25–26).
Barnabas is generous not just with his money
but with his heart,
something Ananias and Sapphira lack
John wrote his gospel so that people would believe in Jesus and have life in His name (John 20:30–31). He wrote his first epistle, in part, so that those who believe in Jesus would know that they have eternal life (1 John 5:13). John wants believers to have confidence in their position in Christ and mentions in that context that there are a couple types of sin. One type of sin does not lead to death, and another does.
We find an example of a sin that leads to death in Acts 5. There, Ananias and Sapphira lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3), and they die as a result. Paul mentions another example of a sin that leads to death in 1 Corinthians 11:30. Some who were abusing the Lord’s Supper had become sick and had even died. These are the only two clear instances in the New Testament of believers who committed sins unto death.
The context is John’s teaching on prayer. John explains that we can have confidence that, in anything we ask of God according to His will, He hears us (1 John 5:14). To ask something according to His will is to ask for something that God has communicated to us that He desires. When we ask for something that He wants, then we are asking for something that we should be asking Him for. John goes further, explaining that, when God hears these kinds of requests, we have what we have asked for (1 John 5:15). Believers are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and, as Jesus said in John 14:12–14, the Father is glorified in the Son when His disciples pray in His name. To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray according to His will or pray as if Jesus Himself were asking the Father. But we discover in 1 John 5 there are different types of sin, and that impacts what we should and should not be asking for. The church must recognize the seriousness of sin, avoid continuing in sin, and pray as God has designed.
The "sin that leads to death" mentioned in 1 John 5:16-17 is widely interpreted as
persistent, unrepentant rejection
of Christ,
apostasy, or blasphemy of the Holy Spirit,
leading to eternal death (separation from God).
willful, continuous sin
that results in physical death as divine judgment.
hardened, continuous rebellion against God
without repentance,
where the sinner has severed their relationship with Him
Physical Death (Divine Judgment); Blasphemy of the
Holy Spirit:
ARC's Immunity Push Exposed: Ministerial Exception or Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card? Live breakdown of the latest filings in my federal appeal (No. 25-10154) against the Association of Related Churches (ARC), Chris Hodges, and Dino Rizzo. In this livestream: Why ARC claims "ministerial exception" in a racketeering case. ARC's defenses are straw man defenses that dodge addressing the actual allegations and claims of the lawsuit—extortion, fraud, or business sabotage My attorney John Clough's powerful reply: Calling the defense a "get-out-of-jail-free card" that would do "violence to the court" and create dangerous precedent for immunity from crimes in religious networks. The contradictions: ARC denies involvement publicly, but their briefs rely on alleged influence to trigger church immunity. What happens if they win? Victims lose, and external actors could hide behind "church autonomy" for real harm. Timeline, briefs, and facts—no spin. This is about accountability, not attacking faith. Follow for updates: @stovallweems_x on X Case docket: Eleventh Circuit No. 25-10154 Original complaint: Middle District FL Case 3:23-cv-00811-MMH-LLL
This is commonly understood as a deliberate, conscious, and
final rejection of the Holy Spirit's testimony
regarding Jesus,
as mentioned in Mark 3:28–30.
Final Apostasy
Unbelief
It involves knowingly turning away from the truth of the Gospel after having knowledge of it, such as in
Hebrews 6:4–6 or Hebrews 10:26–27
1 John 5:16–17
differentiates between sin that leads to death and sin that does not, with the latter referring to sins committed out of weakness that are repented of. The "sin that leads to death" is generally viewed as one that cuts the sinner off from God's grace and forgiveness, preventing repentance
Overcoming the World
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him
that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Jesus is the Son of God
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shal
ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Amen.
- Scripture opens the door to every individual without distinction: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
(Romans 10:13).
- Yet the tiny word “whoever” also presses home personal responsibility. Each heart must decide how it will respond to the Spirit’s testimony about Jesus (John 3:18-19).
- The verse therefore warns that no one is exempt from the danger described; the most religious (Matthew 7:21-23) or irreligious alike can cross this line.
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit- Blasphemy here is deliberate, hostile rejection of the Spirit’s witness to Christ’s divine identity and saving power (Matthew 12:31-32; Luke 12:10).
- In context, the scribes saw undeniable miracles and still said, “He has an unclean spirit” (Mark 3:30). They attributed God’s work to Satan, hardening their hearts against further conviction (Hebrews 10:29).
- This is not an impulsive outburst or momentary doubt. It is settled, knowing repudiation of the Spirit’s light, locking the door against repentance (Acts 7:51).
will never be forgiven- Forgiveness is always tied to repentance (Acts 3:19). Persistent refusal to acknowledge Jesus leaves no other sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 6:4-6).
- The phrase “never be forgiven” stretches beyond this life: “It is impossible… to renew them again to repentance” while they remain in that state (Hebrews 12:17).
- God’s mercy is vast (1 John 1:9), but He will not override a will that permanently rejects His Spirit (Isaiah 55:6-7).
he is guilty of eternal sin- The consequence matches the choice: eternal separation from God (Revelation 20:14-15).
- “Eternal” underscores that the sin’s effect endures forever, unlike other transgressions that can be covered by Christ’s blood when confessed
(1 John 2:1-2).
Daniel 12:2 reminds us of “everlasting contempt” awaiting those
who refuse God’s salvation.
The verdict is final because the heart’s rebellion is final.
Mark 3:29
warns that persistently and knowingly attributing the Holy Spirit’s testimony about Jesus to evil seals a person in unrepentant unbelief. God’s grace remains open to every sinner who turns to Christ, but the one who hardens his heart against the Spirit’s clear witness cuts himself off from the only source of forgiveness, resulting in an irreversible, eternal judgment.
Matthew 22:2-4
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. / He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. / Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
Isaiah 25:6
On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine, of choice meat, of finely aged wine.
Revelation 19:7-9
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. / She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints. / Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Matthew 8:11
I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.
Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Psalm 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Matthew 25:10
But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
1 Samuel 16:2-3
“How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ / Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.”
2 Samuel 6:13-15
When those carrying the ark of the LORD had advanced six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. / And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD, / while he and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sounding of the ram’s horn.
Jeremiah 31:12-14
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD—the grain, new wine, and oil, and the young of the flocks and herds. Their life will be like a well-watered garden, and never again will they languish. / Then the maidens will rejoice with dancing, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, and give them comfort and joy for their sorrow. / I will fill the souls of the priests abundantly, and will fill My people with My goodness,” declares the LORD.
Amos 9:13-14
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, with which all the hills will flow. / I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
John 2:1-10
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, / and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. / When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” ...
Nehemiah 8:10
Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Genesis 18:7-8
Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. / Then Abraham brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the men and stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Thirsting for God
(2 Samuel 15:30–37)
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
O God, You are my God.
Earnestly I seek You;
my soul thirsts for You.
My body yearns for You
in a dry and weary land without water.
So I have seen You in the sanctuary
and beheld Your power and glory.
Because Your loving devotion is better than life,
my lips will glorify You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
in Your name I will lift my hands.
My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.
When I remember You on my bed,
I think of You through the watches of the night.
For You are my help;
I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.
My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.
But those who seek my life to destroy it
will go into the depths of the earth.
They will fall to the power of the sword;
they will become a portion for foxes.
But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by Him will exult,
for the mouths of liars will be shut.
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; they will
never be silent day or night.
You who call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves,
nor give Him any rest until
He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the
praise of the earth
O God, Be Not Silent
A song. A Psalm of Asaph.
O God, be not silent; be not speechless;
be not still, O God.
See how Your enemies rage,
how Your foes have reared their heads.
With cunning they scheme against Your people
and conspire against those You cherish,
saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation;
may the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
For with one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against You--
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,
of Philistia with the people of Tyre.
Even Assyria has joined them,
lending strength to the sons of Lot.
Selah
Do to them as You did to Midian,
as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,
who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
who said,
“Let us possess for ourselves
the pastures of God.”
Make them like tumbleweed, O my God
like chaff before the
Wind, As fire
consumes a forest,
as a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
so pursue them with Your tempest,
and terrify them with Your storm.
Cover their faces with shame,
that they may
Seek Your name, O LORD
May they be ever ashamed and terrified;
may they perish in disgrace
May they know that You alone,
whose Name is the LORD,
are
Most High over all the Earth
Then his father Zechariah
was filled with
the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
because He has
visited and redeemed His people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
as He spoke through His holy prophets,
those of ages past,
Salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
the oath He swore to our father Abraham,
to grant us deliverance from hostile hands,
that we may serve Him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before Him
all the days of our lives.
And you, child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord
to prepare the way for Him,
to give to His people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the
tender mercy of our God,
by which the Dawn will visit us from
on high,
to shine on those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet
into
the path of peace.”
Ephesians 5:25–27 uses Christ’s unique role
as the one who sanctifies the church
as a model for how
a husband should love and care for his wife.
“Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her
with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish”
In marriage, a husband should sacrificially love his wife, as Christ loved the church. Unlike marriage, however, husbands do not “sanctify” or “wash” their wives. But this is something that Christ does for His church. In this context, to sanctify is to set apart for God’s purpose and purify from sin. Through faith in the finished work of Christ, believers are set apart as holy and dedicated to God’s service (see Romans 12:1–2; 1 Peter 1:15–16).
In Ephesians 5:26, the expression washing of water is linked to water baptism, as mentioned in Romans 6:3–4. According to Paul, baptism symbolizes the believer’s death to sin and new life in Christ. The reality is that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV). Water for cleansing also played a part in a bride’s preparation for her wedding day.
There may also be a link between Ezekiel 16:1–13 and Ephesians 5:26–27. In the Ezekiel passage, Israel is portrayed as an abandoned girl who becomes a queen. This passage prefigures the New Testament concept of the church as the bride of Christ, who is sanctified and cleansed for Him. The metaphor is further enriched by Ezekiel 36:25, where God promises to “sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you” (ESV). In Christ, we are thoroughly cleansed.
The culmination of Christ’s sanctifying work is beautifully illustrated in the eschatological visions of Revelation 19:7–9 and 21:2, 9–11. In these passages, the apostle John describes the marriage supper of the Lamb, an event that represents the final consummation of Christ’s relationship with His church. This future event is not only a celebration but a fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan, where Christ presents “the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27, ESV).
Ephesians 5:26 also specifies the agency through which Christ accomplishes His “washing” of the church: it is done “through the word.” In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus said, “Sanctify them [the disciples] by the truth; your word is truth.” The means by which God justifies, saves, and sanctifies His people is the Word of God (see also John 15:3; James 1:18). It is by the Word that God accomplishes His purpose “to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17, NLT).
While the focus of Ephesians 5:26–27 is on Christ’s role, there are practical implications for believers. Because we have been “sanctified” and “washed,” God expects us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV). Such a “walk,” or lifestyle, is not about earning salvation; rather, it is about responding to God’s grace with reverence and obedience.
Ephesians 5:26–27 presents profound insights into Christ’s role in the sanctification of His church, drawing from Old Testament allegories and culminating in our future union with Him. Not only does this passage reveal the depth of Christ’s love and sacrifice, but it also calls us to a life of holiness and dedication to God’s service.
Let us, then, live out the fulness of our spiritual cleansing, demonstrating to everyone that we belong to Christ,
who sanctifies us “by the washing with water through the word.”
Only a few Sick and Wounded
Palestinians from
Gaza arrived in Egypt on Monday
after the Rafah
Border
Crossing Reopened
for the
Movement of People
The crossing has largely been closed
since the Gazan side
was captured
by Israeli forces in May 2024
The reopening was supposed to happen
during the
first phase of US President Donald Trump's
Ceasefire Plan
between Israel and Hamas, which began in October
But Israel blocked it UNTIL
the
Return of
the body of the
Last Israeli Hostage,
which happened last week
It will come as a relief to many Palestinians who
see it as a lifeline to the world,
although there is frustration
that
only small numbers of people
and
No goods will be allowed
through
The
Narrow Gate,
or
Narrow Door,
Jesus says that
“small is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life,
and only a few find it.”
What exactly is meant by this? Just how many are the “many” and how few are the “few”?
First, we need to understand that Jesus is the Door through which all must enter eternal life. There is no other way because He alone is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). The way to eternal life is restricted to just one avenue—Christ. In this sense, the way is narrow because it is the only way, and relatively few people will go through the narrow gate. Many more will attempt to find an alternative route to God. They will try to get there through manmade rules and regulations, through false religion, or through self-effort. These who are “many” will follow the broad road that leads to eternal destruction, while the sheep hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him along the narrow way to eternal life (John 10:7-11).
While there will be relatively few who go through the narrow gate compared to the many on the broad road, there will still be multitudes who will follow the Good Shepherd. The apostle John saw this multitude in his vision in the book of Revelation: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10).
Entering the narrow gate is not easy. Jesus made this clear when He instructed His followers to “strive” to do so. The Greek word translated “strive” is agonizomai, from which we get the English word agonize. The implication here is that those who seek to enter the narrow gate must do so by struggle and strain, like a running athlete straining toward the finish line, all muscles taut and giving his all in the effort. But we must be clear here. No amount of effort saves us; salvation is by the grace of God through the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). No one will ever earn heaven by striving for it. But entering the narrow gate is still difficult because of the opposition of human pride, our natural love of sin, and the opposition of Satan and the world in his control, all of which battle against us in the pursuit of eternity.
The exhortation to strive to enter is a command to repent and enter the gate and not to just stand and look at it, think about it, complain that it’s too small or too difficult or unjustly narrow.
The Parable of the Banquet
(Luke 14:15–24)
Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared
a wedding banquet for his son.
He sent his servants
to call those he had invited to the banquet,
but they refused to come.
Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner.
My oxen and fattened
cattle have been killed, and everything
is ready.
Come to the wedding banquet.’
But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business.
The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy.
Go therefore to the crossroads
and invite to the
banquet
as many as you can find.’
So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes.
‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’
But the man was speechless.
Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
For many are called,
but
Few are Chosen
Paying Taxes to Caesar
(Mark 12:13–17; Luke 20:19–26)
Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to
Trap Jesus in His words
They sent their disciples
to Him
along with the Herodians.
“Teacher,” they said,
“We know that You are Honest
and that
You Teach
The Way of God in Accordance
with the TRUTH
You Seek
favor from no one,
because You Pay
No attention to external appearance
So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?
Show Me the coin used for the tax.”
And they brought Him a denarius.
Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they answered.
So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
(Mark 12:18–27; Luke 20:27–40)
That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies
without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children.
So he left his wife to his brother.
The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh. And last of all, the woman died.
In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven?
For all of them were married to her.”
Jesus answered,
“You are mistaken because
you
do not know the
Scriptures or the
Power of God
In the resurrection,
People will neither marry nor be given in marriage.
Instead,
they will be like the
Angels in Heaven
But concerning the
resurrection of the dead, have you not read
what God said to you:
‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and
the God of Jacob’?
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
When the crowds
heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
The Greatest Commandment
(Deuteronomy 6:1–19; Mark 12:28–34)
Jesus declared
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with
all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment
And the second is like it:
Love your neighbor as yourself
All the Law and the Prophets
Hang on these
Two commandments
Jesus chose Judas Iscariot
as one of
The Twelve Disciples
Judas was “A Devil”
(John 6:70–71),
“A Thief”
(John 12:6),
An Unbeliever
(John 6:64), and
Spiritually Unclean
(John 13:10),
In John 12:4-6,
Judas Iscariot
criticized Mary of Bethany for using
expensive perfume
(worth 300 denarii, or a year's wages)
to anoint Jesus' feet,
arguing it
should have been sold for the poor
This was a pretext; as the treasurer,
Judas often stole from the money box
and
did not care for the poor
This event highlights the contrast
between
Mary’s selfless worship and Judas’s greed
and impending betrayal
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who
bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring
good tidings, who proclaim salvation,
who say
to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
And how shall they preach unless they be sent, as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of them
that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things!
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to
overcome all the
power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Mammon, money, material wealth, or any entity
that promises wealth, and is
associated
with the greedy pursuit of gain
The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke
both quote Jesus using the word in a phrase
"You cannot serve both God
and mammon
Satan is called the “god of this age
Satan's temptation of Jesus Christ provides confirmation that
“all the kingdoms of the world and their glory”
are under the control of
Satan—that he had the right to offer them
to Christ
(Matthew 4:8-9)
Since
Jesus “knew what was in each person”
(John 2:25),
it may seem puzzling that
He would select Judas, the one who would later
betray Him.
Jesus chose Judas as a disciple because, ultimately, Judas fit into the plan of God.
Jesus had come to earth
to die
for the redemption of sinners.
That death, “the just for the unjust”
(1 Peter 3:18, NKJV),
was not an accident but was God’s intended purpose.
When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming for baptism, he
spoke of Jesus as a sacrifice:
“Behold, the Lamb of God,
who takes
away the sin of the world!”
(John 1:29, ESV).
Jesus was not fooled by
Judas
He knew exactly what Judas was like and what he was going to do:
“Jesus had known from the
beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him”
(John 6:64)
In Judas, we have a clear example of how a person
can be religious,
hear the Word of God taught,
witness genuine miracles, and for all appearances
seem to be saved, and yet not be born again.
One of the reasons
Jesus chose Judas was that prophecy
had to be fulfilled.
Speaking of His imminent betrayal,
Jesus says,
“The Son of Man
will go
just as it is written about him”
(Matthew 26:24; cf. John 13:18)
After Christ’s resurrection, Peter also points to fulfilled prophecy in relation to Judas: “Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus” (Acts 1:16, ESV). He also links Judas’s actions to Psalms 69:25 and 109:8 (Acts 1:20).
Another reason that Jesus chose Judas was that God’s sovereign plan had to be accomplished. In Acts 2:23 Peter states in his sermon to the people of Jerusalem that “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23, ESV). Not only was the betrayal of Jesus foreknown by God, but it was part of His “definite plan.”
So, Jesus chose Judas to fulfill prophecy and because the plan of God required someone to betray the innocent Son of Man. However, none of this means that Judas and others who condemned and crucified Jesus were without fault. Judas Iscariot bore the responsibility for what he chose to do. Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21).
Peter also speaks about the sovereign plan of God and the guilt of those who act in sinful ways. In Acts 3:17 Peter says, “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:17–19). Even though the people had “acted in ignorance” in the fulfilling of prophecy, and even though Christ had to suffer according to the plan of God, the people who brought about Jesus’ death were guilty and had to “repent.”
Throughout the Bible, we see that God can use even the most wicked of mankind’s actions for good (see Genesis 50:20). Nothing could be more wicked than betraying and murdering the Son of God, yet in spite of that evil—even through that evil—God provided salvation and “disarmed the powers and authorities [and] . . . made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15).
God does not create evil, but
He does control it
In His power and
wisdom, God can use anyone
to fulfill His purpose
Judas was chosen
with the foreknowledge of God that he would
betray Jesus,
but his betrayal, rather than stop
God’s plan for salvation, actually advanced it.
Jesus Sends the Seventy-Two
(Matthew 9:35–38)
1After this, the Lord appointed seventy-twoa others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to visit. 2And He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.
3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the road.
5Whatever house you enter, begin by saying, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7Stay at the same house, eating and drinking whatever you are offered. For the worker is worthy of his wages.b Do not move around from house to house.
8If you enter a town and they welcome you, eat whatever is set before you. 9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’
10But if you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go into the streets and declare, 11‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Woe to the Unrepentant
(Matthew 11:20–24)
13Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.
15And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!
16Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
The Joyful Return
17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”
18So He told them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
31Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.
33But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’
36Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The One who showed him
Mercy,”
replied the expert in the law.
Then Jesus told him,
“Go and do likewise.”
‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance"
"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings".
Jesus used this phrase to defend his actions of eating with sinners, explaining that
God wants people to help those in need rather than just performing outward religious duties.
Micah 6:8 The Lord Requires
"To act justly
and to
love mercy
and
to walk humbly
with
your God"
"Portion"
signifies an
allotted share, inheritance, or part, often
referring to land
but most profoundly, it means
God Himself
is the
Believer's ultimate inheritance,
treasure, and security,
Psalms 16:5
"The Lord is my chosen portion"
It represents
divine provision, a lasting source of satisfaction
beyond material wealth,
and the idea that
God assigns each person's lot in life
As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
But only one thing is necessary.
Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Whose Son Is the Christ?
(Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44)
While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus
questioned them:
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?”
“David’s,” they answered.
Jesus said to them,
“How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’?
For he says:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My Right Hand
until
I put Your enemies
Under Your Feet.”’
The imagery of something being trodden underfoot is frequently associated with divine judgment and the subjugation of enemies. For instance, in Psalm 91:13, the psalmist declares,
"You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent underfoot."
This verse symbolizes God's protection and the believer's victory over dangerous and evil forces
Heaven itself has evidently confirmed it when the Mother of God appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in 1830.
There were various elements of this vision, and among them was an image of a serpent under Mary’s feet. The saint was told to have a medal struck according to the vision.
This apparition of Our Lady is one of the few that have been formally approved by the Church after thorough investigation of its authenticity. This reality of her power over the devil is also important for our understanding of
Our Lady’s role in helping us in our own “spiritual warfare.” …
When [Blessed Pope Pius IX] promulgated the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 in his apostolic constitution Ineffably Deus [he wrote]: ‘The most holy Virgin, united with him [Christ] by a most intimate and indissoluble bond, was, with him and through him, eternally at enmity with the evil serpent, and most completely triumphed over him, and thus crushed his head with her immaculate foot.’” [Much Western sacred art of which Mary is the subject depicts her with a serpent beneath her feet.]
To say that Mary crushes the serpent is not to imply that she does so independently of the power of Christ. Pope Pius IX makes it clear above that it is because of her indissoluble and intimate union with Christ that she can crush the enemy of our salvation. But there is more. Involving his servants in his work is simply the Lord’s chosen way of acting. He always remains the Source of whatever power is exercised against the devil or for the building up of the Church. But if He were to do everything Himself, there would be no need for prophets and priests and apostles and teachers, and all the ministries of the Church. Therefore He appoints his servants to carry out his will, by the power of his Spirit and his grace. As the Scripture indicates, the Lord has appointed his Mother to crush the head of the serpent, by the application of his own strength and redemptive grace. He has sent her to the front lines of the battle, as it were, by placing enmity precisely between her and the satanic serpent…
As the Woman clothed with sun, the Queen of creation and glorified Archetype of the Church, Our Lady has immense power from God to assist us in the spiritual warfare, and we will benefit greatly if only we will choose to make use of it.
Safely in Heaven, Mary is infinitely out of the reach of any further attempts of the devil to harm her, but the war now is between the serpent and the Woman’s offspring, “those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus” (Rev. 12:17).
Though at peace in Heaven, the Mother is constantly vigilant for the welfare of her children, to whom she brings the grace of God in all their needs.
Exorcists have testified that in their experience the devil is terrified of the Mother of God and flees when she is invoked. “Many exorcists invoke Mary, and when they do, notes [author Matt] Baglio, ‘the demon is so terrified of her that he will never pronounce her name. He’ll say “that woman” or “she destroys me.”’ … And again: “…in his conclusion to the book [An Exorcist Speaks Out, by Fr Gabriele Amorth], he describes Mary’s role as ‘an instrument of the divine plan,’ in the war against evil. Also, in a chapter where he describes the behavior of demons, he talks about how demons react to certain holy names.
Obviously, demons are going to hate the Holy Name of Jesus.
But most of them also cannot say the name of Mary, saying ‘she’ or ‘your Lady’ to indicate Mary. If the demon possessing a person is high-ranking, they can say these names, but ‘always followed by horrible blasphemies.’”
The demons are filled with fear and hate for the Blessed Virgin, not only because of the awesome power of her holiness, but also due to their own monstrous pride.
They can’t stand the fact that they, the great spiritual beings of a higher nature than ours, are compelled to cringe and flee when the little Maiden of Nazareth approaches!
We can rely on the powerful intercession
of the
Mother of God in our spiritual warfare
The devil cannot overcome her,
for she has been given
the power to
crush him, and she will wield
this power
until the Day of Judgment
But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,
with those pierced by the sword,
those who descend to the stones of the pit.
Like a corpse trampled underfoot
The devil (Satan or Lucifer)
was
cast out of heaven
due to pride
and rebellion, desiring to
overthrow
God and be worshipped
Revelation 12,
Michael and his angels fought and defeated the dragon (Satan),
casting him and his followers to the earth
This event is also linked to the fall of a, likely, high-ranking angel.
Restoration for Israel
For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob;
once again
He will choose
Israel and settle them in their own land
The foreigner will join them and unite with the house of Jacob.
The nations will escort Israel and bring it to its homeland.
Then the house of Israel
will possess the nations as menservants and maidservants
in the LORD’s land.
They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.
The Fall of the King of Babylon
On the day
that the LORD gives you rest from your pain and torment,
and from
the hard labor into which you were forced,
you will sing this song
of contempt against the king of Babylon:
How the oppressor has ceased,
and how his fury has ended!
The LORD has broken the staff of
the wicked,
the scepter of the rulers.
It struck the peoples in anger
with unceasing blows;
it subdued the nations in rage
with relentless persecution.
All the earth is at peace and at rest;
they break out in song.
Even the cypresses and cedars of Lebanon
exult over you:
“Since you have been laid low,
no woodcutter comes against us.
Sheol beneath is eager
to meet you upon your arrival.
It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you--
all the rulers of the earth.
It makes all the kings of the nations
rise from their thrones.
They will all respond to you, saying,
“You too have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us!
Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol,
along with the music of your harps.
Maggots are your bed
and worms your blanket.
How you have fallen from heaven,
O day star, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the ground,
O destroyer of nations.
You said in your heart:
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God.
I will sit on the mount of assembly,
in the far reaches of the north.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
But you will be brought down to Sheol,
to the lowest depths of the Pit.
Those who see you will stare;
they will ponder your fate:
“Is this the man who shook the earth
and made the kingdoms tremble,
who turned the world into a desert
and destroyed its cities,
who refused to let the captives
return to their homes?”
All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.
But you are cast out of your grave like
a rejected branch,
covered by those slain with the sword,
and dumped into a rocky pit
like a
carcass trampled underfoot.
You will not join them in burial,
since you have destroyed your land
and slaughtered your own people.
The offspring of the wicked
will never again be mentioned.
Prepare a place to slaughter his sons
for the iniquities of their forefathers.
They will never rise up to possess a land
or cover the earth with their cities.
“I will rise up against them,”
declares the LORD of Hosts.
“I will cut off from Babylon
her name and her remnant,
her offspring and her posterity,”
declares the LORD.
“I will make her a place
for owls
and for swamplands;
I will sweep her away
with the
broom of destruction,”
declares the LORD of Hosts.
The Davidic Covenant
(2 Samuel 7)
Narrowing the
promises of the Abrahamic Covenant and
setting the stage for the New Covenant
It refines the "seed" promise made to Abraham,
identifying that the royal descendant
who brings blessing to the nations
will come
specifically from the line of David
The Crown of 12 Stars
Revelation 12:1
"woman clothed with the sun"
who
wears a crown of twelve stars.
Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven
symbolizing the
12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles
It signifies her
victory, maternal role, linking
The Sinai and New Covenants
“‘The LORD your God is in
your midst,
a victorious warrior
He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy…. Behold, I am going to deal at that time with all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,’ Says the LORD”
(Zeph 3:17, 19-20)
Proverbs speaks of the annoyance caused by excessively optimistic people who loudly bless their neighbors at the crack of dawn (Prov 27:14). Even more annoying, and even insulting, are the Pollyannas of this world who belittle deep trauma and terrible tragedy with the insincere words, “yiheh beseder,” an expression in Hebrew that literally means, “it will be ok.” Too often, this phrase is tossed out meaninglessly and sounds far more like “hakuna matata,” Timon and Pumbaa’s so-called problem-free philosophy (from The Lion King).
Yet although Israel’s prophets almost always conclude their books with a vision of a glorious future, this is not because they refuse to face the all-too-frequent realities of sin, rebellion, injustice, violence, poverty, exile, war, and death. Rather than burying their heads in the sand, the prophets immersed themselves in divine and unalterable promises. A clear example is Zephaniah, who borrows his God-singing-over-his-redeemed-people conclusion from Deuteronomy 30, where God promises Moses the making of a new covenant.
The prophetic optimism concerning Israel’s future, as well as our own confidence that “all things work together for good,” is not a flight from reality. It is a certainty as sure and eternal as God Himself, firm, faithful, and deeply rooted in the final two words of Zephaniah’s book: “Y-H-W-H said!”
“For truly I say to you,
until
heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or stroke
shall
pass from the Law
until
all is accomplished”
(Matt 5:18)
By strategically planting eucalyptus trees across
the Israeli landscape,
the desert has become fertile and productive,
the hills of the north
have become wooded and green again,
and the useless
swampland around the Sea of Galilee has dried out.
Previously, malaria had taken hundreds of lives as people slaved away,
desperately trying to make the wetland yield a living.
However, some well-planned planting of a particular tree was the solution
that made the whole area thrive again.
That the people of Israel would return to the land and make it bloom again
was prophesied in Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 27.
Here’s what God says about the subject:
“A pleasant vineyard, sing of it!
I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it.
Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day; I have no wrath.
Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!
I would march against them, I would burn them up together.
Or let them lay hold of my protection,
let them make peace with me,
let them make peace with me.”
“In days to come Jacob shall take root,
Israel shall blossom and
put forth shoots and fill the whole world
with fruit.”
Indeed, Israeli fruits, vegetables, and flowers are exported worldwide
Trees
are extremely important in both
the Bible
and in Jewish tradition.
The second-century rabbi Yohanan Ben Zachai advised, “If you are planting a tree and you hear that the Messiah has come, finish planting the tree and then go greet him!” I’m not sure those of us who have met the Messiah would prioritize a sapling over the Lamb of God, but as you can see, trees have always been pretty crucial in Israel!
Click here to read more! https://www.oneforisrael.org/tu-bishvat-happy-tree-day
Mark 6:8
He Charged
them to take nothing for
The Journey
except a stick;
No bread, no bag, and
Not a Penny in their
Pockets
Revelation 6:6
And I heard a voice in the midst of the
four beasts say,
A measure of wheat for a penny,
and three
measures of barley for a penny;
and see thou
hurt not the oil and the wine
Under the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift
(Ephesians 2:8–9).
Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ,
the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought
an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death.
Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers
Romans 8:9–11
we share in the inheritance of Christ
and enjoy a
permanent, unbroken relationship with God
(Hebrews 9:15).
Entering the New Covenant is made possible only by faith in Christ
who shed His blood to take away the sins of the world
(John 1:29).
Luke 22:20 relates how Jesus, at the Last Supper,
takes the cup and says,
“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood”
The days are coming,’
declares the Lord, ‘when I will make
a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. . . .
This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be my people’”
(Jeremiah 31:31–33)
The coupling of grace and truth is found in numerous places in the Bible, including Colossians 1:6 and 2 John 1:3 in the New Testament, and 2 Samuel 15:20 and Psalm 86:15 in the Old Testament. Then there is John 1:14, 17, which says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
There is a strong possibility that John is referencing the Hebrew terms hesed (“mercy” or “lovingkindness”) and emet (“truth” or “faithfulness”), found together in Exodus 34:6: “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.’” Note that the attributes of God in the Old Testament are applied to Christ in the New. At the beginning of his gospel, John is making a subtle statement regarding the divinity of Jesus. The rest of John’s gospel will expound on that truth.
It is important for grace and truth to work in tandem. An emphasis on grace alone can dissipate into a shallow and sentimental foundation where justice or truth is discarded. However, a focus only on truth can devolve into a cold, hardened dogma. Jesus’ character demonstrates the perfect balance of both grace and truth. He is “full” of both.
Grace and truth meld together in the gospel message to form a key distinction of Christianity over other religions. In all other religions, grace and truth are never balanced. Instead, the deity being worshiped either dispenses justice at the expense of grace or dispenses grace at the expense of justice and truth. Christianity is unique in that God delivers grace through His justice and truth.
The truth is, everyone has fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and deserves God’s justice. However, God’s justice is satisfied, and His truth upheld, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. That act delivers God’s grace to those who will accept it by faith.
In this way, Christianity stands alone as an ontological faith—one that is fully dependent on a person—Jesus Christ—who perfectly balances and embodies both grace and truth in His very being.
Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands. And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.
When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses,
having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross!
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you with speculation about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up without basis by his unspiritual mind.
He has lost connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.
If you have died with Christ to the spiritual forces of the world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its regulations: “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”? These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy
Jesus speaks of the resurrection on
The Last Day:
"For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall
have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day"
(John 6:40)
John 6:44
hope of eternal life for believers
Following the events of the Last Day, the Bible speaks of a new heaven and a new earth.
Revelation 21:1-4 describes this renewal: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." This vision offers hope and assurance of a restored creation where God dwells with His people
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory,
the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth
It is a Day
that brings both
the
Fulfillment of God's Promises
and the
ultimate realization of
His Justice and Mercy
Jeremiah 32:10
And I put it in writing, stamping it with my stamp, and
I took witnesses
and put the money into the scales
"Cursed is the ground because of you... thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you."
The Gospels describe
Roman soldiers
placing a crown of
thorns on
Jesus’ head as a form of mockery
(Matthew 27:29; John 19:2)
While intended as humiliation, many Christian theologians interpret
this act as rich
in symbolic meaning—Christ bearing the physical sign of the Fall’s curse.
Soldiers in the
governor's house placed a robe,
a reed (as a scepter),
and the
crown on Jesus to mock his claims
To Kingship
The thorns pierced the scalp, causing significant bleeding and intense pain, as the area is highly vascularized.
The thorns represent the curse of the fall in Eden, with Jesus portrayed as bearing the "curse" of human sin. It signifies his role as the suffering King.
Matthew 27:29: Soldiers "twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head"
John 19:2: Mentions the soldiers "twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head"
Mark 15:17: States they "plaited a crown of thorns" and put it on him
According to the New Testament, a
woven crown of thorns
(Ancient Greek: στέφανος ἐξ ἀκανθῶν, romanized: stephanos ex akanthōn or ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the instruments of the Passion, employed by Jesus' captors both to cause him pain and to mock his claim of authority. It is mentioned in the gospels of Matthew (Matthew 27:29),
Mark (Mark 15:17) and John (John 19:2, 19:5),[3] and is often alluded to by the early Church Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen and others, along with being referenced in the apocryphal Gospel of Peter.
2 Corinthians 11:13
For men of this stamp are sham apostles,
dishonest workmen,
assuming the garb of Apostles of Christ
2 Timothy 2:17
and their teaching will spread like a running sore. Hymenaeus and Philetus are men of that stamp.
Hebrews 1:3
Who, being the outshining of his glory, the true image of his substance, supporting all things by the word of his power, having given himself as an offering making clean from sins, took his seat at the right hand of God in heaven;
Exodus 28:36
You are to make a plate of the best gold, cutting on it, as on a stamp, these words: HOLY TO THE LORD.
2 Samuel 22:43
Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
Exodus 39:6
Then they made the beryl stones, fixed in twisted frames of gold and cut like the cutting of a stamp, with the names of the children of Israel.
Exodus 28:11
With the work of a jeweller, like the cutting of a stamp, the names of the children of Israel are to be cut on them, and they are to be fixed in twisted frames of gold.
The twisted crown of thorns refers to the mockery of Jesus by Roman soldiers who braided thorny branches into a cap and placed it on his head before the crucifixion, as described in Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, and John 19:2. It symbolizes both the intense suffering and humiliation of Christ, as well as his royalty as King of kings, turning a symbol of the curse (thorns) into a symbol of redemption.
One of the most significant references to the Roman penny is found in the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus is questioned about the legality of paying taxes to Caesar.
The Pharisees, seeking to trap Jesus in His words, asked Him whether it was lawful to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor. Jesus, perceiving their malice, asked them to show Him the coin used for the tax. They brought Him a denarius, and He asked, "Whose image is this, and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's." Jesus then said to them, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Matthew 22:20-21). This response not only demonstrated Jesus' wisdom in avoiding their trap but also highlighted the distinction between earthly and divine obligations.
During the time of Jesus, the denarius would have likely featured the image of Tiberius Caesar. The presence of the emperor's image on the coin was a reminder of Roman authority and the political power that governed the region.
The use of the denarius in Jesus' teachings and parables reflects the socio-economic realities of first-century Judea under Roman occupation. The coin's imagery and inscription served as a tangible representation of the political and economic systems of the time, which were often at odds with the religious and cultural values of the Jewish people.
The account of Jesus and the Roman penny carries significant theological implications. By instructing His followers to "give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's," Jesus affirmed the legitimacy of secular authority while simultaneously asserting the supremacy of divine authority. This teaching underscores the Christian responsibility to respect and fulfill civic duties without compromising one's ultimate allegiance to God.
Furthermore, the denarius serves as a symbol of the temporal nature of earthly power and wealth. In contrast to the eternal kingdom of God, represented by the spiritual truths Jesus proclaimed, the Roman penny is a reminder of the transient and often corruptible nature of human institutions
the Roman penny, or denarius, is a significant element in the New Testament narrative, providing insight into the historical context of Jesus' ministry and the profound spiritual truths He conveyed through His teachings
Matthew 27:66
So they went, and made safe the place where his body was, putting a stamp on the stone, and the watchmen were with them.
Romans 16:18
For men of that stamp are not bondservants of Christ our Lord, but are slaves to their own appetites; and by their plausible words and their flattery they utterly deceive the minds of the simple.
2 Corinthians 1:22
And it is he who has put his stamp on us, even the Spirit, as the sign in our hearts of the coming glory.
The term "penny" in the context of the New Testament refers to
the Roman denarius,
a silver coin that was commonly used during the time of Jesus.
The denarius was the standard daily wage for a laborer and is mentioned in several passages of the New Testament, most notably in the context of Jesus' teachings and interactions with the Pharisees and Herodians.
Matthew 5:26
Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny
Matthew 20:9
And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
Matthew 20:2
And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
Matthew 20:10
But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
Matthew 22:19
Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny
Mark 6:8
He charged them to take nothing for the journey except a stick; no bread, no bag, and not a penny in their pockets
Luke 12:59
I tell you, you will by no means get out of there, until you have paid the very last penny. "
Luke 20:24
Shew me a penny.
Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
KINGDOM PURPOSE
The Command (Deuteronomy 15:1-2)
Every seven years, a release (shemitah) of debts was mandatory, forbidding the collection of loans from fellow countrymen.
Purpose
To prevent permanent, inherited debt bondage and promote community care.
Divine Blessing
Obedience to this command was tied to God's blessing, promising that there would be no poor among them and that they would not need to borrow.
Spiritual Application
In the New Testament, this concept of debt cancellation is mirrored in the Lord's Prayer ("forgive us our debts") and spiritually fulfilled in Colossians 2:14, where Christ "nailed the record of debt" to the cross, symbolizing the total removal of sin-liability.
The Fulfillment of the Law
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
(Luke 12:57–59)
You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
Truly I tell you,
you will not
get out until you have
Paid the Last Penny
Mark 12:15
Shall we give, or shall we not give?
But he, knowing
their hypocrisy, said unto them,
Why tempt ye me?
bring me
a penny, that I may
See it
Visitors to the
Edison & Ford Winter Estates
in Fort Myers
will enjoy 20 acres of historical buildings, historic gardens, the Edison Botanical Research Lab and the Edison Ford Museum. The newly restored buildings include the Edison Main House, Guest House, Caretaker's House and the Ford House.
Thomas Edison first came to Fort Myers in 1885. He was a well-known inventor in search of a warm escape from the cold northern winters. On his first trip to Southwest Florida he purchased more than 13 acres along the Caloosahatchee River. Edison returned to Fort Myers in 1886 with his new bride, Mina Miller Edison. For the next six decades the Edison family enjoyed their winter retreat. In 1947, Mina deeded the Estate to the City of Fort Myers. Nearly all of the furnishings in the Edison Main House and Guest House are original to the Edison family.
The original design of the Main House included a kitchen and dining room. In 1906, the Edisons remodeled these rooms to serve as family bedroom suites, since the newly renovated Guest House had a kitchen. The Main House includes a library, study, bedrooms and Edison’s den.
Originally the Guest House was owned by a business partner of Thomas Edison.
When their relationship ended, the house was purchased by new owners. In 1906, the Edison family bought the home and began using it as a Guest House. Famous guests included Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, President-elect Herbert Hoover, and many others. The Guest House includes a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, guest bedrooms and quarters for serving staff.
Built in 1910, the 50′ x 20′ swimming pool is believed to have been constructed using Edison Portland Cement and was one of the first residential pools. In a 1928 remodel, the Pool House with changing rooms and a shower, and Tea House were added. Edison had a concrete cistern built in order to provide large amounts of potable water for domestic use in 1919.
The new cistern was designed to store rainwater captured from the roof tops of Seminole Lodge.
Edison’s Study located behind the Moonlight Garden, was built in 1928 after Edison’s 1886 Electric Laboratory was moved to Henry Ford’s museum, Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.
In 1914, Henry and Clara Ford, along with their son Edsel, visited Fort Myers at the invitation of Thomas Edison. They enjoyed the visit so much that two years later, Ford purchased the home adjacent to the Edison Winter Estate. The two-story riverfront home was built in the Craftsman architectural style.
Whether your interest is in art, gardening, wellness or history, Edison Ford classes and workshops offer adults the opportunity to innovate, create and discover their passion. Virtual presentations are also offered. Click here to view our full calendar of upcoming events.
Are you looking for a speaker for your
organization or business?
Our knowledgeable and engaging historians
are available to present.
A wide variety of topics are available to chose from, including: Tamiami Trail: The Final Frontier, Here Comes the Train! Fort Myers Gets A Railroad, The Fort Myers Connection: The Edison’s Winter Home, The Tin Goose History of the Trimotor Airplane’, Calling Doctor Ford: History of the Ford Hospital, The Hunt : Edison’s Search for Rubber, Edison and Ford and the First World War, The Calusa, Nicola Tesla, The History of Spring Training in Fort Myers, The Battle of Fort Myers, Life and Legacy of Edsel Ford, and many more.
Starting at $250, presentations typically include a 45 minute PowerPoint with 15 minutes for questions. Members of our Horticulture Department are available to speak on a variety of Florida gardening topics. Book your presentation today
Garden talks are informative, drop-in sessions, where members of our horticulture team address a single plant species. Advance registration is not required.
Purchase a ticket and get a raffle ticket at the Ticket Office and
meet at the
Banyan Café by 10:00 am.
Be prepared with comfortable walking shoes , sun protection and water.
Future Garden Talks will be posted on the website calendar.
Horticultural Specialist, Karen Maxwell,
teaches in-depth garden classes.
The programs are held indoors, in an air-conditioned
classroom.
Class size is limited,
so advance registration is required.
Garden classes are posted on the website calendar.
Introduction to Orchid Growing
Palm Reading
Garden Class - Shade Gardening
Edison and Ford Winter Estates offers many opportunities throughout the year for residents and guests to learn painting techniques, create floral arrangements or other pieces of artwork. Classes are taught by local artists. Registration is required for each at EdisonFord.org and classes can be purchased as gifts.
Classes are posted on the website calendar.
Walk along our historic “Orchid Lane” accompanied by Edison Ford’s orchid specialist as you view Florida native orchids and a wide variety of orchid types, species and hybrids and understand their differences. During your 90 minute guided orchid tour, hear why orchids are an important element of our botanical history, learn how to unlock the key to reading orchid labels, their care and how to choose an orchid for your garden or home followed by a brief question and answer segment. Each tour will offer unique specimens based on the season.
Bring sun protection and water.
Add to Cart
Price: $70.00
Daily admission for 1 adult
War Eagle RESORT
Celebrating
50 years!
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps
and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.
But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps.
When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead,
go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went
in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’
But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Psalm 121:5 states,
"The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is the
shade
on your right hand."
Here, shade signifies God's constant
presence and protection,
akin to a shadow that never departs
The imagery of shade is also present in the Song of Solomon, where it conveys delight and intimacy. Song of Solomon 2:3 reads, "Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste." Here, shade represents the comfort and pleasure found in the beloved's presence.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
Jeremiah 17:10
I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.
Psalm 34:15
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.
Zechariah 4:10
For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven eyes of the LORD, which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”
Job 34:21
For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step.
Psalm 33:18
Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His loving devotion
1 Kings 8:39
be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and act, and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone know the hearts of all men--
Psalm 139:1-2
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. / You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.
Isaiah 66:2
Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.
Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Repentance
Repentance is a fundamental concept in Christian theology, signifying a profound change of mind and heart that leads to a transformation of life. It involves turning away from sin and turning toward God, seeking His forgiveness and grace. The Greek word for repentance, "metanoia," literally means a change of mind, but it encompasses a broader transformation that affects one's actions and lifestyle.
In the Old Testament, repentance is often associated with the Hebrew word "shuv," meaning to return or turn back. This concept is vividly illustrated in the prophetic calls to Israel to return to the Lord and abandon their sinful ways. For instance, in Joel 2:12-13 , the prophet urges, "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion."
The New Testament continues this theme, emphasizing repentance as essential to the message of the Gospel. John the Baptist's ministry began with the call to repentance, as seen in Matthew 3:2 : "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Jesus Himself echoed this call, as recorded in Mark 1:15 : "The time is fulfilled," He said, "and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!"
Repentance is not merely an emotional response but involves a conscious decision to turn from sin and align oneself with God's will. It is a recognition of one's sinfulness and the need for God's mercy, as exemplified in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The prodigal's return to his father symbolizes the sinner's return to God, marked by humility and a desire for reconciliation.
Realignment
Realignment, in a biblical context, refers to the process of adjusting one's life to align with God's purposes and commands. It is closely related to repentance, as true repentance leads to a realignment of priorities, values, and actions in accordance with God's Word.
The Apostle Paul speaks to this transformation in Romans 12:2 : "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God." This verse highlights the necessity of a renewed mind, which is central to realignment with God's will.
Realignment involves a continual process of sanctification, where believers grow in holiness and Christlikeness. It requires the active participation of the believer, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to live out the principles of Scripture. In Ephesians 4:22-24 , Paul instructs believers to "put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
The process of realignment is not without challenges, as it often requires the believer to forsake worldly desires and embrace a life of obedience and sacrifice. Jesus calls His followers to this path in Luke 9:23 : "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me."
Repentance and realignment are thus intertwined, as genuine repentance leads to a life realigned with God's will. This ongoing transformation is a testament to the believer's faith and commitment to living a life that honors God, reflecting His love and truth to the world.
Matthew 4:16
The people who were in the dark saw a great light, and to those in the land of the shade of death did the dawn come up.
Mark 4:32
But when it is planted, it comes up, and becomes taller than all the plants, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of heaven are able to take rest in its shade.
Luke 1:79
To give light to those in dark places, and in the shade of death, so that our feet may be guided into the way of peace.
Luke 9:34
And while he said these things, the shade of a cloud came over them, and they were full of fear when they went into the cloud.
Acts 5:15
And they even took into the streets people who were ill, and put them on beds, so that when Peter went by, some of them might be in his shade.
Revelation 9:4
And it was commanded them
that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing,
neither any tree;
but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
I the LORD do keep it; I will water it
every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day
Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto
the land of Israel;
An end, The end
is come upon the
four corners of the land
And in that Day
a great ram’s horn will sound, and those who were perishing in Assyria
will come forth with those who were exiles in Egypt.
And they will worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away; a gale will scatter them.
But you will rejoice in the LORD;
You will
Glory in the Holy One of Israel
On that day the Root of Jesse
will stand as a
banner for the peoples.
The Nations will Seek Him,
and His
place of Rest will be Glorious
You have raised a
banner for those who fear You, that they may
flee the bow
Selah
May we shout for joy at your victory
and raise a banner in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your petitions.
May they know that You alone, whose
name is the LORD, are
Most High over all the earth.
Shouts of joy and salvation
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!
The right hand of the LORD is exalted!
The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!”
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid
For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song,
and
He also has become my Salvation
David says,
“Lord,
You alone are my Portion and
my cup;
You make my lot secure”
(Psalm 16:5)
Other passages that refer to
God as “my portion”
include
Psalm 73:26, Psalm 142:5, and Lamentations 3:24.
The Hebrew word for “portion” has to do with a ration or a part of something divided. The New Living Translation renders the Hebrew word for “portion” as “inheritance” in Psalm 16:5. The New American Standard links the word portion to inheritance: “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance.” The “inheritance” is a reference to the allotment of land given to Israel when they entered the Promised Land (Numbers 26:52–56; Joshua 14:1–5).
A family inheritance was of great importance in Hebrew society. The land was given by God to His children, the people of Israel, and the Mosaic Law specified that a family’s portion of land must remain in the family (Numbers 36:7). The law also directed that only the sons of a legal wife had the right of inheritance. If there were no sons, the property went to the daughters (Numbers 27:8), on the condition that they did not marry out of their tribe (Numbers 36:6ff). If a widow was left without children, the nearest of kin on her husband’s side had the right of marrying her, and, if he refused, the next of kin could marry her (see Ruth 3:12–13). If no one married the widow, the inheritance remained with her until her death and then reverted to the next of kin (Numbers 27:9–11).
All the tribes of Israel, except for one, received a portion of the Promised Land. The priestly tribe of Levi did not receive a land inheritance: “Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God promised him” (Deuteronomy 10:9, NKJV). The Levites had no portion of the land, but God promised to be their portion. He would take care of their needs.
Inheritance, as used in Scripture, can refer to more than inherited property. It also has a theological significance. The Israelites came to learn that God Himself was the portion or inheritance of His people (Jeremiah 10:16). In the New Testament, the concept of inheritance is prominent as well, being connected with the person and work of Christ. Christ is the heir by virtue of being God the Son (Mark 12:7; Hebrews 1:2). Through Christ’s redemptive work, believers are children of God by adoption and fellow-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:7). As a guarantee of this “eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15), Christ has given us the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:14).
The portion or inheritance is given to all believers, both Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 3:6). The inheritance includes the kingdom of God with all its blessings (Matthew 25:34), both presently and in the future (Romans 8:17–23; 1 Corinthians 15:50; Titus 3:7; 1 Peter 1:3–4). It is wholly the gift of God’s sovereign grace. “Our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5, ESV). The Son of God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In other words, God is our portion.
When a biblical writer says, “God is my portion,” he means that God is the source of his happiness and blessing. He is content with all that the Lord is and provides. He has the best inheritance imaginable and does not seek any possession or comfort outside of God. Riches, honor, friends and fame—nothing is as valuable as the promises of God. “My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26, NASB). If God is our portion, we need nothing else.
"Create in me a Clean Heart,
O God,
and Renew a Right Spirit
within me"
(Psalm 51:10)
But the Seed on Good
Soil
Stands for those with
a noble
and good Heart,
who Hear the word,
Retain it, and by persevering
Produce a Crop
Jesus frequently
used fields
in His parables to convey
spiritual truths
But the seed sown on good soil
is the one who
hears the word and understands it.
He indeed bears fruit and produces
a crop--
a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”
This is to My Father’s
glory,
that you bear much fruit,
proving
yourselves to be My disciples
Thanksgiving and Prayer
(1 Corinthians 1:4–9; Philippians 1:3–11)
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints—the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.
All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God. You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
He has rescued us
from the dominion of darkness and
brought us
into the
kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins
The Supremacy of the Son
(Hebrews 1:1–14)
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence— if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
In the Parable of the Sower
(Matthew 13:3-9),
the field represents the world where the seed of God's word is sown. The different types of soil in the field symbolize the varied responses of human hearts to the gospel message.
In Matthew 13:44, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to treasure hidden in a field, which a man finds and hides again. "In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." This parable illustrates the incomparable value of the kingdom and the sacrifice required to obtain it.
Fields are also used to depict the urgency of evangelism. In John 4:35, Jesus tells His disciples, "Do you not say, 'There are still four months until the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest." Here, the field symbolizes the world ready to receive the gospel.
The field in biblical texts often symbolizes the world or the human heart, serving as a metaphor for spiritual growth, judgment, and the mission of the church. It is a place where divine and human activities intersect, reflecting themes of labor, stewardship, and divine providence. The field's recurring presence in Scripture underscores its importance as a setting for God's interaction with humanity and His unfolding plan of redemption.
And this John had
his clothing of camel's hair,
and a girdle of skin round
his loins,
and his nourishment was locusts and
honey of the field
Genesis 2:5
HEB: וְכֹ֣ל ׀ שִׂ֣יחַ הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה טֶ֚רֶם יִֽהְיֶ֣ה
NAS: shrub of the field was yet
KJV: And every plant of the field before
INT: and every plant of the field was yet become
Fields
therefore witness both harvest and holy war,
reinforcing
Yahweh’s sovereignty over Israel’s security and sustenance.
Fields are a piece of land used for
agriculture, grazing, or as a setting for various
events and teachings
cultivated ground
Genesis 37:7 (E), Genesis 47:24 (J; זֶרַע הַשָּׂדֶה), Exodus 22:4 (3 t. in verse); Exodus 22:5 (E), Leviticus 27:16,17 (P), Micah 3:12 (in simile) Ruth 2:2 47t., + שְׂדֵי תְרוּמוֺת 2 Samuel 1:21, זָֿ֑רַע׳שׂ Ezekiel 17:5, שָׂדֶה טוֺב V:8 good soil.
as private property,
Micah 5:2; Micah 5:4; Isaiah 5:8 (twice in verse); Genesis 47:20 (J), Genesis 23:9,11,13 (P) + 50 t., + 2 Chronicles 26:23 (as burial-place); also ׳חֶלְקַת (הַ)שּׂ, see חֶלְקָה; and צֹפִים ׳שׂ, see צפה.
yielding plants and trees:
Genesis 25:27 (JE), Genesis 30:14 (J), Exodus 10:5 (JE), 2 Kings 4:39; Ezekiel 21:2; Ezekiel 39:10; especially phrase ׳עֵשֶׂב הַשּׂ Genesis 2:5; Genesis 3:18 (both J), + 6 t. + ׳בַּשּׂ ׳ע Zechariah 10:1; ׳שִׂיח הַשּׂ Genesis 2:5, ׳גֶּפֶן שׂ 2 Kings 4:39, ׳מַּקֻּעֹת שׂ V:39, ׳צִיץ הַשּׂ Isaiah 40:15; Psalm 103:15, ׳צֶמַח הַשּׂ Ezekiel 16:7; ׳עֵץ הַשּׂ (4 t. עֲצֵי) Exodus 9:25 (JE), Deuteronomy 20:19; Leviticus 26:4 (H) Isaiah 55:12 8t.; 2 Samuel 1:21 see תְּרוּמָה, √ רום.
territory of nation, tribe:
Genesis 32:4; Numbers 21:20 (both J E), Judges 5:4; Ruth 1:1,2; Genesis 14:7 13t. + ׳שְׂדֵה נִחֲלַת יִשׂ Judges 20:6.
territory of king, 2 Samuel 9:7; 2 Samuel 13:30.
and, opposed to sea, 1 Chronicles 16:32 (opposed to הַיָּם; = שָׂדַי Psalm 96:12), perhaps also mainland Ezekiel 26:6,
Genesis 2 introduces the field before sin enters the world: “no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth” (Genesis 2:5). Humanity’s first vocational call is agricultural—Adam is placed “to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). After the fall, the field becomes both the arena of toil (“cursed is the ground… by the sweat of your brow,” Genesis 3:17-19) and of conflict, as Cain murders Abel “while they were in the field” (Genesis 4:8). From the outset, שָׂדֶה functions as a stage on which obedience, sin, and redemption are displayed.
Throughout the Pentateuch the field embodies God’s ordinary means of feeding His people. Isaac “sowed seed in that land and reaped a hundredfold” (Genesis 26:12). The covenant promises of Deuteronomy tie fruitfulness of the field to Israel’s fidelity: “The LORD will bless…the fruit of your ground” (Deuteronomy 28:4). Conversely, disobedience brings blight and barrenness (Deuteronomy 28:18, 38-40). Thus the field’s condition becomes a barometer of spiritual health
Patriarchs met God outside city walls: “Isaac went out to meditate in the field at evening” (Genesis 24:63). The Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon in an open place where the barley was threshed (Judges 6:11-24). These episodes affirm that sacred moments are not confined to temples; God breaks in amid ordinary labor.
Psalms and Prophets personify the field in praise and lament. “Let the fields exult, and all that is in them” (Psalm 96:12). Joel forecasts eschatological renewal: “The pastures of the wilderness are turning green” (Joel 2:22). Conversely, Micah warns that fields will be stripped by invaders (Micah 2:4). Such imagery keeps theological focus on the Creator who judges and restores the land.
Proverbs employs the field to teach diligence and discernment: “I passed by the field of a slacker… thorns had grown up everywhere” (Proverbs 24:30-31). Ecclesiastes stresses the cycle of sowing and reaping under divine providence (Ecclesiastes 11:4-6). The field thus becomes a classroom for character formation.
While שָׂדֶה is Hebrew, the Old Testament prepares for Jesus’ “parables of the field” (Matthew 13). Isaiah foresees deserts blossoming (Isaiah 35:1-2), anticipating the Messiah’s restorative reign. Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer who meets Ruth in the fields of Bethlehem, foreshadows Christ who gathers outsiders into covenant family.
Amos envisions days when “the plowman will overtake the reaper” (Amos 9:13), a picture of uninterrupted abundance. Ezekiel 36:9-11 promises that Israel’s fields will again be cultivated and multiplied, tying land renewal to national resurrection (Ezekiel 37). Revelation consummates this hope with a harvest motif (Revelation 14:15-16), revealing the field as a global symbol of final ingathering.
Stewardship:
Believers are called to cultivate creation responsibly, seeing vocation—agricultural or otherwise—as worship.
Compassion:
Leaving “edges” for the needy translates into deliberate generosity with finances, time, and gospel witness.
Mission:
Jesus’ declaration, “The harvest is plentiful” (Luke 10:2), echoes Old Testament field theology, urging workers into every culture.
Hope:
As God can make desolate fields flourish, He can revive barren hearts and communities.
Matthew 3:4
And this John had his clothing of camel's hair, and a girdle of skin round his loins, and his nourishment was locusts and honey of the field.
Matthew 6:28
Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin,
Matthew 6:30
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won't he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
Matthew 9:38
therefore entreat the Owner of the Harvest to send out reapers into His fields."
Matthew 13:24
He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,
Matthew 13:27
The servants of the householder came and said to him,'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did this darnel come from?'
Matthew 13:31
He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;
Matthew 13:36
Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field."
Matthew 13:38
the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one.
Matthew 13:44
"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
Matthew 22:5
and they, having disregarded 'it', went away, the one to his own field, and the other to his merchandise;
Matthew 24:18
Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes.
Matthew 24:40
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left;
Matthew 27:7
They took counsel, and bought the potter's field with them, to bury strangers in.
Matthew 27:8
Therefore that field was called "The Field of Blood" to this day.
Matthew 27:10
and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."
Mark 1:6
And John was clothed with camel's hair, and a girdle of skin around his loins, and eating locusts and honey of the field,
Mark 13:16
Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
Mark 15:21
And they compel to go with them a certain passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, coming from the field, the father of Alexander and Rufus, that he might carry his cross.
Mark 16:12
And after these things, to two of them, as they are going into a field, walking, he was manifested in another form,
Luke 2:8
There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.
Luke 10:2
And He addressed them thus: "The harvest is abundant, but the reapers are few: therefore entreat the Owner of the harvest to send out more reapers into His fields. And now go.
Luke 12:16
And he spake a simile unto them, saying, 'Of a certain rich man the field brought forth well;
Luke 12:28
But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?
Luke 14:18
They all as one began to make excuses. "The first said to him,'I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.'
Luke 15:25
"Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
Luke 16:3
"Then the steward said within himself, "'What am I to do? For my master is taking away the stewardship from me. I am not strong enough for field labour: to beg, I should be ashamed.
Luke 17:7
But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say, when he comes in from the field,'Come immediately and sit down at the table,'
Luke 17:31
In that day, he who will be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back.
Luke 17:36
Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke 23:26
And as they led him away, they laid hold on a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, coming from the field, and put the cross upon him to bear it behind Jesus.
John 4:5
So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph.
John 10:16
And I have other sheep which are not of this field: I will be their guide in the same way, and they will give ear to my voice, so there will be one flock and one keeper.
Acts 1:18
Now this man obtained a field with the reward for his wickedness, and falling headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines gushed out.
Acts 1:19
It became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem that in their language that field was called'Akeldama,' that is,'The field of blood.'
Acts 4:37
having a field, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
Romans 11:24
For if you were cut out of a field olive-tree, and against the natural use were united to a good olive-tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be united again with the olive-tree which was theirs?
1 Corinthians 3:9
Apollos and I are simply fellow workers for and with God, and you are *God's* field-- *God's* building.
2 Corinthians 9:10
And he who gives seed for putting into the field and bread for food, will take care of the growth of your seed, at the same time increasing the fruits of your righteousness;
2 Corinthians 10:13
But we will not boast beyond proper limits, but within the boundaries with which God appointed to us, which reach even to you.
2 Corinthians 10:15
We do not exceed our due limits, and take credit for other men's labours; but we entertain the hope that, as your faith grows, we shall gain promotion among you--still keeping within our own sphere--promotion to a larger field of labour,
2 Corinthians 10:16
so as to preach the Good News even to the parts beyond you, not to boast in what someone else has already done.
Galatians 6:8
He who sows in the field of his lower nature, will from that nature reap destruction; but he who sows to serve the Spirit will from the Spirit reap the Life of the Ages.
Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on the complete armour of God, so that you may be able to stand your ground on the day of battle, and, having fought to the end, to remain victors on the field.
2 Timothy 2:6
The harvestman who labours in the field must be the first to get a share of the crop.
James 5:4
Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.
1 Peter 1:24
For, "All flesh is like grass, and all of man's glory like the flower in the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls;
Genesis 2:5
No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground,
Genesis 2:19
Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
Genesis 2:20
The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper suitable for him.
Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said,'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'"
Genesis 3:14
Yahweh God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
Genesis 3:18
Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.
Genesis 4:8
Cain said to Abel, his brother, "Let's go into the field." It happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.
Genesis 14:7
and they turn back and come in unto En-Mishpat, which 'is' Kadesh, and smite the whole field of the Amalekite, and also the Amorite who is dwelling in Hazezon-Tamar.
Genesis 23:9
that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me among you for a possession of a burying-place."
Genesis 23:11
"No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead."
Genesis 23:13
He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, "But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there."
Genesis 23:15
My lord, hearken to me. A field of four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
Genesis 23:17
So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded
Genesis 23:19
After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 23:20
The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the children of Heth.
Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 33:22
For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King. It is He who will save us.
Matthew 1:21
She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 28:18
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
John 3:14-15
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, / that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”
Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Genesis 22:14
And Abraham
called the name of that place Jehovahjireh:
as it is said to this day,
In the mount of the LORD it shall be
Seen
Genesis 33:20
And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe Israel.
Thou hast given a banner to them
that fear thee,
that it may be displayed because
of the TRUTH
Selah.
“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
'Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste'” (Isaiah 28:16). Christ is the fulfillment of all God's promises to be our rock and fortress.
The Chief Cornerstone
of any
building was that upon which a
building is anchored
cornerstone
Believers are the stones that make up the church.
They are built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets
(not just Peter)
and anchored to the Cornerstone
(Ephesians 2:20).
“The one who trusts in [Christ] will never be put to shame”
(1 Peter 2:6).
Jesus put to
His disciples
“Who do you say I am?” (verse 15). Peter answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (verse 16), to which Jesus replies, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (verses 17–18).
The word for “Peter,” Petros, is a masculine noun that means “a detached stone, a stone that might be thrown or easily moved” (Zodhiates, S., The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, AMG Publishers, 1992, p. 1,154). The word for “rock” next mentioned is a different Greek word, petra, a feminine noun that means “a mass of rock” or “a cliff” and therefore something foundational (ibid.; see also Matthew 7:24–25). The difference in the two terms may suggest that Jesus was contrasting Peter with Himself. That is, Jesus was saying, “You are the small rock, but I am the foundation of the church.
Christ, not Peter,
is the
foundation of the church
(1 Corinthians 3:11)
and
the life-giving rock
(1 Corinthians 10:4)
Of course, the apostles played a foundational role in the building of the church, but the role of primacy is reserved for Christ alone. So, Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:18 are best interpreted as a simple play on words: a boulder-like, foundational truth came from the mouth of one who was called a small stone.
Jesus is the rock
Jesus Christ is the sole, immovable foundation, cornerstone,
The strength of the church and believers' lives
(1 Corinthians 3:11)
Water from the Rock
(Numbers 20:1–13)
Then the whole congregation of Israel
left
the Desert of Sin,
moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.”
“Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”
But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”
And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.”
So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
He named the place Massah and Meribahbecause the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
The Defeat of the Amalekites
After this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.”
Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed. When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down.
So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
And Moses built an altar and named it
The LORD Is My Banner
“Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward
the throne of the LORD.
The LORD will war
against Amalek from generation to generation.”
The geographical name Sin is related
to Sinai
Horeb is another name for Sinai
Massah means testing
Meribah means quarreling
Hebrew YHWH Nissi
Jehovah Nissi
God's presence, protection, and victory,
acting as
a rallying point for His people
"The Lord is my Banner"
declared by Moses in
Exodus 17:15
after
defeating the Amalekites,
signifying that
God Provides Victory in battle
On that day the Root of Jesse
will stand as
a banner for the peoples
The Nations
Will Seek Him,
and His place of rest will be
Glorious
On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time
to recover the remnant of His people from
Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush,
from Elam, from Shinar,
from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
He will raise a banner for the Nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
He will collect the scattered of Judah
from the four corners of the earth
After this I saw four angels standing at the
four corners of the earth,
holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any
wind from blowing
on the land or on the sea or
on any tree
The Root of Jesse
Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse,
and a
Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him--
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and strength,
the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what His eyes see,
and He will not decide by what His ears hear,
but with righteousness He will judge the poor,
and with equity
He will decide for the lowly of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth
and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
Righteousness will be the belt around His hips,
and faithfulness the sash around His waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the goat;
the calf and young lion and fatling will
be together,
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will graze with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play by the cobra’s den,
and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all My holy mountain,
for the earth will be
full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the sea is full of water.
Unity
To equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up
the body of Christ,
until we all reach unity in the faith
and in the
knowledge of the Son of God,
as we mature to the full measure of the
stature of Christ
Then we will no longer
be infants, tossed about by the waves and
carried around by every wind of teaching
and by the clever cunning of men in their
deceitful scheming.…
On that day the Root of Jesse
will stand as
a banner for the peoples
The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.
On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time
to recover the remnant of His people from
Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush,
from Elam, from Shinar,
from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
He will collect the scattered of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart,
and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off.
Ephraim will no longer envy Judah,
nor will Judah harass Ephraim.
They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west;
together they will plunder the sons of the east.
They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
The LORD will devote to destruction
the gulf of the Sea of Egypt;
with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand
over the Euphrates.
He will split it into seven streams
for men to
cross with dry sandals
There will be a highway for the remnant of His people
who remain from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt
Judas Iscariot
is legendarily said to have hanged himself
on a Judas Tree,
also known as the Eastern Redbud
(Cercis siliquastrum or Cercis canadensis),
a small tree with
pink/purple flowers, though the Bible (Matthew 27:3-8)
states
He hanged himself in the "potter's field,"
not specifying
the tree, with some suggesting the
name came from "Judea's Tree"
The Parable of the Sower
(Mark 4:1–9; Luke 8:4–8)
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.
And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.
Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.
He who has ears,
let him hear.”
The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables
(Isaiah 6:1–13; Mark 4:10–12; Luke 8:9–10)
Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”
He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have,
even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:
‘Though seeing, they do not see
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:
‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has grown callous;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
(Mark 4:13–20; Luke 8:11–15)
Consider, then, the parable of the sower:
When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”
The Parable of the Weeds
(Ezekiel 17:1–10)
Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away.
When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
An enemy did this,’ he replied.
So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”
He who has ears, let him hear
The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure
hidden in a field.
When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and
sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
in search of fine pearls.
When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and
sold all he had and bought it.
The Leper’s Prayer
(Leviticus 14:1–32; Mark 1:40–45; Luke 5:12–16)
When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”
The Faith of the Centurion
(Luke 7:1–10; John 4:43–54)
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came and pleaded with Him,
“Lord, my servant lies at home, paralyzed and in terrible agony
“I will go and heal him,” Jesus replied.
The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you.”
And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Jesus Heals at Peter’s House
(Mark 1:29–34; Luke 4:38–41)
When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever.
So He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve Him.
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
and carried our diseases.”
The Cost of Discipleship
(Luke 9:57–62; Luke 14:25–33; John 6:59–66)
When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.
And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the law
by becoming a curse for us.
For it is written:
“Cursed is everyone who is
hung on a tree.”
God made Him
who knew
No sin to be sin on our behalf,
so that in Him
we might become the
Righteousness of God
So also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh,
Good News for the Gentiles
Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism, but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
You yourselves know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee with the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.
We are witnesses of all that He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen— not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
But how can they call
on him
in whom they have not believed?
And how can they
believe in him of whom they have
not heard?
And how can they
hear
without someone to preach?
(Matthew 4:12–17; Mark 1:14–15; Luke 4:14–15)
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress
In the past He humbled
the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
but in the future
He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the nations:
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living
in the land of the shadow
of death,
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased its joy.
The people rejoice before You
as they
rejoice at harvest time,
as men rejoice in dividing the plunder
For as in the day of Midian
You have
shattered the yoke of their burden,
the bar across their shoulders,
and the rod of their oppressor
For every trampling boot of battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire
For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the
government will be upon
His shoulders
And He will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
Of the increase of His government
and peace
there will be no end.
He will
Reign on the throne
of David
and
Over his Kingdom,
to
Establish and Sustain it
with
Justice and Righteousness
from
that time and forevermore
The Zeal of the LORD of Hosts
Will Accomplish This
“He himself
bore our sins” in his body on
the cross,
so that we might die
to sins and live for
righteousness;
“by his wounds you have been healed.”
This was to fulfill what was spoken through
the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
Judgment Against Israel’s
Pride
The Lord has sent a message
against Jacob,
and it has fallen upon
Israel
All the people will know it--
Ephraim and the dwellers
of Samaria
With pride and arrogance of heart
they will say:
The bricks have fallen,
but we will rebuild with finished stone;
the sycamores have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
The LORD has raised up the foes of Rezin against him
and joined his enemies together.
Aram from the east and Philistia from the west
have devoured Israel with open mouths.
Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;
His hand is still upraised.
Judgment against Israel’s
Hypocrisy
But the people did not return to Him who struck them;
they did not seek the LORD of Hosts.
So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail,
both palm branch and reed in a single day.
The head is the elder and honorable man,
and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.
For those who guide this people mislead them,
and those they mislead are swallowed up.
Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men;
He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows.
For every one of them is godless and wicked,
and every mouth speaks folly.
Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;
His hand is still upraised.
Judgment against Israel’s Unrepentance
For wickedness burns like a fire
that consumes the thorns and briers
and kindles the forest thickets,
which roll upward in billows of smoke.
By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts
the land is scorched,
and the people are fuel for the fire.
No man even spares his brother.
They carve out what is on the right,
but they are still hungry;
they eat what is on the left,
but they are still not satisfied.
Each one devours the flesh of his own offspring.
Manasseh devours Ephraim,
and Ephraim Manasseh;
together they turn against Judah.
Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;
His hand is still upraised.
Jesus Heals the Multitudes
(Mark 3:7–12; Luke 6:17–19)
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them.
Large crowds followed Him, having come from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
"And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home"
depicts the intimate, active, and tender care of
Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
It emphasizes that God personally searches for, rescues, and rejoices over the individual lost sheep,
rather than condemning them,
carrying them home on His shoulders, which represents Grace and restoration.
Luke 15:5
Why does the shepherd carry
the sheep
on his shoulders?
The sheep is likely exhausted, injured, or terrified, making it unable to return on its own.
This represents how humanity needs
Christ's strength to return to God, as people cannot save themselves.
What does "putting it on his shoulders" mean?
It signifies the shepherd's strength, protection, and ownership, as well as the joy of restoring the sheep.
Why is this verse significant to the context?
Jesus tells this story in response to Pharisees complaining that he eats with sinners. The verse shows God's love for the individual, challenging the self-righteousness of the religious leaders.
Does this imply I can lose my salvation?
The parable focuses on the rescue, not the loss. It is often interpreted as a depiction of Christ's active pursuit of the lost, with God as the one who "refuses to lose you".
How does this verse challenge us today?
It calls on believers to share in the shepherd's joy, recognizing that heaven celebrates the return of one sinner.
Personalized Care:
Even if only one is lost, God cares, demonstrating that every individual has immense worth to Him.
Active Seeking:
God does not wait for the lost to find their way back; He actively searches until He finds them.
Joyful Restoration:
The shepherd does not scold the lost sheep but rejoices.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
(Isaiah 50:4–11; Matthew 27:27–31; Mark 15:16–20; Luke 22:63–65)
Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, set it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe. And they went up to Him again and again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face.
Once again Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
“You take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”
“We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to that law He must die, because
He declared Himself to be the Son of God.”
When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid, and he went back into the Praetorium. “Where are You from?” he asked.
But Jesus gave no answer.
So Pilate said to Him,
“Do You refuse to speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?”
Jesus answered, “
You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above.
Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater sin.”
From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.”
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in Hebrewa is Gabbatha. It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour.
And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”
At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!”
“Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests.
The Crucifixion
(Psalm 22:1–31; Matthew 27:32–44; Mark 15:21–32; Luke 23:26–43)
There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with
Jesus in the middle.
Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read:
JESUS OF NAZARETH,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said to one another,
“Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture:
“They divided My garments among them,
and cast lots for My clothing.”
So that is what the soldiers did.
Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.
Jesus’ Side Is Pierced
(Zechariah 12:10–14)
It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead,
one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that
he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
Now these things happened so that the
Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”
And, as another Scripture says:
“They will look on the One they have pierced.”
The Living Stone and Chosen People
(Isaiah 28:14–22; 1 Corinthians 3:10–15; Ephesians 2:19–22)
Rid yourselves, therefore,
of all malice,
deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander
Like newborn babies,
crave pure spiritual milk, so that
by it you
may grow up in your salvation,
now that you have tasted that the
Lord is good
As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,
you also, like living stones,
are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it stands in Scripture:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone,
a chosen and precious cornerstone;
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame.”
To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
and,
“A stone of stumbling
and
a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
Christ’s Example of Suffering
(Isaiah 53:1–8)
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example,
that you should follow in His footsteps:
“He committed no sin,
and no deceit
was found in His mouth.”
When they heaped abuse on Him,
He did not retaliate;
when He suffered, He made no threats,
but entrusted
Himself to Him who judges justly.
He Himself bore our sins
in His body on the tree,
so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness
“By His stripes you are healed.”
For
you were like sheep going astray,
but now you have
returned to
the Shepherd and Overseer
of your souls
By referring to
Himself
as the
True Shepherd,
Jesus was invoking imagery that would have been familiar to His hearers. He used the symbols of sheep and their shepherd several times, referring to Himself as not only the “True” Shepherd, but the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), and the Door of the sheep (John 10:7). The three declarations in John 10 present a complete picture of the Lord who is our Shepherd (Psalm 23).
In order to understand what Jesus intended to convey with sheep/shepherd imagery, we must understand the Middle Eastern shepherd of biblical times. His job was a dirty and dangerous one. Many times all the shepherd had to fight off lions and other wild animals was a staff with a crook. He willingly put his life on the line for his flock. At night, he would put the flock in a makeshift pen that had only one way in and out. The shepherd would open to door to the pen, call the sheep by name, and they would come in and settle safely for the night.
Sheep are skittish animals and “spook” easily. Because they knew the shepherd’s voice, they would calm down and follow him and nobody but him. Several flocks can mix together, and when the flocks’ true shepherd speaks, they separate and follow him. If a thief comes, the sheep will not follow him because they do not know his voice. At night the shepherd lies down at the gate to the pen, to give his life if necessary to protect his flock. And the thief can only climb in over the fence because the shepherd is guarding the gate. Jesus is the True Shepherd to the sheep (true believers) who are His. We know Him, we recognize His voice, and we follow only Him (John 10:27–28).
What Jesus is saying here ties right into John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” Jesus is not only the Good Shepherd who gives His life willingly for His sheep (John 10:11), but He is the also the “gate” or “door” of the sheep (John 10:9). In this metaphor Jesus presents Himself as the One who gives salvation, the One who offers access to heaven. So, Jesus is the True Shepherd who guards His sheep, the Good Shepherd who gives His life for them, and the Doorway to heaven for the sheep who know Him and are known by Him.
Jesus also says there were many who came before Him pretending to be good shepherds. But, He says, they are thieves and robbers who come in among the flock. He is alluding to the false shepherds of Israel, the Pharisees who did not love the people, nor were they willing to sacrifice for them. These self-appointed and self-righteous false shepherds led the sheep of Israel astray from the true knowledge of the Messiah, clinging to a works-based religion that could not lead to salvation (Ezekiel 34:1–31). These leaders were not the true shepherds of Israel but were like thieves that plundered the flock for their own gain. Sadly, such false shepherds still abound today, more interested in fleecing the flock for their own personal gain, than in feeding and protecting the sheep as true under-shepherds to the True Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
Luke 1:32-33
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, / and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. / He was with God in the beginning. / Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, / that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, / and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Colossians 1:16-17
For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. / He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Hebrews 1:8
But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
Revelation 19:16
And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Micah 5:2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. / In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
Psalm 2:6-7
“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.” / I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.
Psalm 110:1-2
A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” / The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
Daniel 7:13-14
In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. / And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Genesis 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Luke 1:35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 3:16,17
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life…
Romans 8:32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Isaiah 22:21,22
And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah…
Psalm 2:6-12
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion…
Psalm 110:1-4
A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool…
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Judges 13:18
And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
Jeremiah 31:22
How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.
Isaiah 28:29
This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.
Zechariah 6:13
Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
Luke 21:15
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Jump to Previous
John 20:30-31
“Jesus performed many
other signs in the presence of his disciples,
which are not recorded in this book.
But these are written that you may
believe that Jesus is the
Messiah,
the
Son of God,
and that by believing
you may
have life in his name.”
Once we understand
that John’s
purpose was to introduce the readers of
his gospel to Jesus Christ,
establishing Who Jesus is (God in the flesh) and
what He did,
all with the sole aim of leading them
to embrace
the saving
work of
Christ in faith,
we will be better able to understand
why
John
introduces
Jesus as “the Word”
in John 1:1.
By starting out his gospel stating, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John is introducing Jesus with a word or a term that both his Jewish and Gentile readers would have been familiar with. The Greek word translated “Word” in this passage is Logos, and it was common in both Greek philosophy and Jewish thought of that day. For example, in the Old Testament the “word” of God is often personified as an instrument for the execution of God’s will (Psalm 33:6; 107:20; 119:89; 147:15-18). So, for his Jewish readers, by introducing Jesus as the “Word,” John is in a sense pointing them back to the Old Testament where the Logos or “Word” of God is associated with the personification of God’s revelation. And in Greek philosophy, the term Logos was used to describe the intermediate agency by which God created material things and communicated with them. In the Greek worldview, the Logos was thought of as a bridge between the transcendent God and the material universe. Therefore, for his Greek readers the use of the term Logos would have likely brought forth the idea of a mediating principle between God and the world.
So, essentially, what John is doing
by introducing
Jesus as the Logos
is drawing upon a familiar
word and concept that
both Jews and Gentiles of his day
would have
been familiar with and using that as
the starting point
from which he introduces them
to Jesus Christ.
But John goes beyond the familiar
concept of Logos
that his
Jewish and Gentile readers
would have had and
presents Jesus Christ
not as a
mere mediating principle
like the Greeks perceived,
but as a
personal being,
fully divine, yet fully human
Christ was not simply a personification of
God’s revelation
as the Jews thought, but
was indeed God’s perfect revelation of Himself in the flesh,
so much so
that John would record
Jesus’ own words to Philip: Jesus answered:
“Don’t you know me, Philip, even
after I have
been among you such a long time?
Anyone who has seen me has seen
the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
(John 14:9).
By using the term Logos or Word in John 1:1,
John is amplifying and applying a concept with which his audience
was familiar and
using that to introduce his readers to
the true
Logos of God in Jesus Christ,
the Living Word of God,
fully God and yet fully man,
who came to reveal God to man and
redeem all who
believe in Him from their sin
In Isaiah’s prophecy about the
coming Messiah, he says:
“For a child will be born to us, a son will
be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His Name
will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”
(Isaiah 9:6)
The Hebrew word
for
“peace,” shalom, is often used in reference
to an appearance of
calm and tranquility of individuals, groups,
and
Nations
The Greek word eirene means
“unity and accord”
Paul uses eirene to describe
the objective of
the New Testament church
But the deeper, more foundational
meaning of peace is
“the spiritual harmony brought about by an
individual’s restoration with God.”
In prophesying an extremely dark period of punishment in Israel’s history, Isaiah
sees even further forward to a future time of hope and deliverance.
The prophet announces that the Lord will
send a Redeemer,
the promised
Messiah, to usher in a new day
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the
government will be on his shoulders
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace”
(Isaiah 9:6)
The prophecy reveals that the Messiah will be a human-born male child upon whose shoulders the government will rest. The Hebrew word translated as “government” in Isaiah 9:6 means “dominion, power, or sovereignty through legal authority.” Israel’s Savior was to be a sovereign King who would rule on David’s throne (see Psalm 132:10–18). The prophecy continues to disclose that the Messiah’s “government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity” (NLT). Seven centuries later, the angel Gabriel announces Messiah’s birth to His mother, Mary: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32–33, ESV).
This language of placing dominion or “the government” on someone’s shoulders symbolizes royal authority. In Isaiah 22:22, Eliakim is to be given Shebna’s position of power and influence as King Hezekiah’s administrator: “I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” Revelation 3:7 links this passage to the sovereign rule granted to the Messiah, King Jesus.
As Jesus prepared to send out His disciples,
He told them,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”
(Matthew 28:18)
As the supreme ruler of God’s heavenly kingdom,
Jesus Christ “must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet”
(1 Corinthians 15:25)
As we consider these words--
the government
will be on His shoulders--
we can’t help but think of t
he cross our Lord
carried
on His shoulders
while a crown of thorns was
resting on His brow
Jesus Christ had the
divine government—the dominion, power, and
authority of the kingdom of heaven
—on His shoulders when He bore the cross
for our sins
(1 Corinthians 1:18; Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24)
For it was by this
act
that He conquered
sin, death, hell, and
the devil
(John 16:33; Acts 2:24; Romans 6:9–10; 1 Corinthians 15:24–25, 54–57; 1 John 3:8; 2 Timothy 1:10)
The apostle Paul acknowledges that
Jesus is “the head over every ruler and authority”
(Colossians 2:10, NLT)
So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
His sacrifice on the cross “canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross” (Colossians 2:14–15, NLT).
Jesus Christ ushered in a glorious new day for all humanity when the King “humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ i
s Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:8–11, NLT).
One day, during the millennial kingdom, Christ will rule from Zion, and the world will see the government placed on His shoulders. The kingdom of the world will become “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). When Jesus sits on the throne of David, “in the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it” (Isaiah 2:2).
Hope, deliverance, and peace for God’s people were established when Jesus Christ endured the cross. Now He “is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, ESV). The highest government in all creation with power to exercise absolute dominion over every being in heaven and on earth will be on His shoulders for all eternity (Psalm 146:10). He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 17:14; 19:16).
He will be great and will be
called the
Son of the Most High
The Lord God
will give him
the
Throne of his father David,
Mary crushes the serpent
The unique role in defeating
Satan
(the serpent of Genesis 3:15)
through her
obedience and her son,
Jesus Christ
the ultimate victor
Christ is
the "end of the law" for all who believe,
fulfilling the
Mosaic Law and bringing righteousness to
those who have faith
The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30)
Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired,
“Teacher, what good thing must I do to
obtain eternal life?”
“Why do you ask Me about what is good?”
Jesus replied.
“There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” the man asked.
Jesus answered,
“‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’
All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus told him,
“If you want to be perfect,
go, sell
your possessions and give to the poor,
and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come,
follow Me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to
His disciples,
“Truly I tell you,
it is hard for a rich man to
enter the
kingdom of heaven.
Again I tell you,
it is easier for a camel
to pass through
the eye
of a needle than for a rich man
to enter
the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“With man this is impossible, but
with God all things are possible.”
“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them,
“Truly I tell you,
in the
Renewal of all things, when
the Son of Man
sits on
His glorious throne,
you who
have followed Me
will also
sit on twelve thrones,
judging
the twelve tribes of Israel
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children
or fields
for the sake of My name
will receive a
hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are
first will be last, and the last will be first
Luke 22:28-30
You are the ones who have stood by Me in My trials. And I bestow on you a kingdom, just as My Father has bestowed one on Me, / so that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Revelation 3:21
To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Revelation 20:4
Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? / Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
2 Timothy 2:12
if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;
Daniel 7:9-10
As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. / A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
Daniel 7:18
But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever.’
Daniel 7:22
until the Ancient of Days arrived and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for them to possess the kingdom.
Daniel 7:27
Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’
Revelation 5:10
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”
Revelation 2:26-27
And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. / He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father.
Revelation 4:4
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.
Revelation 11:16
And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
Isaiah 32:1
Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.
Isaiah 65:17
For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
Isaiah 65:17
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
Isaiah 66:22
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
Acts 3:21
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Matthew 16:27
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Matthew 25:31
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, …
Matthew 20:21
And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
Luke 22:28-30
Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations…
1 Corinthians 6:2,3
Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? …
Exodus 15:27
And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
Exodus 24:4
And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Exodus 28:21
And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus
and
Immaculate Heart of Mary
Are Deeply united Catholic devotions symbolizing,
respectively,
Christ’s infinite, sacrificial love
(often depicted with thorns and fire)
and
Mary’s tender, compassionate love
(often depicted with roses and a sword)
They represent a
"Two Hearts" Devotion,
highlighting the
intimate, inseparable
bond between
Mother and son in the redemption of humanity
Mary (the New Eve) and Jesus (the New Adam)
together
reverse the fall of Adam and Eve
Mary, the "New Eve," crushes
the head of the serpent
She does not act independently, but in
total union with
her Son, Jesus. Her "yes" (fiat)
at the Annunciation (Luke 1:38)
reversed the disobedience of Eve
While Jesus directly crushed the serpent's head through his death and resurrection, Mary, as the mother of the Savior, participated in this victory in a unique way
Both concepts emphasize that salvation comes from relying on God’s work (through Jesus and Mary's cooperation) rather than personal merit or, in the case of the law, strict adherence to works.Catholics view Mary as a powerful protector in spiritual battles, continuing to assist believers in fighting evil.
In Sacred Scripture
The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are mentioned explicitly only briefly in the text of the New Testament. Nevertheless the many references to the love and compassion of Jesus and Mary, as well as implied references to their Hearts, provide a vivid revelation of the Two Hearts. It is remarkable that the few explicit references all bear upon the work of redemption. Some of the more important references are:
Matthew 11:25
"Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart."
This passage refers to Our Lord's invitation to imitate the dispositions and virtues of His own human Heart, reflecting upon His ineffable humility in becoming man and being born in a stable; His remarkable patience in living a hidden, obscure life for 30 years; His unsurpassed charity in preaching, teaching, working miracles, healing the bodies and souls of believers and unbelievers; His perfect obedience to the Father in enduring without complaint the bitter agony and infamy of death on the Cross.
Luke 2:19
"Mary kept in mind all these things, pondering them in Her Heart."
This passage refers to the visit of the shepherds to the Child Jesus in His crib at Bethlehem. It refers directly to what they reported regarding the heavenly host of angels that came to announce the birth of the Messiah, and how all marveled at what the shepherds had reported.
Luke 2:51b:
"His Mother kept all these things carefully in Her Heart."
This passage refers to the events surrounding the loss of Jesus for three days during a visit to Jerusalem, and how Mary and Joseph found Him teaching the doctors of the Mosaic Law in the Temple, to the amazement of all who heard Him.
Luke 2:35:
"Your own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
This passage is spoken by the old man Simeon on the occasion of Mary bringing Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer Him to God according to the custom of the Mosaic Law. In it Simeon prophesies that Mary will share in the salvific sufferings of Her Son.
John 7:38b
"From His Heart will flow rivers of living water."
This reading is based on the most reliable texts of the Gospel of St. John. It refers directly to the Heart of the Messiah, and recalls the prophesies of Isaiah (Isaiah 12:3) And St. John goes on to explain in verse 39, that Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit, which He Himself will give, from His Heart, to those who believe in Him. The reading which is found in most translations-referring to the hearts of believers-is a variant believed to have its source in a textual mistake by Origen, a famous theologian who complied a multi-lingual edition of the Bible in the Third Century, A. D..
John 19:34:
"One of the soldiers opened His side with a lance, and immediately there came out blood and water."
This passage refers to the piercing of Christ's Heart as He hung in death upon the Cross. The blood and water have always been seen by Roman Catholics to mystically symbolize and effect the origin and the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. It was at the piercing of Christ's Heart in death that Mary's Heart was pierced in spirit, thus fulfilling Luke 2:35 (cf. above), and exemplifying the profound mystical union of the Heart of Jesus with the Heart of Mary in the work of our redemption. This union began when by the power of the Holy Spirit Mary conceived the Heart of Jesus beneath Her own Heart. It is consummated when at one and the same time these Two Hearts are immolated for our salvation. And now in heaven it continues forever as the sole source of mankind's salvation and sanctification.
Each of these passages are very significant, for they clearly indicate that Admirable Alliance of Hearts, which worked the salvation of the whole world: the Heart of Jesus, which suffered to the point of being pierced so as to pour forth upon all who believe in Him, the grace of the Holy Spirit, which makes them partakers of the Holy Eucharist in the communion of fellowship in the Catholic Church; and the Heart of Mary, always focused on Her Divine Son, which was predestined by God to suffer with Him for the salvation of mankind.
In the Fathers of the Church
"The holy Fathers, true witnesses of the divinely revealed doctrine, wonderfully understood what St. Paul the Apostle had quite clearly declared; namely; that the mystery of love was, as it were, both the foundation and the culmination of the Incarnation and Redemption. For frequently and clearly we can read in their writings that Jesus Christ took a perfect human nature and our weak and perishable human body with the object of providing for our eternal salvation, and of revealing to us in the clearest possible manner that His infinite love for us could express itself in human terms. (from Hauretis Aquas by Venerable Pope Pius XII, n. 44)
Likewise these same Fathers of the Church often meditated and praised the singular love and faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who so generously offered Herself to God to fulfill His plans for our redemption, and who so steadfastly persevered with Her Son Jesus Christ in His ignominious crucifixion and death.
In both these approaches the Fathers of the Church laid the foundation for true devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary by clearly indicating the union of charity which bound Them both in the work of redemption.
Christ as the End of the Law
(Romans 10:4)
Romans 10:4 states, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes".
"End" (Telos): The Greek word telos in this context means "goal," "aim," "purpose," or "fulfillment," rather than mere termination.
Fulfillment, Not Abolition: Christ is the "end" of the law because he perfectly fulfilled all its requirements, bringing the age of strict legalism to a close.
Righteousness by Faith: Because Christ fulfilled the law, salvation is no longer obtained by keeping the law, but by faith in him.
“They” makes sense when we realise that the story of Adam and Eve is not primarily the story about the first humans, or about the only humans, God created.[2] Rather, it is the story of the couple who were the first people in an ancestral line that would include Israel.
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he also shared the same things in the same way. He did this to destroy the one who holds the power over death—the devil—by dying. Hebrews 2:14
“she” refers prophetically to Mary the mother of Jesus.
They believe that Mary, as the “new-Eve” and mother of Jesus, will crush and defeat the devil through her role as Theotokos. (See, for example, Tertullian, On the Flesh of Christ, 17.)
Christ is using
Marys foot to trample down the devil—feet
with shoes that are
“ready to spread the gospel of peace”
(Eph. 6:15).
And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of them that
preach the Gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!”
Lets Hope that
Eve’s redeemed daughters and sons
will too rise up
and be at the forefront of defeating
evil, cruelty, and injustice, and will
help bring shalom
to our families, to our communities,
and to our nations.
There is a treasure trove of biblical history in the genealogies of Jesus. Matthew’s genealogy, going through Joseph’s line, presents Jesus the Son of David, the kingly Messiah who would deliver his people. Luke’s genealogy, going through Mary’s line, presents Jesus, the Last Adam, the Son of God who would succeed where Adam failed and undo the curse of death.
Luke’s gospel establishes Jesus as the promised Messiah from the royal line of David (Luke 1:69), tracing his genealogy back through Nathan, a son of David, rather than Solomon as in Matthew. This lineage highlights Jesus’s humanity and legal right to the throne, connecting him to David, Abraham, and Adam to signify a universal, rather than strictly Jewish, salvation.
The Royal Line
in Luke
Davidic Descent: Luke emphasizes that Jesus is the "mighty Savior" from the "royal line of his servant David," fulfilling Old Testament prophecies.
The Genealogy (Luke 3:23-38): Unlike Matthew's focus on the legal, royal line through Solomon, many scholars believe Luke traces the physical, biological line through Mary (often listed via her husband Joseph) through David's son, Nathan.
Humanity and Royalty: The genealogy goes back to Adam (humanity) rather than just Abraham (Jewish roots), presenting Jesus as the Savior for all people, while maintaining his royal credentials.
The Announcement: The angel Gabriel declares that "the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David" and he will reign forever.
This genealogy confirms the credentials required to fulfill the Jewish expectation of a Messiah with specific, royal bloodline.
Faithfulness under Persecution
(Matthew 10:16–25)
I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as did my forefathers, as I constantly remember you night and day in my prayers.
Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.
And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel, to which I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.
For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.
Holding to Sound Teaching
Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching you have heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
You know that everyone in the Province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and was unashamed of my chains.
Indeed, when he arrived in Rome, he searched diligently until he found me.
May the Lord grant Onesiphorus His mercy on that day. You know very well how much he ministered to me in Ephesus.
The Latin verb incarnare meant
To make flesh
When we say that Jesus Christ is God “Incarnate,” we mean that the Son of God took on a fleshly, bodily form (John 1:14). However, when this happened in the womb of Mary, Jesus’ earthly mother, He did not stop being deity. Although Jesus became fully human (Hebrews 2:17), He retained His status as God (John 1:1, 14). How Jesus is able to be both man and God simultaneously is one of the great mysteries of Christianity but is nevertheless a test of orthodoxy (1 John 4:2; 2 John 1:7). Jesus has two distinct natures, divine and human. “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:11).
The Bible clearly teaches the deity of Christ by presenting His fulfillment of numerous Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 7:14; Psalm 2:7), His eternal existence (John 1:1–3; John 8:58), His miraculous virgin birth (Luke 1:26–31), His miracles (Matthew 9:24–25), His authority to forgive sin (Matthew 9:6), His acceptance of worship (Matthew 14:33), His ability to predict the future (Matthew 24:1–2), and His resurrection from the dead (Luke 24:36–39). The writer of Hebrews tells us Jesus is superior to angels (Hebrews 1:4–5) and angels are to worship Him (Hebrews 1:6).
The Bible also teaches the Incarnation—Jesus became fully human by taking on human flesh. Jesus was conceived in the womb and was born (Luke 2:7), He experienced normal aging (Luke 2:40), He had natural physical needs (John 19:28) and human emotions (Matthew 26:38), He learned (Luke 2:52), He died a physical death (Luke 23:46), and He was resurrected with a physical body (Luke 24:39). Jesus was human in every way except for sin; He lived a completely sinless life (Hebrews 4:15).
When Christ
took on the form of a human,
His nature did not change,
but His position did
Jesus, in His original nature of God in spirit form, humbled Himself by laying aside His glory and privileges (Philippians 2:6–8). God can never stop being God because He is immutable (Hebrews 13:8) and infinite (Revelation 1:8). If Jesus stopped being fully God for even a split second, all life would die (see Acts 17:28). The doctrine of the Incarnation says that Jesus, while remaining fully God, became fully man.
There are some 200 names and titles of Christ found in the Bible. Following are some of the more prominent ones, organized in three sections relating to names that reflect the nature of Christ, His position in the tri-unity of God, and His work on earth on our behalf.
Names and titles of Jesus Christ — His Nature
Chief Cornerstone: (Ephesians 2:20) – Jesus is the cornerstone of the building which is His church. He cements together Jew and Gentile, male and female—all saints from all ages and places into one structure built on faith in Him which is shared by all.
Firstborn over all creation: (Colossians 1:15) – Jesus is not the first thing God created, as some incorrectly claim, because verse 16 says all things were created through and for Christ. Rather, the meaning is that Christ occupies the rank and pre-eminence of the first-born over all things, that He sustains the most exalted rank in the universe; He is pre-eminent above all others; He is at the head of all things.
Head of the Church: (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; 5:23) – Jesus Christ, not a king or a pope, is the only supreme, sovereign ruler of the Church—those for whom He died and who have placed their faith in Him alone for salvation.
Holy One: (Acts 3:14; Psalm 16:10) – Christ is holy, both in his divine and human nature, and the fountain of holiness to His people. By His death, we are made holy and pure before God.
Judge: (Acts 10:42; 2 Timothy 4:8) – The Lord Jesus was appointed by God to judge the world and to dispense the rewards of eternity.
King of kings and Lord of lords: (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16) – Jesus has dominion over all authority on the earth, over all kings and rulers, and none can prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes. He directs them as He pleases.
Light of the World: (John 8:12) – Jesus came into a world darkened by sin and shed the light of life and truth through His work and His words. Those who trust in Him have their eyes opened by Him and walk in the light.
Prince of peace: (Isaiah 9:6) – Jesus came not to bring peace to the world as in the absence of war, but peace between God and man who were separated by sin. He died to reconcile sinners to a holy God.
Son of God: (Luke 1:35; John 1:49) – Jesus is the “only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). Used 42 times in the New Testament, “Son of God” affirms the deity of Christ.
Son of man: (John 5:27) – The phrase “Son of Man” emphasizes the humanity of Christ which exists alongside His divinity. It is also a messianic title (Daniel 7:13-14; Mark 14:63).
Word: (John 1:1; 1 John 5:7-8) – The Word is the second Person of the triune God, who said it and it was done, who spoke all things out of nothing in the first creation, who was in the beginning with God the Father, and was God, and by whom all things were created.
Word of God: (Revelation 19:12-13) – This is the name given to Christ that is unknown to all but Himself. It denotes the mystery of His divine person.
Word of Life: (1 John 1:1) – Jesus not only spoke words that lead to eternal life, but according to this verse He is the very words of life, referring to the eternal life of joy and fulfillment which He provides.
Names and titles of Jesus Christ — His position
in the Trinity
Alpha and Omega: (Revelation 1:8; 22:13) – Jesus declared Himself to be the beginning and end of all things, a reference to no one but the true God. This statement of eternality could apply only to God.
Emmanuel: (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23) – Literally “God with us.” Both Isaiah and Matthew affirm that the Christ who would be born in Bethlehem would be God Himself who came to earth in the form of a man to live among His people.
I Am: (John 8:58, with Exodus 3:14) – When Jesus ascribed to Himself this title, the Jews tried to stone Him for blasphemy. They understood that He was declaring Himself to be the eternal God, the unchanging Yahweh of the Old Testament.
Lord of All: (Acts 10:36) – Jesus is the sovereign ruler over the whole world and all things in it, of all the nations of the world, and particularly of the people of God’s choosing, Gentiles as well as Jews.
True God: (1 John 5:20) – This is a direct assertion that Jesus, being the true God, is not only divine, but is the Divine. Since the Bible teaches there is only one God, this can only be describing His nature as part of the triune God.
Names and titles of Jesus Christ — His work on earth
Author and Perfecter of our Faith: (Hebrews 12:2) – Salvation is accomplished through the faith that is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and Jesus is the founder of our faith and the finisher of it as well. From first to last, He is the source and sustainer of the faith that saves us.
Bread of Life: (John 6:35; 6:48) – Just as bread sustains life in the physical sense, Jesus is the Bread that gives and sustains eternal life. God provided manna in the wilderness to feed His people and He provided Jesus to give us eternal life through His body, broken for us.
Bridegroom: (Matthew 9:15) – The picture of Christ as the Bridegroom and the Church as His Bride reveals the special relationship we have with Him. We are bound to each other in a covenant of grace that cannot be broken.
Deliverer: (Romans 11:26) – Just as the Israelites needed God to deliver them from bondage to Egypt, so Christ is our Deliverer from the bondage of sin.
Good Shepherd: (John 10:11,14) – In Bible times, a good shepherd was willing to risk his own life to protect his sheep from predators. Jesus laid down His life for His sheep, and He cares for and nurtures and feeds us.
High Priest: (Hebrews 2:17) – The Jewish high priest entered the Temple once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people. The Lord Jesus performed that function for His people once for all at the cross.
Lamb of God: (John 1:29) – God’s Law called for the sacrifice of a spotless, unblemished Lamb as an atonement for sin. Jesus became that Lamb led meekly to the slaughter, showing His patience in His sufferings and His readiness to die for His own.
Mediator: (1 Timothy 2:5) – A mediator is one who goes between two parties to reconcile them. Christ is the one and only Mediator who reconciles men and God. Praying to Mary or the saints is idolatry because it bypasses this most important role of Christ and ascribes the role of Mediator to another.
Rock: (1 Corinthians 10:4) – As life-giving water flowed from the rock Moses struck in the wilderness, Jesus is the Rock from which flow the living waters of eternal life. He is the Rock upon whom we build our spiritual houses, so that no storm can shake them.
Resurrection and Life: (John 11:25) – Embodied within Jesus is the means to resurrect sinners to eternal life, just as He was resurrected from the grave. Our sin is buried with Him and we are resurrected to walk in newness of life.
Savior: (Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:11) – He saves His people by dying to redeem them, by giving the Holy Spirit to renew them by His power, by enabling them to overcome their spiritual enemies, by sustaining them in trials and in death, and by raising them up at the last day.
True Vine: (John 15:1) – The True Vine supplies all that the branches (believers) need to produce the fruit of the Spirit— the living water of salvation and nourishment from the Word.
Way, Truth, Life: (John 14:6) – Jesus is the only path to God, the only Truth in a world of lies, and the only true source of eternal life. He embodies all three in both a temporal and an eternal sense.
Zerubbabel, a 6th-century
BC governor of Judah
born in
Babylonian captivity,
Was God’s chosen servant tasked with leading the first wave of exiles back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. As a descendant of David in the genealogy of Jesus, he was honored by God as a "signet ring" to signify the continuation of the Messianic line.
Chosen Servant & Leader: God specifically chose Zerubbabel to lead the rebuilding of the Temple. He worked alongside the high priest Joshua, representing a crucial, God-directed effort to restore worship.
Signet Ring Promise: In Haggai 2:23, God promises to make Zerubbabel like a "signet ring"—a symbol of authority, royal power, and divine favor—indicating his key role in God's covenantal plan.
"Not by Might": He was encouraged by the prophet Zechariah that the task would be completed "not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit".
Messianic Lineage: Despite the curse on his grandfather King Jehoiachin, Zerubbabel is listed in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:12), highlighting his role as the crucial link to the Davidic covenant.
Rebuilding Success: Despite opposition and delays, Zerubbabel successfully completed the Second Temple. As a leader of the returned remnant, Zerubbabel serves as a "Type" of Christ, who builds the spiritual Temple.
Jeconiah, also called
“Jehoiachin” (1 Chronicles 3:16, NIV) and “Coniah” (Jeremiah 22:24),
was a king of Judah who was deported as part of the
Babylonian captivity (Esther 2:6; 1 Chronicles 3:17).
He is also listed in the genealogy of Jesus, in Joseph’s family line
(Matthew 1:12).
The curse of Jeconiah is found in Jeremiah 22. First, the LORD likens the king to a signet ring on God’s hand—a ring that God will pull off (verse 24). Then, God pronounces a curse: “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah” (verse 30).
The problem is that the curse of Jeconiah seems to invalidate Jesus’ right to the throne of David. The Davidic Covenant promised that the Messiah, the “Son of David,” would reign forever on Jerusalem’s throne (1 Chronicles 17:11-14). If Jesus is a descendant of Jeconiah, then how can He be the Messiah, since the curse bars any of Jeconiah’s descendants from assuming David’s throne?
There are three possible solutions to this difficulty. First, the “offspring” of Jeconiah mentioned in the curse could be a limited reference to the king’s own children—his immediate offspring, in other words. On a related note, the phrase “in his lifetime” could apply to the entire verse. The curse would only be in force while the king lived. This is exactly what happened, as Jeconiah was not successful as a king (he only reigned for three months before he surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar’s forces), and none of his sons (he had seven of them, 1 Chronicles 3:17–18) reigned over Judah.
A second solution concerns the virgin birth. Jesus only had one human parent, Mary. His mother was of David’s line, but not through Jeconiah (Luke 3:31). Joseph was Jesus’ legal father, but not His physical one. Thus, Jesus was of royal blood through Mary, but the curse of Jeconiah stopped with Joseph and was not passed on to Jesus.
A third possible solution is that God reversed the curse on Jeconiah’s family. This is hinted at by the prophet Haggai, who told Zerubbabel, Jeconiah’s grandson, that God would make him a “signet ring” on God’s hand (Haggai 2:23). Zerubbabel was blessed by God as the governor of Judea, and he prospered in that role when the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem. The “signet ring” imagery of Jeconiah’s curse is repeated in Zerubbabel’s blessing, which must be more than coincidence. Several rabbinic sources teach that Jeconiah repented in Babylon and that God forgave him and lifted the curse.
The Coming Glory of God’s House
On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and also to the remnant of the people. Ask them, Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not appear to you like nothing in comparison?’
But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,
declares the LORD.
Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak,
the high priest.
And be strong, all you people of the land,
declares the LORD.
Work! For I am with you,
declares the LORD of Hosts.
This is the promise I made to you
when you came out of Egypt.
And My Spirit remains among you;
do not be afraid.”
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says:
“Once more, in a little while,
I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all the nations,
and they will come with all their treasures,
and I will fill this house with glory,
says the LORD of Hosts.
The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,
declares the LORD of Hosts.
The latter glory of this house
will be greater than the former,
says the LORD of Hosts
And in this place I will provide peace,
declares the LORD of Hosts.”
Blessings for a Defiled People
On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Haggai the prophet, saying, “This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Ask the priests for a ruling. If a man carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does that item become holy?’”
“No,” replied the priests.
So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?”
“Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.
Then Haggai replied, “So it is with this people and this nation before Me, declares the LORD, and so it is with every work of their hands; whatever they offer there is defiled.
Now consider carefully from this day forward: Before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD, from that time, when one came expecting a heap of twenty ephahs of grain, there were but ten. When one came to the winepress to draw out fifty baths, there were but twenty. I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me, declares the LORD.
Consider carefully from this day forward—from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider carefully: Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you.”
Zerubbabel the LORD’s
Signet Ring
For the second time that day, the twenty-fourth day of the month, the
word of the LORD came to Haggai, saying,
“Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth:
I will overturn royal thrones
and destroy the power
of the kingdoms of the nations.
I will overturn chariots and their riders;
horses and their riders will fall,
each by the sword of his brother.
On that day,
declares the LORD of Hosts,
I will take you, My servant,
Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
declares the LORD,
and I will make you like My signet ring,
for I have chosen you,
declares the LORD of Hosts.”
A Call to Endurance
(2 Timothy 2:1–13)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
God Disciplines His Sons
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord,
and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.
For the Lord disciplines the one He loves,
and He chastises every son He receives.”
Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons.
For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.
Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
A Call to Holiness
(1 Peter 1:13–21)
Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many. See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find no ground for repentance, though he sought the blessing with tears.
An Unshakable Kingdom
(Exodus 20:18–21; Deuteronomy 5:22–33)
For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm;
to a trumpet blast or to a voice that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken.
For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”
The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels in joyful assembly, to the congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven. You have come to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if the people did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns us from heaven?
At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.”
The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
“For our God is a consuming fire.”
Trust in the LORD with All Your Heart
My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
for they will add length to your days,
years and peace to your life.
Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will find favor and high regard
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
This will bring healing to your body
and refreshment to your bones.
Honor the LORD with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will overflow with new wine.
My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD,
and do not loathe His rebuke;
for the LORD disciplines the one He loves,
as does a father the son in whom he delights.
The Blessings of Wisdom
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who acquires understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver,
and her gain is better than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire compares with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
All her ways are pleasant,
and all her paths are peaceful.
She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,
and those who lay hold of her are blessed.
The LORD founded the earth by wisdom
and established the heavens by understanding.
By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open,
and the clouds dripped with dew.
My son, do not lose sight of this:
Preserve sound judgment and discernment.
They will be life to your soul
and adornment to your neck.
Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.
When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.
Do not fear sudden danger
or the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from the snare.
Do not withhold good from the deserving
when it is within your power to act.
Do not tell your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I will provide”--
when you already have the means.
Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
for he trustfully dwells beside you.
Do not accuse a man without cause,
when he has done you no harm.
Do not envy a violent man
or choose any of his ways;
for the LORD detests the perverse,
but He is a friend to the upright.
The curse of the LORD is on the house
of the wicked,
but He blesses the home of the righteous.
He mocks the mockers,
but gives grace to the humble.
The wise will inherit honor,
but fools are held up to shame.
Luke ties his account of Jesus' life to major figures of that era (Luke 1:5; 2:1–2). Here, again, is a list of then-well-known names meant to establish a timeframe for these events. Most important of those is the Roman Emperor, Tiberius, whose reign began after that of Augustus (Luke 2:1). That establishes this moment somewhere around AD 29.
Pontius Pilate (John 18:28–29) took over as governor of the province of Judea, replacing Valerius Gratus in AD 26. Pilate was removed shortly after Jesus' crucifixion, ending his term around AD 36. He was deposed, in part, for the way his brutal, reactionary style triggered unrest among the Jewish people.
As a conquered people, Israel did not have legitimate kings during this era. Rather, Rome appointed certain men and their families as regional authorities. One such family was the Herods. Ironically, they were Idumeans: the surviving remnants of Edom, themselves descendants of Esau (Genesis 36). This was the twin brother and rival of Jacob, the man later renamed Israel (Genesis 35:10).
At the time of Jesus' birth, Herod the Great held control over the entire region of Judea. Two of his sons, Herod and Philip, were given a portion of territory to rule after his death. They were installed as tetrarchs, a term used by Rome for those not deemed important enough to call "kings." The "Herod" mentioned during the adult life of Jesus later took on the name Antipas, though he is most often referred to using his inherited name. This is the ruler who jealously imprisoned John the Baptist and later had him executed (Matthew 14:10–12). He was later replaced by Agrippa, who interacted with the apostle Paul (Acts 25:13).
Instructions to Elders
(1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9)
As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed, but out of eagerness; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
A Warning against Pride
What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?
You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.
You adulteresses!
Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God. Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?
But He gives us more grace.
This is why it says:
“God opposes the proud,
but gives
grace to the humble.”
Drawing Near to God
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Hosea Redeems His Wife
(Zechariah 2:6–13)
1Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by anothera and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.
2So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silverc and a homer and a lethech of barley.d 3Then I said to her, “You must live with me for many days; you must not be promiscuous or belong to another, and I will do the same for you.”
4For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol. 5Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.
The Vision of the Measuring Line
(Ezekiel 40:1–4)
1Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.
2“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.”
3Then the angel who was speaking with me went forth, and another angel came forward to meet him 4and said to him, “Run and tell that young man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock within it. 5For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’”
The Redemption of Zion
(Hosea 3:1–5)
6“Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD. 7“Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”
8For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent Mea against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the appleb of His eye— 9I will surely wave My hand over them, so that they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.”
10“Shout for joy and be glad, O Daughter of Zion, for I am coming to dwell among you,” declares the LORD. 11“On that day many nations will join themselves to the LORD, and they will become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you. 12And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem. 13Be silent before the LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”
The Man with a Measuring Rod
(Zechariah 2:1–5)
1In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month—in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been struck down—on that very day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He took me there. 2In visions of God He took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose southern slope was a structure that resembled a city.
3So He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. 4“Son of man,” he said to me, “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Report to the house of Israel everything you see.”
The East Gate
5And I saw a wall surrounding the temple area. Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubitsa (each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth), and he measured the wall to be one rod thick and one rod high.
6Then he came to the gate facing east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate to be one rod deep.b 7Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide, and there were five cubitsc between the gate chambers. The inner threshold of the gate by the portico facing inward was one rod deep. 8Then he measured the portico of the gateway inside;d 9it was eight cubits deep,e and its jambs were two cubits thick.f And the portico of the gateway faced the temple.
10There were three gate chambers on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the gateposts on either side also had the same measurements. 11And he measured the width of the gateway entrance to be ten cubits,g and its length was thirteen cubits.
12In front of each gate chamber was a wall one cubit high, and the gate chambers were six cubits square. 13Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubitsi from doorway to doorway.
14Next he measured the gateposts to be sixty cubits high.j The gateway extended around to the gatepost of the courtyard. 15And the distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its inner portico was fifty cubits.
16The gate chambers and their side pillarsl had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway. The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side pillar was decorated with palm trees.
The Outer Court
17Then he brought me into the outer court, and there were chambers and a pavement laid out all around the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement, 18which flanked the gateways and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement.
19Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court; it was a hundred cubitsm on the east side as well as on the north.
The North Gate
20He also measured the length and width of the gateway of the outer court facing north. 21Its three gate chambers on each side, its side pillars, and its portico all had the same measurements as the first gate: fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 22Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.
23There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured the distance from gateway to gateway to be a hundred cubits.
The South Gate
24Then he led me to the south side, and I saw a gateway facing south. He measured its side pillars and portico, and they had the same measurements as the others. 25Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 26Seven steps led up to it, and its portico was opposite them; it had palm trees on its side pillars, one on each side.
27The inner court also had a gate facing south, and he measured the distance from gateway to gateway toward the south to be a hundred cubits.
The Gates of the Inner Court
28Next he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others. 29Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 30(The porticoes around the inner court were twenty-five cubits long and five cubits deep.n) 31Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps led up to it.
32And he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others. 33Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 34Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side.
Eight steps led up to it.
35Then he brought me to the north gate and measured it. It had the same measurements as the others, 36as did its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. 37Its porticoo faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.
Eight Tables for Sacrifices
38There was a chamber with a doorway by the porticop in each of the inner gateways. There the burnt offering was to be washed. 39Inside the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were to be slaughtered.
40Outside, as one goes up to the entrance of the north gateway, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico. 41So there were four tables inside the gateway and four outside—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered.
42There were also four tables of dressed stone for the burnt offering, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit high.q On these were placed the utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.
43The double-pronged hooks,r each a handbreadth long,s were fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be placed on the tables.
Chambers for Ministry
44Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two chambers,t one beside the north gate and facing south, and another beside the south gateu and facing north.
45Then the man said to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple, 46and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, the only Levites who may approach the LORD to minister before Him.”
The Inner Court
47Next he measured the court. It was square, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.
48Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the side pillars of the portico to be five cubits on each side. The width of the gateway was fourteen cubits and its sidewalls were three cubits on either side.v 49The portico was twenty cubits widew and twelve cubits deep,x and ten steps led up to it.y There were columns by the side pillars, one on each side.
In Haggai 2:23 we read, “‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you.’” What did God mean when He said Zerubbabel was His signet ring?
Ancient kings used signet rings to designate authority, honor, or ownership. A signet contained an emblem unique to the king. Official documents were sealed with a dollop of soft wax impressed with the king’s signet, usually kept on a ring on his finger. Such a seal certified the document as genuine, much like a notary public’s stamp today. In 1 Kings 21:8, the evil Queen Jezebel took King Ahab’s signet ring and “wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal.” The ring’s stamp gave her letters the king’s authority. In Daniel 6:17, a signet ring was used to seal a stone covering a lions’ den: “A stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.” A royal signet ring is also featured in Genesis 41:41-43 and Esther 8:8.
It is important to understand who Zerubbabel is. He is the governor of the rebuilt Jerusalem and is himself of royal blood, being a descendant of David and the grandson of Judah’s King Jehoiachin. Years earlier, Jehoiachin had lost his throne when he was deported to Babylon; in fact, God pictured Jehoiachin as a signet ring being removed from God’s finger (Jeremiah 22:24). Now, God calls Zerubbabel the “signet ring,” but this time it won’t be removed.
In Haggai’s prophecy, God is giving Zerubbabel encouragement and hope. The governor is “chosen” for a unique and noble purpose. As God’s signet ring, Zerubbabel is given a place of honor and authority. God is reinstating the Davidic line and renewing His covenant with David. Judah still has a future as they look forward to the coming Son of David, the Messiah, who would one day “overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms” (Haggai 2:22).
Zerubbabel is also called “my servant.” This title was often a Messianic reference in the Old Testament (2 Samuel 3:18; 1 Kings 11:34; Isaiah 42:1–9; 49:1–13; 50:4–11; 52:13—53:12; Ezekiel 34:23–24; 37:24–25). The triad of servant, son, and signet ring created a special combination of encouragement for Zerubbabel in his important and difficult task of reconstructing the Jewish temple. As God’s “signet ring,” Zerubbabel becomes a picture of the future Messiah, Jesus Christ, who will establish His people in the Promised Land, construct an even grander temple (Zechariah 6:12–13), and lead the righteous in never-ending worship.
Jesus’ genealogy is given in two places in Scripture: Matthew 1 and Luke 3:23-38. Matthew traces the genealogy from Jesus to Abraham. Luke traces the genealogy from Jesus to Adam. However, there is good reason to believe that Matthew and Luke are in fact tracing entirely different genealogies. For example, Matthew gives Joseph’s father as Jacob (Matthew 1:16), while Luke gives Joseph’s father as Heli (Luke 3:23). Matthew traces the line through David’s son Solomon (Matthew 1:6), while Luke traces the line through David’s son Nathan (Luke 3:31). In fact, between David and Jesus, the only names the genealogies have in common are Shealtiel and Zerubbabel (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27).
Some point to these differences as evidence of errors in the Bible. However, the Jews were meticulous record keepers, especially in regard to genealogies. It is inconceivable that Matthew and Luke could build two entirely contradictory genealogies of the same lineage. Again, from David through Jesus, the genealogies are completely different. Even the reference to Shealtiel and Zerubbabel likely refer to different individuals of the same names. Matthew gives Shealtiel’s father as Jeconiah while Luke gives Shealtiel’s father as Neri. It would be normal for a man named Shealtiel to name his son Zerubbabel in light of the famous individuals of those names (see the books of Ezra and Nehemiah).
One explanation, held by the church historian Eusebius, is that Matthew is tracing the primary, or biological, lineage while Luke is taking into account an occurrence of “levirate marriage.” If a man died without having any sons, it was tradition for the man’s brother to marry the widow and have a son who would carry on the deceased man’s name. According to Eusebius’s theory, Melchi (Luke 3:24) and Matthan (Matthew 1:15) were married at different times to the same woman (tradition names her Estha). This would make Heli (Luke 3:23) and Jacob (Matthew 1:15) half-brothers. Heli then died without a son, and so his (half-)brother Jacob married Heli’s widow, who gave birth to Joseph. This would make Joseph the “son of Heli” legally and the “son of Jacob” biologically. Thus, Matthew and Luke are both recording the same genealogy (Joseph’s), but Luke follows the legal lineage while Matthew follows the biological.
Most conservative Bible scholars today take a different view, namely, that Luke is recording Mary’s genealogy and Matthew is recording Joseph’s. Matthew is following the line of Joseph (Jesus’ legal father), through David’s son Solomon, while Luke is following the line of Mary (Jesus’ blood relative), through David’s son Nathan. Since there was no specific Koine Greek word for “son-in-law,” Joseph was called the “son of Heli” by marriage to Mary, Heli’s daughter. Through either Mary’s or Joseph’s line, Jesus is a descendant of David and therefore eligible to be the Messiah. Tracing a genealogy through the mother’s side is unusual, but so was the virgin birth. Luke’s explanation is that Jesus was the son of Joseph, “so it was thought” (Luke 3:23).
Painters and carpenters use
plumb lines to
keep their work straight
It is difficult,
while in the middle of a project,
to determine
a true horizontal or vertical line
without an objective measuring tool,
so a plumb line is employed
A plumb line
applies the law of gravity to
find right angles,
to indicate the most direct route from top to bottom, and to keep things plumb.
A plumb line doesn’t change or move with the whims of the carpenter. It remains true, and all work must line up with it or risk being crooked.
The term plumb line is used in Scripture in several contexts. The Lord pictures Himself as a builder in Isaiah 28: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:16). This is a promise of an unshakeable kingdom, with the Messiah in charge. Jesus Christ is the “precious cornerstone” (see Mark 12:10; Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6). As the Lord builds His kingdom, He will ensure it is perfect in every way: “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line” (Isaiah 28:17). There will be no crookedness/sin in the kingdom of Christ.
When the Jews returned from captivity in Babylon, they began to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. For a time, the work languished, and God sent the prophets Zechariah and Haggai to spur the people on to finish the rebuilding. The message was encouraging: do not despair over the small beginnings; God will see to it that the temple is completed, and Zerubbabel the governor will oversee the project. “Whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel” (Zechariah 4:10, ESV).
Amos 7:7–8 says, “This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord asked me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ ‘A plumb line,’ I replied. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.’” When God said He was setting a plumb line among His people, He was declaring an end to their attempts to justify their crooked ways. The Lord was setting the standard. God does not negotiate His laws. He does not change with the whims of culture (Numbers 23:19). God’s moral law is the plumb line against which we determine right and wrong (John 17:17). Just as a carpenter’s plumb line is not subject to the opinions or the frustration of the worker, so God’s moral standards are not subject to the opinions of man.
Wise people
are
those who line up their lives
according to God’s plumb line
rather than
trying to move it to satisfy
their own agendas
But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
Romans 1:5
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Romans 16:25,26
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began
And how can they preach unless
they are sent?
As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who
bring good news!”
The Word Brings Salvation
…for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”…
About 700 years before Jesus Christ was born, Isaiah announced the birth of Israel’s Messiah. The prophet’s vision stretched forward through the years from Christ’s lowly birth in Bethlehem to His glorious future reign in the New Jerusalem when there will be unspoiled peace under Messiah’s rule: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Isaiah deployed a list of titles typically associated with Israel’s kings to illustrate the majestic, kingly character of the coming Messiah. Wonderful Counselor originates from the Davidic line of monarchs, who were known for giving and receiving counsel so wonderful it was beyond human comprehension (see 2 Samuel 16:23). Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace were also divine attributes traditionally used to address earthly sovereigns.
In Psalm 45:6, the Hebrew text refers to the human king as “god.” The language reflects the honor and authority due the king and distinguishes him from other people because of his closeness to the Lord. The word mighty in Isaiah 9:6 relates to the king’s leadership role. In the original Hebrew, the adjective means “having or showing great power in authority or military leadership; heroic, valiant.” As Israel’s Mighty God, the Messiah will be a brave and powerful leader ruling over the armies of God like no other king before Him. He will be the divine hero and champion defender described in Deuteronomy 10:17: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.”
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ exhibited a different kind of leadership strength than the Jewish people had come to expect. They were looking for a heroic figure like King David who would deliver them from Roman oppression through valiant military conquests and political might. But the kingdom principles Jesus introduced were based on servant leadership (Matthew 12:17–21; 20:28) and a kingdom “not of this world” (John 6:15; 18:36). Scripture says that, when Jesus came to earth, He voluntarily “gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being” (Philippians 2:7, NLT). The “Mighty God” manifestation of Isaiah’s prophecy will only be fully seen in Christ’s second coming. Nevertheless, in every aspect of His life and ministry, from His conception (Luke 1:35, 49) to His ascension (Luke 24:50–51), Jesus operated with divine power and authority.
Jesus began His public ministry “in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside” (Luke 4:14). People testified that Jesus was “a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people” (Luke 24:19, NLT; see also Acts 7:22). His mighty works showed “the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus” (Luke 5:17, NLT). As people touched Jesus, “power came out from him and healed them all” (Luke 6:19, ESV; see also Luke 8:46).
When Jesus cast out demons and unclean spirits, He proved that He is both divine and mighty, operating under God’s complete authority and power (Luke 4:36; Mark 1:32–34). The apostle Paul announced, “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him” (Acts 2:22, NLT). Christ’s supernatural acts confirmed that Jesus is Mighty God.
The resurrection is undoubtedly the most significant proof that Jesus is Israel’s Mighty God, functioning in His Father’s power and authority. Jesus, who had the power to lay down His life and take it up again (John 10:18), humbly submitted to the weakness and humiliation of death on the cross (2 Corinthians 13:4; Philippians 2:5–8). But then God demonstrated His great power—“the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church” (Ephesians 1:19–22, NLT).
As Mighty God, Jesus rose from the dead and now sits at God’s right hand in heaven, high above every other authority, power, and leader. The Bible says God granted Jesus authority over all people to give eternal life to those given Him by the Father (John 17:2; see also John 10:28; 1 John 2:25). At the end of the age, Jesus Christ will come again to earth “with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). When Jesus steps on the world’s stage next time, Isaiah’s vision of a Mighty God and King will come to full fruition. Jesus will hand over the kingdom to His heavenly Father after He has destroyed every enemy of God (1 Corinthians 15:24–25).
As Mighty God, Jesus will judge all the people of the earth (Revelation 18:8, 10). Then He will sit on His eternal throne and reign in great power and authority (Revelation 11:15–17; 12:10). Every creature in heaven and on earth will bow down and worship Him. Heaven will ring with the shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God” for He was slain, and He alone is worthy “to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” forever and ever (Revelation 5:12–13; 19:1).
Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, / and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
1 Corinthians 1:21
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!”
John 17:18
As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.
2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
Isaiah 55:11
so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.
Matthew 9:37-38
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. / Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”
1 Peter 1:12
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Jeremiah 1:7
But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak.
Acts 13:2
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
1 Timothy 2:7
For this reason I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything.
Isaiah 40:9
Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
Acts 8:30-31
So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. / “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
1 Kings 8:41-43
Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake; …
Jonah 1:5,9-11,16
Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep…
Jonah 3:5-9
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them…
Romans 1:5
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Romans 16:25,26
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, …
Mark 16:15,16
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature…
Psalm 22:16
For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet
Acts 10:41
Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
Acts 1:8,22
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth…
Luke 24:48
You are witnesses of these things.
John 15:27
And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 2:32
God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses.
Acts 3:15
You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of this fact.
Acts 5:30-32
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree. / God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. / We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Acts 13:31
and for many days He was seen by those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people.
1 Corinthians 15:15
In that case, we are also exposed as false witnesses about God. For we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead, but He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised.
1 Peter 5:1
As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you:
Acts 3:14,15
But ye
denied the Holy One
and the Just,
and desired a
murderer to be granted
unto you; …
“Then the word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, ‘Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, “I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another. On that day,” declares the LORD of hosts, “I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,” declares the LORD, “and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,” declares the LORD of hosts’” (Hag 2:20–23).
In spite of Zerubbabel’s Davidic lineage (1 Chron 3:19), he likely lived under the shadow of having a “cursed” grandfather. On the eve of Israel’s exile, God spoke against Coniah, also known as Jehoiachin, declaring that even if he were a signet ring on God’s right hand, He would remove him and cast him into exile (Jer 22:24–30). The image is devastating. A signet ring represents royal authority and legitimacy, and Jeremiah’s words could easily be taken to mean that God’s promise to raise up a Messianic son from David’s line had been nullified because of Coniah’s sin (see Jer 22:30).
Zerubbabel’s title, “governor of Judah” rather than “king” (Hag 2:21), would have served as a constant reminder of this family failure. Yet the God of second, third, and fourth chances, the God of infinite grace and mercy, reverses this judgment. God takes Zerubbabel, a son of David, and makes him His signet ring once again, placing him back on His right hand. In light of this extraordinary grace and promise, the prophet Zechariah, Haggai’s contemporary, sees in Zerubbabel a prefiguration of the coming Davidic Messiah (Zech 3:8; 6:12–13). And because of this grace, Zerubbabel, God’s chosen servant, appears in Yeshua’s Messianic genealogy (Matt 1:13).
What can we learn from this brief but powerful prophecy? We must never allow our past, or our family history, to tell us who we are or who we are destined to be. It is God alone who has both the right and the power to define our identity and our destiny.
Matt 5:17
The Fulfillment of the Law
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.
I have not come to abolish them,
but to fulfill them.
For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away,
not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen,
will disappear
from the Law until
everything is accomplished
"Seek first the kingdom of God"
(Matthew 6:33)
Means prioritizing a relationship with God and
his righteousness
over material anxieties, with the promise that
all needs will be met.
"The last will be first, and the first last"
(Matthew 19:30)
reverses worldly hierarchies,
showing that
true
greatness is found in service and humility
Key Aspects of Seeking the Kingdom First:
Prioritize God:
It is a command to place spiritual growth, obedience, and God's will above personal, worldly pursuits.
Trust in Provision:
Jesus promises that when God's kingdom is the priority, essential needs like food, clothing, and shelter will be provided.
Active Pursuit:
This involves seeking God's righteousness, living according to his character, and focusing on the "good news" of his reign.
Overcoming Distraction:
It calls believers to avoid excessive worry about money or possessions.
Understanding
"First will be Last, Last will be First"
Reversal of Status:
In the kingdom of God, human, earthly rankings are reversed. Those who are humble, serving, and sometimes overlooked ("last") are honored,
while those who are arrogant or self-seeking ("first") will be humbled.
Context of Humility:
This phrase is often used to teach that salvation and greatness come from grace and service, not social status or self-promotion. In summary, these teachings encourage focusing on God's kingdom as the top priority,
which in turn leads to a humble life of service, where the last will indeed be first.
In John 11,
Jesus allowed
Lazarus to die, delaying his arrival for two days,
specifically so that his resurrection would
display God's glory
and prove Jesus' divine power over death.
This miracle functioned as a foreshadowing of
Christ's own resurrection and the
ultimate resurrection
of believers on the
"last day"
Purpose of Death:
The sickness was not for final death, but to reveal the works of God and glorify the Son.
The "Last Day"
Jesus promises to raise believers on the "last day" (Judgment Day), a recurring theme in John 6:39-40, 44, 54.
Glorification
The resurrection of Lazarus, like the future resurrection of believers, transforms a state of corruption/dishonor into glory and power. This event demonstrates that God uses difficult situations to ultimately showcase His power and glory.
Judas Iscariot didn't truly repent because his sorrow was mere remorse (guilt/regret) and despair, not genuine repentance, which involves turning to God for forgiveness and a change of heart; he focused on undoing the consequences (returning money) and couldn't believe God's mercy, leading to self-destruction (suicide) instead of seeking salvation like Peter did after denying Jesus, showing his actions stemmed from fear and a distorted view, not true faith.
NIV 2 Cor 3:6
He has made us
competent as ministers
of
a new covenant--
not of the letter but of
the Spirit;
for the
letter kills, but the Spirit gives life
KJV Jer 31:31
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jer 31:34
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
The Word Brings Salvation
faith comes by hearing, and
hearing
by the word of Christ
But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did:
“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”
I ask instead, did Israel not understand? First, Moses says:
“I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation without understanding.”
And Isaiah boldly says:
“I was found by those who did not
seek Me;
I revealed Myself to those who did not
ask for Me.”
But as for Israel he says:
“All day long I have held out My hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
(Mark 9:49–50; Luke 14:34–35; Philippians 2:12–18)
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Remorse vs. Repentance:
The Bible distinguishes between metamelomai (regret/remorse, as Judas felt) and metanoeo (true repentance, a change of mind and direction). Judas's sorrow led to despair, not a new path.
Focus on Self:
He tried to fix his mistake by returning the money and confronting the priests, but he didn't turn to Jesus to ask for forgiveness, indicating a desire to salve his conscience rather than seek God's mercy.
Despair and Self-Destruction:
Instead of trusting in Jesus's atonement, Judas believed his sin was too great to be forgiven, leading him to suicide, a stark contrast to Peter's repentance and restoration.
Misunderstanding:
He likely never intended Jesus's death and was shocked when the authorities condemned Him, but his flawed thinking prevented him from seeking genuine reconciliation.
What True Repentance Would Have Looked Like:
Asking Jesus for forgiveness.
Trusting in God's mercy, even for a great sin.
Turning back to Jesus with a
changed heart and purpose,
not just trying to undo the external consequences.
Forgiveness
(Matthew 18:21–35)
John 8:12
Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Philippians 2:15
so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world
Ephesians 5:8-9
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, / for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.
1 Peter 2:12
Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
John 15:8
This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 60:1
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Proverbs 4:18
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
Daniel 12:3
Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.
1 Thessalonians 5:5
For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
Colossians 1:10
so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
Judas Iscariot:
The most reviled name in all of Sacred Scripture is judged only by his act of betrayal, but without him among the Apostles is there any Gospel at all?
False witness and betrayal are two of the most heinous themes in all of world literature, and Sacred Scripture is no exception. Literature is filled with it because so are we. Not many of us get to live our lives without ever experiencing the false witness of an enemy or the betrayal of a friend.
Recently, I was confronted by the death of someone whom I once thought of as a friend, someone who once betrayed me with a self-serving story of false witness for nothing more redemptive than thirty pieces of silver. It’s an account that will be taken up soon by some other writer for I am not objective enough to bring justice, let alone mercy, to that story.
But for now, there is one aspect of it that I must write about at this of all times. As I was preparing to offer Mass late on a Sunday night, the thought came that I should offer it for this betrayer, this liar, this thief. Every part of my psyche and spirit rebelled against that thought, but in the end, I did what I had been beckoned to do.
It was difficult. It was very difficult. And it cost me even more of myself than that person had already taken. It cost me the perversely comforting experience of eternal resentment. I have not forgiven this false accuser. That is a grace I have not yet discovered. Nor could I so easily set aside the depth of his betrayal.
In offering the Mass, I just asked God not to see this story only as I do. I asked Him not to forever let this soul slip from His grasp, for perhaps there were influences at work that I do not know. have always suspected so.
The obituary said he died “peacefully” just two weeks before his 49th birthday. It said nothing about the cause of death nor anything about a Mass. There was a generic “celebration of his life.” False witness does not leave much to celebrate. Faith, too, had been betrayed for money.
I am still angry with this person even in death, but I take no consolation that his presence in this world has passed. My anger will have to be comfort enough because at some point I realized that my Mass was likely the only one in the world that had been sacrificed for this soul with any legitimate hope for salvation.
That’s the problem with false witness. Its purveyors tell themselves they have no need for salvation. I do not know whether he is any better off for this Mass having been offered, but I do know that I am.
Ever Ancient, Ever New
The experience also focused my attention on history’s most notorious agent of false witness and betrayal, Judas Iscariot. Who has ever prayed for the soul of a betrayer? Not I — at least, not yet — but I also just weeks ago thought it impossible that I would pray for the soul of my accuser.
I cannot get Judas off my mind this week. And as with most Biblical narratives, once I took a hard look, I found a story on its surface and a far greater one in its depths. In those depths is an account of the meaning of the Cross that I found to be staggering today. It changes the way I today see the Cross and the role of Judas in bringing it about. It strikes me that there is not a single place in the narrative of salvation history that does not reflect chaos.
Understanding the Sacrifice of Calvary requires a journey all the way back to the time of Abraham, some 2000 years before the Birth of the Messiah. God had earlier made a covenant with Abraham, a promise to make of his descendants a great nation.
The story of the birth of his son, Isaac, foreshadows that of John the Baptist who in turn foreshadows Jesus. Abraham and Sarah, like Zechariah and Elizabeth, were too old to bear a child, and yet they did. And not just any child. Isaac was the evidence and hope of God’s covenant with Abraham. “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven.”
Then, in Genesis 22, God called Abraham to do the unthinkable: to sacrifice his only son, the one person who was to fulfill God’s covenant. The scene unfolds on Mount Moriah, a place later described in the Book of Chronicles (2 Ch 3:1) as the very site of the future Jerusalem Temple. In obedience, Abraham placed the wood for the sacrifice upon the back of his son, Isaac, who must carry the wood to the hilltop
(Gen 22:6).
On that Via Dolorosa, the child Isaac asked his father, “Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham’s answer “God will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” Notice the subtle play on words. There is no punctuation in the original Hebrew of the text. The thought process does not convey, “God Himself will provide the lamb…. but rather, “God will provide Himself, the lamb for sacrifice.”
An Angel of the Lord ultimately stayed Abraham’s hand, and then pointed out a ram in the thicket to complete the sacrifice. In his fascinating book, The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth (Image Books 1999) author Scott Hahn provides a reflection on the Genesis account that I had long linked to the Cross:
“Christians would later look upon the story of Abraham and Isaac as a profound
allegory for the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.” (p. 18)
The similarities in the two accounts, says Scott Hahn, are astonishing. The first line of the New Testament – Matthew 1:1 — identifies “Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham…” Jesus, like Isaac, was a faithful father’s only son. Isaac, like Jesus, carried “the wood” for his own sacrifice upon Mount Moriah. In fact, Calvary, the place of the Crucifixion of Christ, is a hillock in the Moriah range.
This places three pivotal Scriptural accounts — each separated by about 1,000 years — in the same place: The site where Abraham was called to sacrifice Isaac, the site of the Jerusalem Temple of Sacrifice, and the site of the Crucifixion of Christ.
In Hebrew, that place is called “Golgotha,” meaning “the place of the skull.” Its origin is uncertain, but there is an ancient Hebrew folklore that the skull of Adam was discovered there. Before the Romans arrived in Palestine, it was a place used for public executions, primarily for stoning. The word “Calvary” is from the Latin “calvaria” meaning “skull.” It was translated into Latin from the Greek, “kranion,” which in turn was a translation of the Hebrew, “Golgotha.”
No angel would stay the Hand of God. God provided Himself the Lamb for the sacrifice. This interplay between these Biblical accounts separated by 2,000 years is the source for our plea in the Mass, “Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.”
At the Hour of Darkness
The four Gospel accounts in the Canon of Scripture all came into written form after the apostolic witnesses experienced the Resurrection of Jesus. So everything they set out to preserve for the future was seen in that light. The outcome of the story is triumphantly clear in the minds of the New Testament authors. Had the Gospel ended at the Cross, the accounts would be very different.
Judas Iscariot, therefore, is identified early in each Gospel account when he is first summoned by Jesus to the ranks of the Apostles as “the one who would betray him.” John (6:71) adds the Greek term, “diabolos” (6:70), to identify Judas. It is translated “of the devil,” but its connotation is also that of a thief, an informer, a liar, and a betrayer, one drawn into evil by the lure of money.
These adjectives are not presented only to explain the character of Judas, but also to explain that greed left Judas open to Satan. Each Gospel account is clear that Jesus chose him among the Twelve, and in all three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus presents a constant awareness of the coming betrayal of Judas — seemingly as a necessary part of the story.
During Holy Week this year, we hear the full account of the Passion Narrative from Mark (on Palm Sunday) and John (on Good Friday). But for this post I want to focus on the version from Luke. The Gospel of Luke is unique in Scripture. It is the only Scriptural account written by a non-Jewish author.
Luke’s Gospel is the only account with a sequel, Acts of the Apostles, which was also written by Luke. And it is the only Gospel account to include the parables of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan, all of which figure into this story set in motion by the betrayal of Judas.
Luke, though a Gentile and a physician, was also a scholar. He makes few direct references to Old Testament texts, but his Gospel is filled with echoes and allusions to Old Testament themes. Greek Christians may not have readily understood this, but he also wrote his Gospel for Jewish Christians in the Diaspora who would have found in Luke a rich and valuable affirmation of salvation history in their life of faith.
What is most clear to me in Luke’s treatment of Judas is that the story is written with a theme that I readily identify with spiritual warfare. The Passion Narrative has a thread that begins with a story I have written before. In “A Devil in the Desert for the Last Temptation of Christ,” I wrote about the meaning of Satan’s temptation of Christ in the desert. It ends in Luke’s Gospel:
“When the devil had ended every temptation [of Christ], he departed from him until an opportune time.”
— Luke 4:13
Luke constructs his account of the Judas story with threads throughout his Gospel. He shows that the power of Satan, which is frustrated by Jesus in the account of his 40-day temptation in the desert “until an opportune time,” finds its opportunity, not in Jesus, but in Judas whose act of betrayal triggers “the hour of darkness” and the Passion of the Christ:
“Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was a member of the Twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests….”
— Luke 22:3
The origin and meaning of “Iscariot” is uncertain. It is not known whether it is a name or a title associated with Judas. In Hebrew, it means “man of Keriot”, a small town marking the border of the territory of the Tribe of Judah (see Joshua 15:21.25), to which both Judas and Jesus belonged. Betrayal is all the more bitter when the betrayer is closely associated. The Greek Iskariotes has the cognate sicarias, meaning “assassin,” a name ascribed to a band of outlaws in New Testament times.
It is clear in Luke’s presentation that this act of Judas is equated with original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve lured by the serpent. At the Last Supper, after the Institution of the Eucharist, Jesus said:
“But behold the hand of him who is to betray me is with me at this table,
for the Son of Man goes as it has been determined.”
— Luke 22:21
Jesus added, “But woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.” That “woe” is symbolized later in the way the life of Judas ends as described below. The phrase, “as it has been determined,” however, implies that the betrayal was seen not only in its own light but also as a necessary part of God’s plan.
Later, with Judas absent, Jesus warned his disciples at the Mount of Olives, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” They did anyway. After the arrest of Jesus at Gethsemane, they scattered. Peter, leader of the Twelve, denied three times that he even knew him. Then the cock crowed (Luke 22:61) just as Jesus predicted. This is often depicted as a literal rooster crowing, but the bugle ending the third-night watch for Roman legions at 3:00 AM was also called the “cockcrow.”
At Gethsemane, Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, perverting a sign of friendship and affection into one of betrayal and false witness. This is what begins the Passion Narrative and the completion of Salvation History. Jesus tells Judas and the servants of the chief priest:
“When I was with you day after day in the Temple you did not lay a hand on me,
but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
— Luke 22:53
Later, in the Acts of the Apostles (26:18) Luke identifies the power of darkness as being in opposition to the power of light, an allusion to spiritual warfare. For Luke’s Gospel, it is our ignorance of spiritual warfare that leaves us most vulnerable.
Following immediately after the betrayal of Judas, one of the disciples present draws his sword and cuts off the ear of the servant of the High Priest. In the Gospel of John, the disciple is identified as Peter. This account is very significant and symbolic of the spiritual bankruptcy that Judas set in motion.
In the well-known Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke’s Gospel, a priest came upon the broken body of an injured man left beaten by robbers on the side of the road. Jesus says in the Parable that the priest just passed by in silence, but this was readily understandable to the Pharisee to whom the parable is told.
The Pharisee, an expert in the Old Covenant law of Moses, understood that the Book of Leviticus forbade a priest who is defiled by the dead body of an alien from offering sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple. The severed ear of the High Priest’s servant at Gethsemane refers back to the same precept:
“So no one who has a blemish shall draw near [to the Sanctuary],
no one who is blind or lame or has a mutilated face…”
— Leviticus 22:18
The symbolism here is that the spiritual bankruptcy of the High Priest, who is not present at the arrest, is represented by his servant. In Luke’s Gospel, and in Luke alone, Jesus heals the ear. It is the sole miracle story in the Passion Narrative of any of the four Gospels and represents that Jesus wields the power of God even over the High Priest and Temple sacrifice.
When the role of Judas Iscariot is complete, he faces a bizarre end in Luke. The Gospel of Matthew (26:56) has Judas despairing and returning his 30 pieces of silver to the Temple. Luke, in Acts of the Apostles (1:16-20) explains that the actions of Judas were “so that the Scriptures may be fulfilled.” But in Luke, Judas meets an even more bitter end, bursting open and falling headlong as “all his bowels gushed out.” The field where this happened then became known as the Field of Blood, and the money that purchased it, “blood money.”
The point of the story of Judas in the Gospel of Luke is that discipleship engages us in spiritual warfare, and spiritual blindness leaves us vulnerable to our own devices, as it did Judas. This life “is your hour, and the power of darkness.” The plot against Jesus was Satan’s, and Judas was but its pawn.
So who prays for the souls of our betrayers? I did, and it was difficult. It was very difficult. But I can see today why Jesus called us to pray for those who persecute us. It is not only for their sake but for ours.
Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.
If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.
Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”
On the contrary,
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him a drink.
For in so doing,
you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Acts 10:43
All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, / He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.
They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.
In Romans 2:3–4, the apostle Paul addresses a Jewish audience (see Romans 2:17), cautioning them against hypocrisy and judgmentalism. He points out that their condemning of the Gentiles for sins they also committed showed contempt for the patience, tolerance, and goodness of God that they themselves had received: “And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (NKJV).
“The goodness of God” simply refers to His kindness. In the original Greek, the term translated as “goodness” (KJV, NKJV) or “kindness” (NIV, ESV) means “the quality of being warmhearted, considerate, humane, gentle, and sympathetic.” Paul often spoke of the Lord’s extraordinary kindness toward us and how the goodness of God ought to motivate us to be kind to others (Romans 11:22; Ephesians 2:7; Titus 3:4).
King David observed how God’s people have long celebrated His “abundant goodness” (Psalm 145:7; cf. Exodus 18:9; Isaiah 63:7; Psalm 27:13). Because of His goodness, God made an everlasting covenant with Israel, saying, “I will never stop doing good to them” (Jeremiah 32:40). God blessed Israel with rich physical and spiritual resources. He gave them a “good land” flowing with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 8:7; see also Exodus 3:8, 17; 33:3; Numbers 13:27; Deuteronomy 26:9) where He promised to shepherd, protect, and care for them (Psalm 23; 28:9; 121:3–5). In His goodness, God laid out the law so that, through obedience, they “might always prosper and be kept alive” (Deuteronomy 6:24).
God established the tabernacle (and later the temple) so His people would have a tangible reminder of His presence (Exodus 25:8; 33:9–10; 40:34–35). He gave them a system of worship and the priesthood to make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 9:7). All these Old Testament blessings pointed to God’s Son, the Messiah, whom He would send as Israel’s Savior—the ultimate demonstration of God’s goodness and kindness (Acts 10:38; Hebrews 9:11; 2 Corinthians 9:15). Even though Israel rejected the Messiah and crucified Him, God continued to give them every opportunity to be saved, pouring out His grace and delaying His judgment (John 1:16–17).
It is not fear of judgment or punishment that leads people to repent of their sins and be saved, but the goodness of God and “the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us” (Ephesians 2:7, NLT). God is not a heartless dictator but a merciful, forgiving, loving God (Psalm 25:6; Daniel 9:9; Ephesians 2:4; James 5:11; 1 Peter 1:3). He is patient with sinners who deserve judgment because He “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4, NLT; see also Isaiah 30:18; Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9).
God’s children—those who know and have experienced the goodness of God—must never forget to show His kindness and mercy to others. Jesus said, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1, NLT; see also Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; James 5:9). Jesus wasn’t suggesting that we ignore immorality in others (see Matthew 18:15–18; Hebrews 3:13). Both Jesus and Paul were speaking against the self-righteous, hypocritical tendency to point the finger at someone else and not realize that three fingers are pointing back at us.
Believers can evaluate the character and actions of others and recognize sin. But whenever we confront sin in someone else, we must remember that God’s goodness leads people to repentance. As we attempt to bring correction, healing, and restoration, we must maintain an attitude of love, gentleness, and humility, carefully keeping an eye on our own spiritual state (Psalm 141:5; 1 Corinthians 4:21; Hebrews 12:13; Galatians 6:1–2; 2 Timothy 2:25; James 5:19–20).
Repaying evil with good is a biblical principle (Romans 12:21) advocating that kindness, love, and righteousness should be used to overcome negativity rather than retaliation. It involves breaking the cycle of revenge, feeding enemies, and acting honorably to prevent being conquered by evil, which transforms conflict into a, sometimes, "shameful" confrontation for the oppressor.
Grace and Perseverance
(Hebrews 12:1–3)
1You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard me say among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to teach others as well.
Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him. 5Likewise, a competitor does not receive the crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to partake of the crops. Consider what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all things.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel, for which I suffer to the extent of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained! For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
This is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with Him,
we will also live with Him;
if we endure,
we will also reign with Him;
if we deny Him,
He will also deny us;
if we are faithless,
He remains faithful,
for He cannot deny Himself.
The Lord’s Approved Workman
14Remind the believers of these things, charging them before Goda to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin.
15Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.
16But avoid irreverent, empty chatter, which will only lead to more ungodliness, 17and the talk of such men will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18who have deviated from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already occurred, and they undermine the faith of some.
19Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.
20A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use. 21So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit,he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.
22Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
23But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. 24And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. 25He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. 26Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.
Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
Romans 3:3-4
What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? / Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24
The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.
1 Corinthians 1:9
God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Titus 1:2
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. / They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
Psalm 89:33-34
But I will not withdraw My loving devotion from him, nor ever betray My faithfulness. / I will not violate My covenant or alter the utterance of My lips.
Hebrews 6:18
Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged.
Malachi 3:6
“Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.
Isaiah 55:11
so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.
Psalm 119:90
Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures.
1 Samuel 15:29
Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He should change His mind.”
Isaiah 25:1
O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Romans 3:3
For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Titus 1:2
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Hebrews 6:18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
In John 14:17, Jesus says, “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (ESV). Because the ESV capitalizes Spirit, modern readers can easily infer that the spirit in question is the Holy Spirit. To understand why Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth,” let us review the context of John 14.
John 14 is part of the Upper Room Discourse (John 13—17), a collection of teachings delivered by Jesus to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. In these final moments, the disciples were greatly distressed about the impending departure of their beloved friend, Jesus (John 14:1). For this reason, Jesus took an extended moment to calm their troubled hearts and reassure them that “another Helper” was on the way (John 14:16, ESV).
The Greek term translated as “Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7) is paráklētos. The form of this word is passive and means “one who is called alongside.” At the Son’s request, the Father will send another Helper to encourage and exhort the disciples.
John’s use of the term another implies that the disciples already had a helper—the one who would soon depart from the earth. Although the Gospel writers never explicitly refer to Jesus as a paráklētos, the term is applied to Him in 1 John 2:1. Thus, in the context of John 14:16, Jesus promises to send His disciples a helper of the same type, and that helper would continue the ministry that Jesus began.
In John 14:17, the identity of the helper is now revealed: He is the Spirit of truth (cf. John 15:26; 16:13). The Spirit of truth is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. The Father will send the Spirit to come alongside the disciples. He is called the Spirit of truth because He bears witness to the truth of Jesus Christ (see John 14:6).
In contrast to the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of the devil, a being who does not hold “to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Because the unbelieving world remains ensnared by satanic falsehoods, they cannot receive the Spirit of truth (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14). Tragically, unbelievers prefer to walk by sight and not by faith, failing to understand that sight guarantees nothing.
At the moment of His baptism, Jesus received the Holy Spirit: John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him” (John 1:32, ESV). So, in a sense, the Spirit of truth was already with the disciples. Following the departure of Jesus, however, the disciples will know the Spirit more intimately because He would be in them (cf. Romans 8:9–11 and Ephesians 1:13–14).
Before the disciples began their ministry, Jesus instructed them to remain in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit: “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’” (Acts 1:4–5, ESV). Once the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were fully equipped to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ (verse 8).
Believers should be thankful that the Spirit of truth is with us, in us, and upon us. For, without His guidance and light, we could not distinguish truth from error.
When I ask people, “What do you think your spiritual gift is?” sometimes they say, “I have the gift of singing,” or, “I have the gift of working with my hands.” One lady told me, “I have the gift of making chocolate pies.” I wanted to take advantage of that gift!
But those are all natural abilities, not spiritual gifts. Let me give you this definition: a spiritual gift is the desire and power God gives you to accomplish His purpose. When God gives you a gift, He gives you a specific desire to be involved in His kingdom purpose. For example, some people like to meet the practical needs of others; that is the gift of serving. But a lot of people mix up their gift with their ministry. For example, singing in the choir is a ministry somebody might be involved in, but singing is not their spiritual gift. Their gift is the reason they want to sing. Maybe they sing because they have the desire to comfort people who are hurting. That is the gift of mercy, and they are exercising their gift through the ministry of singing.
A spiritual gift is a desire as well as an enabling power God gives you. When you are operating in your spiritual gift, it is not only something you enjoy doing, but it is also something God seems to bless uniquely in your life. Philippians 2:13 says, “It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God gives you a will, a desire, to do His pleasure, and He also gives you the power to work for His pleasure. It is a desire and an ability.
Now, whenever God gives a legitimate gift, Satan tries to counterfeit it. And that was happening in the Corinthian church with the gift of tongues. In 1 Corinthians 12:3, Paul wrote, “No one speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus is accursed’; and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” In pagan temples, there was a practice in which worshipers would start speaking this ecstatic gibberish, and scholars believe the Corinthians had brought this practice into the church. In fact, during this practice, some of them would blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ. So Paul said any gift that causes you to curse the name of Jesus or in any way diminish the lordship of Christ is not a true spiritual gift.
That is true for us today. The test of whether something is from God is not how we feel about it but what the Word of God says. If you think God is leading you to do something that is contrary to His Word, that is not God speaking to you. It may be your own desires speaking to you, it may be the pepperoni pizza you had for dinner speaking to you, but it is not God speaking to you. God never calls us to do something that violates the principles in His Word.
Unity in the Body
…to equip the saints
for works of ministry and to build up
the body of Christ,
until we all reach unity
in the faith and in the knowledge of the
Son of God,
as we
mature to the full measure of the
stature of Christ
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves
and carried around by every wind of teaching
and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.…
Colossians 1:28
We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 14:20
Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.
2 Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Romans 8:29
For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
1 Corinthians 13:10-12
but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away. / When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. / Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Colossians 2:2
that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ,
1 John 3:2
Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.
Hebrews 6:1
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God,
1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
John 17:23
I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
1 Corinthians 2:6
Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
Ephesians 4:3,5
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…
Jeremiah 32:38,39
And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: …
Ezekiel 37:21,22
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: …
in the unity.
Isaiah 53:11
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Matthew 11:27
All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
John 16:3
And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
unto a.
Ephesians 4:12
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Ephesians 2:15
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
1 Corinthians 14:20
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
stature.
Ephesians 1:23
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Jesus and Zacchaeus
(Numbers 5:5–10)
1Then Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who was very wealthy. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd because he was small in stature. 4So he ran on ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus was about to pass that way.
5When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.”
6So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully. 7And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”
8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The Parable of the Ten Minas
(Matthew 25:14–30)
11While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently. 12So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return. 13Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.a ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said.
14But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’
15When he returned from procuring his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what each one had earned.
16The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’
17His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
18The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’
19And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’
20Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth.
For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’
22His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’
24Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”
In John 13 Jesus begins teaching His faithful disciples in what has come to be known as His “Upper Room Discourse.” In that great discourse, Jesus tells them that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all the truth (John 16:13). Many wonder whether this is something that applies to us as well or simply to the disciples. In the context, Jesus helps us understand the specificity of His promise that the Holy Spirit will “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13, NKJV).
First, it is worth noting that some English translations say “all truth,” while the Greek New Testament actually includes the definite article, so a more precise way to translate what Jesus said is that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all the truth. There is a specific truth to which He is referring, and the Holy Spirit would guide them into that. Specifically, the Spirit would reveal what the Son and the Father would have Him disclose (John 16:13–15)—things about Jesus (John 16:14).
Jesus had already told the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—who would teach them and bring to their remembrance all that Jesus had said to them (John 14:26). Jesus’ later reference (in John 16:13) to the coming of the Holy Spirit and His work of guiding them into all the truth was fulfilled literally. Peter later said that God moved the writers of Scripture, and they spoke from God (2 Peter 1:21). When Matthew wrote his gospel, for example, Matthew didn’t need to borrow from anyone; he was in the room when Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth. It seems that Mark, who served alongside Peter for some time, wrote down Peter’s account (as church historian Eusebius suggests in his History, 24:5–8). Luke researched reliable sources (presumably including the disciples) as he wrote his account of Jesus’ ministry (Luke 1:1–4). John, another eyewitness, wrote his own gospel, stating that what he had written provided sufficient information for people to believe in Jesus and have life in His name (John 20:30–31).
Before the disciples would begin their ministry, they were to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). After the Holy Spirit came, the disciples were equipped for their work, and we see them proclaiming powerfully the gospel of Jesus Christ (e.g., Peter in Acts 2—4). The Holy Spirit had indeed guided them into the truth (John 16:13) and brought to their remembrance what Jesus had said to them (John 14:26).
While we certainly benefit from that work of the Holy Spirit—as we have the writings of these men whom the Holy Spirit guided into the truth—it is clear from other contexts that this is not how the Holy Spirit works with all believers. Guiding into the truth was simply a purpose for which He was sent to empower and equip the disciples. Paul tells Timothy, for example, that Timothy should be diligent as a workman, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Timothy would have to work to understand what had been written, and he would have to be diligent to hold true and pass along the things he had heard from Paul (2 Timothy 2:2). Similarly, we are told that all Scripture is from God’s mouth and is profitable for believers’ growth and equipping (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
We are thankful for and benefit greatly from the Holy Spirit guiding the apostles into all the truth, and we recognize that, because of the Spirit’s work through the disciples, we have His record: the Bible. We should be diligent in studying the Bible to know the Lord better.
In John 6:65, Jesus says, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (ESV). The word this refers to the phenomenon of unbelief, which Jesus anticipated in verse 64. Jesus’ point is that sinners cannot overcome unbelief on their own. No, God must draw sinners to Himself (see John 6:37, 44). If God does not intervene, we will remain dead in our trespasses and sins (see Ephesians 2:1). The antidote to unbelief is the grace of God.
After the miraculous feeding of over 5,000 people (John 6:1–15), Jesus presents Himself as the “bread of life” (John 6:35), Jesus states that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood to receive eternal life (verses 53–58). Many disciples found this to be a “hard saying” (verse 60) because they interpreted His words literally. As a result, they stopped following Him (verse 66). Their desertion, however, did not surprise Jesus because He “knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him” (John 6:64, NLT). This contextualizes Jesus’ words in John 6:65.
Jesus’ response to those who turned away from Him was not to soften His message or even to run after the deserters; instead, He turns to the Twelve and asks, “Do you want to go away as well?” (John 6:67, ESV). Peter responds, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68–69, ESV). There is a sharp contrast between the unfaithful disciples’ actions and Peter’s confession, reminding readers of what Jesus said in John 6:37, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (cf. John 6:44). The point is that coming to Jesus starts with God’s gracious calling.
John 6:65, then, reiterates the necessity of divine grace for saving faith. It is an affirmation of God’s sovereignty in salvation. The Father’s drawing is active and intentional, enabling sinners to believe in Christ for eternal life. It is not based on human merit but on God’s gracious and sovereign will: “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:5, ESV; see also Romans 8:29–30). As a result, we are eternally secure in Christ—not because of our grip on Him, but because of His grip on us (see John 10:28–30).
God’s sovereignty in salvation does not negate human responsibility or the free offer of the gospel. Sinners are repeatedly commanded to repent of their sins and turn to God in faith (Acts 17:30; Romans 10:13). The ability to respond to this call, however, is contingent upon the Father’s drawing. If He does not draw us, then we will not come to Him.
The statement “I am the door,” found in John 10:7, is the third of seven “I am” declarations of Jesus recorded only in John’s Gospel. These “I am” proclamations point to His unique, divine identity and purpose. In this “I am” statement, Jesus colorfully points out for us the exclusive nature of salvation by saying that He is “the door,” not “a door.” Furthermore, Jesus is not only our Shepherd who leads us into the “sheepfold,” but He is the only door by which we may enter and be saved (John 10:9). Jesus is the only means we have of receiving eternal life (John 3:16). There is no other way.
To get a clear picture of Jesus’ meaning in this statement, it is helpful to understand a little of that ancient culture, especially of sheep and shepherding. Of all domesticated animals, sheep are the most helpless. Sheep will spend their entire day grazing, wandering from place to place, never looking up. As a result, they often become lost. But sheep have no “homing instinct” as other animals do. They are totally incapable of finding their way to their sheepfold even when it is in plain sight. By nature, sheep are followers. If the lead sheep steps off a cliff, the others will follow.
Additionally, sheep are easily susceptible to injuries and are utterly helpless against predators. If a wolf enters the pen, they won’t defend themselves. They won’t try to run away or spread out. Instead they huddle together and are easily slaughtered. If sheep fall into moving water, they will drown. However, sheep do fear moving water and will not drink from any stream or lake unless the water is perfectly still. This is why David in the 23rd Psalm tells us of the shepherd who “makes [us] to lie down in green pastures, he leads [us] beside the still waters . . . though [we] walk through the valley . . . [we] will fear no evil. For You [the Shepherd] are with [us].”
Sheep are totally dependent upon the shepherd who tends them with care and compassion. Shepherds were the providers, guides, protectors and constant companions of sheep. So close was the bond between shepherd and sheep that to this day Middle Eastern shepherds can divide flocks that have mingled at a well or during the night simply by calling their sheep, who know and follow their shepherd’s voice. Shepherds were inseparable from their flocks. The shepherd would lead the sheep to safe places to graze and make them lie down for several hours in a shady place. Then, as night fell, the shepherd would lead the sheep to the protection of a sheepfold.
There were two kinds of sheepfolds or pens. One kind was a public sheepfold found in the cities and villages. It would be large enough to hold several flocks of sheep. This sheep pen would be in the care of a porter or doorkeeper, whose duty it was to guard the door to the sheep pen during the night and to admit the shepherds in the morning. The shepherds would call their sheep, each of which knew its own shepherd’s voice, and would lead them out to pasture.
The second kind of sheep pen was in the countryside, where the shepherds would keep their flocks in good weather. This type of sheep pen was nothing more than a rough circle of rocks piled into a wall with a small open space to enter. Through it the shepherd would drive the sheep at nightfall. Since there was no gate to close—just an opening—the shepherd would keep the sheep in and wild animals out by lying across the opening. He would sleep there, in this case literally becoming the door to the sheep.
In this context, Jesus is telling us that He is not only the shepherd of the sheep, but also the door of the sheep. In doing so, He is vividly contrasting Himself with that of the religious leaders of His time whom He describes as “thieves and robbers” (John 10:8). When Jesus says, “I am the door,” He is reiterating the fact that only through Him is salvation possible. This is far removed from the ecumenical teachings popular in today’s liberal religious circles. Jesus makes it clear that any religious leader who offers salvation other than the teachings of Christ is a “thief” and a “robber.”
One who believes the gospel (Hebrews 11:6) and repents of sin (Luke 13:3) is assured of being in “the fold” and of having entered by “the door.” As followers of Christ, Jesus is both our Shepherd and the Door to the sheepfold who provides for all our needs. Knowing that the world is full of predators whose sole intent is to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8), we are always under His protection. More importantly, we are fully confident that “when the Chief Shepherd appears, [we] will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).
In 1 Corinthians 12:7, the apostle Paul writes, “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (NKJV). This verse speaks to the heart of spiritual gifts within the body of Christ, emphasizing that each believer, including you, is not just a passive recipient but a vital part of the divine plan. When you are saved, you receive a unique expression of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence, making you an indispensable part of the community of faith. The phrase manifestation of the Spirit points to how the invisible work of the Holy Spirit becomes visible and tangible in your life as a Christian. Understanding the deeper meaning of this phrase helps you appreciate how God’s Spirit operates in you and within the community of faith.
The manifestation of the Spirit refers to how the Holy Spirit reveals Himself in and through the lives of believers. In this context, Paul is addressing the Corinthian church, known for its diversity of (and misuse of) spiritual gifts, such as prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues. The purpose of these gifts is not for personal glorification but for the edification and benefit of the entire church. As 1 Corinthians 12:4–6 states, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all” (NKJV). The manifestation of the Spirit, then, highlights the unity within diversity that exists in the church—God’s Spirit works through different people in various ways but always with the goal of building up the community of believers.
Another key aspect of the manifestation of the Spirit is its inclusivity. Paul writes that the manifestation of the Spirit is given “to each one,” meaning that no believer is excluded from receiving spiritual gifts. This truth echoes what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:12–14, where he compares the church to a human body made up of many parts: “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ” (NKJV). The manifestation of the Spirit ensures that each part, each person, is not just a passive observer but an active participant in the functioning of the whole. This should reassure us of our place in the larger body of Christ.
The manifestation of the Spirit also serves a practical function: it is “for the profit of all.” The spiritual gifts are not meant to be hoarded or used for selfish purposes but to benefit others. This is consistent with Paul’s broader teaching of love and selflessness within the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 13:1–3, he warns that even the most spectacular spiritual gifts are worthless without love. Therefore, the manifestation of the Spirit is inseparable from the character and heart of God, who desires that His people reflect His love in how they use their gifts. The gifts are meant to build up, encourage, and strengthen the church, not divide or cause envy among believers.
Regarding how the Spirit manifests, it is essential to recognize that these gifts are sovereignly distributed by the Holy Spirit. Paul emphasizes this in 1 Corinthians 12:11: “The same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (NKJV). Believers do not choose which spiritual gift they will receive, but the Holy Spirit assigns the gifts as He sees fit. This reinforces the idea that the manifestation of the Spirit is not about personal ability or merit but about God’s grace working through each believer for the common good. The gifts are a reminder that God is at work and that His Spirit is active within the church to accomplish His will.
Moreover, the manifestation of the Spirit demonstrates God’s desire for His church to function as a unified body in which every person plays a vital role. Paul’s use of the word manifestation signals that these spiritual gifts are not meant to be hidden or kept private but are to be visible and active. This is why believers are encouraged to seek the best gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31) and to use them in love for the improvement of the church (1 Corinthians 14:12). The manifestation of the Spirit shows that the work of the Holy Spirit is intended to benefit not just the individual but the entire body of Christ.
Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians chapter 12 make it clear that each Christian is given spiritual gifts according to the Lord’s choice. Spiritual gifts are given for the edification of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7, 14:12). The exact timing of the giving of these gifts is not specifically mentioned. Most assume that spiritual gifts are given at the time of spiritual birth (the moment of salvation). However, there are some verses that may indicate God gives spiritual gifts later as well. Both 1 Timothy 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6 refer to a gift that Timothy had received at the time of his ordination “by prophecy.” This likely indicates that one of the elders at Timothy’s ordination spoke about a spiritual gift that Timothy would have to enable his future ministry.
We are also told in 1 Corinthians 12:28-31 and in 1 Corinthians 14:12-13 that it is God (not us) who chooses the gifts. These passages also indicate that not everyone will have a particular gift. Paul tells the Corinthian believers that if they are going to covet or long after spiritual gifts, they should strive after the more edifying gifts, such as prophesying (speaking forth the word of God for the building up of others). Now, why would Paul tell them to strongly desire the “greater” gifts if they already had been given all they would be given, and there was no further opportunity of gaining these greater gifts? It may lead one to believe that even as Solomon sought wisdom from God in order to be a good ruler over God’s people, so God will grant to us those gifts we need in order to be of greater benefit to His church.
Having said this, it still remains that these gifts are distributed according to God’s choosing, not our own. If every Corinthian strongly desired a particular gift, such as prophesying, God would not give everyone that gift simply because they strongly desired it. If He did, then who would serve in all of the other functions of the body of Christ?
There is one thing that is abundantly clear—God’s command is God’s enablement. If God commands us to do something (such as witness, love the unlovely, disciple the nations, etc.), He will enable us to do it. Some may not be as gifted at evangelism as others, but God commands all Christians to witness and disciple (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). We are all called to evangelize whether or not we have the spiritual gift of evangelism. A determined Christian who strives to learn the Word and develop his teaching ability may become a better teacher than one who may have the spiritual gift of teaching, but who neglects the gift.
Are spiritual gifts given to us when we receive Christ, or are they cultivated through our walk with God? The answer is both. Normally, spiritual gifts are given at salvation, but also need to be cultivated through spiritual growth. Can a desire in your heart be pursued and developed into your spiritual gift? Can you seek after certain spiritual gifts? First Corinthians 12:31 seems to indicate that this is possible: “earnestly desire the best gifts.” You can seek a spiritual gift from God and be zealous after it by seeking to develop that area. At the same time, if it is not God’s will, you will not receive a certain spiritual gift no matter how strongly you seek after it. God is infinitely wise, and He knows through which gifts you will be most productive for His kingdom.
No matter how much we have been gifted with one gift or another, we are all called upon to develop a number of areas mentioned in the lists of spiritual gifts: to be hospitable, to show acts of mercy, to serve one another, to evangelize, etc. As we seek to serve God out of love for the purpose of building up others for His glory, He will bring glory to His name, grow His church, and reward us (1 Corinthians 3:5-8, 12:31–14:1). God promises that as we make Him our delight, He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4-5). This would surely include preparing us to serve Him in a way that will bring us purpose and satisfaction.
In John 6:44, Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (ESV). The promise that Jesus will “raise him up on the last day” also appears three other times in the same context, in verses 39, 40, and 54. This promise of resurrection is couched in an extended teaching as Jesus presents Himself as the Bread of Life.
In John 6:39–40, Jesus speaks about the Father’s eternal will and purpose for those who come to the Son. He says, “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (ESV, emphasis added). The repetition of raise him up at the last day indicates the sureness of the promise. Jesus gives a guarantee that those who look to (and believe in) Him will be resurrected unto eternal life.
In John 6:44, Jesus speaks of how people are drawn to the Son: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (ESV, emphasis added). This verse introduces the doctrine of divine sovereignty in salvation, a major theme in the Gospel of John (see verse 65; 10:29; 17). Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not incompatible. People must look to the Son and believe in Him for eternal life, but they cannot come to Jesus unless the Father gives them the desire and inclination to do so. And when they come, Jesus promises not to reject them (John 6:37). They belong to Him, and He will raise them up on the last day.
In John 6:54, Jesus speaks about the need to eat His flesh and drink His blood for eternal life: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (ESV, emphasis added). Of course, Jesus is not speaking literally. To “eat” His flesh is to trust and believe that He gave His body as a ransom for our sins (verse 35; cf. Mark 10:45). Likewise, to “drink” His blood means to trust in His atoning death, represented by His shed blood on Calvary. His flesh and His blood must be “consumed” to gain eternal life.
Readers should not hastily skip over the parallel between John 6:40 and John 6:54. The only substantial difference is that the former speaks about looking to the Son and believing in Him, while the latter speaks about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. The obvious conclusion is that verse 54 is the metaphorical expression of verse 40. Eating illustrates belief. As Augustine of Hippo wrote, “Crede, et manducasti” (“Believe, and you have eaten”).
The final resurrection, mentioned in John 6:39, 40, 44, and 54, is granted to everyone who trusts and believes in the finished work of Christ. Eternal life is not just promised the soul or spirit, but the body as well.
Christ redeems the whole person, and we have passed from condemnation to justification (Romans 5:1), from darkness to light (1 Peter 2:9), and from death to life (John 5:24).
While I was with them, I protected and preserved them
by Your name,
the name You gave Me. Not one of them has
been lost,
except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would
be fulfilled.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do
My own will,
but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that
I shall lose none of those He has given Me,
but raise them up at the
last day
For it is My Father’s will
that everyone who looks
to the
Son and believes in Him
shall have eternal life,
and
I will raise him up at
the last day.”…
The purpose of spiritual gifts is to promote “the common good” of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7), to build up the church (1 Corinthians 14:12), and to prepare us each for “works of service . . . until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–13). Each person upon accepting the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit inside as a seal of salvation (Ephesians 1:12–14). The Spirit then gives to each believer certain gifts from God to do the work of God (1 Corinthians 12:4–6).
Scripture contains several passages about spiritual gifts: 1 Corinthians 12:1–31, 1 Corinthians 14:1–33, Romans 12:1–8, Ephesians 4:1–13, Hebrews 2:3–4, and 1 Peter 4:10–11. No matter what the gift, its purpose is to edify and mature the church and to glorify God in serving others.
In no way are the spiritual gifts to be used to draw attention to oneself or put on a showy display. This was part of the problem in the church in Corinth. Members there were exercising their spiritual gifts to edify themselves without regard to what anyone else was doing (1 Corinthians 14:4), and their methods resulted in chaos in the church service (1 Corinthians 14:23, 27–28). They needed reminding that the greatest gift of all is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Without love, none of the other gifts are profitable at all (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).
All gifts are given by grace from God through the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:4; Hebrews 2:4). Different people are given different gifts. Not everyone receives the same gift (1 Corinthians 12:4). Those gifted with various spiritual gifts are meant to work together as the parts of a body work together (1 Corinthians 12:12–27). The gifts God gives to His people are divinely placed for the good of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27).
The gifts God gives us through His Spirit are to be used for His glory (Colossians 3:17). The “most excellent way” to do that is with love (1 Corinthians 12:31b; 13:1–13). Any gift used for personal gain or without love is like a harsh noise to God and the church. Even the most powerful spiritual gifts memorably displayed, if done without love, cannot glorify God.
We should also take care of and develop the gifts God has given us. We are to fan into flames every spiritual gift God gives (1 Timothy 1:6) and put them to good use.
Various spiritual gifts assessments or tests are available, which may or may not be helpful in one’s Christian life. What’s most important is to be prayerfully serving the Lord. The gifts of the Spirit will be confirmed by time, teaching, and mentoring.
Paul charges Titus, “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Such a mandate makes it obvious that sound doctrine is important. But why is it important? Does it really make a difference what we believe?
Sound doctrine is important because our faith is based on a specific message. The overall teaching of the church contains many elements, but the primary message is explicitly defined: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [and] . . . he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This is the unambiguous good news, and it is “of first importance.” Change that message, and the basis of faith shifts from Christ to something else. Our eternal destiny depends upon hearing “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:13; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).
Sound doctrine is important because the gospel is a sacred trust, and we dare not tamper with God’s communication to the world. Our duty is to deliver the message, not to change it. Jude conveys an urgency in guarding the trust: “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3; see also Philippians 1:27). To “contend” carries the idea of strenuously fighting for something, to give it everything you’ve got. The Bible includes a warning neither to add to nor subtract from God’s Word (Revelation 22:18-19). Rather than alter the apostles’ doctrine, we receive what has been passed down to us and keep it “as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).
Sound doctrine is important because what we believe affects what we do. Behavior is an extension of theology, and there is a direct correlation between what we think and how we act. For example, two people stand on top of a bridge; one believes he can fly, and the other believes he cannot fly. Their next actions will be quite dissimilar. In the same way, a man who believes that there is no such thing as right and wrong will naturally behave differently from a man who believes in well-defined moral standards. In one of the Bible’s lists of sins, things like rebellion, murder, lying, and slave trading are mentioned. The list concludes with “whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:9-10). In other words, true teaching promotes righteousness; sin flourishes where “the sound doctrine” is opposed.
Sound doctrine is important because we must ascertain truth in a world of falsehood. “Many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). There are tares among the wheat and wolves among the flock (Matthew 13:25; Acts 20:29). The best way to distinguish truth from falsehood is to know what the truth is.
Sound doctrine is important because the end of sound doctrine is life. “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16). Conversely, the end of unsound doctrine is destruction. “Certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4). Changing God’s message of grace is a “godless” thing to do, and the condemnation for such a deed is severe. Preaching another gospel (“which is really no gospel at all”) carries an anathema: “let him be eternally condemned!” (see Galatians 1:6-9).
Sound doctrine is important because it encourages believers. A love of God’s Word brings “great peace” (Psalm 119:165), and those “who proclaim peace . . . who proclaim salvation” are truly “beautiful” (Isaiah 52:7). A pastor “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).
Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind
1Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth, 2and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him. 4While it is daytime, we must doa the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes. 7Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing.
8At this, his neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging began to ask, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”
9Some claimed that he was, but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
But the man kept saying, “I am the one.”
10“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11He answered, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and anointed my eyes, and He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight.”
12“Where is He?” they asked.
“I do not know,” he answered.
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. 15So the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.
The man answered, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
16Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?”
And there was division among them. 17So once again they asked the man who had been blind, “What do you say about Him, since it was your eyes He opened?”
“He is a prophet,” the man replied.
18The Jews still did not believe that the man had been blind and had received his sight until they summoned his parents 19and asked, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he can now see?”
20His parents answered, “We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. 21But how he can now see or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”
22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23That was why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”
25He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!”
26“What did He do to you?” they asked. “How did He open your eyes?”
27He replied, “I already told you, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”
28Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”
30“That is remarkable indeed!” the man said. “You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will. 32Never before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33If this man were not from God, He could do no such thing.”
34They replied, “You were born in utter sin, and you are instructing us?” And they threw him out.
Spiritual Blindness
35When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, He found the man and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man
36“Who is He, Sir?” he replied. “Tell me so that I may believe in Him.”
37“You have already seen Him,” Jesus answered. “He is the One speaking with you.”
38“Lord, I believe,” he said. And he worshiped Jesus.
39Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”
40Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and they asked Him, “Are we blind too?”
41“If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
is found in Luke 15:11–32. The character of the forgiving father, who remains constant throughout the story, is a picture of God. In telling the story, Jesus identifies Himself with God in His loving attitude toward the lost, symbolized by the younger son (the tax collectors and sinners of Luke 15:1). The elder brother represents the self-righteous (the Pharisees and teachers of the law of Luke 15:2).
The major theme of this parable is not so much the conversion of the sinner, as in the previous two parables of Luke 15, but rather the restoration of a believer into fellowship with the Father. In the first two parables, the owner went out to look for what was lost (Luke 15:1–10), whereas in this story the father waits and watches eagerly for his son’s return. We see a progression through the three parables from the relationship of one in a hundred (Luke 15:1–7), to one in ten (Luke 15:8–10), to one in one (Luke 15:11–32), demonstrating God’s love for each individual and His personal attentiveness toward all humanity. We see in this story the graciousness of the father overshadowing the sinfulness of the son, as it is the memory of the father’s goodness that brings the prodigal son to repentance (Romans 2:4).
Jesus sets the scene for the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11: “There was a man who had two sons.”
The Younger Son
In Luke 15:12, the younger son asks his father for his share of his estate, which would have been half of what his older brother would receive (see Deuteronomy 21:17). In other words, the younger son asked for 1/3 of the estate. Though it was perfectly within his rights to ask, it was not a loving thing to do, as it implied that he wished his father dead. Instead of rebuking his son, the father patiently grants him his request. This is a picture of God letting a sinner go his own way (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Like the prodigal son, we all possess a foolish ambition to be independent, which is at the root of the sinner persisting in his sin (Genesis 3:6; Romans 1:28). A sinful state is a departure and distance from God (Romans 1:21). A sinful state is also a place of constant discontent. In Luke 12:15 Jesus says, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” The younger son in the parable learned the hard way that covetousness leads to a life of dissatisfaction and disappointment. He also learned that the most valuable things in life are the things we cannot buy or replace.
In Luke 15:13 the younger son travels to a distant country. It is evident from his previous actions that he had already made that journey in his heart, and the physical departure was a display of his willful disobedience to all the goodness his father had offered (Proverbs 27:19; Matthew 6:21; 12:34). In the foreign land, the prodigal squanders all his inheritance on selfish, shallow fulfillment, losing everything. His financial disaster is followed by a natural disaster in the form of a famine, which he failed to plan for. At this point he hires himself out to a Gentile and finds himself feeding pigs, a detestable job to the Jewish people (Leviticus 11:7). Needless to say, the prodigal must have been incredibly desperate to willingly take such a loathsome position. He was paid so little and grew so hungry that he longed to eat the pig’s food. To top it off, he could find no mercy among the people he had chosen as his own: “No one gave him anything” (verse 16). Apparently, once his wealth was gone, so were his friends. Even the unclean animals were better off than he was at that point.
The prodigal son toiling in the pig pen is a picture of the lost sinner or a rebellious Christian who has returned to a life of sin (2 Peter 2:19–21). The results of sin are never pretty (James 1:14–15).
The prodigal son begins to reflect on his miserable condition, and “he came to his senses” (Luke 15:17). He realizes that even his father’s servants have it better. His painful circumstances help him to see his father in a new light. Hope begins to dawn in his heart (Psalm 147:11; Isaiah 40:30–31; 1 Timothy 4:10).
The prodigal’s realization is reflective of the sinner’s discovery that, apart from God, there is no hope (Ephesians 2:12; 2 Timothy 2:25–26). When a sinner “comes to his senses,” repentance follows, along with a longing to return to fellowship with God.
The son devises a plan of action, and it shows that his repentance was genuine. He will admit his sin (Luke 15:18), and he will give up his rights as a son and take on the position of a servant (verse 19). He realizes he has no right to a blessing from his father, and he has nothing to offer his father except a life of service. Returning home, the prodigal son is prepared to fall at his father’s feet and beg for mercy.
In the same way, a repentant sinner coming to God is keenly aware of his own spiritual poverty. Laying aside all pride and feelings of entitlement, he brings nothing of value with him. The sinner’s only thought is to cast himself at the mercy of God and beg for a position of servitude (1 John 1:9; Romans 6:6–18; 12:1).
The Father
The father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son was waiting for his son to return. In fact, “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him” (Luke 15:20). He runs to his wayward son, embraces him, and kisses him. In Jesus’ day, it was not customary for a grown man to run, yet the father runs to greet his son, breaking convention in his love and desire for restoration (verse 20). The returning son begins his prepared speech (verse 21), but his father cuts him off and begins issuing commands to honor his son—the best robe, the best ring, the best feast! The father does not question his son or lecture him; instead, he joyfully forgives him and receives him back into fellowship.
What a picture of God’s love, condescension, and grace! God’s heart is full of compassion for His children; He stands ready to welcome the returning sinner back home with joyous celebration.
The prodigal son was satisfied to return home as a slave, but to his surprise and delight he is restored back into the full privilege of being his father’s son. The weary, gaunt, filthy sinner who trudged home was transformed into the guest of honor in a rich man’s home. That is what God’s grace does for a penitent sinner (Psalm 40:2; 103:4). Not only are we forgiven in Christ, but we receive the Spirit of “adoption to sonship” (Romans 8:15). We are His children, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
The father’s command to bring the best robe for the returned son is a sign of dignity and honor, proof of the prodigal’s acceptance back into the family. The ring for the son’s hand is a sign of authority and sonship. The sandals for his feet are a sign of his not being a servant, as servants did not wear shoes. The father orders the fattened calf to be prepared, and a party is held in honor of the returned son. Fatted calves in those times were saved for special occasions. This was not just any party; it was a rare and complete celebration.
All these things represent what we receive in Christ upon salvation: the robe of the Redeemer’s righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), the privilege of partaking of the Spirit of adoption (Ephesians 1:5), and feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, prepared to walk in the ways of holiness (Ephesians 6:15). The actions of the father in the parable show us that “the Lord does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:10–13). Instead of condemnation, there is rejoicing for a son who “was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32; cf. Romans 8:1; John 5:24). Those words—dead and alive, lost and found—are terms that also apply to one’s state before and after conversion to Christ (Ephesians 2:1–5). The feast is a picture of what occurs in heaven over one repentant sinner (Luke 15:7, 10).
The Older Son
The final, tragic character in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the older son. As the older son comes in from the field, he hears music and dancing. He finds out from one of the servants that his younger brother has come home and that what he hears is the sound of jubilation over his brother’s safe return. The older brother becomes angry and refuses to go into the house. His father goes to his older son and pleads with him to come in. “But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’” (Luke 15:29–30). The father answers gently: “My son, . . . you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad” (verses 31–32).
The older son’s words and actions reveal several things about him: 1) His relationship with his father was based on works and merit. He points out to his father that he has always been obedient as he’s been “slaving away”; thus, he deserves a party—he has earned it. 2) He despises his younger brother as undeserving of the father’s favor. 3) He does not understand grace and has no room for forgiveness. In fact, the demonstration of grace toward his brother makes him angry. His brother does not deserve a party. 4) He has disowned the prodigal as a brother, referring to him as “this son of yours” (verse 30). 5) He thinks his father is stingy and unfair: “You never gave me even a young goat” (verse 29).
The father’s words are corrective in several ways: 1) His older son should know that their relationship is not based on performance: “My son, . . . you are always with me, and everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31). 2) His older son should accept his brother as part of the family. The father refers to the prodigal as “this brother of yours” (verse 32). 3) His older son could have enjoyed a party any time he wanted, but he never utilized the blessings at his disposal. 4) Grace is necessary and appropriate: “We had to celebrate” (verse 32).
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law, mentioned in Luke 15:1, are portrayed as the older brother in the parable. Outwardly, they lived blameless lives, but inwardly their attitudes were abominable (Matthew 23:25–28). They saw their relationship with God as based on their performance, and they considered themselves deserving of God’s favor—unlike the undeserving sinners around them. They did not understand grace and were, in fact, angered by it. They had no room for forgiveness. They saw no kinship between sinners and themselves. They viewed God as rather stingy in His blessings. And they considered that, if God were to accept tax collectors and sinners into His family, then God would be unfair.
The older brother’s focus was on himself and his own service; as a result, he had no joy in his brother’s arrival home. He was so consumed with justice and equity (as he saw them) that he failed to see the value of his brother’s repentance and return. The older brother had allowed bitterness to take root in his heart to the point that he was unable to show compassion toward his brother. The bitterness spilled over into other relationships, too, and he was unable to forgive the perceived sin of his father against him. Rather than enjoy fellowship with his father, brother, and community, the older brother stayed outside the house and nursed his anger. How sad to choose misery and isolation over restoration and reconciliation!
The older brother—and the religious leaders of Jesus’ day—failed to realize that “anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him” (1 John 2:9–11).
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of Scripture’s most beautiful pictures of God’s grace. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are all prodigals in that we have run from God, selfishly squandered our resources, and, to some degree, wallowed in sin. But God is ready to forgive. He will save the contrite, not by works but by His grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:9; Romans 9:16; Psalm 51:5). That is the core message of the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
After teaching extensively on spiritual gifts and their function in the church (1 Corinthians 12), the apostle Paul encourages the Corinthian believers to “eagerly desire the greater gifts” (verse 31). In this chapter, Paul emphasizes the importance of unity expressed through the variety and diversity of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. God works in different ways through each member of His body, but it is the “same Spirit” (verse 4), the “same Lord” (verse 5), and “the same God” (verse 6) who supplies the gifts.
Paul outlines several spiritual gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit, stressing that these gifts are given “to each of us so we can help each other” (1 Corinthians 12:7, NLT) or for the common good and mutual benefit of the church. Using the human body as a metaphor (see 1 Corinthians 12:12–31), Paul illustrates how each believer, with his or her own unique gift, contributes to the general well-being and functioning of the church. Each works together as mutually interdependent parts, joining collectively to operate as a unified, integrated whole.
Paul lists a variety of spiritual gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12:7–11), including the message of wisdom, the message of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in different kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. He explains that all of the gifts originate from “one and the same Spirit” (verse 11) and are intended to work together harmoniously to encourage and build up the body of Christ. Later, Paul states, “Everything must be done so that the church may be built up” (1 Corinthians 14:26).
Paul brings up specific gifts again in 1 Corinthians 12:28–30, including the gift of teaching, prophecy, miracles, healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues. While all the gifts are valuable and necessary, some have a more significant and immediate impact on building up the entire body of Christ. One example Paul prioritizes is prophecy (see 1 Corinthians 14:1). We should eagerly desire gifts that will directly contribute to the spiritual growth and development of the whole church. The Corinthians were focused on the gift of tongues, but without the gift of interpretation, that gift would not benefit anyone (see 1 Corinthians 14:1–25).
In the original language, the word translated as “eagerly desire” implies a zealous, passionate, earnest longing. Paul taught believers to strongly aspire to these greater gifts, not for personal glory or spiritual status, but for the benefit of the entire church. Paul followed with, “And yet I will show you the most excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). The “most excellent way” is the way of love. From here, Paul moves into 1 Corinthians 13, his famous “love chapter.” His talk of pursuing the greater gifts was a segue into the topic of the greatest gift, love. No matter how spectacular or impressive our spiritual gifts might be, they are meaningless without love. Love is the greatest gift of God’s Spirit and the foundation on which all other gifts must be built. When our gifts are exercised in love, they are done with the right motive and attitude.
In 1 Corinthians 13: 1–3, Paul says love is indispensable. Without it, we have nothing. Next, in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8, Paul describes the nature and characteristics of love: it is patient, kind, not jealous or boastful, not proud or rude, not self-seeking or easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. Love rejoices with the truth and always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love lasts forever. By positioning this discussion immediately after his instruction to eagerly desire the greater gifts, Paul makes clear that love must undergird and rule over the use of all spiritual gifts.
As brothers and sisters united in one body, we must passionately pursue the greater gifts with a heart of love and a desire to serve others. Paul’s precept aligns with Christ’s teaching that the greatest commandments are to love God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40). Spiritual gifts are not for self-promotion or individual gain but to serve, edify, and build the church. God wants us to eagerly desire the greater gifts to make the most significant impact toward helping the church grow and mature. Our earnest longing for spiritual gifts must be rooted in love and a commitment to serving others selflessly. As we do this, we contribute to the unity and strength of the body of Christ, fulfill our God-given purpose, and bring glory and honor to the Lord.
if you have genuinely believed in and accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, your sins are forgiven, and you are made new. Forgiveness is not earned by good deeds but received by faith, as Jesus paid the penalty for sin on the cross. It involves confessing and repenting, which means agreeing with God about your sin.
- It Is Complete: Through Jesus' death, sins are paid in full, wiped off the record, and removed from God's account.
- It Brings New Life: You are made new in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17) and become a child of God.
- How to Receive It: Acknowledge your sin, recognize your need for God, and trust in Jesus' death and resurrection to pay for your sins.
- Why Confession? While saved, confession is for maintaining a close, clean, and honest relationship with God when you sin.
- Is any sin too big? No, there is no limit to the sin God is willing to forgive through Christ.
- What if I don't feel forgiven? Forgiveness is based on the promise of Scripture, not on feelings.
- Do I have to forgive others? Yes, because you have been forgiven by God, you are called to extend forgiveness to others.
Acts 17:30
Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
Acts 26:18
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’
Acts 13:38-39
Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. / Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Romans 1:16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
Mark 16:15-16
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. / Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
John 20:21-23
Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.” / When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. / If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
Acts 5:31
God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
Acts 11:18
When they heard this, they had no further objections, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
Romans 10:12-13
For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, / for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Isaiah 49:6
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Isaiah 42:6
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations,
Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Matthew 3:2
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 9:13
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Genesis 12:3
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Psalm 22:27
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Psalm 67:2-4,7
That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations…
beginning.
Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Isaiah 5:4
What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
Hosea 11:8
How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.
A Father’s Instruction
1Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
2For I give you sound teaching;
do not abandon my directive.
3When I was a son to my father,
tender and the only child of my mother,
4he taught me and said,
“Let your heart lay hold of my words;
keep my commands and you will live.
5Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn from them.
6Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you;
love her, and she will guard you.
7Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom.
And whatever you may acquire,a gain understanding.
8Prize her, and she will exalt you;
if you embrace her, she will honor you.
9She will set a garland of grace on your head;
she will present you with a crown of beauty.”
10Listen, my son, and receive my words,
and the years of your life will be many.
11I will guide you in the way of wisdom;
I will lead you on straight paths.
12When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;
when you run, you will not stumble.
13Hold on to instruction; do not let go.
Guard it, for it is your life.
14Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.
15Avoid it; do not travel on it.
Turn from it and pass on by.
16For they cannot sleep
unless they do evil;
they are deprived of slumber
until they make someone fall.
17For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining brighter and brighter until midday.
19But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;
they do not know what makes them stumble.
20My son, pay attention to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21Do not lose sight of them;
keep them within your heart.
22For they are life to those who find them,
and health to the whole body.
23Guard your heart with all diligence,
for from it flow springs of life.
24Put away deception from your mouth;
keep your lips from perverse speech.
25Let your eyes look forward;
fix your gaze straight ahead.
26Make a level path for your feet,b
and all your ways will be sure.
27Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your feet away from evil.
Many Disciples Turn Back
(Matthew 8:18–22; Luke 9:57–62; Luke 14:25–33)
59Jesus said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”
61Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this teaching, Jesus asked them, “Does this offend you? 62Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?
63The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64However, there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.)
65Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”
66From that time on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.
The Betrayal of Jesus
(Matthew 26:47–56; Mark 14:43–52; Luke 22:47–53)
1After Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where they entered a garden. 2Now Judas His betrayer also knew the place, because Jesusa had often met there with His disciples. 3So Judas brought a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived at the garden carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.
4Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”
5“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.
Jesus said, “I am He.”
And Judas His betrayer was standing there with them. 6When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7So He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.
8“I told you that I am He,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for Me, let these men go.” 9This was to fulfill the word He had spoken: “I have not lost one of those You have given Me.”
10Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
11“Put your sword back in its sheath!” Jesus said to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?”
12Then the band of soldiers, with its commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him. 13They brought Him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be better if one man died for the people.
Peter’s First Denial
(Matthew 26:69–70; Mark 14:66–68; Luke 22:54–57)
15Now Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he also went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16But Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
17At this, the servant girl watching the door said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of this man’s disciples?
”
“I am not,” he answered.
18Because it was cold, the servants and officers were standing around a charcoal fire they had made to keep warm. And Peter was also standing with them, warming himself.
Jesus before the High Priest
(Matthew 26:57–68; Mark 14:53–65; Luke 22:66–71)
19Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.
20“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered. “I always taught in the synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard My message. Surely they know what I said.”
22When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?”
23Jesus replied, “If I said something wrong, testify as to what was wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why did you strike Me?”
24Then Annas sent Him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter’s Second and Third Denials
(Matthew 26:71–75; Mark 14:69–72; Luke 22:58–62)
25Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?”
He denied it and said, “I am not.”
26One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?”
27Peter denied it once more, and immediately a rooster crowed.
Jesus before Pilate
(Matthew 27:11–14; Luke 23:1–5)
28Then they led Jesus away from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. By now it was early morning, and the Jews did not enter the Praetorium, to avoid being defiled and unable to eat the Passover.
29So Pilate went out to them and asked, “What accusation are you bringing against this man?”
30“If He were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed Him over to you.”
31“You take Him and judge Him by your own law,” Pilate told them.
“We are not permitted to execute anyone,” the Jews replied. 32This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.
33Pilate went back into the Praetorium, summoned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
34“Are you saying this on your own,” Jesus asked, “or did others tell you about Me?”
35“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?”
36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
37“Then You are a king!” Pilate said.
“You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”
38“What is truth?” Pilate asked.
And having said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them, “I find no basis for a charge against Him. 39But it is your custom that I release to you one prisoner at the Passover. So then, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
40“Not this man,” they shouted, “but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist.)
God’s Righteous Judgment
(Psalm 75:1–10)
1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2And we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
5But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6God “will repay each one according to his deeds.”a 7To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. 8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger.
9There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek; 10but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then for the Greek. 11For God does not show favoritism.
12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.
14Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them 16on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus,b as proclaimed by my gospel.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
(Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17)
1After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias). 2A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick. 3Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down with His disciples.
4Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near. 5When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6But He was asking this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do.
7Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a small piece.”
8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”
10“Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
11Then Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.
12And when everyone was full, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over, so that nothing will be wasted.”
13So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed,b they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.
Jesus Walks on Water
(Matthew 14:22–33; Mark 6:45–52)
16When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet gone out to them. 18A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.
19When they had rowed about three or four miles,c they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea—and they were terrified. 20But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and at once the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
Jesus the Breadof Life
22The next day, the crowd that had remained on the other side of the sea realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with His disciples, but they had gone away alone. 23However, some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Him. 25When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
26Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”
28Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”
29Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
30So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do? 31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’
32Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.”
35Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. 36But as I stated, you have seen Me and still you do not believe.
37Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
39And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
41At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied. 44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’e Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me— 46not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.
47Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”
52At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink.
56Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”
Peter’s Confession of Faith
(Matthew 16:13–20; Mark 8:27–30; Luke 9:18–20)
67So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?”
68Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.
70Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71He was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.
The Parable of the Workers
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denariusa for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3About the third hourb he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5So they went.
He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hourc and did the same thing.
6About the eleventh hourd he went out and found still others standing around.
‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked.
‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’
8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’
9The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius.
11On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’
13But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine?
Or are you envious because I am generous?’
So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
A Mother’s Request
(Mark 10:35–45)
20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.
21“What do you want?” He inquired.
She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.”
22“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” the brothers answered.
23“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”
24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 26It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
The Blind Men by the Road
(Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43)
29As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. 30And there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
31The crowd admonished them to be silent, but they cried out all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked.
33“Lord,” they answered, “let our eyes be opened.”
34Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and followed Him.
Jesus the Light of the World
(1 John 1:5–10)
12Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
13So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not valid.”
14Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going.
You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
But even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone; I am with the Father who sent Me.
Even in your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid.
I am One who testifies about Myself, and the Father, who sent Me, also testifies about Me.”
19“Where is Your Father?” they asked Him.
“You do not know Me or My Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew Me, you would know My Father as well.”
20He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.
21Again He said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, but you will die in your sin.
Where I am going, you cannot come.”
22So the Jews began to ask, “Will He kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”
23Then He told them,
“You are from below; I am from above.
You are of this world; I am not of this world.
That is why I told you that you would die in your sins.
For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
“Who are You?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26“I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world.”
27They did not understand that He was telling them about the Father. 28So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me. 29He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”
The Truth Will Set You Free
(2 John 1:4–6)
30As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in Him. 31So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33“We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered. “We have never been slaves to anyone. How can You say we will be set free?”
34Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35A slave does not remain in the house forever, but a son remains forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
37I know you are Abraham’s descendants, but you are trying to kill Me because My word has no place within you. 38I speak of what I have seen in the presence of the Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
39“Abraham is our father,” they replied.
“If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus, “you would do the works of Abraham. 40But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41You are doing the works of your father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they declared. “Our only Father is God Himself.”
42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.
43Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!
46Which of you can prove Me guilty of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Before Abraham Was Born, I Am
48The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”
49“I do not have a demon,” Jesus replied, “but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50I do not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge. 51Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”
52“Now we know that You have a demon!” declared the Jews. “Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet You say that anyone who keeps Your word will never taste death. 53Are You greater than our father Abraham? He died, as did the prophets. Who do You claim to be?”
54Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing. The One who glorifies Me is My Father, of whom you say, ‘He is ourg God.’ 55You do not know Him, but I know Him. If I said I did not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word. 56Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad.”
57Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?”
58“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!
59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.i
Ephesians 1:7-8
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace / that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
1 Timothy 1:16
But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Luke 6:35-36
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. / Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. / Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. / For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
2 Corinthians 6:1-2
As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. / For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
1 Peter 3:20
who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water.
Psalm 86:5
For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
Romans 6:1,15
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? …
Psalm 10:11
He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
Ecclesiastes 8:11
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
riches.
Romans 9:23
And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Romans 10:12
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Romans 11:33
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
forbearance.
Romans 3:25
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Romans 9:22
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Exodus 34:6
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
goodness.
Job 33:27-30
He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; …
Psalm 130:3,4
If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? …
Isaiah 30:18
And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
In John 8:42–47, Jesus performs a spiritual paternity test for Jewish religious leaders. The Pharisees professed to be children of Abraham (John 8:33, 37, 39), but Jesus told them, “You are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, NLT).
Jesus identifies the devil as a liar. There is no truth in the devil because his character is wholly deceitful and dishonest. God, by nature, is truth (Jeremiah 10:10; Psalm 43:3; 25:5; 26:3; 86:11; Isaiah 65:16). He is the uttermost opposite of the devil. It is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18; see also Numbers 23:19), for He only speaks the truth. But lies roll effortlessly off the devil’s tongue because untruthfulness is his “native language” (John 8:44).
The Pharisees claimed Abraham as their father, but their character was nothing like that ancient patriarch. Abraham was “God’s friend” (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). He obeyed God and listened to His truth. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father” (John 8:39–41).
Jesus essentially said that a person’s nature reveals his true paternity. If Abraham is our spiritual father, we share in his character. If Abraham is our father, we will have the faith of Abraham. We will believe in God and obey His truth (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6). If God is our Father, then we “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:1–4) and walk in His truth (Ephesians 5:8–9; 2 John 1:4; 3 John 1:4). And if the devil is our father, then we share in his evil nature, and there is no truth in us.
The devil is the original liar. Jesus calls him the “father of lies,” referring to Genesis 3:1–13, where the serpent lied to Eve, thereby introducing sin into the world. Satan’s first lie was a contradiction of God’s truth. As the archenemy of God, the devil opposes God and His purposes in this world (Matthew 16:23).
One of the primary tactics the devil uses against God’s people is to falsely accuse them and distort God’s truth (Revelation 12:10; Job 1:8–11; Zechariah 3:1–2; Acts 13:8–10). Satan’s goal is to separate people from God (1 Thessalonians 3:5; Luke 22:31; 1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26). The devil often lures people away by making sin attractive (Matthew 4:1–11; 1 Corinthians 7:5; James 3:14–16). The apostle Paul warned, “For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The devil’s lies sound appealing and rational, but they lead people captive to sin and, in the end, death.
Jesus urged the Jewish leaders to hold on to His teachings so they might know the truth, and that truth would set them free (John 8:31–33; Galatians 5:1). God’s truth sets us free from sin and death (John 8:36), but the devil’s lies keep us in bondage.
Satan’s deception prevented the Pharisees from hearing, understanding, and loving Jesus (John 8:42–44). The devil had blinded their minds and hardened their hearts to God’s truth (2 Corinthians 3:14; 4:4). They were sold out to the devil. Jesus told them, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47). The Pharisees belonged to their father, the devil.
The devil’s essential disposition is that of a liar. There is no truth in the devil because lying is all he knows. He has been deceiving people since the beginning of time (Genesis 3:4–5; 2 Corinthians 11:3). He is a devious perverter of truth (2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26) and a counterfeiter of truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9). He is always scheming ways to deceive anyone who will give him an inch of control over their thoughts and lives (Ephesians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 2:10–11; 1 Timothy 2:14; 1 Peter 5:8). But Jesus Christ is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Knowing Him and abiding in His Word is the only way to experience true spiritual freedom (John 8:31–32).
Jesus’ statement in Mark 9:23 regarding the power available to him who believes is a controversial one. The context of Mark 9, however, establishes a clear understanding of Jesus’ statement. Mark 9 presents a scene where a father is seeking aid from Jesus’ disciples in casting a demon out of his son. Jesus approaches and asks what is happening. The father’s answer is that the disciples have failed to cast out the demon. Jesus replies, “You unbelieving generation, . . . how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Mark 9:19). The father then asks Jesus to take pity on them and cast out the demon (Mark 9:22). Jesus then says, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23, NKJV).
The word for “believes” is a participle that literally translates as “the believing one.” Jesus provides the means for everything to be possible—one must believe in Him! The Amplified Bible translates Jesus’ statement more fully: “All things are possible for the one who believes and trusts [in Me]!” Faith is an important ingredient in this story. Some have argued that the strength of one’s belief is what Jesus is discussing. The issue at hand, however, is not how strongly or boldly the father believed Jesus would heal his son. The issue is the object of one’s belief. The disciples didn’t need more faith but more focused faith. Put another way, the disciples needed to place their belief in the correct object—Jesus Christ.
In Mark 9:22, the father asks for Jesus’ help, beginning his appeal with “If you can do anything.” Jesus’ initial response to the father in Mark 9:23 takes issue with how the father framed his request: “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asks. “Anything is possible if a person believes” (NLT). Proper belief in who Jesus is would have given the father confidence in Jesus’ ability to cast out the demon. After hearing this, the father exclaims that he does believe, and if there is any deficiency, he requests that Jesus help his unbelief (verse 24). Mark 9:25–29 reveals the person and power necessary to cast out the demon. As Jesus states in verse 29, prayer is necessary because the Person needed for such a task is God Himself. The object of one’s faith is critical.
Jesus makes a remarkable statement in Mark 9:23. If we misunderstand the statement that “all things are possible to him who believes,” we set ourselves up for disappointment. Jesus’ words are not a promise that we can do whatever we want; rather, He makes it clear that the believing one has power only due to whom he believes in; namely, Jesus, the Son of God. The power is God’s, accessed through faith and prayer according to His will (see 1 John 5:14). It is because of God that the believing one can accomplish much. It is by God’s grace the disciples would accomplish incredible and miraculous things after Jesus’ departure (cf. Acts 3:1–10). As we live for Jesus, let us focus on the object of our belief (Hebrews 12:2).
In Ephesians 4:7–16, the apostle Paul teaches about spiritual gifts and various leadership roles in the church. Paul highlights ministry gifts that are actually gifted persons whom Jesus Christ has given to His people: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–12, NKJV).
The “equipping of the saints” in Ephesians 4:12 refers to the preparation and empowerment of all believers for ministry and service within the church. This concept is part of a larger metaphor in which the church is described as the “body of Christ,” with individual believers functioning as interconnected members (see Ephesians 4:15–16; Romans 12:3–8; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27).
The Greek verb katartismos, translated as “equipping” in Ephesians 4:12 (NKJV), conveys the idea of making someone complete (perfect and adequate in every respect) and fit for a particular purpose. In classical Greek, the word can also refer to setting a bone or mending a net—essentially, making what is broken useful again (e.g. Matthew 4:21). Elsewhere in the New Testament, corresponding forms of this verb are used to describe the restoring of spiritual health to someone who has fallen (e.g. Galatians 6:1). It may also be used of supplying what is lacking in a believer’s faith (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 3:10; Hebrews 13:21; 1 Peter 5:10). Thus, Paul’s language implies a process of repairing people’s lives, uniting and training believers (or “the saints”) to work cooperatively and peacefully, while modeling Christlike behavior.
The equipping of the saints is first and foremost the task of specially gifted church leaders (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers). These ministers have a responsibility before God “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–13, NLT).
The goal of equipping the saints is to build up Christ’s body, so that each member grows in faith, matures, and flourishes to the point of ministering to others (see 1 Peter 4:10–11). As believers unite in faith and knowledge of Christ, the entire church grows into a spiritually fit condition together as one body (see Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:5). Paul explains, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:14–15).
In the New Testament, “the saints” refers not to an elite class of Christians, but to all believers—those set apart or made holy by faith in Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 2:9). Thus, Paul is speaking of the preparation of every member of the church. There are not meant to be spiritual megastars in God’s kingdom who have superior faith and knowledge. At the same time, no member of Christ’s body should be left to stagnate in infancy (see Hebrews 5:12–14). We are all called to grow up and develop together, until we reach the full measure of Christ’s character (see Ephesians 1:23). Every believer, not just ordained ministers and recognized leaders, is called to participate actively in the work of ministry and the mission of the church.
Practically speaking, the members of the body grow by being “taught the holy Scriptures,” which God uses “to prepare and equip people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:14–17, NLT). Various kinds of teaching opportunities include preaching, conducting classes and Bible studies, producing videos, and speaking at conferences. Additionally, helping members connect through small group ministry can play a crucial role in equipping the body, facilitating closer fellowship, one-on-one discipleship, and extended pastoral care.
The equipping of the saints is an intentional process that involves teaching, training, and discipleship to nurture and support believers, enabling them to become effective in serving Christ and others. It is a call for the whole church to grow together into maturity and unity, each person using his or her God-given gifts for the benefit of all.
Ephesians 4:13 states, “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (NKJV). The apostle Paul envisions a unified and mature body of believers. Examining the immediate context will help us know how we can achieve this unity of the faith.
Christ distributed spiritual gifts to strengthen and equip the church. Paul says that these gifts are people: “He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–12, ESV). Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers are essential to help us on “to mature manhood” (ESV) and “we all come to the unity of the faith” (NKJV). Achieving unity does not happen overnight; it requires a process of growth as gifted individuals apply consistent effort in equipping the saints for service.
Unity goes beyond simply agreeing on theological or doctrinal matters; it represents a shared trust in Christ. When Paul refers to the “knowledge of the Son of God,” he speaks of a relational and experiential understanding. It’s more than “head knowledge” or “book smarts.” Our knowledge of Christ is acquired through personal experience and direct encounters with God. In Philippians 3:10, Paul expresses his desire: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (ESV).
Believers have several responsibilities in working toward the unity of the faith:
1. Walk Worthy of the Calling: Paul encourages believers to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV). Unity starts with a commitment to emulate Christ, who embodies humility, gentleness, patience, and love. These virtues empower believers to promote peace and overcome divisions.
2. Embrace Spiritual Gifts: The church is strengthened through various spiritual gifts. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers are essential for equipping the church and building up the body of Christ. Spiritual gifts are intended for the benefit of others rather than for personal recognition (Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7).
3. Speak the Truth in Love: In Ephesians 4:15, Paul writes, “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (ESV). Speaking the truth in love requires courage to address sin, correct errors, and resolve misunderstandings. Restoration is the goal (see Galatians 6:1).
4. Equip and Edify One Another: Believers should support and encourage one another. Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another” (ESV). Christian fellowship and accountability are essential for unity and maturity of faith.
5. Grow in Christ: The purpose of spiritual gifts is to “become mature” and to reach “the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity]” (Ephesians 4:13, AMP). Maturity involves growing in Christlikeness, as outlined in 2 Peter 3:18: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” God’s purpose in choosing us as His own is that we would “be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29, ESV). Believers are called to surrender to the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies us (Galatians 5:22–23).
We must actively work toward peace and harmony within the church to achieve unity in faith (Ephesians 4:3). This effort requires love, humility, an appreciation for diverse spiritual gifts, and a commitment to support and encourage one another. Both unity and spiritual maturity are essential for becoming more like Christ. We, like Paul, should “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14, ESV).
Ephesians 4:12 articulates God’s purpose for spiritual gifts and church leadership, stating that both were given “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (NKJV). This verse is situated within a passage about unity in the body of Christ, highlighting the collective growth for all believers.
In the context of Ephesians 4:1–16, the word edifying means “building up.” In the Pauline Epistles, the Greek word translated “edification” is used to describe the process of spiritual growth and maturity within the church. For example, in 1 Corinthians 14:12, Paul writes, “Since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel” (1 Corinthians 14:12, NKJV).
The “body of Christ” in Ephesians 4:12 is the church, a collective entity of both Jews and Gentiles under the headship of Christ (Ephesians 1:22–23). To edify the church is to build it up communally, aiding individual members in their spiritual growth and development into Christlikeness. Believers are supposed to “stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25). Expressing love, good works, fellowship, and encouragement is how we edify the body of Christ.
Paul’s emphasis on communal edification is important for several reasons. First, it shifts the focus from personal growth to communal growth. Just as we are eager to read Scripture or enjoy solitary prayers to God, we should be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3, ESV). Paul’s vision for the church is that every member contributes to building up one another, perfectly reflecting God’s purpose.
The concept of edifying the body of Christ relates to the distribution of spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit, which Paul discusses at length in 1 Corinthians 12. The purpose of spiritual gifts, Paul says, is “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Since these gifts are for the benefit of others, we should not hoard them as if they were only for our own good. To the contrary, we should use our gifts to serve one another: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13, ESV).
Furthermore, Paul’s focus on edifying the body of Christ has a clear objective: “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13, ESV). Here, the word knowledge means more than doctrinal knowledge. It primarily refers to experiential knowledge. We gain experiential knowledge of God by spending time with Him, meditating on His Word, worshiping Him, and fellowshipping with other believers. On this last point, Paul connects fellowship to protection against deceit and manipulation (Ephesians 4:14).
In conclusion, edifying the body of Christ is an essential element of Paul’s ecclesiology. Edifying one another is integral to the church’s identity and mission. When we edify or build one another up in love and truth, the church becomes what God intended it to be—“a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21).
In Ephesians 4:11, the apostle Paul presents five types of “office gifts,” or gifted persons, given to the church by God: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Their purpose is “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” so that individual believers and Christ’s body can all grow spiritually and in the unity of faith (Ephesians 4:12–13). The goal, Paul states, is “that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes,” and that we may “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:14–15, ESV).
The phrase tossed to and fro is rendered from a nautical term in Greek meaning “to be waved-pitched; to move abruptly here and there due to the violence of waves.” God has given ministry gifts to His church to form a stabilizing anchor that will keep us from being tossed to and fro like immature, gullible infants, susceptible to every flashy new human teaching and clever trick of the enemy. We can avoid being thrashed about and shipwrecked in our faith like tiny, untethered boats if we stay plugged into the body of Christ, receiving encouragement and strength from fellow saints gifted to equip us and build us up in Jesus Christ.
For growth to happen, we must remain involved in the process by which the whole body is “fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16, NLT). Loner Christians cannot minister to others or be ministered to by others. God’s gifts of equipping and building up cannot be exercised in isolation.
Paul taught the Colossians to stay rooted and established in the faith so that no one would deceive them with “well-crafted arguments” (Colossians 2:4, NLT). Mature believers understand that, to follow Christ, they must continually feast on God’s Word as they remain in fellowship with other believers: “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ” (Colossians 2:4,6–8, NLT).
Only when we are secure in God’s truth and committed to the body of Christ can we learn to recognize false teachers and steer clear of their dishonest doctrines. James said, “Be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6, NLT). Jude warned of the false teachers’ cunning: “When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots” (Jude 1:12, NLT; see also Acts 20:29–31; Romans 16:17–18; Hebrews 13:9; 2 Corinthians 11:3–4).
Members of Christ’s body grow strong and stable—no longer tossed to and fro—when they stay rooted and grounded in God’s Word and minister to one another through loving, cooperative involvement in the church. We belong to one another and need each other to grow (1 Corinthians 12:12–31). Each one of us serves a purpose in the corporate whole. As the body grows up together, each member grows stronger individually. Warren Wiersbe notes Paul’s emphasis on love in the process (see Ephesians 4:2, 15, 16): “The body grows as the individual members grow, and they grow as they feed on the Word and minister to each other. . . . Love is the circulatory system of the body. It has been discovered that isolated, unloved babies do not grow properly and are especially susceptible to disease, while babies who are loved and handled grow normally and are stronger. So it is with the children of God” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2, Victor Books, 1996, pp. 38–39).
Christians often talk about the need to “speak the truth in love,” a command found in Ephesians 4:15. Many times what they mean is the need to share difficult truths in a gentle, kind, inoffensive manner. From a practical standpoint, we know that difficult things are best heard when our defenses are not up. In a loving, non-threatening environment, hard truths are more readily received. So it is biblical to share hard truths with others “in love,” in the manner that the phrase is commonly used. Looking at the context of Ephesians 4:15, however, gives us deeper insight on what it means to “speak the truth in love.”
In the verses prior to the command to speak the truth in love, Paul writes about unity in the body of Christ. He urges the Ephesians, and all Christians by extension, to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). He describes this life as one in which we are humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, and making efforts toward unity. Paul reminds his readers that we all serve the same Lord and are part of the same body. He talks about Christ giving apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–13). Having reached maturity, we will not be spiritual infants, easily deceived, and tossed to and fro “by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).
In this context—of church unity and spiritual maturity—Paul writes, “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Rather than be spiritually immature and easily deceived, we are to speak the truth to one another, with love, so that we can all grow in maturity. We are to train one another in truth—the foundational gospel truths, truths about who God is and what He has called us to do, hard truths of correction, etc.—and our motivation to do so is love.
The “love” referred to in this verse is agape love, a self-sacrificial love that works for the benefit of the loved one. We speak truth in order to build up. Several verses later Paul writes, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Our words should be beneficial to the hearers of those words. We should speak truth in love.
Paul also counsels “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of you minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:22–25). As members of the same body, we should not deceive one another. We cannot defraud each other through lies. Nor should we attempt to hide things about ourselves out of shame or in an effort to manage our images. Rather, as those who are part of the same body intended for the same purpose and united by the same love, we should be characterized by honesty. Those who love must speak the truth: “Love . . . rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Dishonesty is unloving and abusive.
Speaking the truth in love is not as much about having a gentle demeanor as it is about the way truth and love go hand-in-hand. Because we love one another, we must speak the truth. Because we know the truth, we must be people characterized by love (John 13:34–35; 15:1–17). Jesus “came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). As His followers who are being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), we should also be characterized by grace and truth.
Importantly, we are also called to love those who do not know Christ. The best way we can show love is to share with them the truth of the gospel. Apart from Christ, people are dead in their sins and destined for an eternity in hell (John 3:16–18; Romans 6:23). But in Christ they can receive new life and eternal salvation (Romans 10:9–15; 2 Corinthians 5:17). This is a message we must share. Peter wrote, “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). We share the gospel because we love the people for whom Christ died. We speak God’s truth because of His love and in a way that clearly and unapologetically communicates both truth and love (1 John 4:10–12).
The title “son of perdition” is used twice in the New Testament, first in John 17:12 and again in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The phrase simply means “man doomed to destruction” and is not reserved for any one individual. In fact, there are two people to which the title “son of perdition” is applied. In context, John 17:12 is referring to Judas Iscariot, while 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is referring to the “man of lawlessness”—the Antichrist—who will appear in the end times before Christ’s return.
The word perdition means “eternal damnation” or “utter destruction.” It can also be used as a synonym for hell. When a person is called “son of perdition,” the connotation is that of a person in an unredeemable state, someone who is already damned while he is still alive. Jesus mentions the “son of perdition” in His high priestly prayer in John 17. While praying to the Father for His disciples, Jesus mentions that He “protected them and kept them safe” and that none of them were lost except the “son of perdition,” that is, the one who was already in a damned state. The fact that the phrase is used again to describe the Antichrist shows us that forgiveness was not planned for Judas. God could have saved Judas—moved his heart to repentance—but He chose not to. He was indeed “doomed to destruction.”
A good picture of a person who is a “son of perdition” appears in Hebrews 6:4–8, which describes a person who, like Judas, has experienced a certain closeness to God and has a good understanding of salvation, but then denies it. Instead of bearing good fruit, he bears “thorns and thistles.” This is a person who sees the path to salvation, which is trusting in God’s grace to cover sin (Ephesians 2:8–9), and instead either flatly denies the existence of God or denies God’s gift of salvation, preferring to pay his own debt. Judas chose the second path, punishing himself by suicide instead of accepting grace.
However, Judas and the Antichrist are extreme cases. It is never right for a human being to label another person a “son of perdition” because only God knows the ultimate future of each human soul. Only with these two individuals did God choose to reveal His plan for their eternal damnation. With every other person, no matter how lost or evil he may seem, we are to hope and pray for his redemption (1 Timothy 2:1).
Salvation by grace through faith is at the heart of the Christian religion. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). The statement has three parts— salvation, grace, and faith—and they are equally important. The three together constitute a basic tenet of Christianity.
The word salvation is defined as “the act of being delivered, redeemed, or rescued.” The Bible tells us that, since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, each person is born in sin inherited from Adam: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Sin is what causes all of us to die. Sin separates us from God, and sin destines each person to eternal separation from Him in hell. What each of us needs is to be delivered from that fate. In other words, we need salvation from sin and its penalty.
How are we saved from sin? Most religions throughout history have taught that salvation is achieved by good works. Others teach that acts of contrition (saying we are sorry) along with living a moral life is the way to atone for our sin. Sorrow over sin is certainly valuable and necessary, but that alone will not save us from sin. We may repent of our sins, also valuable and necessary, and determine to never sin again, but salvation is not the result of good intentions. The road to hell, as the saying goes, is paved with good intentions. We may fill our lives with good works, but even one sin makes us a sinner in practice, and we are already sinners by nature. No matter how well-intentioned or “good” we may be, the fact is that we simply do not have the power or the goodness to overcome the sin nature we have inherited from Adam. We need something more powerful, and this is where grace comes in.
The grace of God is His undeserved favor bestowed on those He has called to salvation through His love (Ephesians 2:4–5). It is His grace that saves us from sin. We are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Being justified, we are vindicated and determined to be sinless in the eyes of God. Our sin no longer separates us from Him and no longer sentences us to hell. Grace is not earned by any effort on our part; otherwise, it could not be called grace. Grace is free. If our good works earned salvation, then God would be obligated to pay us our due. But no one can earn heaven, and God’s blessings are not His obligation; they flow from His goodness and love. No matter how diligently we pursue works to earn God’s favor, we will fail. Our sin trips us up every time. “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20, NKJV).
The means God has chosen to bestow His grace upon us is through faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Salvation is obtained by faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, in what He has done—specifically, His death on the cross and His resurrection. But even faith is not something we generate on our own. Faith, as well as grace, is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). He bestows saving faith and saving grace upon us in order to redeem us from sin and deliver us from its consequences. So God saves us by His grace through the faith He gives us. Both grace and faith are gifts. “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8, ESV).
By grace, we receive the faith that enables us to believe that He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and provide the salvation we cannot achieve on our own. Jesus, as God in flesh, is the “author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Just like the author of a book creates it from scratch, Jesus Christ wrote the story of our redemption from beginning to end. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:4–6). The Lord died for our sins and rose for our justification, and He forgives, freely and fully, those who accept His gift of grace in Christ—and that acceptance comes through faith. This is the meaning of salvation by grace through faith.
Romans has the theme of faith (Romans 1:16–17). Paul addresses the process by which faith is produced in the heart in Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
The first eight chapters of Romans contends with the ideas of positional salvation through faith (Romans 1:18—5:21), the process of growing in holiness through faith (Romans 6:1—8:17), and the future glorification Christians will receive because of faith (Romans 8:18–39). Chapters 9—11 of Romans works from the implied question, “Has God then failed to fulfill His promises to Israel?”
It is within this context that Paul gives the reason for the Israelites’ lack of salvation; namely, they lack faith (Romans 9:32; 10:4). The Israelites are saved through faith in Christ, just like the Gentiles. Eternal salvation does not distinguish between Gentile or Jew but is received through belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Galatians 3:23–29).
In the lead-up to the statement that faith comes by hearing, Romans 10:14–16 explains the requirements for a series of actions to take place. In order for one to “call on the name of the Lord,” he or she must believe. In order to believe, one must hear (or receive the report). In order for one to hear, another has to give the report. And that other won’t give the report unless he or she is sent.
Paul continues in Romans 10:17 to summarize the argument thus far: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (NASB).
“Faith” is translated from the Greek word pistis, which means “belief, trust, or confidence in someone or something.” It is key to the book of Romans and is used 40 times in the book—three of those occurrences appearing in chapter 10. The verb form of the word is also used 21 times within the book and most often translated as “believe.”
If faith comes by hearing, then what does Paul mean by “hearing”? In this context, it is not simply the physical receiving of sounds by the ear as most English speakers would understand the term. “Hearing” seems to designate something more—the receiving or acceptance of a report. Note the use of the word, translated “message” in Romans 10:16, as Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1: “Lord, who has believed our message?” In Isaiah’s day, the Lord had provided Israel with a message, but the prophet laments that few actually received it. The “hearing” was not attached to simple sounds but to a message or report given. In Romans 10, Paul makes the point that the good news has been given and the people of Israel have heard (Romans 10:18).
The nature of the gospel is a report: a report of God saving people from the wrath they deserve. In order to believe the report, one must receive the report! Faith comes by hearing. It is not a guarantee that the report will result in faith, as Paul makes clear in Romans 10:16. For just as the Israelites refused to believe the message of Isaiah, every human today can refuse to believe the message of the gospel.
The nature of “hearing” also does not require the physical act of hearing with the ear. The report simply needs to be received. For instance, someone could read the gospel through GotQuestions.org and receive it by faith, without an audible word being spoken. As long as the message can be received fully, the medium does not affect the outcome. The content of the message must be “the word about Christ.” As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5, the message is “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (NASB). Faith that leads to eternal salvation comes after “hearing”; that is, after receiving this message concerning Christ.
The phrase spirit of the antichrist is found in 1 John 4:2–3: “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”
It’s vital to understand the context of John’s statements. A predominant worldview when he wrote this letter suggested that diverse spirits were at work in the world. Many false teachings, mystery religions, spiritual experiences, and variations of Christianity were emerging at the time. The spiritual atmosphere was not unlike the one present in our world today. People entertained countless views regarding truth.
John presented a definitive solution for wading through this variety of beliefs and teachings. He instructed his readers to pay attention and test the spirits: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
But how do we test the spirits? How can we discern which teachers are imparting truth? How do we recognize the spirit of the antichrist?
These “spirits” John spoke of were not merely disembodied, supernatural beings. John taught that a prophet or teacher was the actual mouthpiece for a spirit. Spiritual doctrines are promulgated through human spokespersons. Teachers of truth are filled with the Spirit of God and thus are agents who speak for God. Teachers of falsehood are spreading the “doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1, NASB).
So, the first test relates to theology or doctrine: “Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:2). We can ask, does the content of the person’s teaching acknowledge that Jesus Christ—fully God and fully human—has come in the flesh? If the answer is yes, then we know the Spirit of God inspires that person. If not, his entire teaching ought to be rejected. This particular test was especially apropos in John’s day, as the heresy of Gnosticism was becoming prevalent; Gnosticism taught that Jesus only appeared to have a human body but was not actually a flesh-and-blood person.
Next, John says, “But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:3). Anyone who does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Bible presents Him is inspired by the spirit of the antichrist.
The word antichrist means “against Christ.” People who say that Jesus is not from God are controlled by the spirit of the antichrist. Satan opposes Christ, and he desires to deceive people into a false view of who Jesus is. The spirit of the antichrist teaches against Christ. To twist the truth about Jesus Christ is to pervert the gospel. Satan works to spread lies about Christ and keep people in the dark: “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist” (2 John 1:7).
The spirit of the antichrist is the birds that eat the seeds along the path in Jesus’ parable (Mark 4:4, 15). It is “the god of this age” who blinds the minds of unbelievers, keeping them from seeing “the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). It is “the father of lies” (John 8:44). The spirit of the antichrist is “the great dragon . . . who leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9).
The Bible teaches that the world will eventually produce a world ruler, called “the beast” in Revelation, who will wield great power and demand worship of himself. He will have “a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies” (Revelation 13:5) and is empowered by Satan (Revelation 13:2). He is called “the man of lawlessness . . . the man doomed to destruction” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. This final Antichrist will be the culmination of the evil workings of Satan throughout the centuries. The Antichrist of the end times will embody all the deception and perversion of truth that the spirit of the antichrist has always promoted. Today, “the secret power of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thessalonians 2:7). The same spirit that will empower the Antichrist of the last days is currently operating in the world to bring confusion and deception to the issue of Jesus Christ’s person and work. “This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world” (1 John 4:3).
Even given the pervasive influence of the spirit of the antichrist, there is no need to fear. As John reminds us, the Spirit of truth indwells all believers and provides protection from the spirit of the antichrist: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
We have some practical ways to distinguish the false spirit of the antichrist from the true Spirit of God: “[False prophets] are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood” (1 John 4:5–6). Those who are influenced by the spirit of the antichrist are of the world. They have the same values as the world; therefore, the world listens to them. Those who acknowledge Christ have His Spirit of truth, and they embrace the apostles’ message. The gospel the apostles preached is never popular in the world, but it is that very gospel that holds the power to save, through God’s Spirit of truth (Romans 1:16).
The believer’s job is to test the spirits carefully (1 John 4:1). We must be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16, ESV). We should not automatically embrace the message of any preacher or teacher simply because of his or her reputation or credentials; rather, we must listen cautiously to their Christology. What they say about Jesus is of utmost importance.
In Mark 9:23, Jesus responds to a desperate father seeking healing for his son, who is afflicted by an evil spirit that renders him mute and causes violent seizures. The father’s plea, “If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” (Mark 9:22, NASB), is met with a rhetorical question from Jesus: “‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes” (Mark 9:23, NASB). In this article, we will examine the significance of Jesus’ response to the father.
Jesus’ response calls the father to put his trust in God. This principle highlights a critical aspect of the relationship between faith and God’s power. The father has doubts about Jesus’ ability to perform the healing, especially since His disciples had failed in their attempts to help. He asks for Jesus to do something if He can. Jesus picks up on the man’s doubt and repeats the man’s words back to him as a question: “If you can?” In this way, Jesus points out that the issue is not His power but the father’s faith. For the son to be healed, the father must have faith in God, who alone can accomplish the seemingly impossible: “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27, ESV).
The Bible repeatedly stresses faith as the means God uses to accomplish His divine purposes. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it was move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (ESV). Jesus’ analogy illustrates that even a small amount of faith can see big things accomplished. It is not so much about the amount of faith as the object of faith—God.
Mark 9:23 parallels other instances where Jesus teaches about the importance of faith. In Mark 5:34, Jesus tells the woman with an issue of blood, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease” (ESV). Likewise, in Mark 10:52, Jesus says to Bartimaeus, a blind man, “Go your way; your faith has made you well” (ESV). In each case, Jesus teaches that faith in Christ played a pivotal role in the miracle.
After Jesus says, “If you can?” He says, “All things are possible for the one who believes” (Mark 9:23, NASB). It’s important to note that He is not saying that faith can magically guarantee immediate results according to our whims and desires. Rather, Jesus calls us to trust in God’s power and purpose. Faith, in this context, is a deep, abiding trust in God’s sovereign will, regardless of the outcome. In faith, we submit our will to His.
The father’s response to Jesus’ challenge is instructive for believers: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, ESV). This honest admission represents the father’s earnest desire to overcome his doubt about Jesus’ ability to heal his son. It is perfectly acceptable to bring our doubts to God and ask for His assistance to strengthen our faith. Jesus responds to the father’s weak and unstable faith by casting out the demon and healing his son (Mark 9:25). This confirms that God’s power is not contingent upon perfect faith but on God’s sovereign will. God meets us in our weakness—there’s no other place for us to meet (see 2 Corinthians 12:10).
Jesus’ asking, “If you can?” in Mark 9:23 reminds believers about the importance of faith in God’s power. Jesus’ question prompts us to consider how all things are possible for those who have faith. Like the father begging Jesus for help, we can trust that God will help us to overcome doubt about His ability to accomplish impossible things.
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Beelzebub is the Greek form of the name
Baal-zebub,
a pagan Philistine god
worshiped in
the ancient Philistine
city of Ekron
It is a term signifying
“the lord of flies”
(2 Kings 1:2).
Camels are frequently plagued
by
blood-feeding flies,
particularly Hippobosca camelina (camel ked), Stomoxys, and Tabanus species,
with infestation rates sometimes exceeding 87%.
These insects, which concentrate on the underbelly, cause significant annoyance
and transmit diseases
like Trypanosoma evansi, impacting
camel
health, productivity, and
behavior
Key
Principals: Camels and Flies
Types of Flies: The primary pests are Hippobosca camelina (camel fly), Stomoxys (stable fly), and Tabanus (horse fly).
Impact on Health:
These biting flies are major vectors for Trypanosoma evansi, causing nagana in camels,
with studies showing high infection rates (18%+).
Behavior and Infestation: Flies often concentrate on the underbelly, udder, and other less accessible areas.
Management:
A common remedy for captive camels is a mixture of water and vinegar to repel flies. Research on Attractants:
Chemical Signals: Research indicates that camel odors—including urine, dung, and breath--
produce specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that attract flies.
Seasonal Effects:
Fly infestation is particularly high during summer months,
requiring regular management to
keep animals healthy
Archaeological excavations at ancient Philistine sites have uncovered golden images of flies. After the time of the Philistines, the Jews changed the name to “Beelzeboul,” as used in the Greek New Testament, meaning “lord of dung.” This name referenced the god of the fly that was worshiped to obtain deliverance from the injuries of that insect. Some biblical scholars believe Beelzebub was also known as the “god of filth,” which later became a name of bitter scorn in the mouth of the Pharisees. As a result, Beelzebub was a particularly contemptible deity, and his name was used by the Jews as an epithet for Satan.
The word has two parts: Baal, which was the name for the Canaanite fertility gods in the Old Testament; and Zebul, which means “exalted dwelling.” Putting the two parts together, they formed a name for Satan himself, the prince of demons. This term was first used by the Pharisees in describing Jesus in Matthew 10:24-25. Earlier, they had accused Jesus of casting “out the demons by the ruler of the demons” (Matthew 9:34), referencing Beelzebul (Mark 3:22; Matthew 12:24).
In Matthew 12:22 Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. As a result, “all the people were astonished and said, ‘Could this be the Son of David?’ But when the Pharisees heard this, they denied that this could be a work of God, but instead declared: ‘It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons’” (Matthew 12:23-24).
It is remarkable that the Pharisees reacted to this incredible miracle by Jesus in the very opposite way of that of the multitude, who realized that Jesus was from God. In fact, it was an admission by the Pharisees that Jesus worked miracles or performed deeds beyond the reach of any unaided human power, but they attributed this power to Beelzebub instead of God. Actually, they should have known better: the devil cannot do works of pure goodness. However, in their self-absorbed pride, these Pharisees knew that, if the teachings of Jesus should prevail among the people, their influence over them was at an end. So, the miracle they did not deny, but instead attributed it to an infernal power, “Beelzebub the prince of the demons.”
The greater question is this: what relevance does this have to us as Christians today?
In Matthew 10,
Jesus provides us
with the very essence of
what it
means to be His disciple.
Here we learn that He is about to send out
His apostles
into the world to preach the gospel
(Matthew 10:7).
He gives them specific instructions on what to do and what not to do. He warns them, “Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. . . . All men will hate you because of me” (Matthew 10:17, 22). Then He adds, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:24-25).
The point Jesus is making to us today is that, if people are calling Him Satan, as did the Pharisees of His time, they would surely call His disciples the same. In John chapter 15 Jesus declares, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me” (John 15:18-21).
The term "God’s right hand" in prophecy refers to the Messiah to whom is given the power and authority to subdue His enemies (Psalm 110:1; Psalm 118:16). We find a quote in Matthew 22:44 from Psalm 110:1, which is a Messianic Psalm. "The Son of David" is claimed by the LORD Jesus Christ as He is the "greater son of David" or the Messiah. In this passage of Matthew 22, Jesus questions the Pharisees about who they think the "Christ" or the Messiah is. "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make Thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?" (Matthew 22:41-45, KJV). The position of the Messiah is at God’s right hand.
Therefore, what we can say is that "God’s right hand" refers to the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ, and He is of equal position, honor, power, and authority with God (John 1:1-5). The fact that Christ is "sitting" refers to the fact that His work of redemption is done and when the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in (Romans 11:25), Christ’s enemies will be made His footstool. When the end of the age comes, all prophecy will be completed, and time will be no more.
Near Decapolis, some people brought Jesus a deaf man who could hardly talk. Jesus healed the man, of course, but in an interesting manner: “Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue” (Mark 7:33). Later, in the town of Bethsaida, Jesus healed a blind man. Again, the miracle was preceded by spitting: “He . . . spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him” (Mark 8:23). To heal a man born blind, Jesus “spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes” (John 9:6).
Certainly, Jesus, the divine Son of God, does not need physical props to work miracles. In many cases, Jesus merely spoke, and healing followed (e.g., Matthew 15:28; Luke 17:12-14). Yet, in three cases, Jesus used His spittle in the process of healing.
One possible reason for Jesus’ use of His saliva has to do with the beliefs of His contemporary culture. Several Roman writers and Jewish rabbis considered saliva to be a valid treatment for blindness. Since the people of that day had a high view of saliva’s healing properties, Jesus used spit to communicate His intention to heal. Those being healed would have naturally interpreted Jesus’ spitting as a sign that they would soon be cured.
The greater need of each of those healed was the need for increased faith. Jesus recognized this spiritual need and offered a physical action as a means of raising their expectations and focusing their faith on Himself. Thus, in Mark 8, the man’s spiritual sight was strengthened even as physical sight was imparted to him.
It is possible that Jesus’ use of mud in John 9 was meant to parallel God’s original creation of man: “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7). In other words, Jesus showed His power as the Creator by imitating the original creation of man: He used the “dust of the ground” to give the man born blind new sight. The creative power of Jesus’ miracle was not lost on the man who was healed: “Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing” (John 9:32-33, NKJV).
Jesus healed many people in His ministry; in fact, there was no sickness or infirmity that He could not heal
(Matthew 4:23).
Significantly, the details of each miracle vary slightly. Jesus never healed the same way twice. The variety of methods used by the Lord eliminates confidence in any one technique or modus operandi. Healing is not the product of any talisman, amulet, spell, or process.
Healing comes from the power of God
When Jesus healed, with or
without spit,
the response was usually something like this:
“This amazed everyone and they
praised God, saying,
‘We have never seen anything like this!’”
(Mark 2:12).
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