GRINDIT podcast: Recent Episodes

Randall Tucker

Let's face it...life sometimes is hard and can just suck. When we are faced with life's challenges we can be discouraged, get tired, and become weary. What we need is motivation, encouragement, and a helping hand that keeps us going. That's the idea of GRINDIT! We find our strength to endure when we focus on Jesus. God's own Son wasn't exempt from life's challenges and He didn't do anything to deserve what he went through! And yet He did...willingly, therefore we find our hope in Him.

At the end of Romans 12, Paul discusses the hard truth that we are to love our enemies and we are to bless them. This idea is not original with Paul because Jesus told his disciples to do the very same thing in Matthew 5:43-44. This is a great discussion in today's podcast that you will not only enjoy, but be challenged by as well!

Jesus told his disciples that he had sheep that were “not of this fold” referring to the Gentiles. When he first come on the scene, he, and his disciples, ministered to the Jews only, with a few Gentiles sprinkled in here and there. Up until Acts 10, the church consisted of only Jews and was located in Jerusalem. When persecution came in Acts 8, the church scattered and went beyond Jerusalem but was still geared toward the Jews. Then Peter has a vision, Cornelius, a Gentile, has a visitation from an angel, and Peter goes to visit. When he does, he tells the Gentiles that had gathered at Cornelius’ house about Jesus and the Holy Spirit falls on them and Peter baptizes them. The Gentiles are now able to hear and accept the gospel. The church in Rome was made up of both Jews and Gentiles but for the first 10 chapters, Paul has been talking to the Jews. In chapter 11, he begins to address the Gentiles and how their salvation came about.

Paul is explaining to the Jews that they can not obtain salvation by keeping the law and doing works to earn it. If they want a relationship with God and be a part of His kingdom, then they must have faith in their Messiah, Jesus because he has done what the law could not do—forgive sin. In this chapter, Paul gives a great definition of grace: God’s undeserved kindness. The Jews thought they deserved everything they received from God because of the covenant He made with Abraham but Paul tells them differently. God doesn’t owe you anything but because of His kindness, His grace,, He has chosen you. Do you know that God has chosen you? He has! He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you but in order to have one, we have to accept the sacrifice He has provided through His Son, Jesus.

Paul is having a discussion with some Jews at the church in Rome and he is pleading with them to be saved, to give their lives to Jesus because that is the only way they are getting into the kingdom. He tells them they must call on his name and believe in their hearts which is something hard for them to do because many of the Jews see Jesus as a blasphemer and they will not dare mention his name much less put their faith in him! And Paul tells them they have “misdirected zeal” and the faith they are putting in the law needs to be directed to Jesus, their Messiah, who did what the law could never do…forgive them of their sin.

Can you imagine being taught something for thousands of years and all of a sudden, this cat comes along and says, “That’s the way yall used to do it, but not anymore. If you want to be a part of the kingdom, then you got to take part of a new covenant. That old one ain’t cutting it anymore. The new covenant between God and man is based off my body and my blood and you must accept my sacrifice and follow me. If not, you ain’t getting in.” This is difficult for many of the Jews because they thought Jesus was a blasphemer and they wouldn’t even speak his name in reverence for God! Here’s Paul saying, “You have to quit trusting the law God gave to Moses thousands of years ago and put your trust in Jesus because to get into the kingdom, you got to have faith, not works.”

Do I have a choice in whether or not I go to heaven? Or is there a certain few, the ones God selects that is getting in? This is a question we answer in today’s podcast. The Jews had a hard time worshipping with the Gentiles. After all, they have not liked each other for hundreds of years. The Jews were God's chosen and the Gentiles were left out! So now that the two have become one, it brings up a deep subject with Paul giving the Jews some examples from their very own heritage, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah. What the Jews find out is that God has now shown mercy to other people besides the Jews and they don't like it! Who are we, the clay, to question what the Potter does?

We are tackling a very deep subject in the next two podcasts: the Sovereignty of God. What does it mean that God is sovereign and what does it mean for you and me? Do we have any say in anything or is God just sitting up there in heaven with a game controller and playing with our lives like a video game? People have written books on this subject but we’ll break it down to help you understand that God is for you, not against you and you do have a choice; you do have a say in the matter. You can choose to be on the winning team and say “Hallelujah…Thank you Jesus!”

Paul mentions something at the end of chapter 8 and also in Ephesians that so many have misunderstood and that is the doctrine of Predestination. Many believe that it doesn’t matter how we live our lives because God has already decided who is getting into Heaven and we have no say in it. Is this true? Do we not have a choice in the matter? If you put what Paul says in context, along with other scriptures, including some that Paul wrote himself, predestination will make sense. Yes, it is true that only certain ones are getting into Heaven, but the good news is, the invitation is sent out to everybody. We all have a choice to make: either to accept Jesus as our lord and Savior, or reject him.

Imagine your mind having a steering wheel and there is a fork in the road ahead. The road to the left leads to hell and the road to the right leads to heaven. If the power of sin has control of your thoughts, then you will automatically steer in the direction to the left. You will take the road that leads you farther away from God when you choose sin. If the Holy Spirit is dominating your thoughts, then you will steer to the right because you will take the road that leads you closer to God…Every…Time…In fact, Paul says if we don’t have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, controlling our thoughts, then we cannot please God!

Guilty! That’s what the Judge says and the sentence has been given. We are guilty of sin and the penalty is death, separated from God and if we die in that condition, we will be separated from Him for eternity! But we don’t have to be because God has provided everything we need to be saved, to be forgiven of our sin that separates us from Him. He put on flesh, walked this earth for 33 years, lived among us, was tempted in every way we are, and he never gave in to any temptation. Instead, he willingly gave his life as a sacrifice for our sin on a cross and he has satisfied the payment that was required for you and me to make it into heaven! Paul says if we belong to Jesus, then there is no more condemnation. Our penalty has been paid and we are set free. The guilty sentence has been changed and overturned to Not Guilty!

There is a major struggle going on in our minds, even if we follow Jesus. We want to do what is right but we continue to do what is wrong. Paul says he even struggles with the power of sin and he says, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” The Romans had a way of punishing a person who committed a crime and caused someone to die. They strapped the dead person to the body of the one who committed the crime. The stench of death would be everywhere they went and they could not escape what they had done. Paul says this is what sin is, it’s nasty, it’s horrid, and the only way we can be set free from the bondage of sin is Jesus!

When we speed down the road to fast, we get pulled over by a cop and they give us a ticket. Why? Because there is a law, it is right there in plain sight on a sign that says “Speed Limit 35”and we broke the law, therefore, we pay the consequences. We disagree with that law, we may be in a hurry and have a reason to drive faster than the law allows, but the law is there for a reason. God placed laws in the lives of the Jews way back in Genesis and they were given for a reason. The law showed them how God expects them to live so they can be holy like him. The problem is, they couldn’t do it! Not one person because of the power of sin. This is why Jesus, the only one who did keep the law of God perfectly, had to die and be our sacrifice. He set us free from the power of sin!

Let's just admit it...sin is fun...at least for the most part. Gratifying our flesh feels great and we are quick to do so...unfortunately. But we don't have to and we strive not to! Paul says we are to not yield our bodies as instruments of sin but righteousness. We actually have a choice! Sin is born out of temptations that come from a desire within ourselves. We can stop it dead in its tracks but far too often we choose to carry the temptation out and sin. We use our body as an instrument to sin instead of righteousness. In fact, Paul says we are a slave to whichever we choose! So choose to do what is right! Choose Jesus!

Paul has been telling the Jews at the church at Rome they are not to judge anyone because they too, are sinners. They have no place to condemn anyone because of their own sinfulness and just being a Jew will not make them right with God. They had this thought that their sin brought glory to God and Paul is trying to show them otherwise. He then uses the father of the Jews, Abraham, as an example for them to follow. In chapter 6, Paul tells them straight, “You have died to sin and you are no longer a slave to sin…so quit doing it!” To show them that they have died to sin, he discusses baptism and how they are new creation in Christ and they should live like it. We should take heed to what Paul tells them!

Because the sin of one man, Adam, we are still reaping the consequences to this day. People are dying every day, a separation occurs. Our loved ones leave us and pass on into eternity and it brings sorrow because we miss them. But even greater than this, Jesus, the second Adam, has brought hope, he has brought salvation by dying himself and conquering the power and grip of death. Because of Adam’s sin, we were born into sin and are all sinners but Paul makes it clear that through the second Adam, Jesus, and his sacrifice, our sins are forgiven and our relationship with the Father is restored. Every person, no matter what they have done, no matter what sin they commit, can have partake of this gift by putting their faith in Jesus!

What a powerful chapter! What a powerful letter Paul has written to the church at Rome and God has blessed us with preserving the words he penned! In this podcast we learn that Jesus has made us friends again with God, that he has reconciled our relationship with the Father by shedding his blood for us, not because we are so good, not because we deserve it, not because we have our lives in order, no, but while we were enemies, while we were sinners! God has given us everything we need for salvation in his Son, Jesus! All we have to do is put our faith and trust in Jesus and we get to enjoy the blessings of heaven! We blew it in the Garden of Eden but God restored our relationship through Jesus and because of his sacrifice, we are made friends again with God! Hallelujah!!!

The first two verses of chapter 5 are so powerful and are life changing. If you are facing trials and storms in life, these two verses are for you! Paul tells us that through faith in Jesus, we have confidence and joy because we will share in God’s glory. We will be in the presence of God someday and will enjoy everything that heaven has to offer! This hope should bring peace, confidence, and joy and should help us endure the trials we face in this life. It’s an undeserved privilege that we get to enjoy because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, the sacrifice he made on our behalf, if, and only if, we put our faith in him.

God means business when it comes to sin but salvation is even greater! He allowed Jesus to die in our place, to pay our penalty for the price of sin and Paul says we have to put our faith in Jesus...nothing else! And he uses Abraham, the father of the Jews, as an example of faith. Abraham was given several promises from God and he waited 25 years for Isaac to be born and Paul says Abraham's faith never wavered! It was his faith that God counted Abraham as righteous.

Paul is having a great discussion with the Jews at the church at Rome and he is trying to convince them that, just because they are Jews, that doesn't mean they are right with God. The covenant Goid made with Abraham will not save them nor will the law. The only way they can have a right relationship with God is through faith in Christ. Paul gives an example using Abraham, the father of the Jews, to show them the Abraham was not justified by works but by his faith in God! With works, salvation would be earned like a wage, but salvation is a gift of God that only comes through Jesus Christ.

One thing we do not like very much is people doing things for us, especially us men. We have a hard time admitting we even have a need and to watch someone just do something for us for no reason at all, it just gets all over us! And then we think we have to return the favor. Paul tells the Jews in his letter to the church at Rome that they can work until they drop but those works will never save them because the law cannot save. Salvation comes through Jesus and he has done everything we need for salvation. All we have to do is put our faith and trust in him! It doesn't matter what we do, we can never repay, or return the favor, for what Jesus has done for us. We just need to have faith in him and trust him!

Paul is having a long discussion with some Jews in his letter to the church at Rome who think, just because they are Jews, they are in good standing with God. They have the covenant with Abraham, they have the law given through Moses, and they are God's chosen people! Paul even tells them there some advantages to being a Jew but being a Jew will not save them. Paul tells them plainly that the law was given to reveal sin, it shows the entire world is guilty, and that we have no excuse for not turning to God.

Paul tells the Jews in Rome they are not in good standing with God just because they were born into a Jewish family and have cut their skin on their private part because of some covenant God made with Abraham. He tells them they may know the law well but if they don’t practice it, then it’s not doing them any good. In fact, Paul says the way to know if we are in good standing with God and have a relationship with Him is a changed heart! A changed heart can only come from God’s Holy Spirit! How do I know if I have a changed heart? Paul tells us: If we seek praise from people, then we don’t have a changed heart but if we seek praise from God, our hearts are changed…

Christians run to Romans 1 as fast as they can to condemn what is going on in our society today because it’s easy pickings. We want to condemn the behavior that is being paraded around and being thrown in our faces, but as sick and sinful as it is, you may want to read Romans 2 before you start body slamming people over how they live. Paul starts out chapter 2 by telling the church at Rome, “You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse!” The old saying is still true, “I may have a finger pointing at you, but there are three pointing back at me!”

Paul tells us what it looks like when God has abandoned His people. He lets them do whatever their hearts desire and it’s not a pretty sight to see! We can look back in history and learn from their mistakes and see how they paid the price because of their sinful choices. Israel is a great example and so is Rome, which is whom Paul is writing this letter to. Israel was God’s chosen people in the Old Testament and yet they became so wicked and sinful, God abandoned them and after they wouldn’t listen to the warnings of the prophets, God allowed their enemy to come in and destroy the holy Temple and wipe Jerusalem off the face of the earth! Rome collapsed from the inside out because they were sinful and lived the way the wanted to live. They couldn’t give a rip about God and what He wanted. Has God abandoned the United States?

Paul makes it clear that we have no excuse to deny God. The reason people do deny God exists is because of their own sin, their wickedness. If people admit God created the earth and the heavens, then they would be held accountable for their choices, they would have to deal with the consequences, so it's easier for people to say God does not exist. Therefore, they don't have to worry about any consequences to their choices and they can live any way they please. Instead of worshipping the Creator, they have chosen to worship creation.

Before laying the hammer down in chapter 1, Paul edifies the church in his letter and brags on there faith and how the news of their faith is spreading all around the world! He then gives three reasons why he wants to visit the church in Rome as soon as he can: 1) to encourage them by imparting a spiritual gift to each one of them; 2: To be encouraged by the church itself, and if you have spent any tiome in ministry you know exactly what he means; 3) He wants to produce fruit in Rome by sharing the gospel among the people there.

In the very beginning, after Paul tells his readers that he is the author of the letter to the church in Rome, he establishes his authority as an apostle, he lets us know where his authority comes from and he immediately shifts the focus to Jesus. After giving his readers a short run down as to what Jesus did and what the good news is all about, Paul tells the Gentiles at the church in Rome that they have been called by God and do belong to Him because they heard the message of the gospel and were obedient which brings glory to God. Our lives as God’s chosen people, are to bring Him glory and we should strive to be holy as God is holy.

Jesus and his disciples get in a boat and head to Gadarene where they are confronted by two demon possessed men as they get to the shore. There are shepherds who have a herd of pigs nearby who are watching the show; they are waiting to see these strangers get run out of town like everyone who has come near this graveyard but that’s not what they see. Instead, they see the two men bowing before one of the strangers as they scream at the top of their voice calling him the Son of God. Something the disciples haven’t heard up until this point. Jesus casts he demons into the herd of pigs, the shepherds run to the nearby village and tell the people what they saw. The entire village came to meet Jesus but when they do, they tell him to go back where he came from.

The disciples have listened to Jesus’ teachings while he was on the mountainside, they have watched him touch a leper and heal him as he was coming down the mountain, they have watched him have a conversation with a roman soldier and heal his servant, they saw Jesus heal Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever, they saw him cast out demons and heal people from all kinds of sickness, but they had never experienced Jesus for themselves…that is until they couldn’t control the boat in the storm and they woke Jesus up from his nap and he calmed the storm immediately. Several of these men were experienced on the water, they had been on this lake fishing their whole lives, but they were full of fear because this was out of their control and they thought they were about to die. Out of fear and desperation, they turn to Jesus and ask him to save them. For some people, no matter how much they have seen and heard about Jesus, it will take a storm. It will take them losing control of their situation and a moment of desperation before they will turn to Jesus.

The Roman soldier goes on a journey on behalf of the paralyzed servant, finds Jesus, tells him what was going on, Jesus wanted to come to the soldier’s house to heal the servant, the soldier shows humility, and because he did all of this, the servant was healed. Not only was the servant healed, he was healed instantly. He was healed as soon as Jesus proclaimed the healing. In Luke’s version of this story, we find out the servant was at the point of death. Evidently, this Roman soldier really cared about this servant. And for him to go to all this trouble to seek for Jesus and find him, asking him to heal this servant, also shows us the heart of this soldier. Even though he was high in ranks, battle tested, a manly man, strong and brae, he had a heart of compassion for his people, he cared for them, and Jesus saw this in the Roman soldier which is why he healed his servant. It all comes down to the heart. What about your heart? What does it show about you?

As Jesus is coming down the mountain after teaching his disciples about being righteous, he is encountered by a leper. This leper should have been in quarantine, living in a leper colony but he does something bold...he went against God's laws in order to get to Jesus. He pops out of nowhere, kneels before Jesus stopping him in his tracks, and calls him Lord. I can't help but wonder if there were people in the crowd freaking out over the leper being near them and talking with Jesus but the leper didn't care; he knew Jesus was his only option for a normal life, Jesus was his hope, and he did what he had to in order to get to Jesus. What about you? When are you going to realize Jesus is your only hope? Sure, you may be able to do many things on your own, but you can't save yourself! It takes the blood of a sacrifice, the blood of THE sacrifice, Jesus.

Do you think scammers are a new thing? Think again! Jesus warned of scammers when he was teaching his disciples and the crowd on the mountain side when he said, “Beware of false prophets. They come in sheep’s clothing but in reality they are vicious wolves! Like scammers today, their message would have just enough truth in it to get your attention and, if you didn’t know the word of God, you would be deceived. This was happening when Jesus was here, it happened after he left, after the church began, and it continues to happen today. And lest you think you would never fall for one of these scams, beware! They are more deceitful than ever with their advertising, their fake emails, their false messages, their fake websites, and their social media sites!

When I was in the first grade I had a sweet lady for a teacher named Mrs. Webb. Above her desk was a sign that read, “The Golden Rule: Do unto others and you would have them do unto you.” I didn’t know where it came from but it sounded good and I knew I wanted people to treat me good so I should treat them good! Jesus goes on to say the road, and the gate to heaven, is narrow but the road, and the gate to destruction, is wide. He is the narrow gate, he is the only way to heaven and how did he treat people? With grace, mercy, compassion, and he was longsuffering. He displayed for us the way we should treat people, especially our enemies, those who do not treat us very well. Which road are you on? Who are you following?

Have you ever prayed for something and just got crickets from God? Nothing but silence? What did you do? Give up? Quit praying? That’s what most people do and they tend to get mad at God because they feel as if He doesn’t care. But the problem is not God, it’s us! We give up too soon and too easily! Jesus says to “Keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking” and he tells God will come through! That is a promise and we shouldn’t doubt God…but far too many times we do! We don’t get an answer quick enough and we just quit asking, quit seeking, and quit knocking. We simply give up and move on when God is saying to us, “Have faith, trust Me, the answer is on the way…Hold on!” We need to encourage one another to keep the faith and not give up!

“Don’t judge me!” Have you ever heard those words before? That seems to be a huge statement coming from our society today when they are confronted with their lifestyle, with their sin. Are we to judge others? Doesn’t Jesus literally say the words, “Do NOT judge?” Yes he does but is that what he means? Are we supposed to confront sin or not? Are we supposed to tell other people how live or are we? The danger is the comparison game. We like to compare our sin with others and what we tend to forget that there is no scale in God’s eyes when it comes to sin. Sin is sin so does that mean we keep our mouths shut and let people live the way they choose? Listen to find out the answer to a deep topic…Judging.

Jesus tells his disciples their righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees or they cannot enter into heaven so he teaches them in the Sermon on the Mount how to live a righteous life that is pleasing to God. He tells them they cannot serve God and money. Would you say you hate God? I doubt it but would your lifestyle and choices you make say otherwise? Our bank accounts will tell the story. Our bank accounts will tell us where our priorities are, where our focus is, and where our hearts are at. Hopefully, people look at us and see Jesus…not a Pharisee.

Why do we use lamps? We use lamps to give off light so we can see in the dark room. But what happens if we turn on the switch and the lamp doesn't come on? The bulb doesn't light up? We'll be left in the dark and the lamp becomes nothing but an ornament to look at or a huge paperweight! Jesus said our eye is a lamp to our body and if the eye is healthy, it will let light in but if it's not healthy, then our bodies are full of darkness. Then he says there are many who think they are full of light but they are actually full of darkness. This comes after he said the disciples righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. The Pharisees thought they were following God and yet they weren't. In fact, they wanted to kill God in the flesh--Jesus! They had everybody fooled, except God Himself. What about your eyes? Are they healthy?

The whole purpose of the Sermon on the Mount as we call it, was to tell his disciples how to live a life that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees. During his teaching, Jesus tells his disciples how to give, pray, and fast, and then he expands on the prayer part as he gives them a “model” prayer. In this episode of the GRINDIT podcast we break down this prayer so we too, can know how to pray and to have our prayers answered. Take a listen and share this with a friend!

Jesus gives his disciples some things to focus on that will help them exceed beyond the righteousness of the Pharisees. He gives them two “Don’t do’s” and three “When you’s”. These are very important because he had just told them that if their righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees, they cannot enter into heaven so he uses what they do as an example of what not to do if you are his disciple. He covers, doing good deeds, giving, praying, fasting, and storing treasure. We break these down in this podcast.

What is the purpose of the law? What was the purpose of the prophets? Paul tells us in a couple of places the law was given so we would know what sin is. What is sin? Anything that goes against the will of God. The main purpose of the law and the prophets were to reveal the fact that we need a Savior...we need Jesus. As Jesus begins to teach his disciples about living a life pleasing to God he tells them that if their righteousness doesn't exceed that of the religious leaders and the Pharisees, they will not enter heaven! These are people who knew the law like the back of their hand. They looked the part, played the part, and people respected them greatly, but not Jesus. He saw their true nature, he saw their hearts. They may have been fooling the people around them but they didn't fool Jesus and he called them out, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far fro me." They head knowledge about the scriptures but their heart was far from God! What would Jesus say about us?

After telling his disciples they are the salt of the earth, Jesus tells them they are the llight of the world. They have no idea what he is saying but we do because we are looking back and can see the whole picture. Jesus said he is the Light of the world in John 8:12. These 12 men have chosen to leave everything behind to follow Jesus. Over the next three years he will be pouring himself into these men, teaching them about God and how to treat people so they would be able to take over when he leaves. The only way they, or we, can be light is to have Jesus inside us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Without Jesus, we are walking in darkness no matter how awesome our life may be! If we are walking in the Light, are we shining the light?

Matthew starts off chapter 5 with what we call the “Sermon on the Mount.” Did you know he was talking to his hand-picked disciples and not the crowd? He starts the teachings off with what we call the Beatitudes which start off with “Blessed are those who…” which many translate as “Happy”. When we read the Beatitudes it seems weird that if we do those things Jesus mentions that we would be happy?!?!? But he is teaching them with heaven as the goal because when we get there, all with be well with our soul! Then he tells them they are the salt of the earth. How can twelve ordinary dudes be the salt of the earth when all they know is there little world in Galilee? Listen and find out but I’ll tell you this…we need to be salt, not ordinary.

Jesus starts his ministry and fulfills a prophecy from Isaiah by hanging out in Galilee where a lot of Gentiles lived. The prophecy is interesting because it says the Gentiles, who lived in darkness, saw a great light. Jesus died for both Jews and Gentiles, and we are both invited to be as part of his kingdom. As Jesus goes around Galilee preaching about the kingdom, he meets some brothers who were commercial fishermen. He tells them to leave everything behind and follow him. Without hesitation they give up everything they know! Are we willing to do the same thing?

The devil knows our weaknesses and he knows when to use them against us...in the wilderness. The wilderness is not a fun place to be: there’s a lack of nutrition, it’s lonely, and we have to really practice self-discipline. Right after he was baptized, the Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness where he would be tempted by the devil for a season. The devil used the same three temptations on Jesus as he does with us: he lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. How did Jesus not give into the temptations? He used the word of God to resist them and we must do the same which is why it is so important that we are in the word of God on a daily basis!

John the Baptizer is out in the wilderness preaching the forgiveness of sins, telling people to repent and to be baptized. They were listening and responding to his message as people came from all over. Jhon gets a special visitor one day: Jesus and Jesus tells John to baptize him, not for the forgiveness of sins because Jesus didn’t have any sin, but to kick off his ministry. When Jesus came out of the water, the Spirit descended on him and a voice came from heaven saying, “This is My beloved son whom I am well pleased.” The Father gives affirmation to the son. Dads, affirmation is important to your children, especially your sons! Have you told them you love them today? When is the last time you told your children that you are proud of them and believe in them?

In Matthew 3 we are introduced to a freaky looking dude who lies in the wilderness and for food he eats locusts and wild honey. If he were alive today, John the Baptizer would be considered a homeless man and be an outcast to society. I doubt anyone would listen to his message today! I seriously doubt anyone would travel out of town to listen to him preach! But the time was right and John did exactly what he was born to do—prepare the way for the Messiah and that is what he did. He preached a message of repentance and baptized people who were obedient to the message. The power is not in the person but in the message and that message is Jesus!

Matthew gives us a time frame when Jesus, the Messiah was born and then he introduces his readers to some men called Magi or wise men, who were astrologers and studied the stars. One star in particular has caught their attention and they follow it for about two years. By the time they arrive in Jerusalem, Jesus is a toddler and living in a house in Bethlehem. Herod the Great has a conversation with these wise men and feels threatened after learning there is a new king in town so he has all the male children, two years and younger, in and around Bethlehem killed thinking he would get rid of this threat to his throne. The only thing he didn’t consider was this is God’s son and God would protect him to accomplish His will! An angel warns Joseph several times as to what is going on and hey flee to Egypt then to Nazareth. Can anything good come from Nazareth? You better believe it!

How can this be? There were two people asking that same question seperating by three months. An angel comes to Mary, a virgin, a tells her she was going to have a baby and he would be the Savior of the world. She takes off to visit her relative, Elizabeth, for threee months and during that time, she begins to show. She comes home to see her soon-to-be-husband, Joseph, and he notices some changes in her body because she is showing...AND HE HASN'T HAD SEX WITH HER! "How can this be?" is a question I guarantee you he asked because he was going to divorce her before they were even married! Joseph was crushed. He laid down to get some rest and an angel comes to him in a dream and tells him, "Yo bro...this is God's will...everything is cool." How can this be? Two times, one excitingly asked and one asked with a broken heart. No matter our situation, God is in control and we need to focus on him. We need to keep the faith and trust Him.

Most people skip right over the first part of Matthew 1 because it’s a boring genealogy, however, if one would take a closer look, they would discover that it isn’t boring at all. In fact, it is packed with a lot of great information that can be encouraging to us. For example, look at all the people God used to usher Jesus, the Messiah, into the world. They aren’t perfect at all, in fact, every one of them made bad decisions along the way yet God used those bad decisions for his glory! Women dressed as prostitutes, even a prostitute, men who committed adultery and murder, liars, deceivers, etc were all used by God to bring His Son into the world in order that he could be the sacrifice for our sins! Imagine what God could do through us and our bad choices?!?!

We come to the end of this study on the book of Hebrews. I hope and pray you have been encouraged from it and as we dig into the author’s last words of this letter, I hope they ring loud and clear, “Look to Jesus, stick with Jesus, and continue to follow Jesus no matter what comes your way!” We must remember, whether we realize it or not, we are leaders! Someone is watching our every move to see how we will respond to the situation that we are facing and if we aren’t careful, we could lead them down the wrong path. It then becomes clear, that we should be following Jesus, because if we are following him, then we will lead people to him and not away from him? So, with that in mind, where is your focus? Wherever your focus is, that is where you are walking towards!

The author encourages his readers by telling them we are receiving an unshakable kingdom and since we are receiving this unshakable kingdom, there are some things we need to do. In this episode we cover some of those things he says to do such as: 1) love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, 2) show hospitality to strangers, 3) remember those in prison, 4) remember those who are being mistreated, 5) give honor to marriage, and 6) Don’t love money. Basically, the author is telling his readers to not be selfish and think about others, which is exactly what we should be doing as Christ followers because that is the example Jesus showed us!

As the author is wrapping up chapter 12, he tells them there are some things they need to do on their journey to heaven as they endure to cross that finish line and it involves a four-letter word we do not like: WORK! He tells them to work on two things: 1) work at living in peace with everyone, 2) and work at living holy. Then he gives them, and us, a recipe on how to live a faithful life: 1. Be thankful. 2. Please God by worshiping Him. 3. Worship Him with fear and awe.

This part of Hebrews is tough for many people including myself. The author is going to discuss something no one likes to talk about and that is God disciplining us. People think of God as someone who is going to strike us down with lightning because we have done something wrong but that is a wrong impression of God. The author tells us God disciplines us because He loves us and if He doesn’t discipline us, then we are illegitimate children! But the struggle for many, like myself is to even see God as a Father because our earthly father abandoned or abused us, maybe both! I talk about my story in this episode and my struggle to look at God as a Father because of what I went through with my dad and stepdad in this episode. I hope you find some encouragement from my story!

The author of Hebrews has given a bunch of examples of people who walked by faith, who had promises from God and they trusted that God would be faithful and come through on His promises. By faith they knew His promises were a reality and they had evidence, even though they couldn’t see it with their eyes. He starts off chapter 12 with a sports analogy when he compares our walk with God to a race and like a coach he gives instructions on how to run this race. Those instructions are, “Look to Jesus, our champion and endure to the end.” If you ever played sports, you wanted to win a championship, that was the goal. Everybody wants to be a champion.

The author of Hebrews is trying to encourage his Jewish readers to stick with Jesus because they are discouraged from being persecuted and some have already chosen to go back to Judaism, an obsolete religion, because Jesus established a new and better covenant by laying down his life as a once and for all sacrifice. He started chapter 11 off by talking about what faith is and, being a Jewish audience for his letter, he is going to go back into their past, their heritage, and show them many examples of people who lived and walked by faith in hopes that his readers would find some encouragement and be strengthened in their walk with Christ. The very first example he gies may surprise you because he mentions us!

Hebrews 11 is known as the “Faith” chapter because of all the people who did things by faith but it is way deeper than that. The author has a reason for bringing up all these people who did things by “faith.” They had a hope, they had a promise, they were looking forward to something far greater. They were looking for heaven, to be with God, to have an intimate relationship with Him and to spend eternity with Him. They were willing to put their lives on the line to follow Him. When times got hard, they continued to follow Him and they did not quit for any reason. They endured! Why? Because faith: Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. They couldn’t see it, but they trusted God to come through and He did. He will for us as well if we remain faithful and do not give up!

When God made Adam, He said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” and then He created Eve. Why? Because God knew man needed community. Too many people try to isolate themselves and it is not healthy at all, which I believe is a reason why so many people give up on life. The author of Hebrews encourages his readers to continue to be a part of community. Why? Because when we are with other people our focus tends to be on them and not ourselves. We find out really fast that we aren’t the only ones suffering and that other people who have been through a similar struggle can offer us wisdom to help us get through, to continue to endure. And that is his message throughout this letter, “Endure, keep going, do not give up!” It’s a great message even for us today. We may not be facing persecution, but we are facing hard times, difficult trials, and can easily be discouraged just like the audience of this letter so listen to his message and find strength to keep pressing forward!

When you were a kid and your parents were teaching you how to fly a kite, did they say, “Hold on tight and don’t let go!”?!? Why did they say that? Because if we let go of the string, the kite will either come crashing to the ground, get caught in a tree, or even worse, fly away and we risk losing the kite! The author is going to lay the hammer down on his readers in chapter 10. It starts off repeating some things he has already said and we have covered but in vs 19 through the rest of the chapter you better put on your seat belt because the road gets pretty rough! He reminds his readers how they can enter God’s presence, right at the throne because of the blood of Jesus but then he encourages them to keep a tight grip on that hope and to not let go because if they walk away from Jesus, they walk away from his promises; they walk away from his sacrifice, the ONLY sacrifice that will get them, and us, into heaven! Jesus is way more precious than a kite and if we want to be with him in heaven for eternity, we have to hold on to him with everything we have because the world, the devil, they are going to throw everything they can at us to make us let go…Hold on as tight as you can!

Millions of animals were sacrificed under the old covenant and yet not even all the blood from those sacrifices pooled together could forgive one sin! It was all a ceremony cleansing but the blood of Jesus is so powerful that it cleanses our sins, purifies our conscience so we can worship God, and it sets us free! That is why the author of Hebrews is saying to his audience, “Jesus is better!” He is better because the old covenant couldn’t get the job done and God himself put on flesh, lived as a man, never sinned, offered himself as the once and for all sacrifice, laid down his life for us, was resurrected, and now sits at the Father’ right hand interceding on our behalf…if…if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and we are living for him on a daily basis, eagerly waiting for his return!

In Hebrews 9 the author starts talking about how the new covenant is better than the old covenant. He begins by describing the tabernacle, how the Holy Place was separated from the Holiest of Holies and the furniture that was included in each room. There was a thick curtain that separated man from God, but also, the people were separated from God and had to have a priest intercede on their behalf! It was all about separation and in the old covenant, the Gentiles were left out because the old covenant was made between God and the Jews. Now that Jesus has established a new covenant, there is no more separation! There is no more Jew, no more Gentile because we are one in Christ. And the best part is, we have direct access to God because of the blood Jesus shed on the cross!

The author gets down to the nitty gritty and says, “This is my main point” and he goes on to say not only is Jesus better than angels, Moses, the law, a better High Priest, but this new covenant he established by his blood that was shed, is better than the old covenant. In fact, the author is so bold to say, “The old covenant is now obsolete!” When he is writing this letter, the Temple is still standing. The Temple was a better version of the tabernacle which was built for traveling since they were wondering in the wilderness for 40 years. David wanted to build God a permanent place to dwell and Solomon, his son, built the first Temple in Jerusalem. It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and later rebuilt. This building was majestic, it was ginormous, and yet it is empty because God no longer resides there. Jesus, God’s Son, was the Messiah who came to fulfill the law and be our once and for all sacrifice. He is now sitting at the Father’s right hand in the place of honor, making intercession for us! Therefore, this new covenant God has established by the blood of Jesus, is better than the old covenant so why would we want to leave Jesus and go to an empty building? Stay with Jesus!

Jesus is better...that is what the author of Hebrews is explaining to the Jewish Christians who are going back to Judaism after suffering some persecution. Jesus is better than angels, he is better than Moses, he is better than the law or any earthly priest, which is his point in Chapter 7. The earthly priests had weaknesses, they were sinners, therefore they had to make sacrifices for themselves on a daily basis. Because they were human, their priesthood would eventually come to an end because they died. Jesus, on the other hand, is better because he never sinned, he doesn't have to make daly sacrifices for himself, he kept the law to perfection, and though he did die, he came back to life in three days and is now indestructible! His priesthood is eternal and he is sitting at the others right hand in place of honor, making intercession for us...for eternity!

To show the Jewish Christians whose faith is fading because of persecution that they can trust God, the author uses somebody they would be very familiar with and would respect greatly—Abraham. He tells his readers that God gave many promises to Abraham and He made an oath to Himself to keep those promises. Abraham, by faith, was obedient and God kept His promises to Abraham, therefore, they can trust that God will keep His promises to them as well as us! He tells them we have a great hope and that hope is a home with Jesus in heaven when we finish the race here on earth. And since Jesus led the way, this hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls…So anchor down!

The author has laid the foundation that Jesus is better and that he is our High Priest and he tells his readers it is time to get off the milk and move on to the meat, the solid foods. Then he gives them a stern warning about turning away from God. These Jewish Christians were being persecuted to some degree and their faith was fading, they were going back to Judaism and the author warns them if they do this, if they leave Jesus, there is no coming back to repentance. He then gives an example of some fields who received rain. All the fields received the rain but only some of the fields produced crops and received God’s blessings. The ones that that received the rain and didn’t produce crops became overwhelmed with thorns and thistles and had to be burned by the farmer because it was useless. Are we USEFUL or USELESS?

In chapter 5 the author continues with the theme of Jesus being our High Priest. After saying Jesus was chosen by God to be our High Priest, he goes on to tell his audience that God knows what they are dealing with and what they are experiencing in life, therefore they should not lose confidence in Jesus and keep the faith! He goes into detail how Jesus was human and was tempted and suffered persecution just as they are and he is here to help them if they would continue their walk with him. It’s so easy to draw back and get mad at God when difficulties come into our lives but that’s the very opposite that we should do. We should run TO God for help! And as we go through life’s struggles there are so many lessons we can learn and the author says Jesus himself learned obedience to God in his struggles. As we continue this study of the Book of Hebrews, it is clear to see the author is trying their best to get the readers of his letter to stay with Jesus and not give up the fight! It’s a great message for us today as we all face trials and storms in our lives!

What has happened in your life that was so bad that you lost your confidence in God? We see this every day in a believer's life. Something bad happens and they get mad at God, blame God for what they are going through, they eventually withdraw from God until they completely shut Him out of their lives! Where does one go when they leave God? What's a better alternative? There's not one and that is what the author of Hebrews is trying to tell their audience who was in danger of missing heaven because they have lost their confidence in God! Persecution has come to them, some have been in jail, some beaten, some have lost all their possessions, and they are losing their confidence in God, in Jesus, so the author is encouraging them to take a look at the people of Israel that wondered in the wilderness for forty years...THEY DIDN'T GET IN! And he tells them if they walk away from Jesus, they won't either and neither will we! So again I ask you, what has happened in your life that has caused you to lose confidence in God?

The book of Hebrews is written to a Jewish audience who has chosen Jesus and have been following him, but persecution is and has taken its toll on some of the believers. They have been in jail, beaten, and have lost all their stuff because they chose to follow Jesus but some of them are struggling with their faith and are giving up. This book is written to encourage them to stay the course and hold on because it will all be worth it in the end! And he really hammers this point home here in chapter 3 to not lose their confidence in Jesus and that he is coming soon and will not delay to rescue them. What a word for our day in time…people are discouraged on a daily basis and life is beating the crap out of us but we have to endure to the end for some day, it will all be worth it! Here is a link to my song sang by Frannie Hamrick called "Finding Strength": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxJPnunznDg

Moses was chosen by God to lead the Hebrew people out of Egyptian bondage and into a land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even though Moses was faithful and did lead the people out, Moses had some flaws. He doubted God and tried to persuade God out of choosing him at first. Then his biggest flaw was not speaking to the rock to get water but instead, out of anger, he struck the rock twice! Because he disobeyed God, Moses only got to see the promised land and didn’t enter it. The author’s point is Jesus is better than Moses because he was 100% faithful to God and never had a single flaw! And since Jesus is greater, we can put our faith and trust in Him…

We finish up chapter 2 discussing again that Jesus is better and far greater than the angels because of what he has done for us such as dying for us and making us holy by his blood. Because of his death we can now call God Father and He has adopted us into His family and we are called the children of God and we inherit God’s blessings. And because of Jesus conquering death when he came out of the tomb, we no longer have to fear death! If we have been washed in the blood of Jesus, we can take our last breath with a smile on our face and peace in our heart because we know what awaits us on the other side is so much better than what we have on earth! Do you have that peace in your heart or does dying scare you to death?!?! If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you should be scared! We are never promised tomorrow and we never know when death will come our way. Accept him today and et his peace fill your heart!

A big thing in our culture is “You have your truth and I have mine,” and what has happened is we have decided what is truth for ourselves. We have decided to do what we want and lie the way we want and to justify it, we make up our own rules and call them “truth.” Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” when he was questioning him before crucifying him. The truth of the matter is, there is a standard of truth that never changes and that truth is God whether we choose to believe Him or not. He set the standard and it’s up to us to believe it, and by faith, lie by it. Sure you can reject the standard, He gives us the freedom to make that choice, but just know there is a day coming when we will suffer the consequences of rejecting God’s truth, Jesus.

Could you imagine seeing an angel? What happens when someone comes into the presence of an angel? They fall on their face! Hebrews 13:2 actually tells us there is a good chance we have seen an angel and didn’t know it! But as cool as that is, Jesus is better. Whatever is going on with the audience, the author of Hebrews wants their readers to know Jesus is better than the angels and he makes his case for that in chapter 1. Jesus is sitting in a place of honor at the Father’s right hand and not one time did God ever say to an angel, “This is my Son,” however, He did say that to Jesus a couple of times! One day we will see all the angels in heaven, but even more awesome than that, we will see God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and best of all, Jesus: the one who paid the price for our sin so that we can have the forgiveness of God!

In the Old Testament, we see God speaking to people in many ways. He spoke to them audibly, He used angels to send messages, He spoke through prophets, but in the New Testament, God spoke to people himself clothed in flesh—Jesus. Moses wanted to see God’s glory but God told him he couldn’t see His face or he would die because he was so holy. When Moses had been in the presence of God, he came down the mountain to talk to the people and they had to put a veil over him because he glowed! And so God puts on flesh and walks among His people and they can relate to him. They literally could hang out with God! They ate meals with Him, talked with Him, traveled with Him…They could literally reach out and touch God! And the author of Hebrews tells us Jesus was the radiance of God’s glory and he expresses the very character of God, and yet, we can relate to Jesus because he was one of us!

What a book for our day and time! Yes it was written nearly two thousand years ago but it's message is timeless: Jesus is better and don't give up on him! In this episode of the GRINDIT Podcast, I pull out some amazing verses from the book to give a preview of what is to come. Hebrews 12:1-3 is actually the basis of this podcast! Our goal at GRINDIT Podcast is to encourage people to keep their eyes on Jesus and not give up! I look forward to breaking this book down with you in the coming weeks. If you have something you would like for me to discuss, email me at thegrinditpodcast@gmail.com....

Three days had passed since Jesus was tortured and killed on the cross. The women had prepared spices for the body but since the Sabbath had started, they had to wait. They go as soon as daylight begins to break on Sunday morning only to find the tomb is empty! After having a discussion with some angels they go back to break the news to the rest of the disciples. Meanwhile, there are two dudes walking toward Emmaus when Jesus appears to them yet they didn’t know it was him. Jesus asks them why they are so upset and they explain to him what had just taken place and how they have lost all hope. They invite him to stay the night with them and the first thing they do is eat a meal. When Jesus says the blessing, they recognize him and he disappears! They run back to Jerusalem to tell the others and while they are explaining what has happened, Jesus appears in the room and eats some fish with them. God has a sense of humor….

It is amazing to me the hatred the religious leaders had for Jesus. They were supposed to be godly men and, knowing the scriptures, they were looking for the Messiah yet, from the very moment he made himself known, they tried to kill him! And now they are finally getting their way. Jesus, God in the flesh, is crucified and buried. In this episode, I share an article written by Cahleen Shrier, Ph.D called The Science of the Crucifixion. She details the process of the flogging and the crucifixion along with the effects they had on his body. She ends by saying, “I am struck every time with the stunning realization that as a flesh and blood human, Jesus felt every ounce of this execution. What greater love than this can a man have for his friends?” My question is, Why would anyone reject such love?”

Jesus is standing before Pilate being questioned by him while the religious leaders are hurling false accusations trying to persuade Pilate to kill him. The hatred for the very Messiah they were looking for is simply atrocious! They come up with several lies and present them as truth which is what the enemy does. After Pilate realized Jesus was a Galilean, he has him sent to Herod. Even there, the religious leaders make their false accusations hoping Herod would have him crucified but he is more interested in seeing a miracle and making a mockery of Jesus. He is sent back to Pilate and Pilate was going to flog him, then release him but the crowd got involved and started shouting they wanted Jesus killed! Pilate, as a true politician, gives the crowd their way and hands Jesus over to the religious leaders to be crucified. Let’s talk about it…

Luke ends chapter 22 with the mockery of a trial the religious had for Jesus. What is sad is that the people who came to arrest him were made up of religious leaders and priests, which are the very same people who are having this pathetic trial. They think they are in control because they have accomplished something they have been trying for three years—they have arrested Jesus and is about to condemn him to death. What they don’t understand is, they don’t have any power and they are actually doing the will of God! This was God’s plan the whole time so Jesus could be the Passover Lamb and die for our sins! Thank you, Jesus, for going through with the Father’s plan for us and giving us hope!

Jesus goes into detail after the disciples asked him where they should prepare the Passover meal. Why such detail? What does it all mean? I believe it was Jesus attempting to show the disciples that he is exactly who he claims to be because they are about to be in massive confusion and disbelief. Every detail Jesus gave them was fulfilled. It happened exactly as how Jesus said it would. Then he says he is “eager” to eat the passer meal with them meaning he had a desire, a lust to eat this Passover meal with them. Why? Because he knew his suffering would soon be over and he would be back with his Father where he belongs—at the father’s right hand making intercession for us.

Luke 22 is a heavy chapter because this is where everything for the disciples goes haywire. Their best friend, whom they have spent the last 3 years with and have watched him do nothing but good to people, will be betrayed, arrested, and crucified the very next morning. Jesus has one last Passover meal with them and he exposes Judas as the betrayer. In this episode I talk about the Passover, now called the Lord’s Supper, and how Jesus became our Passover Lamb that was slain for our sin and reconciled us to God. He is our “once and for all” sacrifice and when God sees the blood of Jesus, He passes over us or he spares us from death and gives us a home with him in heaven! Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

The disciples were in awe of the things they are seeing at the Temple. They are watching the religious leaders throw their money in the offering plate and then they begin to inspect the Temple itself. It was full of gold and silver with fancy carvings in the huge stones that weighed tons. The Temple was majestic and there was no other building like it in that day. Jesus tells them, "Guys, this building, as huge as it is, will be destroyed and there will not be one stone left on top of another." It blew their minds! How can this be? When will it happen? Jesus then answers their question and in this episode we look at a first hand witness to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 by the Romans. It happened just as Jesus said it would. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of this Temple was torn in half signifying we now have direct access to God through Jesus. We don't need anyone to go to God on our behalf!

Jesus and his disciples are going to the Temple on a daily basis to teach. One day they are there and the religious leaders are walking by dropping in a lot of money into the offering plate. The sounds that come ringing forth gets everyone's attention, which is what they were wanting because they loved attention. In fact, the disciples are i awe of what is going on and they marveled at how much the religious leaders were giving. Then there's this poor widow that comes walking up to the offering plate and drops in her two coins. "What good is that compared to all of the money the religious leaders put in?" they may be wondering. Jesus points her out to them and says, "Fellas, she just gave more than all of those religious leaders." Scratching their heads trying to make sense of what Jesus said, he explains, "They gave from their surplus. She gave God all that she had." She put her total faith, her trust in God unlike the religious leaders. Do we?

After the religious leaders failed on their mission to trip Jesus up so they could disclaim who is, they come up with a new tactic: to send in spies. They are going to send some guys in and pretend to be interested in his teachings and when they get the opportunity, they will ask a question that would surely get Jesus to stumble because if he answered a certain way, they could run to the Roman authorities and get him in trouble. However, their scheme failed again because what they didn’t realize is, they had no authority over Jesus whatsoever and if he wanted to, he could speak one word and they would be dead but instead, Jesus showed mercy and he was longsuffering toward them. Why? He was hoping they would see the truth and follow him. We take a look at this word “longsuffering” and what it means and we are forced to answer the question, “Am I longsuffering like Jesus?”

In this episode we take a deeper look at what it was like for Jesus when he was coming into Jerusalem. To do this, we take evidence from an eyewitness who heard and seen it all for himself, John. John tells us how the Pharisees had made a proclamation to all the people that if they saw Jesus, they were to come and report it to them so they could arrest him! These are the ones who should know who Jesus was since they studied and taught the law of God their whole lives yet, they saw Jesus as a freak, a weirdo, and there was no way that guy could be the Messiah. Even though they heard the account of the miracles, even though they could literally go to Lazarus’ house and talk with him about him being dead and in a tomb for four days, how Jesus raised him the grave, they said, “We don’t believe and we have to get rid of this guy!” We do the same thing today; the evidence is all around us, we can go and see artifacts that have been dug up and preserved that back up the authenticity of the Bible, yet we choose to reject Jesus just like the Pharisees and the religious leaders did!

The religious leaders from all over the region have been trying to back Jesus in a corner for three years. They have tried to trip him up so they could prove that he was not the Messiah yet they never accomplished their goal. Therefore, they turned to violence and try to stone him several times. The ones who should have known that Jesus was the Messiah, literally hated God! The very One who they claimed to love and to be serving! And here they are on their turf, the holy city of Jerusalem, Jesus was there, literally to die for the sins of man, to accomplish the will of God, and what they are asking Jesus here is, “Who do you think you are?” And nothing has changed much today! The creation still thinks they are better than the Creator! And Christian, before we slam the religious think about this question, “Am I doing the same they did?” and what I mean by that is: do we trust Jesus or do we question everything he does, everything about him? Even though I know a little bit about the Bible and I say I love God, do I show it by the way I live?

Jesus may have wept over Lazarus but he also wept for Jerusalem. As he approached Jerusalem riding on a donkey, he wept because they had rejected him, the one who could give them real peace and his heart was broken. Then he announces the destruction that would soon come upon them because they had rejected his peace and we can actually look back in history and see when and how this actually happened! We can see pictures of the destruction of Jerusalem that the Romans brought upon Jerusalem, including the destruction of the Temple and that thing still remains a pile of rubble to this day! Even the priests that carried out the sacrifices rejected Jesus who would soon be the sacrificial Lamb. The religious leaders were plotting his death and by the end of the week, they would have succeeded…or at least they thought!

Before Jesus leaves Jericho to continue to Jerusalem, he tells the crowd that continues to follow him a parable about a nobleman who was made king and he had ten servants that he gave some money to so they could invest it while he was gone and benefit the kingdom. Luke tells his readers why Jesus gave the crowd this parable, “He told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.” The Jews had already tried to make Jesus a king when he fed the 5,000, the problem was they had wrong expectations. Jesus didn’t come to set up an earthly kingdom, he didn’t come to deliver the Jews from the Roman oppression, his kingdom would be a spiritual one, one that would be in a whole different realm, a different place called heaven. Don’t be mistaken like the Jews, the kingdom is already here and you can be a part of it!

Zacchaeus had obstacles to overcome to be able to see Jesus but he didn’t let that stop him. He didn’t listen to the doubters, the naysayers, the haters because he was a hated tax collector. They could have let him through to see Jesus but they wouldn’t because they couldn’t stand the guy. But instead of giving up and going home, Zacchaeus planned. Not only did he plan, he executed his plan and it he got to see Jesus. Not only did he see Jesus, Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house to eat a meal with him! Who are you listening to? What plans have you given up on because of the doubting words of people around you? Don’t follow the crowd…plan your route and do not deviate from it, and you will be glad you didn’t give up and followed through!

A man comes to the right place, the right person, and asks the right question, his only problem is he doesn’t give the right response. The rich young man comes to Jesus and asks him, “What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” In other words, “What do I have to do to spend eternity with you?” Jesus tells him and as Jesus is talking the man interrupts and says, “I’ve done that since I was a kid.” Thinking he was in with ease, Jesus looks at him and says, “Good job. Now, go sell all your stuff that you have acquired with your riches, give the money to the poor, then, come and follow me.” The man was sad because he loved his stuff and he didn’t want to part with any of it so he walked away from Jesus…lost. Don’t make the same mistake!

Jesus tells the disciples a story about a Pharisee and a tax collector who are in the Temple together. Two opposite ends of the spectrum represented here. The Pharisee is bragging to God about how faithful he is and what all he has done to show his faithfulness. Then there is the tax collector who won’t even lift is head up as he is praying. He is beating his chest and asks God to have mercy on him because he is a sinner. Jesus said the tax collector was justified before God, not the Pharisee. Why? Because the Pharisee was trusting in himself, his deeds, while the tax collector was trusting God to save him. No matter how many good deeds we do, no matter how many accolades we collect over time, we cannot make it to heaven on our own. We have to rely on God and His Son, Jesus. We must learn some humility, drop our pride, and rely on the Savior to wash our sin away.

Jesus talks to his disciples about prayer so he uses a story about a widow who wanted justice toward her enemy and an judge who didn’t fear God nor does he care anything about people. He keeps refusing to listen to the widow but she is persistent. Instead of giving up, she continues to nag the judge until finally he gives in and she gets justice. Jesus said the judge finally gave in because the widow was getting on his nerves. Then Jesus tells his disciples that God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night. He asks, “Will he keep putting them off?” Then he answers, “I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly!” Though it may not always seem like it, God knows what we are going through, and it may seem like He doesn’t care or He is nowhere around, but He is right by our side the whole time. Nothing catches God by surprise and He knows every tear that falls from our eyes. And if we are persistent like this widow and continue to ask God for help, He will come through in His time.

On the way to Jerusalem to die for the sins of man, Jesus goes in a village on the border of Galilee and Samaria. As he passes through he hears some people yelling at him and asking him to have mercy on them. It was ten lepers and they wanted to be healed. They knew Jesus was a miracle worker and that he is their hope so they cry out to him. He doesn’t have a three week long bible study nor does he tell them, “OK, you’re healed.” He simply tells them, “Go show yourself to the priest,” which is what a person with leprosy had to do when the leprosy was gone so they could be pronounced “Clean” and could reenter society again. They didn’t receive their healing until after they started walking and the sad part of the story is only one came back to say “Thank You” and he was a Samaritan! It’s easy for us to run to God when times are hard, but don’t forget Him when your blessing comes and you’re walking on the mountain top! Always be thankful and never forget Jesus and what he has done for you and me.

Jesus has just told the disciples that they do not want to be the ones who cause a person to fall into sin, to not be a stumbling block. He said it would be better to have a millstone tied around a person’s neck and be thrown into the sea and drown than to cause someone to fall into sin. And the first thing that comes from their mouth is, “Increase our faith.” This tells us two things: 1) They have faith; 2) They want to have greater faith! It was easy for the disciples to have faith in Jesus. They were handpicked by him, they lived with him for three years, they saw his miracles and heard his teachings, etc. but even with all of that, they still doubted him at times. We are just like them yet, we have it a little harder than they did and by that I mean we don’t have Jesus standing next to us, we can’t reach out and touch him so it makes it a little harder for us to have faith. But without faith, it is impossible to please God. So let’s talk about how to get faith and talk about some ways to grow our faith!

Jesus has told his disciples that people are going to sin. The thing about sin is that sin doesn’t just affect the person who sinned, it affects a multitude of people. Depending on the sin, it causes a lot of deep hurt, pain, anguish, anxiety, and depression. If you have been hurt by someone deeply, then you know exactly what I am talking about! And perhaps that person is continuing to pour gas on the fire and continues to sin against you. Jesus tells his disciples, and us, we have to forgive. It is not an option and the reason why is he has forgiven us of our sin. I explain this is detail in this podcast. I didn’t say it is easy, but Jesus did say it is necessary if we want to be forgiven. What is forgiveness? Does it mean we forget what they did? Absolutely not! Does God forget what we did? Nope! He knows every single detail about our past and our future. Jesus said God knows every sparrow that falls to the earth so no, He doesn’t forget our sins. What God does, however, is forgive our sins meaning He doesn’t hold us accountable for the sin we have committed. We deserve punishment, we deserve hell, but Jesus appeased the wrath of God when he died on the cross so we get to enjoy the benefits of and blessings of knowing Jesus, that is, if we have made him our Lord and Savior…and…if we forgive those who have sinned against us!

Jesus tells his disciples “Temptations will always come but sorrow awaits the one who does the tempting!” In the last podcast we talked about what temptation is and where it comes from. In this podcast, we look at the what sin is and the dangers of sin. Sin separates us from God and our whole goal is to be closer to God. If we choose sin then we choose to be separated from God! However, the good news is, if we have made Jesus our Lord and Savior and are striving to be like him on a daily basis, then we have an advocate with the Father that pleads our case and our sin is forgiven when we confess it and turn back to him. Bur knowing the dangers of sin, Jesus says that we don’t want to be the one who tempts others to sin. In fact, he says it would be better if we took a millstone, a very heavy rock, tied it around our neck, and drown in the sea! Why so drastic? Because we are to lead people TO God, not AWAY from God. If we are causing people to stumble in sin, then we aren’t showing the love, the heart of God and that is our purpose! Love like Jesus so you don’t have to wear a millstone necklace…

“Temptations will always come” That’s what Jesus says to start Luke 17 when talking to his disciples. What is temptation and where did is come from? Our goal is to keep our eyes on Jesus and live a life that is pleasing to God. We want to get to heaven when we pass from this temporary life we live into our eternal life. There is someone that will do anything he can to distract us from our goal, he throws things in our path to try and get our attention so our focus will get off of God, and onto something else because if we lose focus, he can work his game and Satan, which means “opposition”, is good at his game! We see it in the Garden of Eden when he got man to lose focus and sin, he got Peter get his focus on the goal when he denied he even knew Jesus, and if we aren’t careful, he will get our attention and we too, will lose focus! And he knows what we like and what will get our attention. Take assessment of your life and make sure you are on track and that you haven’t veered to the right or the left! As the saying goes, “Check yourself, before you wreck yourself”!

Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a poor man who sat at the gate of the rich man just wishing he could could have some scraps to eat from the rich man's table yet he was ignored on a daily basis. The only attention Lazarus received was from the local dogs who would come and lick his sores. Both Lazarus, and the rich man, die and Jesus tells how the tables were turned for eternity. Lazarus can be seen sitting with Abraham eating a delicious meal while the rich man is in tormenting flames, and he is the one now begging Lazarus. He is begging Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and put a few drops on his tongue to quench the heat. I believe Jesus told this parable because of the Pharisees that heard it and how they are the ones represented by the rich man who ignored the needs of the poor around them. And because they took advantage of the assets God had blessed them with and used them for their own personal gain, they will be paying the price for eternity unless they repent. Listen...hell is real. You can choose to believe that or not...it doesn't change the fact that hell is exists and if we continue to reject Christ and live for ourselves, like the 'Pharisees, we will spend eternity there with them in everlasting torment, wishing we could have someone drip some water on our tongues to quench the heat, wishing we had listened and been obedient, wishing that someone would help us escape the torture, but that will never happen. Don't choose hell...choose Jesus!

Luke 16 is the third chapter that Jesus is talking with his disciples about the Pharisees. This was all set up in chapter 14 when Jesus was invited to eat a meal at the home of a Pharisee and he sees them jockeying for the highest place of honor at the dinner table. From that moment he tries to teach them and his disciples what the heart of God is really like. Chapter 16 starts with the parable of the shrewd manager. This guy was hired by a rich man to manage all of his stuff but instead he wasted it. He was stealing from the rich man as well as being dishonest to his customers. The rich man realizes what is happening so he tells the manager to get his report ready, which is accountability, and tells him he is about to be fired. The Pharisees did exactly this; they misused the resources God blessed them with. They were supposed to be the examples of God to the people but they were actually the opposite so Jesus tells his disciples to be faithful in the little things as well as be trustworthy. What about us? Are we faithful with resources God has given us to use for His kingdom? Are we trustworthy?

Right there with the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin is the parable of the prodigal son. It is one of the most misused parables because, in context, it's really about the older brother and how they represent the Pharisees who are mad over the people Jesus in ministering to. The context for this parable as well as the other parables Jesus tells in Luke 14-16 is set up in Luke 14 when Jesus was invited to a Pharisee's house and he wants to get them to understand how they have blown their responsibilities as the religious leaders that were to be the example of God to the people. They were shunning the very people they were to be ministering to and would have nothing to do with them because they thought they were better and above them. Jesus used the brother who squandered everything to show the heart of the Father and the brother who stayed at home to show the heart of the Pharisees. Which are you?

Luke 15 starts off with the Pharisees questioning Jesus about the people he hangs out with. They believe if he were really God, then he would know what kind of people they are and he would never be hanging out with them. So Jesus is going to give them three parables that tell the Pharisees what his mission is, to seek and save the lost. The lost being those who know they are sinners, who need God, and want to serve him whole heartedly. Jesus wants these Pharisees to know what the heart of God is really about. So he uses the examples of sheep, coins, and people to get his point across.

In this interview with my teenage daughter, we talk about her battle with anxiety, depression, and some things she does that help her cope with it. We hope that you will find encouragement from her interview if you struggle with anxiety and depression.

Over the last two years the suicide rate has increased significantly which also means many friends and loved ones suffered broken hearts and are left with many unanswered questions. Young people to older adults have lost hope and made the decision to give up on life. Why? This is probably the biggest question that never gets answered? Feelings of abandonment to anger overtakes the ones left behind as they try to put the pieces of the past together to try and figure out why their friend or loved one took their own life. Anxiety and depression are things that people do not understand and for many they think that the person ought to just get over whatever it is that is bothering them and get on with their life. It's not that easy and for this episode of the GRINDIT Podcast I talk about my personal experience with suicide and some scriptures that help me deal with it on a daily basis. If you are experiencing anxiety and depression and you feel as though you are going to harm yourself, please seek help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255; call a friend, a family member, etc but please seek help!

“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple...that's the words of Jesus. But I thought God is a God of love? Unconditional love so why is Jesus telling us we have to hate everybody if we want to be his disciple? It's all about putting him first in our lives. Who is first in your life? You? Your spouse? Your children? Your parents? Or Jesus?

Janet Jackson released a song in 1986 with the title "What Have You Done For Me Lately" and that title sums up the attitude of many people today when it comes to helping meet the needs of other people. Or we say something like this, "If I do this for you, then what are you going to do for me?" Jesus has been invited to a dinner at a Pharisee's house and he is trying to get them to learn some humility. After talking to all that is in the room, being all rich and powerful Pharisees and other religious leaders, Jesus hones in on the host of the dinner and tells him he should invite the poor, blind, crippled, and the lame; those who cannot repay the host for meeting their needs. These are people they rejected and had nothing to do with even though they "loved" God and "served" Him faithfully. Jesus ministered to everyone, regardless of their income or their social status and he never asked anything in return from anyone. We can earn a great lesson from this Pharisee’s bad example if we pay attention.

Jesus was eating a meal at a Pharisee's house when he noticed they kept trying to sit at the head of the table because they wanted to sit in the higher places of honor but when someone with higher honor than they had came in, they had to get up and move down the table to a lower place of honor and suffer the embarrassment. Jesus ends up telling them if they would just sit at the foot of the table to begin with, they may be invited to sit at the head of the table and save themselves the embarrassment. What he wanted these religious leaders to learn was humility.

Jesus gives three parables to the crowd trying to help them visualize what the kingdom of heaven is like. He uses a mustard seed that is a very small seed yet when planted, it grows into a huge tree that birds use to build their nests in. Then he uses yeast. Yeast is a catalyst that makes dough rise. In these two examples it took something that seemed insignificant to many and it became something great and it took someone to work to get it going. In the third example Jesus uses a house with a narrow door. The Master closes the door at some point and locks it leaving people outside the house and they are looking in the windows as they beg for to be let in but it is too late. The Master said he doesn’t know them and they aren’t welcomed in his house and they are turned away forever. We all have a choice to make: to follow Jesus or reject him. What’s your choice?

If repentance plays such an important role in us going to heaven, then we might ought to understand what it means! John the Baptizer’s message was to repent; Jesus’ message was to repent; and the apostles’ message was to repent. So what does it mean to repent? It is saying “I’m sorry” or is it more than that? If where we spend eternity rides on it, then we better know what repentance is! Also, Luke covers a situation where a woman who was crippled is healed in the synagogue and the leader of the synagogue is outraged! He claims Jesus had six other days to heal this woman but I think it goes deeper than that with this man. I think his anger is coming from his broken pride. I think his ego was crushed because he knew this woman and couldn’t help her and this drifter who claims to be from God shows up one time and heals her on the spot! Listen, don’t be jealous or full of envy when others are blessed, but rejoice with them! Article cited: What does it mean to repent? https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/life/faith/2017/02/17/mean-repent/98018312/

I heard a guy say, "God hates me!" because of something he was dealing with...But is that true? Luke 13 starts out with a tragedy. Some Jews had come to the Temple to offer their sacrifices to God and for some reason, Pilate has them murdered. Jesus takes this opportunity to teach the crowd, and his disciples, that death is imminent and it doesn't happen because we are worse sinners than someone else. He tells them regardless of how death comes, the most important thing is to repent of our sins and live for God. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death…Death is separation and because of sin we are separated from God and if we die in our sin, then we are given our wage. A wage is something we earn by working and when payday comes, we receive our check. BUT...a gift cost someone else something and they give it to us. God has given us a gift!... the free gift of eternal life through what His Son, Jesus, did for us on the cross and the empty tomb! We can choose our wage or we can choose God’s gift. What is your choice?

How do we know if the Kingdom of God is our top priority? How do we know that we are putting God first in our lives? Because we will be focused on others and not ourselves which is Jesus’ point to the man in the crowd that asked him to help get his inheritance from his brother. It’s all about focus. Where is yours? Is your focus on earthly things? Are you concerned with working a lot so you can buy more stuff? Or are you focused on heaven and pleasing God? If you say, “Heaven” then are you doing what Jesus said? How do we know if we are? Jesus said if we are focused on heaven then we will sell what we own and help meet other people’s needs. Are you selfish or selfless? As Luke 12 comes to an end Jesus tells his disciples to stay prepared. Prepared for what? His coming and his words still ring true. Keep your focus heavenward so you aren’t caught by surprise when the Groom returns for his bride!

As Jesus was talking to his disciples, there was a man who interrupted him. He said, “Jesus, my brother will not give me my part of the inheritance. Will you say something to him so he will?” The Bible is not a weapon for us to use to bully someone and get our way. When we can’t control or manipulate someone, the last thing we should do is try to use Jesus, or the bible, to get our way and that is what is going here. This guy in the crowd can’t get his way so he thought if Jesus told the brother to give his part of the estate to him, then the brother would surely listen to Jesus and do what is right! Right???!!! This is hardly ever the case. People that have hurt you or have sinned against you, they know what they did was wrong. No matter how many times you throw bible verses in their face, they aren’t going to listen and most likely will not apologize. This man was focusing on the wrong thing and that’s what Jesus wanted him to learn. Don’t focus on what others are doing or not doing, instead focus on what you, as a follower of Christ are doing or not doing. As we do that, we can ask God to take care of the situation as He sees fit!

Death is coming and there is no way around it. As morbid as it is to think about, it’s still a fact. Once we take our last breath on this earth, we take our first breath in eternity. Where will you spend it? Where your fear is will give you the answer! Jesus said, “Don’t fear someone who can kill your body but fear the One who can send your soul to hell!” Do you fear God? The One who literally has our soul in the palm of His hand? He has the power to send us to hell or welcome us into heaven where he is. You have a choice! We all have fear but some of us have misplaced fear. We fear things that we have no control over for example, look at the news. People watch the news and they become full of fear, anxiety, and they worry about what is going to happen and how will it affect them. Fear can be healthy for example: I fear God because He holds my future in His hands and if I choose to reject Him, then I will spend eternity in hell never to have a second chance but if I choose His Son Jesus and His sacrifice for me, then I get to be with Him in heaven for eternity! Where is your fear?

Jesus was talking to his disciples as a crowd gathers around them and he begins to teach them to not be like the Pharisees. In chapter 11 Luke gave his version of Matthew 23 where Jesus pronounced the “Woes” on the Pharisees. What he is doing is exposing their hypocrisy. A hypocrite is simple terms is someone pretending to be something they are not. It’s a term that comes from Greek theatre where men played all the roles and they would wear a mask to pretend to be someone or something else. The Pharisees, along with the religious leaders, were pretending to serve God and to love God but in reality they were doing the opposite. They were doing everything for power and prestige, to be seen by those in their community yet they didn’t care for the people in their community at all. They felt as though they were “above” the “sinners”! So Jesus explains to his disciples that their righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees because they will soon be taking over the Kingdom of God and they will be the ones people look to for help and guidance, especially when persecution comes. I’ll challenge you like Jesus challenged his disciples, “Be real!”

In verses 14-28, Jesus casts a demon out of a man who couldn’t speak. After the demon was gone, the guy could talk. You would think people would be excited about this but nope, some of the people in the crowd accused Jesus of getting his power from Satan. They must have been murmuring amongst themselves because Luke says, “Jesus knew their thoughts” and he called them out on it telling them a kingdom divided against itself can’t stand. They challenged Jesus and demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He just did idiots! So Jesus has a conversation with these people and as he is talking some woman yells out of nowhere “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!” In vs28 Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” This is the point Jesus wanted them to get. This crowd, like many others, are hearing the word of God, from God himself, and instead of putting it into practice, they are challenging him and his authority. Don’t follow the crowd. Follow Jesus and do what he says and let your light shine.

Jesus, as he does so eloquently, tells the disciples a story to illustrate the power of prayer and what is going on when we do pray. Some guy wasn’t prepared for the guests that will soon be arriving at his house so in a panic he goes to a neighbor’s house while they are all in the bed, knocks on the door, and asks for three loaves of bread and he explains why. The neighbor is reluctant because he was comfortable and wanted to go to sleep but the guy won’t take no for an answer and he keeps on knocking on the door. Realizing he won’t get any sleep unless if he gives this guy the bread, he gets up and gets the bread and gives it to the persistent neighbor. How many times have we prayed for something a time or two and gave up thinking God wasn’t going to answer? Jesus tells his disciples and us, “Be persistent and if you keep on knocking, God will answer!” That is a promise from the mouth of Jesus himself…

How often do you pray? Every day? Once in a while? Only when trouble comes your way? When you are desperate? Jesus was constantly going off alone to spend some time with the Father in prayer. Prayer is how we communicate with God, it’s us having a conversation with Him. The disciples have watched Jesus do this for so long and they noticed there’s something special about the time Jesus spends with the Father so they came to him and said, “Teach us how to pray…” Prayer is critical in our daily walk with God and if we aren’t praying, our relationship is suffering just like our earthly relationships do between souses, friends, and loved ones. If there isn’t much communication, then the relationship is weak and it dwindles away. If there is strong communication, then the relationship is strong. God wants a strong relationship with you and me and He is waiting to have a conversation so start talking! And as you talk, just like in any good conversation, you have to listen! Jesus tells his disciples how they should pray to the Father and we can do the same today…

When the 72 disciples came back to Jesus they reported everything God had done through them and they were so excited because demons didn’t stand a chance against the name of Jesus! Jesus was moved by their excitement and was filled with joy but he tells them, “Don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” Miracles are awesome but the Miracle Worker is the greatest ever! So many churches, so many Christians today are looking for miracles when we should be looking for the miracle worker Jesus and drawing close to him. And that is the message Jesus had for those disciples! Rejoice, not in the miracles, but that your names are registered in heaven! We may never see a miracle but we definitely see the miracle worker some day! Is your name registered in heaven so you can stay with the miracle worker, Jesus, for eternity?

Just as he did with his hand-picked 12 disciples, Jesus commissions 72 more people to go into more towns and villages to tell people the Kingdom of God is here. He gave them the power and authority to heal the sick and cast out demons to ack up their message. If the people accepted the message, they received a blessing but if they rejected the message, then they decided their own fate. Just like these 72 disciples, you and I have been chosen by Jesus, filled with his Holy Spirit, and been given the commission, the Great Commission, of going out amongst the world and telling people the good news about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection! Are you sharing the Good News?

Jesus takes three of his disciples up on a mountain to pray. This has happened before because Jesus would spend time with the Father in prayer but this time something is different. Jesus begins to pray like before but two men show up and they carry on a conversation about the death and resurrection that Jesus would soon experience. Luke tells us these two guys are Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets both of which Jesus is greater. During this time Jesus turns a brilliant white and Luke said it was glorious to see! But here’s the problem…Peter, James, and John almost missed the whole thing because they were sleeping! Yes! They fell asleep while Jesus was praying and they only woke up to see Moses and Elijah walking away and disappearing into a cloud! You can be the most faithful follower of Jesus but if you are asleep spiritually, you are missing out on the some of the greatest blessings God has for you! Wake Up!!!

Do you trust God? Seriously…do you fully rely on God? That was the message Jesus was trying to get his disciples to focus on. He knew he was going to die soon leaving them in charge so he was trying to get them to rely on God and not themselves. He even told them that he was going to die but what was they concerned with? Who is the greatest among them…Then Jesus has this mountain top experience in the Transfiguration while Peter, James, and John slept. After they come down from the mountain there is a ginormous crowd waiting and Jesus wants to feed them. He tells the disciples to feed the people but they say it can’t be done…wrong! Jesus takes two fish and five loaves of bread and feeds thousands of people which again shows that they should rely on God and not themselves. Then he turns to the crowd and says, “If you want to follow me, then you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” Our natural instinct is “I must be in control” but God says, “I want control…” Who is in control of your life? You or God?

Have you ever wished you could walk into hospitals and lay hands on every person in it and heal them? Just bring so much joy to those who are suffering and to heal them from their pain? Maybe you, yourself, or a loved one has dealt with a life challenge and you would heal that situation. The fact is there is something greater than miracles…the Miracle Worker! Jesus! Jesus is who we should be focused on and not the miracles. Jesus gave the disciples the power and authority to work miracles and cast out demons but the reason he did so was to enable them to go into villages and tell the people about the Kingdom of God and as they told the message, they could back it up with evidence by working a miracle. God can and does still work miracles today but we need to look for the Miracle Worker instead of the miracle because if the miracle doesn’t happen, the Miracle Worker will still save us and bring us on home to be with him in heaven so either way, it’s a win-win!

In this last part of Luke 8 we see several examples of miracles such as Jesus calming the storm by speaking a few words when the disciples were scared out of their minds. When they got to the shore there was a naked man who came running up to the boat shrieking and making weird noises because he was full of demons. Jesus cast the demons out him into a herd of pigs and the shepherds take off running to town and tell the people what happened. The crowd comes out to see the naked man who is now fully clothed and he is sitting at the feet of Jesus completely sane. They freak out and ask Jesus to leave town! Then there is Jairus who’s 12 year old daughter is almost dead. He begs Jesus to come to his house and heal her but as they are on their way, a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years comes up from behind Jesus and touches the hem of is garment and was healed. Jesus has a conversation with the woman and as he is talking, some of Jairus’ friends show up and tell him that his daughter is dead. Jesus tells Jairus something that we all need to hear today, “Don’t be afraid.” In fact, it is a theme throughout these examples. Today, in the midst of Covid and all kinds of chaos, people are living in fear and Jesus is saying, “Fear not, trust me.” Do you?

Jesus began to teach the crowds in parables. The first parable Jesus tells is about a farmer who sawed seed and prepared for a harvest. The seed fell on different places such as footpaths, the rocks, the thorns, and on good, fertile soil. The thing about the seed is that it was always useful, even on the footpaths because it became birdseed. Jesus interprets the parable for his disciples and he explains the different types of soil and what happened to the seed. He then tells a parable about a light and how people put their lamps on a stand so the light will illuminate the room. Light reveals and that is great because we can see obstacles that would harm us if it was dark…like a Lego we were about to step on! We need to be fertile soil that produces fruit and we need to shine our light in a dark world so people will be able to find hope!

People want equality today but did you know Jesus was way ahead of his time when it came to equality? Luke 8 begins with three names of women who left everything to follow Jesus. Luke tells us these women were either healed of a disease or they had demons cast out of them. He mentions three by name, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, who was the wife of Herod Antipas' business manager, and a lady named Susanna. But Luke then mentions something interesting...he says there were other women that gave of their resources to help Jesus and his disciples. Fellas, we have to step up our game when it comes to serving the Lord especially in the our local church gatherings. Many churches would have closed their doors by now if the women have not stepped up! Thank you to all of the women who serve our Lord and Savior; those who minister to the needs of our communities and glorify God with their resources. May God bless you all...

Luke ends chapter 7 with Jesus being invited to a home of a certain Pharisee named Simon. He has a bunch of his Pharisee buddies over so they can “get to know” Jesus a little better but as they are sitting around the table an uninvited guest disrupts the fellowship. She goes straight to Jesus, breaks an alabaster jar, and pours perfume on Jesus’ feet. She is crying as she is doing this and she washed his feet with her tears, then she takes her hair and wipes them dry. Simon, the Pharisee who invited Jesus into his home, questions Jesus in his mind, “If this man was a prophet, then he should know this woman is a sinner and he wouldn’t dare let this sinner do this!” Jesus calls him out in front of his friends and puts him in his place. This woman KNEW who she was, a sinner lost without hope and that Jesus could fix her. Simon THOUGHT he knew who he was but he really didn’t. He couldn’t recognize that he was a sinner in need of a Savior. What about you? Are you going to accept him or continue to reject him even though he is sitting in your house, at your table, and giving you every opportunity to know him in a personal way?

God is a God of perfect timing and a great example of this is Jesus arriving in the village called Nain just as a widow was leaving town to bury her only son. Jesus stops the funeral and raises the kid back to life! Luke says, “Great fear swept the crowd…” In my opinion, we have lost our “fear” of God. It is evident just by turning on the news or looking on your social media feed. So much evil taking place everywhere and it seems as if the person who did the evil shows no remorse whatsoever and sometimes even tries to justify their actions. God has the ability to save us or condemn us yet many people don’t even consider God and His will for our lives. Any decision, I repeat, any decision we make should revolve around God and what He would want us to do! What about you? Do you fear God? Are your decisions made around Him or do you just do what you want not really caring about the consequences?

Luke starts off chapter 7 by introducing his readers to a very powerful man that doesn’t fit the profile of someone who would put their trust in Jesus but that is exactly what happens. Up until this point, the people that have been coming to Jesus have been Jews, poor Jews who were sick, had deformities, or demons. They have heard of his miraculous power and they have come from miles around to find hope. This centurion is a Roman, a Gentile, in fact, he is an officer in the Roman army. He isn’t poor, instead he is rich and powerful. He doesn’t fit the mold of the typical Jesus follower at that time yet he was more of an example of a Jesus follower than the Pharisees and the religious leaders of his day. In fact, after Jesus dealt with this Roman centurion, he said he had never seen faith like this man has in all of Israel! And this man is a Gentile! And this Gentile who had a lot of power also had a lot of humility and compassion because he had a synagogue built for the Jews in his community and paid the bill and he cared for his Jewish slave that was on his death bed. When he heard about Jesus he immediately sent for him to come heal his slave which also shows his faith. What do your friends, your family, your coworkers say about you? Can they tell you have been with Jesus?

Jesus spars with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law again on the Sabbath Day when he heals a man’s withered hand in the synagogue. It was at this point that Jesus became known as an “enemy” to the Pharisees and all of the religious leaders. From this time on they would try to come up with a plan to get rid of this man who claims to be from God. After this, Jesus then goes up on a mountain alone to spend some time with the Father praying and Luke says he prayed all night long. What’s the longest prayer you have said? How much time do you spend with God? Do you have a relationship with God, with Jesus, or is He a friend? An acquaintance? When we have a relationship with someone, we spend quality time with them and there is great communication. We only spend a little time with friends or with someone we consider an acquaintance and there is little communication. Think about how much time you spend with God in prayer, reading His word, worshiping Him in a week’s time, on a daily basis…Again, do you have a relationship with God or is He more of an acquaintance?

Jesus has begun to spar with the religious leaders. The Pharisees have heard enough about this guy and they begin to challenge Jesus quietly, yet Jesus would call them out publicly. They would ask a question in their head and Jesus would answer their question in front of the crowd so all could hear. In Luke 6 we have two more challenges between these two and both take place on a Sabbath Day, the day God set aside for rest and called it holy. The Pharisees are watching Jesus and his disciples every move trying to catch him breaking the law so they can discredit Jesus and they see his disciples breaking some grain, shucking it in their hand, and eating it because they were hungry. They immediately rush in and question the disciples and Jesus comes to their rescue using David, a king they had the utmost respect for, as an example to justify what was happening. But Jesus doesn't stop there; he adds "The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath." In other words, "I created the Sabbath, I created the very law that y'all study and teach, therefore I am greater than the Sabbath so we haven't done anything wrong here." As a follower of Jesus, be careful that you don't bind things on people bringing them oppression when Jesus wants to give them freedom!

Why do people choose to be stubborn when they get sick and not go see a doctor? We think we can handle it ourselves by shoving a bunch of vitamins in us and over the counter medicines. Some people even try denying the fact that they are even sick although they are running a fever, sore throat, can’t breathe, mucus pouring out of their nose, maybe even throwing up! The Pharisees had come to hear Jesus’ teaching one day when some friends bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus to be healed. Jesus tells the guy, “Your sins are forgiven,” and the Pharisees went nuts! “Who does this man think he is?” they said amongst themselves and Jesus calls them out in front of the crowd. “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Yo bro…quit denying your sick and go to the doctor. Go to Jesus because he is the ONLY cure for your disease called sin!

Peter was acquainted with Jesus. He had met him in the synagogue when Jesus visited Capernaum and had taught there. After casting out the demon that day Jesus with home with Peter and stayed at his house for a while. Jesus even healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. People were bringing their sick friends and family to Peter’s house in hopes that Jesus would heal them. Jesus leaves Peter’s house and travels around Judea telling people about the kingdom of God but on this particular day Jesus chose to teach on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where Peter was washing his nets from fishing the night before. Jesus uses Peter’s boat to teach the people and after he finishes his teaching he asks Peter to launch out into the deep. He then tells him to cast his nets once again but Peter was reluctant because he had fished all night, didn’t catch anything, and he had already cleaned his nets. But he didn’t want to be disrespectful to Jesus so he cast his nets into the water. The rest is history. Do you ever feel lost in the crowd? God knows you, He knows everything about you, and God has a purpose for you. The question is, will you like Peter, be obedient and allow Him into your life?

In the South we have a saying, "Bless his/ her/ your heart." It's basically an expression of doubt. We feel like we can say anything we want about a person as long as we say, "Bless your heart..." Jesus get's the "Bless his heart" experience in his hometown. Jesus goes to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth to worship and was given a scroll to read. He opens the scroll and reads Isaiah 61:1-2. He tells the people that today this prophecy has been fulfilled before their very eyes. This is people who have seen him grow up as a child, friends and family that he has went to the synagogue with for thirty years to worship. Their immediate response is, "Isn't this Joseph's son?" In other words, "Bless his heart." They don't get it, they don't understand, they don't see that Jesus is God in the flesh, the very Messiah they had been taught about that is coming to redeem them. In fact, they try to kill him by forcing him to the edge of a cliff and wanted to push him off! When you have a vision, a dream, a passion and you share it with others, don't be discouraged if they don't share the same excitement that you have. They simply don't get it but don't let that hold you back from doing God's will that He has placed on your heart!

Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River to kick off his pathway to the cross. After he was baptized the Holy Spirit comes down on him in the form of a dove and a voice from heaven gives conformation to what has taken place, "This is My Son in whom I'm well pleased." Immediately, as this mountaintop experience comes to a climax, Jesus is led to the wilderness by the Spirit where he will be tempted by the devil for forty days. The devil uses the same old tricks he used with Adam and Eve: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life but Jesus resists the temptations by using the word of God, "It is written..." Paul talks about Christians putting on the armor of God in Ephesians 6 but it's all defensive! There is only a mention of an offensive weapon--the word of God. But this is all we need for in verse 10 he says we are to "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." Without Jesus, we are powerless but with Jesus, we can stand against anything that comes our way!

I own six guitars, a mandolin, a banjo, and a six piece drum set. I'm in my room with them when I'm at home and not once, since I have owned them, have they made a sound unless I pick the strings or beat the drums with some sticks! Guitars have to be played to make sounds! I bought my kids a guitar to learn on and they just sat in their room and was never touched. I even put some new strings on my daughter's guitar yet it sat in her closet until I took it out and made a cool light for my room with it. I paid a lot of money for those guitars, they cost me a great deal. Even greater than these guitars, we have a Savior that paid a great price so our sins can be forgiven yet, unfortunately, many of us never pick up Jesus. We just continue to reject his offer of salvation and we put him in the closet to be forgotten while we are busy doing other things.

I own six guitars, a mandolin, a banjo, and a six piece drum set. I'm in my room with them when I'm at home and not once, since I have owned them, have they made a sound unless I pick the strings or beat the drums with some sticks! Guitars have to be played to make sounds! I bought my kids a guitar to learn on and they just sat in their room and was never touched. I even put some new strings on my daughter's guitar yet it sat in her closet until I took it out and made a cool light for my room with it. I paid a lot of money for those guitars, they cost me a great deal. Even greater than these guitars, we have a Savior that paid a great price so our sins can be forgiven yet, unfortunately, many of us never pick up Jesus. We just continue to reject his offer of salvation and we put him in the closet to be forgotten while we are busy doing other things.

There are many things that can cause I guitar to be out of tune but just looking at it, you wouldn't know it was out of tune. However, once those strings are strummed...oof, it sounds like a nightmare! So the musician retunes the guitar and starts to jam and beautiful music is made. Well, we are like guitars. It doesn't take much to get our lives out of tune with God and what's sad is we don't even realize we are out of tune! We let sin creep in and God becomes distorted. We need the Holy Spirit to get us back in tune so God can use us to make beautiful music for His glory! Are you jammin'?

There are many things that can cause I guitar to be out of tune but just looking at it, you wouldn't know it was out of tune. However, once those strings are strummed...oof, it sounds like a nightmare! So the musician retunes the guitar and starts to jam and beautiful music is made. Well, we are like guitars. It doesn't take much to get our lives out of tune with God and what's sad is we don't even realize we are out of tune! We let sin creep in and God becomes distorted. We need the Holy Spirit to get us back in tune so God can use us to make beautiful music for His glory! Are you jammin'?

A guitar has to be played or the strings will die! If a guitar sits around too long and doesn't get played the strings lose their tone and they will only produce a thud. The same is said about our faith if we don't use it! If we don't put our faith into action...IT WILL DIE! I didn't say it! God did through James! Check it out!

A guitar has to be played or the strings will die! If a guitar sits around too long and doesn't get played the strings lose their tone and they will only produce a thud. The same is said about our faith if we don't use it! If we don't put our faith into action...IT WILL DIE! I didn't say it! God did through James! Check it out!

Poser Test: An expensive guitar sounds better than a cheap guitar no doubt, however, a cheap guitar is still a guitar! It can be used by a beginner to learn how to play guitar, but it can also be used by an expert to jam with if it's all he has got. When it comes to Christianity, we all want the real deal; We want Jesus but in reality, He is sitting at the father's right hand in heaven and we won't see him until we die or he returns to call us home. So...you'll just have to settle for the cheaper version...and that would be you and me. We are all he has to use; We are, or should be, representing Jesus while we are here on this earth. Ephesians 5:1 Be imitators of God... When Paul said that, he wasn't offering a suggestion...it was a command! Can people see Jesus when they look at you? Part two coming soon!

(continued from previous podcast) An expensive guitar sounds better than a cheap guitar no doubt, however, a cheap guitar is still a guitar! It can be used by a beginner to learn how to play guitar, but it can also be used by an expert to jam with if it's all he has got. When it comes to Christianity, we all want the real deal; We want Jesus but in reality, He is sitting at the father's right hand in heaven and we won't see him until we die or he returns to call us home. So...you'll just have to settle for the cheaper version...and that would be you and me. We are all he has to use; We are, or should be, representing Jesus while we are here on this earth. Ephesians 5:1 Be imitators of God... When Paul said that, he wasn't offering a suggestion...it was a command! Can people see Jesus when they look at you?

John the Baptizer was preaching the kingdom of God is at hand and that people needed to repent of their sins and be baptized. Crowds of people came out to hear John speak and many would be obedient to his message being baptized right there in the Jordan River. He had all kinds of people listening to his message and asking him what should they do to make things right. He had mean, women, tax collectors and even soldiers! Why, even the religious leaders came out to hear his message! And the things John told them can be boiled down to this: Where’s your heart? If God has changed our hearts, then our lives will reflect that. Jesus summed it up when he was asked what the greatest commandment is: The first is love God with all your heart, soul, strength. Then Jesus added, the second one is love your neighbor as yourself. We tend to be self—ish but Jesus was self—less. We need to be more like Jesus. He was always thinking of others and never about himself. Even when he was going through so much pain on the cross, he still thought of others when he said, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” What does your heart say about you? Does your heart reflect Jesus? Do people see Jesus when they look at your life?

It’s all about the message. The messenger has nothing to do with anything. John the Baptizer is a perfect example. Here’s a guy who was living in the desert, he dressed in camel’s hair, and for food he ate locusts and wild honey. You know the guy never shaved so he had to have long hair and a long beard which would catch the carcasses of those locusts and wild honey would just matte it all up. That’s how people make dreads so maybe John had dreads…who knows, but what I do know this was one nasty, stinky dude. If he took a bath at all it would be when he baptized people in the Jordon River but even then, the Jordan River has dirty water! Yet God used this guy to let the whole world know the Messiah is here and the kingdom of God is at hand. The message can come from anybody or anything but the message never changes: the gospel. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the message and there is so much power in the name of Jesus! Are you sharing the message with others? If not, WHY NOT?!?!?!

In Luke 3 we are hit hard with facts right off the bat! We are given people’s names, where they ruled, when they ruled, and there has been artifacts found that back up the information Luke gives us so why do people continue to not believe the Bible? By God’s grace and His mercy He provided us a sacrifice for our sins to be forgiven! And it was always His plan! God knew Adam would blow it and sin which is why He always had a plan to redeem man…He would send His own son to be the sacrifice that would cleans man from our sin. Jesus, the Messiah, knew what his mission was—the cross—and he never shy’s away from that mission. He died on the cross, shed his blood for the payment of man’s sin, was buried in a tomb for three days, and walked out of that tomb alive! Then he showed himself alive to many people over forty days, and then ascended back to heaven where he sits at the Father’s right hand, a place of highest honor, a place of power and all authority. It compelled Luke to write this gospel and he says from the very beginning, “I’m writing this so you know it is true. You may choose not to believe it, but that doesn’t change the facts! These people, including Jesus, were real people who walked on this earth and Jesus is the only one who died and came out of that grave alive! Why would we not want Jesus on our team?!?!?!

Luke introduces a woman named Anna who was a prophet and lived at the Temple. She was married but her husband passed away after seven years of marriage. After he passed, Anna never left the Temple again and Luke says she worshipped God day and night with fasting and prayer. What a great lesson she gives us! And when she heard Simeon talking to Joseph and Mary, she went and told everyone about the Messiah that has come. Luke finishes chapter two talking about Jesus staying behind in Jerusalem when he was twelve years old. It was a four day journey back home to Nazareth and they had been traveling about a day when they noticed Jesus was missing. It took them three days to find him! Can you imagine the panic they felt?!?! This is all we know about the childhood of Jesus. Jesus would be starting his ministry at the age of thirty and it would kickoff with John the Baptizer baptizing him in the Jordan River. Jesus knew his mission from an early age and he never backed away from it. He became our perfect sacrifice and his blood washes our sins away and because of his sacrifice, we are made right in the sight of God…IF we have accepted him as our Lord and Savior! Have you?

Jesus is eight days old and as God’s law required, Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the temple to be circumcised. Luke introduces his readers to a guy named Simeon who was told by God Himself, that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. He wasn’t even suppose to be at the Temple that day but he was led by the Holy Spirit, and because he listened and allowed the Spirit to guide him, Simeon went to the Temple and he not only saw, but held the baby in his arms. Are we listening to the Holy Spirit and allowing him to guide us? If not, we are missing out some of God’s greatest blessings! And when Simeon saw Jesus he said he could now die in peace. Death is imminent and cannot be avoided. When you think about death are you filled with fear or peace? If we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior then we don’t have to fear death because when we take our last breath on earth, we take our first breath in heaven where we will worship our Lord for eternity!

Luke 2 starts with more details from Luke as he gives us more names of Roman leaders which gives us a time frame for the birth of Jesus. He talks about a census that had taken place which many people use to discredit Luke and his gospel. There are several arguments that support Luke including an autobiography by Augustus himself called the Res Gestae and in it he mentions having a census done several times. I have provided a couple of links that are interesting reads that support Luke and his gospel in the description on YouTube. We get into the birth of Jesus as well and one thing to point out is how Jesus touched people that are on opposite ends of the spectrum: Luke, a doctor who is writing this gospel, yet never met Jesus face to face, and the shepherds, who saw the baby Jesus and it changed their lives forever! How has Jesus impacted your life? Or has he?

Darrel is a former elder at Partnership Christian Church and he currently plays on the worship team. Darrel sat down with the GRINDIT Podcast to talk about his life and being an elder of a congregation.

Finishing up Luke 1 with some things to ponder: Just because Zechariah talked with an angel and couldn’t talk any more after he didn’t believe Gabriel, he still continued his service to God in the temple. • Do you remember a time that you had been praying for something for a long time and then the answer came? • How did you feel? How did you react? God came through with His promise…Elizabeth became pregnant. • 2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Why did Elizabeth go into seclusion for five months? • Elizabeth is a great example of humility and meekness. Luke ends chapter 1 with a prophecy from Zechariah that talks about Jesus being the mighty savior and how John will prepare the way for the Messiah. He is probably holding the baby, looking down at him in his arms, and he says in vs76, “And you my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High because you will prepare the way for the Lord. What a proud dad moment!

Mary has a visit from the angel Gabriel and he tells her that she is going to be with child and that child is from God Himself! She asks, “How can this be?” she asked, “I can’t have a child…I’m a virgin!” And the angel explains to her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Most High will overshadow her. A couple of says later she leaves to visit her cousin Elizabeth who is six months pregnant with John the Baptizer. Mary stays for three months and comes home. This would be a shock to Joseph! Why? She would be showing when she came back home and Joseph knows he hasn’t had sex with her, so in his mind he is thinking she has slept with someone and has cheated on him. He was going to divorce her and it took an angel to intervene! Artificial insemination is no big deal today with our technology but this was unheard of 2,000 years ago! God became flesh, lived a normal life up until the age of 30 when his ministry started, then his mission was to die on a cross, be buried in a tomb for three days, and was resurrected! Just as the angel had told Mary, “He will be called Emmanuel which means God With Us and you will name him Jesus which means God Is Salvation. Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

In Luke 1 we are introduced to two women who are related, they are cousins—Mary and Elizabeth. One is old and has been serving God a long time. The other is young and is basically trying to figure out where her place is in society. One has been praying to God for a long time to have a baby yet she never did and has passed the age of being able to get pregnant…way past. The other is a virgin and is more concerned with helping her parents around the house. I’m sure having a baby was the farthest thing from her mind. Both have a visitation from an angel and both become pregnant miraculously! Some people may work hard all of their lives and never get what they have been praying for while some have the “it” factor meaning they don’t work hard and things come easy for them. Elizabeth was old, too old to have children, yet she stayed faithful to God and He came through when she couldn’t do it on her own. Mary was a teenager, not even married yet, so she wasn’t looking to have a child, yet she is blessed to be chosen as the mother of the savior of the world—Jesus the Messiah! The point: Don’t give up on God; stay faithful because He will come through for you just as He did for Elizabeth!

Luke says he has checked out other people’s accounts about Jesus and how they compared. He said he investigated them going all the way back to the beginning and not only that but he used eyewitness accounts from the early disciples when he wrote his gospel. Why? “…so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.” In other words. Luke is meticulous with his writings therefore his readers, even 2000 years later, can trust what he says is true. The question is: What are you going to do with what he writes? Believe it? ? Or reject it? In his details Luke mention Zechariah has a conversation with the angel Gabriel as he is doing his priestly duties in the Temple. I briefly talk about angels because we have the wrong idea about what angels look like. We usually picture them as men-like figures with wings and when a certain holiday comes around we picture a baby with wings shooting arrows. You may be surprised to learn what angels really look like!

Paul has an opportunity to share his defense with Agrippa and as he does, Agrippa comes to the conclusion that Paul could have been set free that day if he had not appealed to Caesar. But since he did, the book of Acts continues with Luke giving us a lot of details of the trip to Rome; how the weather was, where they sailed to and from, the storm that tore the ship the pieces, and even how the guests on the island of Malta treated them so well. He ends the book with Paul having a discussion with the Jewish leaders in Rome about Jesus and how he is the Messiah that the prophets wrote about. As usual, some believed but many didn't and Paul tells them that the Gentiles are more open than they are and that's who will continue to share the message of Jesus with. What happens after Acts 28? You can Google that because people smarter than me have taken pieces of history and scripture and came up with what they believed happened including Paul being set free and preaching in Spain! But unfortunately it comes to an end when Paul, along with many other Christians, are persecuted for their faith and he is beheaded under Nero's reign in 68AD. The question for you is: What are you going to do with the message of Jesus? Believe and live for him? Or reject and do your own thing?

Paul has given his defense, his testimony to the angry mob that tried to kill him and to the high council. In Acts 24 and 25 he has a hearing with Felix, the governor and for two years, Felix tries to get Paul to pay him a bribe to let him go but Paul never did. Felix leaves office and Festus takes over. Festus wanted to please the Jews so he had Paul's hearing immediately after taking office and wanted to transfer Paul to Jerusalem. Paul knew he'd never make it to Jerusalem because the people had a plan to ambush him so he appeals to Caesar. Festus can't find any accusations worth writing a letter about to the emperor so he wants King Agrippa to listen to Paul's defense. A great lesson we can learn from listening to Paul give his testimony is how God can take anyone, no matter what they have done, and turn their life around. Paul was a murderer of innocent people yet when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus Jesus gave him a new purpose, a new direction for his life and Paul was obedient. What about you?

Paul was warned by the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem but he was determined to go and he did go. He was there less than a week when he was dragged out of the temple and nearly beaten to death. The only thing that saved his life was the Roman soldiers that showed up because of the uproar. They arrested him and was taking him to the fortress to find out who he was and what he has done to cause such a ruckus. As they are about to go in, Paul requests that he be put down, he was being carried by the soldiers for his safety, and they sat him down on the stairs where Paul gives his defense to the angry mob that wanted him dead. Acts 22 and 23 is Paul giving his defense to the mob and to the council. His defense is basically his testimony of how he was converted to Jesus which you can read all about in Acts 9. We all have a story but are we all telling our story for the glory of God?

Ever heard anyone say, "Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it"? Paul was warned many times by the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem and city after city the Holy Spirit warned him what was to come if he continued to go there. The Holy Spirit used people to persuade Paul not to go but he was fixed on his plan to go to Jerusalem and he said he was ready to die for Jesus if that is what was going to happen. Well, he was in Jerusalem for less than a week when someone spotted him, stirred up a mob, and they would have beaten him to death if the Roman army hadn't showed up! Why didn't Paul listen? He could have been used in even more greater ways for the kingdom of God! We are selfish people and many of us are set in our ways. We think we know what is best for us and we won't let anyone change our minds...not even God. Be careful what you wish for...

Why did Paul say he was "bound by the Spirit" to go to Jerusalem? If you have the answers please email me at thegrinditpodcast@gmail.com! As for now, I will give my opinions because he was told several times by people speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit to not go to Jerusalem! Why would he not listen? Why did he continue his journey? Just think of all the great things he could have done to help the newly established churches. What about all of those opportunities to start even more churches in new territories? What was so appealing to Paul that he had to go to Jerusalem? He knew his life would be in danger when he got there because he had been warned over and over again by the Holy spirit but he said he was ready to die for Jesus! The man definitely had a passion for serving Jesus but did he make a mistake by going to Jerusalem? I share my thoughts about in this episode....

When Paul was visiting with the believers in Troas, the first day of the week arrived and they took the Lord’s Supper together. One can read Exodus 12 to learn about the Passover, which is where the Lord’s Supper, or communion, came from. A lamb without any imperfections had to be sacrificed and its blood had to be put over the doorposts of the people’s home. When the death angel came along and saw the blood of the sacrificed lamb, he would “Pass Over” that house and whoever was inside the house was saved from death. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says Jesus is our Passover Lamb. It is by the sacrifice he made on the cross, the blood he shed, and the empty tomb that our sins are forgiven and when death comes, we will spend eternity with God…if and only if we are washed in the blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus. We take communion to remind us of that sacrifice Jesus gave on our behalf so why do so many churches today not take the time to partake of communion?

Paul has started his third missionary journey and will be leaving Philippi for Troas where he hangs out with some local believers to encourage them as he knows his time is short and they wouldn’t see him again. Luke tells us the names of seven men that was traveling with Paul at the time but soon they would be nowhere around. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul says everyone has deserted him and that only Luke is with him. As the old saying goes, “When hard times come around you find out who your real friends are.” Paul, as many people as he has helped and brought to Jesus, is alone as he faces death. His “friends” have deserted him when he needed them most. The same thing happened to Jesus when he was about to be crucified. His disciples all fled the scene; They didn’t want no part of that! Lesson: Be careful who you put your trust in. People will fail you but God never will.

Paul is going to hang out in Ephesus for at least two years preaching the gospel and giving the people hope. Luke writes that God gave Paul the ability to perform unusual miracles, so unusual that when a handkerchief that he owned touched a sick person, they were completely healed...immediately! As he continues to convert people to Jesus, the worship of false gods along with their idols begins to decline. With the decline of idols means a decline in the bank accounts of the silversmiths that make the idols. They stir up a mob and a lot of chaos against Paul as well as the local believers. They gather in the amphitheater, they have no idea why they are there, and they are yelling random things. It's what the enemy does; He causes chaos and confusion to distract and discourage. God is opposite. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33); He is a God of peace. What is your life filled with? Confusion or peace?

Apollos was telling people about Jesus with enthusiasm but when he would baptize people that wanted to follow Jesus, he would baptize them with the baptism of John the baptizer, a baptism of repentance. Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos give an invitation call one Sabbath Day in the synagogue and pulled him off to the side and taught him correctly, that he should be baptizing people in the name of Jesus because that was what Jesus taught and He fills people with the Holy Spirit which was lacking under John's baptism. So Apollos goes off to preach in Achaia and Paul arrives back in Ephesus where he finds a group of believers that were probably converted by Apollos because they had been baptized under John's baptism and had never heard of the Holy Spirit. So Paul explains to them about Jesus and that they needed to be baptized in the name of Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit...which they gladly did immediately. If baptism isn't important, then why bother? Why didn't Paul just say, "Well you all believed in Jesus so you're good"? Forget how you have been taught and study the word of God on your own. You will see that being baptized (fully immersed in water) is more important than you've been lead to believe!

Apollos was a Jew that had been converted from Judaism to Jesus. He was smart, enthusiastic, loved to tell people about Jesus, but he was missing something. Aquila and Priscilla heard him speaking boldly at the synagogue one Sabbath day and pulled him off to the side and asked him about his baptism. He was only familiar with the baptism of John the Baptizer so when he would tell someone about Jesus, he would baptize them under the authority of John’s baptism and not in the name of Jesus. It was a baptism of repentance but it lacked one major thing…the HOLY SPIRIT! So Aquila and Priscilla teach him the word of God more accurately and he heads to Achaia (Corinth) to preach there. That’s where they had just spent a few years living in Corinth so they wrote a letter to the believers asking them to welcome Apollos. Don’t let fear hold you back from serving God. You will make mistakes and that’s ok, but the biggest mistake is doing nothing for the kingdom. We need you in the game! We need you in the fight! Just don’t sit on the sidelines and be a spectator!

Why did Jesus talk to Paul after not speaking audibly to him in roughly 18 years? Was Paul discouraged? Was he ready to give up? Throw in the towel? Maybe he wasn’t ready to quit but perhaps he was thinking: “Why am I doing this?“ or “I gave up a better life for this?” or “Is this really worth it?” He just had a confrontation with some Jews at the synagogue where he had been trying to tell them Jesus is the Messiah but they rejected his message and insulted him so he got frustrated, shook the dust from his feet, and told them he was going to the Gentiles. So perhaps, in his frustration and disappointment he was discouraged and needed a pep talk. As always, perfect timing for Jesus to show up and encourage Paul. We all get tired, discouraged, and need a pep talk every now and then, so call a friend, send a message encouraging them and let them know you are thinking of them. It will be like a breath of fresh air and wind in their sails to keep grinding!

We think our world, our society is in such bad shape today and it is, however it’s nothing new. When Paul walked into Corinth he saw the same things you and I see today but it wasn't spread all over social media since it didn't exist. Corinth was a major city on a trade route that allowed people to bring and sell their goods there at the Agora, or marketplace. Perhaps this is where Paul met Aquila and Priscilla who, just like Paul, were tent makers. They hit it off so well that Paul stayed in their home for a year and a half and when he left Corinth, they left with him. Serving God isn’t difficult so why do we make it that way? Like Paul, just take what you know, what talents you have, and strike a conversation with like minded people. During the conversation find a way to work Jesus in and let the Holy Spirit do the rest! On down the road, Aquila and Priscilla would literally save Paul’s life so it was a good thing he met these two godly people! Just think of the people that God has allowed in your life and how encouraging they have been to you. Be sure to return the favor!

Paul hung out in Athens for some time because he had to wait for Timothy and Silas. This would be a perfect time for Paul to take a break, to get some much needed rest from all the persecution he has been facing, but nope...not Paul! He makes great use of his time by walking around Athens and checking things out. When he runs across some idols to the false gods, he reads one that says, "To the Unknown God." Paul starts talking to some philosophers that were near and he tells them, "This Unknown God is the very God you all should be worshipping and I'm going to tell you all about Him!"

Have you ever seen water that was clear but yet you step in it or stir it and dirt and trash that had settled to the bottom rises up and the clear water has now become dirty, nasty looking? That’s what these people are saying about Paul and Silas. “Our city was calm, settled, peaceful, but these men have stirred the water and has made it nasty. The people called Paul and Silas "troublemakers" which is odd because they weren't violent and they were telling people about Jesus, the Prince of Peace! They are the ones that were out of control, yelling, berating Paul and Silas, and not only that, they go to Jason's house and rough him up, dragging him and other believers to the city council all because Jason let Paul and Silas stay in his house stay at his house! I'm thankful I live in the United States where we can worship with the absence of persecution but even today, there are many countries that will still persecute those who follow Jesus and they have to do so underground. Pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters and pray for the church in America for she is beginning to come under some fire from the world.

Paul received the Macedonian Call from a dude in a vision. He told Silas that he felt like hey needed to hurry on to Macedonia to help spread the gospel there so they immediately headed that way. One would think that since Paul had the vision that there would be a huge crowd just waiting on them, eagerly waiting to hear the message about Jesus but what they find when they get there is crickets. They go to the river and meet some women there and in a conversation, Paul shares the gospel with a woman named Lydia. She and her friends are obedient to the message and she invites them over. Lydia was a business woman who was probably rich because she was a seller of purple which was very expensive. She is a great example for women today because she is a picture of what women say they want: equality and rights. Lydia was independent, owned a business, wealthy, and owned a house, and now her sins are forgiven and she has freedom in Christ! In fact, there are many women in the New Testament that show similar characteristics: 1. Mary Magdalene was the first person to announce Jesus' resurrection, 2. Luke records there were women among the number of disciples that had gathered in Jerusalem after the ascension of Jesus in Acts 1, 3. Philip had daughters who prophesied, 4. Priscilla and Aquila were a married couple but it was Priscilla who, many times, was the dominant character, 5. Phoebe was called a deaconess, 6. Chloe had a church that met in her house. Women, if you want equality and rights then you should turn to Jesus!

As Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled they would start to leave for a certain city and the Holy Spirit would sometimes say "No," so they would go in a different direction. When they are in Troas, Paul has a vision of a man in Macedonia asking him to come help there so one would think since Paul has this "Macedonian Call" that things would be rockin' and rollin' but that's not the case. When Paul arrives at Philippi there's not even a synagogue to visit, there's no huge crowd welcoming him, and they didn't roll out the red carpet for him. What he found was a few women that had gathered by the river so he shares the gospel with them as they carry on a conversation. How many times have you said, "If God would just show me what I need to do I'd do it?" Would you really? Procrastination should never exist in the vocabulary of a Christ follower!

Barnabas decides to take John Mark with him to revisit the churches he and Paul started on their first "Missionary Journey." As Barnabas rides off into the sunset Luke turns his attention to Paul and begins to now focus on his ministry. But before we turn loose of Barnabas, we can take a great lesson from him: Just because we don't hear from him again, he is just as important as Paul or any other apostle. Even though we don't have the details from his traveling, Barnabas did a great work for the kingdom of God and we can be encouraged by him. We don't have to be in a pulpit or in a place where all eyes are on us to be effective for the kingdom, we just have to be obedient to the will of God and use our talents for Him! We are introduced to a new worker named Timothy who gets circumcised and travels with Paul and Silas while on the local scene. This young man was introduced to the Lord by his grandmother and mother! So in this podcast I give a shout out to all the women who share their faith and work for God's kingdom! Thank you ladies!

Can people who follow Christ have a disagreement? Can they be mad at each other? If the answer is yes, then what about "love"? Where did the "love" go? The answer to the question is yes. Just because someone has been washed in the blood of Christ and has had their sins forgiven doesn't mean they stopped being human. We still have opinions, feelings, and emotions and many times we feel as though ours count more than others! In fact, two of the strongest Christians that ever lived had a huge argument and it got so heated, they decided to part ways and do their own thing! That's right! Paul and Barnabas, both love God, both gave their lives to serving God, had an argument over John Mark and, because of their disagreement, decided to go their separate ways. Did they stop being a Christian? Did they quit "loving"? No! In fact, they continued to serve God and love one another, but they did decide it was best for both to do their own thing. It's all in how we act and react when a disagreement happens...because trust me, it WILL happen!

In Acts 15 a very debatable topic has been brought to the forefront. Now that Gentiles are being saved some Jews have a little something they want to add to grace...circumcision. Circumcision is the removal of a piece of skin on the male sex organ. Why would these Jews tell the Gentiles they have to be circumcised to be saved? The answer will surprise you! It's actually a covenant given to Abraham from God way back in Genesis 17 and God said it was an "everlasting covenant." They actually have a good case...

Paul and Barnabas travel to Iconium and they get chased out of town. From there they go to Lystra where things get really tough. Paul was in the middle of a sermon when he noticed a man who had been crippled his entire life and Paul calls him out right there on the spot and heals the man! The people who were listening and witnessed the miracle thought Paul and Barnabas were gods, Zeus and Hermes, in human form. After some Jews arrived from Iconium they persuaded the crowd against Paul and Barnabas and they stoned Paul dragging his lifeless body out of the city. The brethren gathers around Paul and prays. He immediately gets up and the very next day starts sixty mile trip to Derbe as if nothing ever happened! After preaching in Derbe for a while the two return to the cities they had visited and started churches. They appoint elders and strengthen the faith of the brethren. Hey...church work ain't for wimps!

When the church leaders at Antioch were in a time of prayer and fasting the Holy Spirit gave clear direction, "Set apart Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work which I have called them to do." In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talks about fasting as if he assumed we would be people who fast. Do you fats? Why or why not? We know from Acts 9 the work the Lord called Paul to do was take the gospel to the Gentiles. Acts 13 is the start of what we call the "First Missionary Journey" and as we go through the rest of this chapter we discuss some highlights and one of the things we see real quick is this "church" stuff isn't going to be easy for Paul and Barnabas. Persecution starts almost immediately!

Acts 13 is the start of Paul and Barnabas' missionary journeys. We know many "heroes" of faith from the Old and New Testament but in this chapter there are some hidden gems that need to be mentioned: Manaen, who was the childhood friend of Herod Antipus. Yes, the Herod Antipus that had Jesus crucified and John the Baptizer beheaded! He helped start the church in Antioch of Syria! Also, there are two other men mentioned: Lucius of Cyrene and Simeon called Niger (pronounced Ni-jer). Lucius means light skinned and Niger means the black one. By their names we can concur these two black men started this church in Antioch of Syria and the Lord blessed their efforts mightily! This church had grown so much that it rivaled the church in Jerusalem! With Racism being at the forefront in our country right now, I wanted to honor these men and give them the credit they deserve!

Why do we worry so much? Why do we panic and stress over so many things? Peter has been arrested, he knows that James, the brother of John, has been beheaded and unless the Lord intervenes he will meet the same fate in just a few days! But when Luke turns the spotlight on Peter as he is in prison waiting for Passover to be over with so he can have his trial we find Peter sound asleep as he is chained to two guards. He was in such a deep sleep that the bright light from the appearance of the angel didn't even wake him up! We say we trust the Lord but do we really?

Persecution started in Acts 4 after Peter and John healed the lame man at the gate called Beautiful. They were given a stern talking to by the religious leaders and told not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus any more. From there it escalates until people began to be killed for their faith! In Acts 8 Stephen is stoned to death while Saul is going from house to house dragging men and women to jail. In Acts 12 it continues to escalate but now it is one of the apostles, James! James is beheaded and Peter is put in prison until he can have a trial after Passover is finished but an angel comes and helps him escape! Why did God spare Peter but not James? Why does bad tings happen to good people? We discuss this in this episode of the GRINDIT podcast.

Word gets back to the church in Jerusalem about what happened with the Gentiles at Cornelius' house and the believers there aren't very happy about it. They couldn't believe that Peter would go in the house of a Gentile and even eat a meal with them! However, after they got the facts first hand from Peter they changed their minds and were delighted that God had chosen the Gentiles as well...or so it seemed. Racism between the Jews and Gentiles was deep and it would be an ongoing issue even for those who followed Jesus! In Acts 11 the Jewish Christians follow the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea preaching Jesus to the Jews but when they came to Antioch of Syria they also shared the gospel with the Jews and what took place rocked their world! So many Gentiles were coming to the Lord they had to send Barnabas from Jerusalem to check things out and he travels to Tarsus to get Saul so he could help with the large growth of the new church there. This would be a relationship that would launch many churches as Saul and Barnabas would work together traveling around telling all people about Jesus!

Cornelius was a God fearing Gentile who was an officer in the Roman army. He prayed three times a day, was devoted to God, and helped the poor om a daily basis, but he lacked something...he didn't have Jesus! After talking with an angel he sends men to get Peter in Joppa and bring him to his home in Caesarea. While the men were gone to get Peter, Cornelius invites his friends and family over to hear what Peter has to say. When Peter arrives he simply shares the gospel, the good news of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Before he could finish his talk, the holy Spirit falls on the Gentiles in the room and they speak in tongues. It was exactly what happened to Peter and the other apostles in Acts 2 so Peter immediately recognized what was going on. Game changer! Because of this event, we Gentiles, are now welcomed into the kingdom of God!

Acts 10 is a game changer when it comes to the kingdom of God, then church. Up until this chapter the gospel has been preached mainly to the Jews but when persecution got so bad, the followers of Jesus fled Jerusalem for safety. As they fled to Judea, Samaria, and other places, they shared the gospel to the local Jews. In Acts 10 there is a divine appointment that takes place between a Roman officer, who is an uncircumcised Gentile, and the apostle Peter. Because of this meeting the gentiles are now welcomed to kingdom of God. However, just because God orchestrated this whole event and Peter witnessed what takes place, the Jews, including Peter, will have major issues when it comes to welcoming the Gentiles. It would be an issue for even the greatest of disciples, including Paul, for the rest of their ministry!

Luke finishes Acts 9 by turning his attention to Peter. Peter travels to a couple of towns and works some miracles that blow the people's minds and many put their faith in Jesus. He heals a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years. People see him walking around town see him up and walking and after discovering what happened to him, they put their faith in Jesus! Then, some people hunt Peter down and ask him to come heal a woman who had died. Peter goes to where her body is laying, he prays for her, she opens her eyes, and sets up in the bed! After presenting her to the mourners and her family alive, many become believers and follow Jesus!

Sometimes the Lord wants us to do something that, in our mind, sounds crazy, maybe even dangerous. Saul, the persecutor of Jesus followers, has been sent to a man's house where he is to stay until a man named Ananias comes to visit him. Meanwhile, Jesus is having a conversation with Ananias and telling him he is to go lay hands on Saul. Naturally, as we all would be, Ananias is freaked out by what Jesus has commanded him to do; however, he is obedient. Because of his obedience, Saul receives his sight, is baptized into Christ, becomes an instant witness for Jesus, and eventually writes two thirds of the New Testament! Imagine what God could do through you and me if we would put our fear aside and be obedient to His will! Then, He would use the people we witness to in mighty ways as well, just like He did with Saul!

Want to see what happens when someone has a real encounter with Jesus? Look no further than Saul. He was at the stoning of Stephen and he completely agreed with what happened to him. He was so amped up he started persecuting those who followed Jesus going from house to house dragging men and women to prison, busting up families, and he wasn't finished. Saul was on his way to Damascus to do the same thing there but right before he reaches Damascus he has a life changing encounter with Jesus! In this episode I cover Saul's conversion and how the persecutor becomes the persecuted!

Jeff Palmer is the new lead pastor at Partnership Christian Church in Maryville, TN. He joins the GRINDIT Podcast for an interview so you can get to know a bit about who he is and he shares a little of his personal testimony to encourage those who have a similar struggle. Jeff and his wife, Indra, were missionaries in New Zealand for the past four and half years. While there they started The Vine Community Church which you can check out on Facebook. We would love to have you and your family worship with us at Partnership Christian Church located at 323 Partnership Pkwy, Maryville, TN!

We continue the thoughts from Part 1 and take a look at James 1:19-26. James just lays it all out there and says, "This is what you ought to be doing as a Christ follower and if you're not, then you may want to rethink your faith!" Be slow to get angry Get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says Control your tongue Care for orphans and widows in their distress Refuse to let the world corrupt you As we all know this isn't an easy task but we must strive to allow the Holy Spirit to shape ad mold us into the image of Jesus. Remember...we are His examples to a lost world and we are the light that shines in the darkness!

The believers are scattered because of persecution so the church flees Jerusalem for safety. Luke shines the spotlight on a man named Philip. Philip goes to Samaria on his own accord and shares Jesus with the people there. Men and women are converted to Jesus, joy fills the city, a sorcerer becomes a Christ follower, Peter and John come down to see what's going on and they lay hands on the believers giving them the power of the Holy Spirit, and as they return back to Jerusalem, they stop in villages of Samaria and share Jesus. All of this because of one man deciding to get his family to safety! God will use us, just like He used Philip, if we allow him to!

When Stephen was stoned by the religious leaders, there was a man present who completely agreed with the stoning...his name was Saul. This is the same Saul, that later became Paul, and wrote two thirds of the New Testament. He was one, if not the, greatest missionaries that ever lived. Before his conversion he wreaked havoc on the church, going from house to house, dragging men and women from their homes and putting them in jail. In Saul's (Paul's) on words he "was the worst sinner of all" but when he was giving his resume in Philippians 3. Saul (Paul) said he was "zealous for the law and followed it without fault." Really? He agreed and took part in the stoning of an innocent man and he wreaked havoc in the lives of innocent people who followed Jesus! He had the same attitude of the religious leaders; They thought they were serving God and yet they killed God Himself! How many people today claim to be followers of Christ yet they don't even know the Christ they follow!

Have you ever been ostracized? Have you had someone lie about you, run you down behind your back, and try to get people to turn against you? That's what happened to Stephen in Acts 7. He was a man full of faith and the grace of God and all he did was preach about Jesus and work miracles. He did absolutely nothing wrong and yet by the end of this chapter, he would be stoned to death! Why? Because some Jews from a synagogue wanted to debate him and have a Bible study and when they couldn't hang with Stephen they got jealous and went to the Sanhedrin and told them a bunch of lies. Stephen was called in for questioning and as he was talking to the Sanhedrin they didn't like what he was saying so they put their hands over their ears, started yelling to drown out his words, they dragged him outside of the city, and stoned him to death. As Stephen was dying he looks up and see Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father! And just like His Savior, Stephen asks Jesus to forgive these men. Someone may have ostracized us for whatever reason, however, if we want to be like Jesus, we must forgive.

Stephen was one of the seven chosen by the church to help with the distribution of food. Luke tells us he was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He was preaching or teaching one day when he was confronted by some Jews who wanted to debate him but when they couldn't stand up to the Holy Spirit speaking through him, they became jealous. They told lies about Stephen and he was brought before the Sanhedrin. As they questioned him his face lit up and it glowed as the face of an angel! We will see in the next chapter, the jealousy of these men will cost Stephen his life. He was about to be the first martyr of the early church. May we have faith that is so strong that we glow with the presence of Jesus and that people take notice!

The enemy of the church has tried his best to destroy it from the outside and since that hasn't worked he is going to try from the inside. Why not just cause a riff on the inside, a division, that way it will become weak and easier to dismantle...or so he thought! I mean, Jesus himself said a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. The Greek speaking Christians feel like they are being snubbed by the Hebrew speaking Christians but they did exactly what they should have done! Instead of sweeping it under the rug or pretending nothing was wrong while it continued to fester, they made their issue known and the apostles came up with a solution. As a result, unity was kept and God kept working in mighty ways! We should do the same when an issue arises an take care of the matter quickly!

It's just one little lie. What's the big deal? A lie cost Ananias and Sapphira their lives. They had sold their property and kept some of the money for themselves but when they came to give it to the apostles to help the needy, they lied about how much they had sold the property for thinking nobody knew what they had planned together. The only problem was they didn't think about the fact that God is all knowing and He sees everything! Peter calls them out on it and said, "You didn't lie to us...you lied to God!" Immediately they fell to the ground dead. It may seem unfair and extreme to us but it got the point across to the early church...God is serious about sin and we better be if we call ourselves a Christ follower!

The apostles are arrested for a second time for telling people about Jesus but this arrest had a different motivation behind it...jealousy. The Sadducees were jealous and their power was being challenged by some "unlearned and ignorant men". People were coming by the groves to get their loved ones healed from sickness or delivered from a demon. They were being converted to Christ and the message was starting to flow outside of Jerusalem. It's beginning to spread and the religious leaders want to put a stop to it. The problem is they are fighting against God, not man so when they arrested the apostles, an angel came and freed them giving them instructions to go right back to the Temple and preach Jesus...and they did. They were arrested an third time and this time they were flogged, which was the same thing that happened to Jesus just before he was hung a cross. Persecution has begun but this didn't even slow them down for they met at the Temple daily and they went to people's homes to share Jesus! Do you share your faith? Do you tell people about Jesus? What is holding you back?

If you know Bob Mader then you know what a great guy he is. He is witty and he will have you laughing until you're crying, He is a great man of God who has had some life challenges and he shares a little bit about them in this interview. He has a son that he hasn't seen in quite some time because a drug addiction has taken his life over and his wife, Ann, passed away last year from cancer. Bob loves music and. with some encouragement from Ann, he has written some songs, including a recent Christmas album. Even more than writing, Bob loves to sing and has a great voice! He sings for the worship team at Partnership Christian Church in Maryville, TN and he is currently working on a new project that will hopefully be released soon. We hope you find some encouragement from the interview with Bob!

God used Peter and John to heal the lame man and a crowd gathers to see what had happened. Peter takes the opportunity to preach Jesus to them and many believed. However, as they were preaching the religious leaders show p with some temple guards and arrest Peter and John. The next day they are called in for questioning and the religious leaders try to intimidate them but since they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were confident and were bold. They told the religious leaders that they had crucified Jesus but God raised him back to life and made him the Cornerstone. The religious leaders tried to use their power and shut the apostles up by telling them they cannot preach or teach in the name of Jesus any more which is why I titled this episode, "Shut Your Face!" The apostles continued to share Jesus with anyone who was willing to listen. They said they would rather obey God. And listen to what the religious leaders had to say about these two men, "They realized they had been with Jesus..." Can people tell you have been with Jesus?!?!?!

Acts 3 starts off with the healing of the lame man. On a daily basis this man was brought by someone, perhaps his family, in order to beg for money. With the hundreds of people that would be walking through the gate of the temple to worship, his chances of collecting some money were great! Peter and John decided to go to the 3 o'clock prayer meeting at the temple but they never made it. They saw the lame man as they were walking by and he asked them for some money but what he received was far greater! Peter reaches down and grabs his arm, helps him to his feet, and instantly this man who was paralyzed since birth was able to stand on his feet, walk, and then leaping praising God! People saw it and a crowd gathered to see what had just taken place. Peter seized the opportunity and shared Jesus.

Around ten days had past since Jesus ascended to the Father and the disciples are doing what Jesus commanded them to do...waiting. They are waiting for the promise of the Comforter that Jesus talked about in John 14. Who are the "They"? Is it the 120 or the 12? We dive into some scripture to support the answer in this episode of GRINDIT as well as discuss a little about Pentecost.

We finish up Acts 2 by covering verses 43-47 and discussing various points in this text. * Why did the apostles perform miraculous signs and wonders? * Why did the sell their possessions? * Church buildings didn’t exist. * The long lost forgotten thing called the Lord's Supper. * The sharing of meals with joy and generosity. * Where was their focus?

The Holy Spirit falls on the apostles and it causes a great commotion. A crowd gathers and they think the apostles are drunk. So Peter stands up and we see the display of the power of the Holy Spirit as Peter quotes, with great confidence, the prophet Joel as well as some Psalms as he preaches the very first sermon given by the Spirit. It convicts many of the Jews that were present and they are obedient to the instructions given. What instructions and why do we want to argue about them? Why not just do what he says?

Jesus has died on the cross, was buried for three days, and came out of the tomb alive...just like he said he would do. He shows himself to his disciples several times in a forty day period to prove to them he is really alive and he wants them to try and grasp the concept of the kingdom. After those forty days were over he is talking with them on the Mount of Olives and he starts ascending into heaven! He gave hem a commandment before he left, "Wait...Wait for the promise of my Father and when the promise comes you will be my witnesses." The transition of power has taken place. The kingdom is now in the hands of the disciples!

Peter had denied Jesus three times before he died on a cross. After the resurrection he sits at a fire with Jesus watching the fish cook and Jesus asks him three times, “Do you love me?” In the English language we miss what Jesus is really asking Peter. Jesus is trying to get Peter to realize that he will have to love him unconditionally to make it through the days ahead when persecution starts. All Peter wanted to do was focus on another disciple and Jesus tells Peter, “You don’t worry about him and follow me.” Far too often we want to look at other people when we should be looking at ourselves and focusing on what we can do for the kingdom. We need to be obedient…

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, they know me, and they follow me.” If that’s the case, then why did some of his closest followers not know who he was after the resurrection? They heard Jesus speak from the shore but they didn’t know who he was and this happened not once but twice! I discuss it in this episode of the GRINDIT Podcast. The answer is something we all need to hear so share with your family and friends…

The greatest event in history happens in John 20...the resurrection! This single event is where we find our hope and strength because they saw Jesus die, they saw him buried, and now they see him alive again! It changed their lives forever and the resurrection will change yours as well. I have broken this chapter up into two podcasts to talk about the details of this event. In this episode we cover Mary Magdalene and her experience at the tomb. She is so distraught and caught off guard from the tomb being empty that she didn't realize she was having a conversation with two angels and even Jesus himself!

In the second podcast on the resurrection we cover Jesus appearing to the disciples for the first time. As he just appears in a room with them he gives them peace. Many people today can relate to the disciples because their lives are filled with chaos and confusion so they need the peace of God in their lives. Thomas missed Jesus' appearance and he wouldn't believe the disciples story. He wanted to see Jesus for himself and many people are this way. We choose not to believe unless we have something tangible. We don't want fake news, we want it first hand. So Jesus lets Thomas wait eight days before he appeared again. Thomas had to endure a lot of different emotions for over a week but when Jesus showed up, they all went away and Thomas, along with all the disciples, were filled with joy! What are you waiting on God for? Don't give up...keep the faith...and when God does show up, He will make all things well!

In John 19 we have the crucifixion of Jesus and we discuss the details of it. Other gospel accounts give more details and I share those in this podcast. The religious leaders who should have been excited about the Messiah's arrival wanted him dead instead. They got what they wanted but it was all apart of God's eternal plan. Jesus had to be the sacrifice for our sins and he was. He willingly laid down his life so we could have life with him for eternity. He is the Passover Lamb that was slain for the penalty of our sin. Hope has a name and his name is Jesus!

Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" We think truth is whatever we believe to be true but just because we believe it to be true doesn't make it true or vice versa. I can say I'm 6 feet tall all I want and believe it to be true but the truth is...I'm 5'7! The truth never changes and it can be supported with facts and evidence. Jesus said God is truth and His word is truth. You can choose not to believe it but it doesn't change the fact that God exists. "What is truth?" Pilate asked. The answer was standing right before his eyes but he couldn't see it. Can you?

Peter was always outspoken for Jesus. When Jesus asked "Who do people say I am?" it was Peter who said with authority, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" It was Peter who said he would die with Jesus and even tried to defend Jesus from the militia that came to arrest him when he pulled his sword and went for the head of Malchus. However, in the blink of an eye this mighty pillar of faith denies Jesus three times after telling Jesus he would never deny him. And the whole time Peter is denying Jesus the religious leaders are having a joke of a trial and sending Jesus to the Roman authorities to be crucified. The very people that were supposed to be pointing people to the Messiah is killing the Messiah! Jesus is standing before Pilate and Pilate asks Jesus the ultimate question, "What is truth?" and the answer is right before his very eyes and he doesn't know it! What about you friend? Do you deny truth? Do you deny Jesus?

We are breaking down the prayer that Jesus prayed on behalf of his disciples just before he is leaving to be betrayed and crucified. One of the coolest things about this prayer is that Jesus not only prays for his eleven disciples that are left after Judas left the room, he also prays for us! 2000 years ago, Jesus had you and me on his mind before he went to the cross and he lifted us up to his Father!

As they are about to leave for the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus will be betrayed, he concludes his talk with his disciples by saying a prayer on their behalf. He knows his time has come and he will be leaving them to take over the kingdom so he tells his Father that the disciples have heard his message and believe. Therefore, since they will be taking over the kingdom and helping it grow, Jesus asks the Father to protect them.

In John 15 Jesus was talking with his disciples and he knew they were freaking out because he had told them he was leaving them and they couldn't come with him. Almost ten times he uses the word "remain" as he encourages them to keep their faith regardless of what happens in the coming days. He starts off John 16 by telling them not to "abandon" their faith and he tells them some things they will go through because they belong to him which includes persecution and death! Even though we may not be persecuted in the United States for our faith, we do experience life challenges and the goal of the GRINDIT Podcast is to encourage people to "remain" in Christ, to keep the faith, and to keep grinding! We would love to pray for you. Send your prayer requests to grinditpodcats@gmail.com or text them to 865-233-6825. God bless you in your walk with Christ...

Jesus commands us to produce and the key to producing fruit is to "remain" in Jesus. He promises to "remain" in us if we "remain" in him. When he remains in us through the Holy Spirit we will produce fruit naturally because we are connected to the vine and we are healthy. However, we have a choice to remain or leave but if we choose to leave God, where else are we going to go? And the consequences of leaving God would be brutal! "Remain" in Jesus, produce fruit, and share Jesus with others! Even though hard times come, they don't last and eternity with Jesus will be worth it all!

Jesus said we are to produce fruit and be obedient to him. His commandment to us is to love others as he loves us so we take a quick glimpse of 1 Corinthians 13 and finish breaking down what Jesus told his disciples in verses 18-27. Jesus says we will be hated, persecuted, and ignored because that's how the world treated him...and he was God in the flesh!

Jesus is the grapevine, his followers are the branches, and his Father is the gardener and is the one who does the pruning. If a branch doesn't produce fruit it is cut off from the grapevine and cast into the fire. According to Galatians 5:22 the Holy Spirit produces the fruit in us so just as Jesus said, it is imperative we walk according to the Spirit so he will produce fruit. As the Holy Spirit produces fruit in us we need to share it with others!

John 14 is a continuation of John 13 where Jesus is having a very intimate conversation with the eleven disciples that are left (Judas has left to get his silver). He tells them, "Don't let your hearts be troubled...." He knew they were freaking out because he had told them one of them would betray him and he also told them he was leaving them for a bit. We can all use the comforting words Jesus gave them, "Trust in God and Trust in me."

We finish John 14 with the disciples freaking out over what Jesus is telling them. They want to go with him and he tells them they can't. They are full of fear and doubt which is two great tools of the enemy. If Satan can keep us in fear and doubting God, then he knows we are no threat to him. Jesus promises them a Helper, the Holy Spirit and when he falls on the disciples in Act 2, they are filled with boldness. Even after being persecuted and beaten the disciples continue to be bold! What about you? We are filled with the same Holy Spirit as they were so we should be bold just as they were as well!

Do you hold a grudge? Is there someone in the church you avoid because they hurt you? If we claim to be a follower of Christ then we must love like Christ and it's NOT an option and His love is WITHOUT conditions! If anyone had the right to hold a grudge it was Jesus! He chose Judas Iscariot to be one of his twelve disciples knowing he was greedy, a thief, and that he would sell him out for thirty pieces of silver and yet he washes his feet, then in the garden he called him friend as he was being betrayed! From the cross he is looking at the ones who crucified him and he says, "Father, forgive them...And Paul points out that Jesus died for us while we were his enemy! Do we love like Christ loves?

Fact: God loves everybody, yes...everybody, His love is unconditional, and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38). You've heard it said before, "God hates the sin but sin loves the sinner." A problem I see is that people in today's society have confused God's unconditional love with salvation. Yes, God loves everyone but not everyone is saved! The ones who will be saved are the ones who repent of their sin, accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and does his will and not their own. Have you made that choice? Know anyone that hasn't? Share this podcast with them!

One thing you don't mess with is a person's power! Jesus was a threat to the religious leaders, not a physical threat, but he threatened their pride. They loved the praise from the people and now it was going to Jesus instead of them and they didn't like it! After the raising of Lazarus they plotted to kill him but that wasn't all, they wanted Lazarus killed too because he was the reason the people were flocking to Jesus! By the end of the week they would accomplish their goal...Jesus would be crucified.

Why would Jesus choose a greedy, money hungry thief to be the treasure of the group? If Jesus knew people's thoughts surely he knew Judas was stealing money from the bag! And we know Jesus knew Judas would betray him and sell him out for thirty pieces of silver. Knowing all of this about Judas he still chose him as one of the twelve and get this, when Judas betrayed him in the Garden, Jesus still called him "Friend"! And not one time did Jesus call him out for being a thief so if we are to be like Jesus and have the attitude of Christ, then why is it that we feel the need to call people out when they hurt us and blast it all over social media, to our friends, and our family?

Jesus is invited to Lazarus' house at Bethany because Martha and Mary have cooked a meal to honor him. While there, Mary pours nard on Jesus' feet and wipes them with her hair. The smell permeates the house and everyone there, including the disciples, heard Jesus say that Mary had done this to prepare him for burial. They had no idea what Jesus was talking about but they would by the end of the week for he would be crucified, buried, and resurrected! We can smell a certain smell and be instantly taken back in time to an event that happened in our life and remember the details well. I wonder how many times the people that were in that house would smell nard and be taken back to the cross? We all need to be reminded what Jesus did for us and to be encouraged by the hope we have in Christ and his resurrection!

Jesus is going to raise Lazarus from the dead but would it be enough to raise people's faith? He has been dealing with doubt from the religious leaders, the Jews, and now he is getting it from his twelve disciples and his best friends! It comes to a boiling point as John points out that Jesus had anger from deep within. We need to be growing in our faith and not declining. How strong is your faith? Are you sure?

In the second part of John 10 the crowd just wants to hear it plainly from the horse's mouth, "Are you the Messiah?" but Jesus tells them "You don't believe anything I tell you but you could at least believe the works I do." They wanted to stone him but he escapes. There's a ton of evidence to back up Jesus' claim but even today, people don't believe. They want to do their own thing without responsibility and so even after weighing the evidence they walk away. Will you do the same?

In John 10 Jesus says He is the good shepherd and he tries to persuade the crowd to be sheep. He tells them a story of a thief that comes over the wall and how the sheep are frightened and run off. But he is the shepherd that comes in the gate and there is peace among the sheep because they know it's the shepherd. David tells us Psalm 23 "the Lord is my shepherd" and he lists some characteristics of the shepherd. Are you going to trust Jesus to be your shepherd are you going to keep trying to do things your way and make a mess of it all?

Jesus heals a blind man on the Sabbath and he becomes an instant witness to his friends, family, and even the Pharisees. The Pharisees have known this man his whole life and they have passed by him for years as he sat and begged and they never took time for him. Jesus did and his life was changed forever!

Jesus continues to try to explain to people that he is the very Messiah they have been looking for but they just can't get past the idea that they know his family, and since they believe the Messiah will just show up, they don't believe him. And it comes to a boiling point at the end of the chapter as Jesus says two words, "I AM", and they pick up stones to stone him to death. But before the dialogue Jesus displays what we we as christians are to be about as he shows grace and mercy to a woman caught in adultery.

In this episode of GRINDIT I breakdown the context of Jeremiah 29:11. People use this verse a lot however, they do not know the meaning behind it and they use it out of context. After listening to this podcast you will know the context and you will appreciate Jeremiah 29:11 even more!

Jesus has handled the people's disbelief pretty well to this point but it takes a deeper turn as his very on (half) brothers tell him, "We don't believe in you." They issue a challenge to Jesus to go to the Festival of shelters in Judea and show himself to the people their. The only problem is, that's where the religious leaders are that want him dead!

This crowd saw the miracles, they looked God eyeball to eyeball, they said they wanted to work the works of God, yet the never believed in Jesus. They conceived in their mind what the Messiah would be like and Jesus didn't fit the bill. And after hearing Jesus say they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood, they walked away. They didn't understand what he was talking about and chose to walk away from God himself!

In this episode of GRINDIT we start breaking down John 6. Jesus travels to Tiberias, or the far side of the Sea of Galilee, and as he travels a crowd follows. Once they arrive he takes a child's lunchable and blows their mind! Will they believe Jesus is the Messiah and continue to follow him?

Jesus tells the religious leaders he is from the Father and is doing the Father's Will. And not only that he gives several witnesses to back up his claim! We have to to be more than religious...we have to be Jesus. They were more concerned with the man carrying his mat than the man himself! We have to show some grace, mercy, love and compassion just as Jesus did!

In this episode of GRINDIT I interview Mary Gamboa. Mary is the worship leader at Cedar Point church located on William Blount Drive right across the street from William Blount High School in Maryville, TN. Mary shares one of her life challenges and how she overcame it. We pray you will find encouragement to GRINDIT as you listen to Mary's story! She talks about a song she wrote called "Aroma" during this time. Here is a Youtube link to her song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADGIHdSVqtM&feature=youtu.be

Jesus visits the area by the Pool of Bethesda and he heals a paralyzed man. But what about the others? There were crowds of people the at the pool of Bethesda yet Jesus only healed one person...ONE! Doesn't seem fair does it?

We finish up John 4 by looking at a government official who was desperate to find Jesus because his son was dying from a fever. In John 4 we have seen Jesus minister to an outcast and a government official. Jesus doesn't discriminate...salvation is for all.

This is my favorite chapter in the New Testament. Jesus, a Jew, walks on Samaritan soil blowing all the religious rules out of the water, has a conversation with a Samaritan woman, and a village is changed because of it!

This episode is a continuation of Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman.

This is an interview you do not want to miss! In this episode of GRINDIT podcast I interview Mark Howard, pastor of Partnership Christian Church located on Highway 321 in Maryville, TN. You will find hope and encouragement from Mark's story and the wisdom he shares.

In this episode we interview Adam Cook. Adam is on the worship team at Partnership Christian Church and is a local police officer here in Maryville. He shares some of his life challenges and how he has overcome them. We hope you find some encouragement to face your life challenges and to GRINDIT!

John finishes chapter three by looking at John the Baptist and Jesus. John's disciples aren't too happy about Jesus baptizing people and they seem to let jealousy creep in. Check it out!

Jesus has a conversation with a Pharisee named Nicodemus about being born again and it blows his mind! This guy thinks he is suppose to enter his mom's body and come out the birth canal again but Jesus meant a spiritual birth, not a physical one. Check it out...

Greg Tucker is the pastor at Faith Fellowship Cumberland Prebyterian Church in Lenoir City. He has faced my life challenges and on this episode he shares some with us and how he overcame them. Be encouraged and motivated to keep going and GRINDIT!

Everybody has a story. We all face life challenges and at times can get discouraged. In today's episode of GRINDIT Dinah Hauch, worship leader at Partnership Christian Church in Maryville Tennessee, shares her story of some challenges she faced and how she overcame them. Our prayer is that you will find strength to keep going, to endure and GRINDIT!

Jesus shows some attitude as he comes to the temple and overturns the money table and starts slinging a whip around! There's a great lesson for us in what he does here. Check it out!

Was the wine Jesus made have alcohol in it? Who cares? That's not even an issue for the readers of John's letter. There are some great lessons in this chapter that has nothing to do with alcohol!

In this podcast we start breaking down the Book of John and our goal is to introduce you to Jesus. If you already have a relationship with Jesus we hope your relationship gets stronger!

We take a look at what John the Baptist had to say about Jesus and how a couple of Jesus' new disciples reached out to their family and friends!

We finish up the introduction of Hebrews 12:1-3 which is the foundation of GRINDIT.

We continue to break down Hebrews 12:1-3 which is the foundation of GRINDIT.

Our goal at GRINDIT is to encourage people to keep their eyes focused on Jesus when they are challenged by trals and tribulations. It's easy to become discouraged and grow weary therefore we can find strength by encouraging one another and by reminding each other what the goal is...to be in heaven with our Lord and Savior!