Faith in Five: Recent Episodes
Gary Click
Five-minute devotional thoughts with pastors Gary Click and Rick Ash. Insightful, sometimes witty, occasionally corny, but always thoughtful and inspiring.
God's ways are not always our ways. What happens when God changes your direction?
Even the Apostle Paul experienced this. We find it in Acts 16. We see great results when a child of God allows Him to change their plans.
Acts 16:6-9
Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, [7] After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. [8] And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. [9] And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
What do you do when you are hungry? How about when you are thirsty? Don't we naturally find something to eat and drink?
What happens when we hunger and thirst after righteousness? The Lord Jesus gives us an answer and we find an example in the Psalms of David.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Psalm 42:1-2
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. [2] My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
The secret to getting what you want is simple. You just have to want what God wants. What could be easier? Of course, for many of us, that means adjusting our desires to His desires and sometimes we find that to be the hard part. It may by hard but it is achievable and it does bring happiness. We simply have to prioritize the spiritual over the carnal.
Psalm 37:4
Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
James 4:3
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
The Apostle Paul had much to be ashamed of. In fact, he once called himself the chief of sinners. One thing, however, that he was never ashamed of was the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Join Gary today as he examines this portion of Scripture and reminds us that we should be ashamed to be ashamed of Jesus.
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Sometimes people get excited over nothing. That happens in the spiritual real as well. People get excited over their anticipation of achieving heaven through their righteous works when in fact that hope is hollow. That is why the Apostle Paul described those closest to him as having a zeal that was without knowledge.
Join Gary as he explores this passage from Romans 10 and explains how we can have a hope that is certain.
Romans 10:1-4
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. [2] For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. [3] For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. [4] For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Are you a control freak? Do you like to be in charge of everything? Many of us have that compulsion. However, Psalm 46:10 reminds us that we are not in control of everything. Join, Gary as he looks at this Psalm and reminds us of our place and His place.
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
We all have those days when we feel like the world is closing in on us and everyone is against us. Sometimes its more thana feeling and it is a fact. It doesn't matter when you know that God is for you. Psalm 56:9 reminds us of this. But take a look at that entire chapter. It is filled with encouragement and direction when the world offers discouragement and depression.
Psalm 56:1-13
Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. [2] Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. [3] What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. [4] In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. [5] Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. [6] They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. [7] Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. [8] Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? [9] When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. [10] In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. [11] In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. [12] Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. [13] For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
The Devil is always looking for a way to divide us. But what does the Bible have to say about this? Listen as Rick and Gary ponder Acts 17:26 that says the we were all created with one blood.
Acts 17:26
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Do you have a favorite drink? Smitty shares his favorite drink with Gary, chocolate milk. It's simple enough to make, you just need a cup of milk, chocolate, and to stir vigorously. God has shown us His favor by giving us spiritual gifts, but if we don't stir them up by using, what good will they ever do?
2 Timothy 1:6
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Many of us often sang "The Wise Man/ Foolish Man" song in Sunday school as kids. Join in as Pastor Gary and Rick discuss the passage this song came from in today's podcast.
Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: [25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. [26] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: [27] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Some of what is done on earth will last for eternity. Will your actions last when you stand before Christ? Or will they burn up like wood, hay, and stubble?
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; [13] Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. [14] If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. [15] If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Listening to a podcast on unusual topics, Gary was intrigued by a neurological condition known as prosopagnosia or face-blindness. Together, he and Chris talk about this rare condition and ask if there is a biblical application.
Genesis 32:25-30
And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. [26] And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. [27] And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. [28] And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. [29] And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. [30] And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Can you imagine God getting kicked out of His own home? Well, that's what some folks in the book of Amos thought they would do.
Join Gary and Smitty as they explore Amos 7:10-13.
Amos 7:10-13
Then Amaziah the priest of Beth–el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. [11] For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. [12] Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: [13] But prophesy not again any more at Beth–el: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
No this is not a new diet program. Instead Gary and Megan discuss Hebrews 12:1. Where the Bible teaches us to lay aside those things in life that hinder us from fully serving God. Take just a few minutes and join their brief conversation.
Hebrews 12:1
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
This episode Gary and Rick explore God's endgame for the nation of Israel and ask how it applies to us in our walk with Christ.
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end," (Jeremiah 29:11).
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Join Gary and Rick as they look at Judges 7. Was Gideon prideful or courageous when he shouted, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon"?
"And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon," (Judges 7:20).
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Pastor Chris shares the principles of a recent Sunday School lesson he brought to the teenagers at Fremont Baptist Temple from Colossians 1:10.
We can never truly repay the Lord for all that He has done for us but we can walk worthy of Him. That means to live a life in gratitude and appreciation. When you put on the uniform of your employer, you are expected to live up to a certain standard. Men and women in the military are expected to live up to a certain level of conduct, especially when in uniform. We are told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our uniform. Our conduct and lifestyle should be emblematic of one who wears His colors.
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God," Colossians 1:10
" Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof," Romans 13:13-14.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
That sounds simple but many people miss it. The grand hymn of the faith, Amazing Grace, says, "I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see."
Jesus told Zacchaeus that the "Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." He also told the Pharisees that they need not a physician who are whole but rather those that are sick.
Many people do not come to Christ simply because they do not realize that they need Him. They have a pretty good feeling about themselves and a sense that the odds are in their favor when it comes to eternity. They are confident in their goodness to get them there.
The hard part for the preacher is to convince them that they are not good enough without sounding too arrogant. The reality is that no one is good enough. No one! The preacher isn't any more deserving of heaven than anyone else. Before we can appropriate the grace of God, we have to realize that we need it. We are insufficient on our own. That is why Paul spends so much time in Romans 3 and elsewhere telling us just how bad we are. He drills this into us so that we can realize how good we can have it through God's forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost," Luke 19:10.
Lu 5:31 "And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick," Luke 5:31.
Romans 3
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," Romans 3:23-24.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
The Scriptures use the word saint to describe those who are saved or who have been made holy by the blood of Jesus Christ. If you have asked Jesus to forgive you for you sin and be your Savior, you are a saint.
Not every believer has the same gifts and callings. The beauty of those within the church is the diversity of our gifts and calling. God made each of us different. He didn't make some better and others worse. He just made us different.
The Apostle Paul illustrates how this applies to the body of Christ (the church) through the human body. The hand and the foot are both necessary but different in their functions. Likewise for our eyes and ears. The same is true within the church. Every successful church is filled with different people playing different roles and making an impact together.
1 Corinthians 12
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
The Book of Acts is the history book of the New Testament church. We learn how the church took shape, as well as what its doctrines and practices were. It is the manual for churches in every age.
The Apostle Peter is the key figure in the first twelve chapters but the Apostle Paul is introduced in the eighth and becomes the prominent figure in chapter thirteen. It is through his evangelistic efforts that we see the gospel taking shape in the Roman Empire. Churches were started and multitudes came to Christ.
As the book of Acts draws to a close, we are reminded that not everyone received Paul's preaching. Some believed but others rejected the gospel. This is the harsh reality that we all have to come to grips with. Every born-again believer wants to see others receive God's free gift of salvation. We especially desire this for those we know and love.
Despite the best efforts of God and man, some simply will not believe. There will always be those who do and those who do not. Which camp do you belong to? Where will you find yourself? Will you reject or receive Jesus Christ?
"And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them," Acts 28:23-27.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
You are an original masterpiece created by God. In Ephesians, Paul describes you as God's workmanship. You have been created for a purpose and He gave Himself on the cross to redeem you and enable you to accomplish that purpose.
Our Scripture today begins with the essential teaching on salvation. You did not and cannot save yourself through good works. If you could, you would be tempted to brag on yourself. Instead, we are saved by grace through faith. The Scripture teaches us that even the faith we have to apply God's grace is a gift from Him. We could not have faith on our own so He gave even that to us.
It is that salvation that empowers us to do good works. We are not saved by our good works. Instead, our salvation empowers us to do good works. The good works come after salvation, not before. Join the discussion as Gary and Rick take just a few minutes to examine this Bible teaching.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Is praising God a passing phase, a weekly routine, a daily endeavor or a non-stop part of who you are? David didn't see this as a scheduled event but rather an ongoing practice for the believer.
Take five minutes to join Gary and Rick as they discuss Psalm 113:3.
"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised," Psalm 113:3.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
The 23rd Psalm means nothing unless it is personal.
Rick and Gary talk about how powerful this famous passage of Scripture is when we can claim it as our own.
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Christmas is the greatest gift-giving season of the year. But we know that Christmas is about much more than the gifts that we give and received from one another. It is about the ultimate gift of God's Son, Jesus Christ.
Have you unwrapped this gift and made it your own? Have you received the gift of eternal life? The ultimate gift didn't come wrapped in pretty paper but rather in swaddling clothes.
Please join Gary and Jocelyn as that reflect on God's great gift.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast," Ephesians 2:8-9.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
As promised, Gary and Rick return today to talk about how the innkeeper actually did make room. We are often, perhaps, a little too judgemental when we only have a few facts.
Join Rick and Gary as they take another perspective on this popular passage of Scripture.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn," Luke 2:7.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
One of the staples of the Christmas narrative is the innkeeper who did not have room for Jesus. This thought often reminds us of the necessity to make room for Jesus. It is way too easy to let Christ get crowded out of our lives by so many other things that are good.
Join Rick and Gary as they remind us to establish our priorities.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn," Luke 2:7.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Do you remember Lucy's booth of Psychiatry in "A Charlie Brown Christmas?" She mentions a long list of phobias, but we have one more to add: Angelaphobia. This comes from the second chapter of Luke when the angels appeared to the shepherds and they were "sore afraid."
The following link to Lucy's list of phobias was referenced in the podcast. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/phobias-lucy-charlie-brown-christmas
" And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men," Luke 2:8-14.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
The Gospel of John does not tell the story of the nativity....or does it?
It does not. But it does tell us about the incarnation. It describes the Word that became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
After a few oopsies in the recording process, Gary and Rick discuss the first chapter of John. Please take five minutes to join the conversation.
John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 ¶ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Megan joins Pastor Gary today to talk about the angel Gabriel's appearance to the virgin Mary. Just imagine the fear that would overwhelm a young lady at the sudden appearance of an angel, not to mention the stunning news he delivered. This is the kind of news that would "freak you out," as Megan put it.
Join the conversation for five minutes as Gary and Megan try to look at this from Mary's perspective.
Luke 1
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
The Christmas story is filled with high drama. King Herod understood the Old Testament prophesies concerning Christ the Messiah. He knew that a son of David was destined to sit on the throne of Isreal. Yet he, and Idumean rather than a Jew, now occupied that seat.
Herod's reputation for jealousy and treachery was second to none. Even before this moment, he was a villain if ever there was one. There was a common said that it was better to be one of his pigs than one of his sons because you had a better mortality rate. He would not hesitate to slay anyone that he perceived as a threat.
Herod's mistake, however, was not simply in his cruelty but in the very fact that he rejected the Christ that he said that he would worship. You don't have to be cruel, unkind, and jealous to make that same mistake.
Matthew 2
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 ¶ When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13 ¶ And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
16 ¶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
19 ¶ But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Gary and Jocelyn look in on Mary in the quiet of the night after Jesus has been born. The Shepherds have come and gone and we picture the little Lord Jesus laying on her lap as she reflects not only on all that God has done but what God has in store for her little Guy. Having access to all of the Old Testament prophecies, what exactly did Mary know about His future in addition to His past?
"But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart," Luke 2:19.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
We may only want to give a penny for someone else's thoughts but we are always ready to give our two cents worth. Darrell shared that thought with Gary to demonstrate how we tend to value our own opinion above that of others. Someone might call that arrogance.
Join Gary as he shares this insight with Jocelyn and they relate it to the Scriptures.
"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith," Romans 12:3.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Jocelyn joins Gary to talk about the story of Ruth. In just four short chapters, we witness the transformation of a young lady whose life seems to be all but over. All of her hopes and dreams were dashed at the loss of her husband. Yet her vital faith takes her to places that no one but God could have foreseen.
Take five minutes to join us for this conversation.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Join Jocelyn and Gary as they look to Romans 12:12 for clues on growing your faith.
"Ro 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer," Romans 12:12.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
"Actually, I was," would have been the reply of Jesus.
While God could have chosen any location in the world to be born, He chose humble beginnings so that I might identify with the least of us. Join Gary and Rick as they examine God's purpose in His humble earthly beginnings.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn," Luke 2:7.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Join Gary and Jocelyn as the look at how a widows faith sustained her through a famine.
1Ki 17:15 "And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days," 1 Kings 17:15.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
God knew you before you knew you. He knows you intimately and even better than you know yourself. There is no question about that. Nathaniel learns this lesson quickly when Philip introduces him to Jesus.
It is one thing to know about God and it is another thing to actually know God. How well do you know Him and what is your knowledge based on? While Nathaniel know about God, He soon came to know Him personally in Jesus Christ and became one of the twelve famed apostles.
Our prayer is that you will not simply know about Jesus but that you will know Him personally.
John 1
45 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
There will always be someone against you. What difference does that make when God is for you? Gary reminds us from Romans 8:31 that it is better to have God for and the world against you than the other way around.
Join Gary for five minutes of encouragement from God's Word today.
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
When we stray from God, anything goes. There is no stable standard to serve as an anchor. However, when we walk with God and His Word as our God, we have a rock as an anchor to our soul.
Take five and join Gary as we explore this precept from Daniel 9:8.
"O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee," Daniel 9:8.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
The good life is the God-life. If you want to maximize your potential, your joy, and your success, I have the answer for you. Life is always better when we walk with God. We see this all through the Scriptures but Gary takes us to a single verse 1 Chronicles 11:9, to expound on this truth in this episode.
"So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him," 1 Chronicles 11:9.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Very often our modern usage of the word pride or proud does not reflect the dangers contained therein. It typically reflects a fulfilling sense of accomplishment and pleasure with ourselves or those we are close with. However, the biblical sense of pride is more of an arrogance. It reflects a denial of those who helped you achieve and especially and denial of God in one's accomplishments.
People filled with this sort of pride tend to lack a sense of their dependency on the Almighty. This ultra-independent spirit is always reflected in the wicked and godless class of society. The best remedy is gratitude.
"The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts," Psalm 10:4.
Psalm 10:11
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Jocelyn wants to talk about one of her favorite Bible stories. Esther was just a simple girl, used by God to accomplish great things.
Join Gary and Jocelyn for a five-minute conversation about how you don't have to be fancy to find favor with God and make a lasting difference. It was her simplicity that won the king's favor and her uncle Mordecai who help her learn that there was both a divine appointment and a divine purpose in her life.
"Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:13-14.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
People make time for their priorities because ultimately people do what they want to do. Excuses come quickly for those things that simply are not priorities with us. This is nothing new and it's not generational. Travel back to Jesus' day with us and listen to a parable from the Lord that illustrates this point.
Priorities can and do change based on circumstances, time, and understanding. Many people grow to lament their lack of proper priorities when life comes into focus. Our desire is for you to focus your priorities on the things that matter most in life. Nothing should take precedence over your walk with God.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Despite the temptation to use the classic theme music from this western, we kept or own theme music. But it was tempting. :)
In this episode, Gary takes a few minutes to look at both curses and blessings that are before the people of God. Our passage comes from the prophet Jeremiah as he conveys the Word of the Lord to the people of God.
Jeremiah 12
14 Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.
15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.
16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.
17 But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
It is always a joy to see the world through fresh eyes. When we watch children newly discover joys that we have experienced for years, it's difficult not to dawn a smile. Likewise, it's hard to get over the joy and enthusiasm of a new Christian as they first begin to experience the joys of the Christian life. Their passion is unbridled and many times we find that they are the best advertisement for what Christ can do in a person's life.
Take five minutes and join Gary as he looks at this life experience through the eyes of the Apostle Paul at the very moment he first became a believer.
Ac 9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
What does it mean when someone says, "Forget it?"
Maybe you owed them a few bucks and you are trying to repay it? Perhaps you offended someone and you are trying to apologize.
When they say forget about it, they are expressing the true meaning of forgiveness.
David loved the fact that God would not remember his sins and wrote about it in the Psalms.
"Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD, Psalm 25:7.
As believers, we can take solace in the fact that God will not remember our sins against us!
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Pastor Gary takes a few minutes to talk about why Faith in Five has not been available for the last few days and reflects on the reality of Romans 8:28. All things DO work together for good.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Are you in it to win it?
Gary and Jocelyn exchange thoughts on what it means to win the race. That includes preparation, participation, and the removal of all distractions. The Apostle Paul uses an Olympic race as a metaphor for the Christian life. Join our five-minute conversation as we try to break this down.
1 Corinthians 9
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Do you have unwanted thoughts? Do you ever discover your thoughts drifting off into things you know that you shouldn't be thinking?
God's word gives us good direction when it comes to controlling our thoughts. We can and should be intentional when it comes to the things that we dwell on. Fortunately, God has given us a list and it is found in Philippians 4:8.
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Join Gary and Jocely as they examine this famous passage of Scripture.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
John Gahring returns as the cohost and discusses the Purposeful Heart with Gary.
"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself," Daniel 1:8.
Success is not usually the product of an accident. The victorious life begins with purpose and there is no one who illustrates that better in the Bible than Daniel.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Chris gets a little confused when Gary talks about THE Comforter, assuming he is referencing some sort of Ohio State blanket. In reality, Gary is talking about the Holy Spirit and why He is called the Comforter.
" And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you," John 14:16-17.
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you," John 14:26.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Gary and Chris talk about giving thanks no matter what. Even in the midst of bad times, we still have something to be thankful for.
"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you," 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Today you are very likely spending time with family, enjoying the aroma of good food, and possibly contemplating a football game. Five minutes is all it takes to join Gary and Rick as they consider the 100th Psalm.
"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
John Gahring joins our cohort of cohosts on the Faith in Five Podcast on this episode as we consider a popular verse among believers.
The natural mindset says that good results come from the good things in our lives and bad results come from bad situations. However, God's Word teaches us that He is capable of producing good results from bad circumstances.
Join Gary and John as they explore this meaningful passage.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose," Romans 8:28.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Lazarus had two sisters with personalities that were polar opposites. Mary and Martha had a tendency to pick at each other because of their differences. One day, Martha came to Jesus and asked Him to settle an issue. She didn't get the response that she was hoping for.
Join Rich and Gary as they take five minutes to explore sisters Mary and Martha.
"Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her," Luke 10.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Once again, Rich and Gary wander off into the pop vs. soda debate while talking about David and Jonathan. These two were fast friends despite the fact that they had some differences that would have divided anyone else. Take five and join us as we explore the relationship between these two godly men who could have just as easily been enemies.
"And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul," 1 Samuel 18.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Megan gains inspiration from Psalm 116:1 which says, "I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications."
Join Gary and Megan as they talk about so many reasons to love God.
"We love him, because he first loved us," 1 John 4:19.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
There are two people in the Bible who completely escaped death and simply went straight to heaven. Elijah was caught up in a fiery chariot but Enoch walked with God and "was not."
Take five minutes with Gary and Rick to explore what made this man so unique that God allowed him to bypass death.
"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him," Genesis 5:21-24.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
It should never cease to amaze you how God uses unlikely people. Today, we call them the heroes of the Bible. But that wasn't often how they saw themselves. They were average, ordinary people whose lives were transformed by a miracle working God.
Gideon was one such case. He was fearful and in hiding when the angel of the Lord came and pronounced him as a mighty man of valor. He hadn't done anything yet and certainly did not see himself in that light. But God did and his life was changed forever.
You could be next.
Judges 6
11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
It doesn't take long in the Scriptures to learn about the gravitational pull of sin and depravity. By the time we reach Genesis 6, we discover that the imaginations of men's hearts were only evil continually. Despite the influence around him, Noah dared to be different and was recognized by God. Because of his stance, God added grace to his life and used him in a magnificent way.
It couldn't have been easy for Noah to be different in his day but the payoff was worth it all. It never seems nice to not fit in. But the cost of fitting in can often be much greater than when we dare to be different.
Join Rick and Gary as they dialogue on Genesis 6.
Genesis 6
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Chris and Gary talk about the temptation to give men praise rather than God. Peter and John heal a lame man at the temple and everyone wants to glorify them. It is often tempting to relish the praise of men but they wisely deferred the praise to God where it truly belongs.
When you give God the praise He is due, you will find that He often gives you more opportunities to do the same.
Acts 3
1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.
12 ¶ And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Philippians 4:13 is a verse that encourages and emboldens many believers. Sometimes it feels like we are powerless or incapable of achieving our goals. Sometimes we feel weak and incapable of achieving our goals. Other times, it seems like everything is against us. This is when this passage lifts our hearts.
However, some Christians will take this verse out of context and claim its power to do things outside of the will of God. We should never manipulate God's Word to make it say what was never intended to mean.
Philippians 4
10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
This story gets a little personal and Gary shares the story of his cousin Angela with Rick and the listeners.
Angela's family were missionaries to the Philippines. Though Angela was only nine, she played an active role in the ministry. Sadly, a tragic accident took her life but Angie had left a Scripture on her closet door that helped to comfort her grieving family.
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning," Psalm 30:5b.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Aquila and Priscilla were inseparable. They are mentioned six times in the Scriptures but never alone. They demonstrate for us the passion of a couple that serves Christ together.
Join Rick and Gary as they focus in on this couple's success in ministering to others.
"And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them," Acts 18:2.
"And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow, Acts 18:18.
Ac 18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly," Acts 18:26.
"Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus," Romans 16:3.
"The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house, 1 Corinthians 16:19.
"Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus," 2 Timothy 4:19.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Megan Gregory joins Gary today to discuss priorities and focus from Proverbs 4:25-27.
"Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil," Proverbs 4:25-27.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Remember those in their families who served, Rick and Gary salute our veterans in this episode. The Scriptures are not unfamiliar with what it takes to be a soldier. It requires grit, determination, and the ability to endure hardness. The military is not for the weak.
Likewise, a soldier of Jesus Christ filters out all that distracts and entangles him in this world so that he/she may be more effective in the spiritual warfare that surrounds us today.
Join the guys as they compare spiritual warfare to physical warfare in light of the Scriptures.
"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier," 2 Timothy 2:3-4.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Do you want to have a great sense of fulfillment? One of the best ways to do that is to add value to others. When we do this, we add value to ourselves while fulfilling a Biblical mandate.
Join Gary and Chris for this conversation.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
In the last episode of our recorded live series, Rick and Gary talk about the impact of the women who gathered by the riverside for prayer. According to Jewish custom, it took ten men to establish a synagogue. Speculation says that there were not ten men to do that but the women persisted anyway.
Their prayers were answered and God did great things in response. You can never underestimate the power of prayer or the persistence of motivated women. Join Gary and Rick as they look in on the passage from Acts 16.
"Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us, " Acts 16:11-15.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
In honor of our 100th Episode, Gary and Rick look for a few scenarios in the Bible that include the number 100. What do you think they will come up with?
The Faith in Five Podcast is exceeding our expectations and we are grateful for each of you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing on social media and with your friends. The feedback is amazing.
If you have ideas for topics in the future, please shoot us an email at info@faithinfive.org. We may just dip into our mailbag and use your idea.
If you want to learn more, just visit us at www.faithinfive.org.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
In another episode recorded live during an evening service, Rick and Gary talk about God's perfect timing. Esther learned this in a very real way when Mordecai reminded her of her special purpose in the kingdom. Only she had the power to prevent a slaughter of Jewish people at that time. Her uncle reminds her that this may be precisely why God place her in that place at that time.
"For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
Jocelyn selects today's thought straight from the story of David and Goliath. There has never been a more popular children's Bible story that carries conveys such important and lasting truths.
Listen in as Gary and Jocelyn take five to consider this relevant passage of Scripture.
"And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth," 1 Samuel 17:47-49.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
As soon as Gary called on Chris to do a spontaneous episode, Megan Gregory started flipping pages in her Bible because she saw that look in Pastor Click's eye and knew that she was next.
Megan teaches and coaches at Temple Christian Academy and has a real servant's heart. She contributes in so many ways and is love by students and parents alike. In her debut she personalizes John the Baptists statement when he laid eyes on Jesus.
"He must increase, but I must decrease," John 3:30.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
In another episode recorded during a live service at the Fremont Baptist Temple, we learn that Rick's favorite Top Ten team lost! Poor guy! Church members may or may not have gotten a little roudy about their favorite teams.
However, we use this moment to talk about God's top ten. We learn that there are actually 613 commandments in the Bible that can be narrowed down to ten, which are divided into two and can be summed up in one word. Listen to learn that word.
Exodus 20
1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 ¶ Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Send questions and comments to info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Five is a ministry of the Fremont Baptist Temple in Fremont, Ohio.
Be sure to like, subscribe and give a five-star rating to the Faith in Five Podcast.
While recording live with Rick Ash, Pastor Gary surprises our youth Pastor, Chris Pethtel and calls him up to the hot mike to cohost an episode. We have been talking about including him for a long time and this seemed like the best time to everyone....except Chris!
He did a great job sharing his favorite verse and we may have a hot mike moment in the end, only because we caught him off guard. Please take a few minutes to get to know Chris and learn why 1 Peter 5:7 is his favorite verse.
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you," 1 Peter 5:7.
Today's episode was recorded live during a Sunday night service at the Fremont Baptist Temple to give our folks a behind-the-scenes look at how Faith in Five Podcast is produced. Look for more episodes recorded on that evening coming soon.
Always there reminds us of God's ongoing presence in our lives. Sometimes we may feel lonely and abandoned but we are never truly alone.
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen," Matthew 28:20.
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee," Hebrews 13:5.
Is it better to grab the best seats and be asked to move or to take the less desirable seats and be asked to move up? The Bible has the answer to that question and as you might have guessed, Rich and Gary are ready to talk about it. But they have to rearrange a few things first.
What happens when we turn our attention away from God?
King Saul had access to God and a promising future before him. Yet humility gave way to arrogance and a dark spirit invaded his soul. Rather than seeking God, he turned his attention to the dark arts in order to conjure up a godly man. Is it okay to do the right thing the wrong way? Did this work out for Saul? Let's take a look.
What did Jesus do when He encountered a demon-possessed woman?
Well, the Bible doesn't show us that moment but it does tell us what He did for her. He cast out the demons and gave her a new life. Set free of the bondage of sin, Mary Magdalene committed her life to Christ. What a joy it was to be set free.
Her story doesn't stop there, however. Mary was privileged to be the first person to see the resurrected Christ. Take five minutes to join Gary and Rick as they explore this marvelous story of redemption.
"And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance," Luke 8:1-3.
" And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God," John 20:14-17.
How can someone take a tragedy and turn it on its head? How do some people have peace in the midst of the storm? Job was a great example of this. When life was at its worst, he did not blame God but rather retained his virtue and his faith. To no one's surprise, God took care of this faithful servant.
"And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said,
Naked came I out of my mother's womb,
and naked shall I return thither:
the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD.
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly," Job 1:13-22.
Daniel Smith (AKA Smitty) is back with Pastor Gary to talk about the second shortest verse in the Bible. Why did he memorize it and what does it mean?
"Rejoice Evermore," 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
Patrick reached out and asked us to do some character studies on the Faith in Five Podcast. Gary and Rick respond today by diving into one of the lesser know people in Scripture, John Mark.
It's not that John Mark is unknown. In fact, there is an entire Gospel that bears his name was the first to be written. But what do we know about this young man? Join Gary and Rick for the conversaion.
"Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry," 2 Timothy 4:11.
Why do people tend to complicate things that were meant to be easy? It happens all the time but it shouldn't.
Gary and Rick talk about how that happens when it comes to the things of God. He didn't make it as hard as we make it. Listen in for this discussion.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light," Matthew 11:28-30.
Pastor Gary introduces a new cohost into the rotation, Daniel Smith. Smitty, as his friends call him, is new to the staff and Fremont Baptist Temple and Temple Christian Academy.
Today, Gary and Daniel dismiss a common misunderstanding of what the Scripture has to say about money. Is it evil or not?
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows," 1 Timothy 6:10.
Some people are skeptical of jailhouse conversions but they do happen and they can be genuine. Rick and Gary travel back to Acts 16 to look at one instance from Scriptue. In this case, it wasn't the prisoner, it was the jailor!
"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway," Acts 16:25-33.
It has been said that some people miss heaven by 18 inches. That is the average distance from your head to your heart. There is a difference between knowing "about" Jesus and knowing Jesus. Listen in as Gary and Rick talk about this.
"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God," Acts 8:36-37.
Gary and Jocelyn talk about homecoming events both in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, they look at the story of Naomi as found in the short book of Ruth.
Naomi had ventured into Moab with her husband and sons during a famine in Israel. Sadly, she lost all of them. She returned home with her daughter-in-law Ruth and God blessed them both in a way you could never imagine.
In the New Testament, we discover the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. This young man had gotten way ahead of himself and suffered great consequences. Yet the father welcomed him home with open arms. This, of course, is a picture of God the Father's grace to those of us who have gone astray.
I don't think that means what you think it means. Rick goes off on the Princess Bride movie but Gary is talking about a six-fingered man who appears to be the son of the giant, Goliath.
"And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant," 2 Samuel 21:20.
Somehow Rick and Gary take a conversation about video games all the way to a widow making and offering at the temple in Jerusalem. Join the conversation and learn how what seems little to you is mighty to God.
"And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living," Mark 12:41-44.
No one likes to talk about hell. Preachers don't like to preach about it anymore. But is hell a real place? What does the Bible say about that?
Join Gary and Rick as they look to the Bible for answers to this question.
"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched," Mark 9:43-48.
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it," Matthew 7:13-14.
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death," Revelation 21:8.
"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," Matthew 25:41
Not long ago, Gary was having a conversation with someone who said, "Heaven isn't what you think it is." Oddly enough, they never even asked what he thought heaven was.
We don't really have to guess. The Bible gives us some pretty good clues while still leaving us to wonder about some aspects that God has reserved for Himself. However, we do know enough to know that heave is better than we could imagine.
Join Rick and Gary for this discussion.
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also," John 14:1-3.
"For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him," Isaiah 64:4.
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him," 1 Corinthians 2:9.
"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord," 2 Corinthians 5:8.
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain," Philippians 1:21.
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words," 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
" And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful," Revelation 21:1-5.
"It's just a book written by men."
Have you ever heard that claim? How do you answer that in five minutes? Join Rick and Gary as they share some quick answers. They will look to see what the Bible says about itself and take a look at some historical affirmations of the Scriptures.
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," 2 Peter 1:21.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart," Hebrew 4:12.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works," 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
The Guinness Book of World Records says that the Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It's hard to imagine that a mere collection of mortal musings could achieve such high regard, especially after so many efforts to banish, burn and destroy it.
The ongoing debate between Gary and Rick over Pop or Soda spills over into the Faith in Five Podcast leading to a conversation about unnecessary division in the church and elsewhere.
"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them," Romans 16:17.
Some people call it the circular file. This is where God files your forgiven sins. They are never to be remembered, recalled, or restored to your account ever again. How would you like to have a clean slate? This is something that God promises to all those who trust in Him.
Join Gary and Jocely as they peek into a few Scriptures that communicate this wonderful truth.
"And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more," Hebrews 10:17.
"For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us," Psalm 103:11-12.
Many people do great things for God quietly and humbly. The world may never know who they are but God never forgets.
Join Rick and Gary and they look at just such an example from the life and ministry of Jesus.
Please reach out to us with questions and comments at info@faithinfive.org.
It's so easy to get caught up in the past. That's true whether the past was good or bad. We can feel stuck due to adverse experiences or perhaps rest on the laurels of prior achievements. The Apostle Paul rejected both in Philippians chapter three.
Join Rick and Gary and they discuss what it means to look towards the future.
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus," Philippians 3:13-14.
Please share your comments, questions, and suggestions with us at info@faithinfive.org.
God must have a sense of humor. Acts 12 records an incredible journey of faith that describes Peter's miraculous deliverance from prison. As he escapes through the midnight air to the home where the prayer meeting is taking place, no one wants to believe it's true. It's too incredible to be true and besides that are too busy praying to rejoice over answered prayer.
Join Rick and Gary as they examine this text and what it means for us.
Acts 12
5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
14 And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Send your comments, questions, and suggestions to info@faithinfive.org.
How many times have you been on the customer service treadmill? You know how it is when you have to push dozens of buttons to get to a live person just to get put on hold. Argh! #Frustrating.
Well, its an entirely different story when you go to God in prayer. Join Gary and Rick as they take a look at 1 John 5:14.
"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us."
Send your thoughts, comments and suggestions to Gary and Rick at info@faithinfive.org.
Computer geeks will get that but no one else will. Striking those keys simultaneously on your keyboard will reboot your computer. This has been a very useful tool when your computer gets locked up and won't budge.
This reminds us that many times in life we need a fresh start. Our lives can get locked up real fast and it doesn't feel like we are going anywhere good. It is at this point that many people discover that they need new life in Christ. When we read 2 Corinthians 5:17, we discover that God gives the new believer a reboot and a fresh start.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new," 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Learn more about Faith in Five at www.faithinfive.org.
Send your feedback or questions to info@faithinfive.org.
Have you ever wished that you could edit your spoken words? Did you ever speak before thinking through your words?
Most of us are guilty of that at least once or twice. For others, it's a habit that forms their character. Which one are you?
Join Rick and Gary as they examine Matthew 12:36.
"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."
Do you have thoughts or suggestions? Send an email to info@faithinfive.org.
Are you looking for a good church? Be sure to check out www.fremontbaptisttemple.org.
Some things are so plain and observable that the bearer of such news often earns the moniker "Captain Obvious." That is especially true if siblings are involved.
The Apostle Paul doesn't quite use that terminology in the first chapter of Romans but he does remind us that some spiritual truths should be obvious to the average soul. God is in plain sight when you simply observe His creation. In fact, you have to deny the obvious to convince yourself that He is not there.
"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools," Romans 1:19-22.
How are you supposed to respond to foolish people? Two back-to-back verses seem to contradict themselves. Are you supposed to answer foolish people or not?
"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him," Proverbs 26:4.
"Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit," Proverbs 26:5.
How can these both be true at the same time? Join Gary and Rick as they work through these contrasting Scriptures in five minutes.
Getting a real picture of ourselves begins by getting a real picture of God. Not everyone gets to see God like Isaiah did. Yet, God has preserved that experience for us in the Holy Scriptures so that we might learn to have the proper understanding of both God and ourselves. When we have that proper insight into ourselves and our God, perspective takes a whole new meaning our we are enabled to have a greater life experience.
Isaiah 6
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 ¶ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
It's easy to ask the question that way but Rick and Gary turn the question and ask, What's right with it?We can find a thousand ways to justify the things that we want to do even when we know its wrong. King Saul was an example of that. He knew what God had commanded him to do but he convinced himself that it was better to do things his way. He convinced himself but he did not convince the prophet and he certainly did not convince God.
Let's learn a lesson from his mistakes.
1 Samuel 15
13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Growing up listening to his dad's country music on an eight-track player from the back of the Bonneville, Gary remembers listening to Charlie Daniels' country hit, The Devil Went Down to Georgia. This prompts a conversation on that time when the Devil had a conversation with the Lord about His servant Job. Satan was convinced that Job only served God because of the blessings. Through a series of trials and tests, permitted by God, Job's faithful was put on full disciplay.
Join Gary and Rick as they take a quick look at the life of Job.
Job 1
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
No this isn't the classic children's nursery rhyme. Gary and Rick take us on a jouney out into the Sea of Galilee on a storm desert night. Matthew 14 describes a scene that starts out with the disciples struggling to row to shore.
In the midst of their struggle, they are frightened by what appears to be an apparition but turns out to be Jesus. What happens next becomes one of the most classic Bible stories of all time.
Matthew 14
22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Some habits are easy to fall into ans others....not so much. The truth is that some habits are detrimental to our well-being while others can be quite health.
Join Rick and Gary for just a few minutes as they prompt us to think about how we form our habits.
Found out if Jocelyn was one of those prissy girls, a tomboy, or somewhere in between. What did she do when she came across bugs outside?
Join Gary and Jocelyn as they share what God says about ants in the Bible.
"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest," Proverbs 6:6-8.
This was initially intended to be our first episode but it turned out to be episode 59. You will hear Gary and Rick talk about a few complications in getting started and we hope that our quality has improved a little since then.
However, you will actually get a peek into some folks (not Gary and Rick) that Jesus intimated could be dumber than rocks. While those were not His exact words, you'll understand what we mean as you listen.
Luke 19
37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Humility is key to the Christian life. Overconfidence is the key to failure.
Gary and Rick examine this reality in the life of the Apostle Peter. When he was arrogant he fell but as he grew in humility he began to succeed. Join us for five minutes as we look into this passage from the gospels.
Matthew 16
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21 ¶ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Have you ever felt like God was conspiring against you? The good news is that that is not true. God is for you. Take five minutes to join Gary and Rick as they explore the Scriptures that teach us that God wants us to prevail.
"When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me," Psalm 56:9.
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end," Jeremiah 29:11.
Gary and Rick take a few minutes to introduce you to John Harper. Reverend Harper was a pastor on board the Titanic when it sank. His selfless devotion and gospel witness until the end is truly a picture of Titanic Faith.
Chicken may be the most common part of the traditional church dinner but fish was first. Gary and Rick take a few moments to talk about the feeding of the five thousand as discovered in the sixth chapter of John. This moment in Scripture illustrates core values and principles of faith that should be a part of every believer's life.
John 6
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
The Romans Road is a popular collection of verses, primarily from the New Testament book of Romans. These Scriptures take curious travelers on a simple spiritual journey of discovery that maps out the path of salvation and eternal life.
Part one unveils the universal human condition of sin. Gary and Rick will unpack Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23 as proof texts of what most of us already know - no one is perfect.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one," Romans 3:10.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23.
Part two reveals the consequences of sin as discovered in the first part of Romans 6:23 and supported by Revelation 14:20. Fortunately, Romans 6:23 has a second part that provides hope.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire," Revelation 20:14-15.
Part three upacks the gift of God revealed in Romans 6:23 and is supported by one of the most famous verses of Scripture, John 3:16.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16.
Part four, instructs us on how to claim that gift through believing and receiving as explained in Romans 10:9-10.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation," Romans 10:9-10.
Part five assures us that God's grace is for everyone and His Word is sure. What God says He will do, He does. We don't have to have a "hope so" salvation. We can have a "know so" salvation!"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," **Romans 10:13.
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" 1 John 5:13.**
Many people have begun their spiritual journey with a simple and humble, heart-felt prayer like the one that follows:
"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank you for dying on the cross, paying for all my sin, and rising again on the third day. The best way that I know how I ask you to forgive me for my sin and be my Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."
Rest assured that the power of that prayer is not in getting the words exactly right but rather in the expression of humble repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The words are merely the expression of what is believed in your heart. When the heart is right, the words are less significant. However, the right words from an empty heart can never deceive an all-knowing God.
If this message has helped you, please shoot us an email and let us know.
Info@faithinfive.org
The Romans Road is a popular collection of verses, primarily from the New Testament book of Romans. These Scriptures take curious travelers on a simple spiritual journey of discovery that maps out the path of salvation and eternal life.
Part one unveils the universal human condition of sin. Gary and Rick will unpack Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23 as proof texts of what most of us already know - no one is perfect.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one," Romans 3:10.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23.
Part two reveals the consequences of sin as discovered in the first part of Romans 6:23 and supported by Revelation 14:20. Fortunately, Romans 6:23 has a second part that provides hope.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire," Revelation 20:14-15.
Part three upacks the gift of God revealed in Romans 6:23 and is supported by one of the most famous verses of Scripture, John 3:16.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16.
Part four, instructs us on how to claim that gift through believing and receiving as explained in Romans 10:9-10."That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation," Romans 10:9-10.
Part five assures us that God's grace is for everyone and His Word is sure. What God says He will do, He does. We don't have to have a "hope so" salvation. We can have a "know so" salvation!
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," Romans 10:13.
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" 1 John 5:13.
Many people have begun their spiritual journey with a simple and humble, heart-felt prayer like the one that follows:
"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank you for dying on the cross, paying for all my sin, and rising again on the third day. The best way that I know how I ask you to forgive me for my sin and be my Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."
Rest assured that the power of that prayer is not in getting the words exactly right but rather in the expression of humble repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The words are merely the expression of what is believed in your heart. When the heart is right, the words are less significant. However, the right words from an empty heart can never deceive an all-knowing God.
If this message has helped you, please shoot us an email and let us know.
Info@faithinfive.org
The Romans Road is a popular collection of verses, primarily from the New Testament book of Romans. These Scriptures take curious travelers on a simple spiritual journey of discovery that maps out the path of salvation and eternal life.
Part one unveils the universal human condition of sin. Gary and Rick will unpack Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23 as proof texts of what most of us already know - no one is perfect.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one," Romans 3:10.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23.
Part two reveals the consequences of sin as discovered in the first part of Romans 6:23 and supported by Revelation 14:20. Fortunately, Romans 6:23 has a second part that provides hope.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire," Revelation 20:14-15.
Part three upacks the gift of God revealed in Romans 6:23 and is supported by one of the most famous verses of Scripture, John 3:16."For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," **Romans 6:23.
"*For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16.*
Part four, instructs us on how to claim that gift through believing and receiving as explained in Romans 10:9-10.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation," Romans 10:9-10.
Part five assures us that God's grace is for everyone and His Word is sure. What God says He will do, He does. We don't have to have a "hope so" salvation. We can have a "know so" salvation!
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," Romans 10:13.
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" 1 John 5:13.
Many people have begun their spiritual journey with a simple and humble, heart-felt prayer like the one that follows:
"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank you for dying on the cross, paying for all my sin, and rising again on the third day. The best way that I know how I ask you to forgive me for my sin and be my Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."
Rest assured that the power of that prayer is not in getting the words exactly right but rather in the expression of humble repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The words are merely the expression of what is believed in your heart. When the heart is right, the words are less significant. However, the right words from an empty heart can never deceive an all-knowing God.
If this message has helped you, please shoot us an email and let us know.
Info@faithinfive.org
The Romans Road is a popular collection of verses, primarily from the New Testament book of Romans. These Scriptures take curious travelers on a simple spiritual journey of discovery that maps out the path of salvation and eternal life.
Part one unveils the universal human condition of sin. Gary and Rick will unpack Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23 as proof texts of what most of us already know - no one is perfect.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one," Romans 3:10.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23.
***Part two reveals the consequences of sin as discovered in the first part of Romans 6:23 and supported by Revelation 14:20. Fortunately, Romans 6:23 has a second part that provides hope.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire," Revelation 20:14-15.***
Part three upacks the gift of God revealed in Romans 6:23 and is supported by one of the most famous verses of Scripture, John 3:16.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16.
Part four, instructs us on how to claim that gift through believing and receiving as explained in Romans 10:9-10.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation," Romans 10:9-10.
Part five assures us that God's grace is for everyone and His Word is sure. What God says He will do, He does. We don't have to have a "hope so" salvation. We can have a "know so" salvation!
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," Romans 10:13.
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" 1 John 5:13.
Many people have begun their spiritual journey with a simple and humble, heart-felt prayer like the one that follows:
"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank you for dying on the cross, paying for all my sin, and rising again on the third day. The best way that I know how I ask you to forgive me for my sin and be my Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."
Rest assured that the power of that prayer is not in getting the words exactly right but rather in the expression of humble repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The words are merely the expression of what is believed in your heart. When the heart is right, the words are less significant. However, the right words from an empty heart can never deceive an all-knowing God.
If this message has helped you, please shoot us an email and let us know.
Info@faithinfive.org
The Romans Road is a popular collection of verses, primarily from the New Testament book of Romans. These Scriptures take curious travelers on a simple spiritual journey of discovery that maps out the path of salvation and eternal life.
Part one unveils the universal human condition of sin. Gary and Rick will unpack Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23 as proof texts of what most of us already know - no one is perfect."As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one," Romans 3:10."For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23.
Part two reveals the consequences of sin as discovered in the first part of Romans 6:23 and supported by Revelation 14:20. Fortunately, Romans 6:23 has a second part that provides hope.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire," Revelation 20:14-15.
Part three upacks the gift of God revealed in Romans 6:23 and is supported by one of the most famous verses of Scripture, John 3:16.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16.
Part four, instructs us on how to claim that gift through believing and receiving as explained in Romans 10:9-10.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation," Romans 10:9-10.
Part five assures us that God's grace is for everyone and His Word is sure. What God says He will do, He does. We don't have to have a "hope so" salvation. We can have a "know so" salvation!
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," Romans 10:13.
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" 1 John 5:13.
Many people have begun their spiritual journey with a simple and humble, heart-felt prayer like the one that follows:
"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank you for dying on the cross, paying for all my sin, and rising again on the third day. The best way that I know how I ask you to forgive me for my sin and be my Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."
Rest assured that the power of that prayer is not in getting the words exactly right but rather in the expression of humble repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The words are merely the expression of what is believed in your heart. When the heart is right, the words are less significant. However, the right words from an empty heart can never deceive an all-knowing God.
If this message has helped you, please shoot us an email and let us know.
Info@faithinfive.org
Sometimes people will just tell you what you want to hear but a good friend will tell you the hard truth.
Jocelyn Pethtel joins Pastor Gary Click for the first time today as a cohost on the Faith in Five Podcast. Together they take a few minutes to explore Proverbs 27:6, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."
We are reminded that Judas even betrayed Jesus with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Take five and join Gary and Jocely as they consider what this means for us today.
The only people afraid of questions are those who don't have the answers. God has the answers and is not afraid of our questions. Many of the greatest Christians have had moments of doubt and questioning, including John the Baptist. Did Jesus condemn him? No Jesus bragged on him.
Join Gary and Rick for a lively discussion on the day John the Baptist questioned Jesus.
Luke 7
19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.
26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
Better known as the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus gives a parable teaching us all of God's patient grace and forgiveness. We also learn the cost and consequences of venturing off on our own and living independent of His grace.
Join Rick and Gary for a conversation taken directly from the parables of Jesus.
Luke 15
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
God has a different way of looking at people than we do. We can be easily impressed with someone by what we see on the surface while God sees their heart and is unimpressed. In like fashion, we may be non-plussed by what we see in someone when God looks at them and sees a champion. Such was the case with David.
Listen in as Gary and Rick look in on the moment when God chose David above all the other more likely candidates.
1 Samuel 16
1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
6 ¶ And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him.
7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
With a little play on the words, Gary and Rick talk about the healing of Naman the leper. He was a high-ranking official in the Syrian arm that came to the prophet Elisha for healing. Like many today, he thought that his salvation would come through some great deed or effort all his own. What he learned was that coming to God requires humility of heart.
He also learned that we do not get to choose our own path to God. We don't set the rules. Instead, we must submit ourselves to Him even when we don't understand and it doesn't seem to make sense. God's way is always the right way.
1 Kings 5
1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9 ¶ So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Don't leave your faith in the past. That's what these sojourners on the road to Emmaus did. They had great faith in Jesus all the way up to the point of the crucifixion. Then they gave up. They left their faith behind. They assumed that their faith had been misplaced and they were confused and hopeless.
Not only does this passage teach us to keep the faith when all hope is lost but it also reveals the clever sense of humor that our Lord must have. The risen Lord walks and talks with these travelers about Himself without them realizing just who they were talking to. During the conversation they reveal that they had trusted in Christ, using the word in the past tense. However, their recently departed faith was soon to be renewed.
Here we learn not to give up too soon.
Luke 24
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
Moments of depression can overtake anyone. Even the greatest heroes of Scripture had moments of discouragement and despair. Elijah was no exception. Like many of us, there were times when he felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and maybe he ought to just throw in the towel.
It was at just a time like this that God met with Elijah but not in the way he expected. The voice of God is not usually thunderous and loud but rather soft and gentle to the listening ear.
I Kings 19
9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
15 And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. {Elisha: Gr. Eliseus}
17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
Anyone that was alive on September 11, 2001, can most likely remember where you were when you learned that America was under attack.
Gary and Rick take time to reflect on where they were on this momentous day and take a look at how that day impacted our nation spiritually.
"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth," Psalm 121:1-2.
What do Smokey the Bear and the third chapter of James have in common? Wildfires!
Join in the discussion as Gary and Rick take a couple minutes to examine James chapter three.
"Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be," James 3:5-10.
Pete always carried a marble around to prove to the world that he had not lost them all but we weren't always sure about that. Another gentleman filled a vase full of marbles and extracted one a day until they were all gone. He had a purpose based on Psalm 90:12. Listen as Gary and Rick talk about losing your marbles and numbering your days.
"o teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."
The ship never sinks when Jesus is on board! Unfortunately, the disciples had not yet learned that truth. A great storm of wind overtook their small ship while Jesus lay sleeping in the back. They grew extremely frustrated that Jesus could rest so well while they feared for their lives! But what a great lesson evolved from this moment.
You can survive any storm in life so long as Jesus is on board.
Mark 4:35-41
And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.
And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Can grief ever be good?
Suffering a loss touches the soul in a way that nothing else on earth can. The loss of a loved one penetrates our core, especially when a loss is unseasonal. The loss of a child, a sibling, or a spouse can be among the most painful losses. It is never easy to say goodbye to your parents or anyone that you love. Sometimes it's a close friend who seems closer than a brother. Can any good come of this? How do we cope? How can we deal with this?
Five minutes may not be enough time to work through this completely but join Rick and Gary as they explore the meaning of 1 Thessalonians 4:13.
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope."
The 119th chapter of the book of Psalms is the longest chapter in all of Scripture with 176 verses containing about 2,600 words but only one topic. The entire Psalm is about the Word of God!
Why would God make the longest chapter in the Word about the Word? Perhaps because He wants us to understand the value of the Word. Written in the form of Hebrew poetry, the Psalm uses eight different words to describe the Word. Keep a pencil handy and see if you can catch the eight words of Psalm 119 that describe the Word.
Read Psalm 119.
Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible. Let's take a quick look at it together and see what God has for us in these two short verses.
Psalm 117
1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
That sounds harsh until you realize that being wanted is better than being needed. He loves us and has chosen us. What a privilege.
Join Rick and Gary as they explore how God has chosen us from the first chapter of Ephesians.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love," Ephesians 5:3-4.
Is that what Adam said the first time he saw Eve? Well, maybe something like that.
Adam was incomplete until God created his counterpart, Eve. They were perfect for each other in every way. God knows what we need physically, spiritually, and emotionally to be made whole. Men and women are opposite yet complimentary in so many ways, according to God's design.
"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
"And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh," Genesis 2:18-24.
Hold on tight! That's what an early evangelist by the name of Barnabas advises believers at the church in Antioch. There are some things we should hold onto loosely and other things that we should never let go of.
We will certainly hold dear to those things that are most precious to us. Who and what is most precious to you and why?
"Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord," Acts 11:23.
Context is everything. While the Bible certainly does not prohibit having a good time, it does establish priorities. Only a fool does not look ahead and consider the consequences of his actions. This passage teaches us the value of looking beyond temporary fulfillment to those things that matter most in life.
"And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God," Luke 12:16-21.
Because the Word of God accurately reflects the culture of the day, some have wondered if Scripture minimizes the value of women. Gary explains that not everything that the Bible records happening happened because it was God's plan. It was often a reflection of the culture. But Scripture often ran counter to the culture in the advancement of women's rights.
While many in the first century still regarded women as inferior and even as property, Scripture taught men not only to treat their wives as equals (as themselves) but actually to elevate her worth and value her above his own self to the point of sacrificing himself for her.
Listen as Gary and Rick take five to break this down.
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it," Ephesians 5:25
Don't blink your eyes. Kids grow up way too fast! Where has this summer gone? It seems like it was just yesterday when.......
Are you familiar with those phrases? If not yet, you soon will be because life IS short! God's Word has a little something to say about that too. Listen as Gary and Rick talk about making the most of every day.
"For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away," James 4:14b.
When Gary was growing up the Happy Days sitcom brought many of the 50's songs back to life. He fesses up to listening to his parent's old records and pretending to be Elvis Presley while singing The Devil in Disguise.
While you may not know this, the title, at least, has a biblical connection. In Second Corinthians 11:14, Paul warns the church that not everything that looks good is good. The devil is a master at making good look bad and bad look good.
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."
Knock, knock jokes can be some of the dumbest and yes Rick tells one. Gary talks about how his kids learned the art of the knock, knock joke too. What's the point? It reminds us of a promise from God's Word.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" Matthew 7:7-8.
Did you know that one of the greatest heroes of Scripture is also one of its greatest villains?
Before he was the great Apostle Paul he was the terrorist known as Saul of Tarsus. He oversaw the first assassination of a church leader, Stephen. He was an operative charged with assaulting, murdering, and imprisoning the faithful.
"As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison," Acts 8:3
But even in this, God was in charge. This persecution led to the spread of the gospel and the great persecutor would become the great preacher.
Join in as Gary and Rick look at this pivotal moment in church history.
What can be better than having a debt paid off? Having someone else pay it off. That's what Gary and Rick talk about today. However, we are not talking about financial debt but rather a judicial judgment against us for sin. We all owe this debt but someone of infinite purity paid that debt for us.
Gary and Rick take a few minutes to chat about Colossians 2:13-14.
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross."
It is so encouraging to discover that our heroes of the Bible had flaws and failures just like we do today. While there is much to learn from them, realizing that they had problems too reminds us that in spite of our weaknesses, we can do great things also.
Listen in as we learn about a little pride and jealousy among the apostles.
The most famous verse of Scripture throughout the world is John 3:16. Why is it so famous? Because it captures the essence of the gospel in a few succinct words.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Every word is essential and adherence to this brief remedy for your soul is the difference between being saved and lost.
There is a huge misconception in the world about what role the church does and should play in our lives. Do you have to go to church to go to heaven? Do you have to go to church to love God? If church isn't required, then why should you go?
Join Rick and Gary as they chat for a few minutes about what church is and what it isn't.
It has been said that a bad day fishing is better than a good day working. Well, for Simon Peter, fishing was his work. It was his livelihood. But after a long night fishing, he and his companions caught nothing. Then Jesus entered the picture and it was amazing. Listen to Gary and Rick discuss this account from Luke 5.
Rich challenges Gary to give the gospel in five minutes! Can he do it?
Seminarians spend years plummeting the depths of the gospel and yet the basic elements are extremely simple. That's because Christ did the hard part and left the easy part for us. While much more can and should be said about the gospel, this five-minute episode gives you the gospel in a nutshell.
The parable of the sower is one of Jesus' more famous parables. This episode takes five minutes to talk about the four soils on which the seed of God's Word falls.
Agriculture was a large part of the culture in Christ's day and He often communicated biblical truths with stories that related to everyday life. It has been said that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
In the parable of the sower, we learn that if and when God's Word fails to take root, it's never because the seed was no good. The soil is always the problem. God's Word is never outdated and never needs to change to conform to the culture. However, the soil of our hearts often needs attention so that can receive the Word.
Gary finds a lot of humor in the story of young Samuel as described in 1 Samuel 3. This is one of his favorite stories to share with young children and it always gets them laughing and giggling. However, it's not just a funny story, it is a real-life account with a real-life message about listening to God.
The challenge, Rick suggests is for Gary to get through this story in five minutes. Let's see if he can do it in five and make it make sense for an older generation.
Death is painful. It's that simple. There is no way around it. It hurts.
But there is a way to remove the sting from death. Death can be less painful. Hope can be found in the midst of the most difficult time in our lives. The Apostle Paul spends an entire chapter teaching the Corinthians about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and concludes by revealing that Jesus removes the sting of death through the resurrection from the dead.
Join Rick and Gary as they discuss this concept filled with hope and truth.
Little guys and gals can do big things. No one proves that more than King David. His family thought he was insignificant. They failed to see in him what God saw in him. That didn't keep God from doing great things with David including slaying a giant and taking over a kingdom.
Gary and Rick take a brief look at man's last choice who became God's first choice.
Is the majority always right? Instinctively, we all know that they are not.
As believers in Christ we are often called to stand alone, swim against the current, and go against the flow. But it is so much easier to just fit in and go along for the ride.
Rick and Gary talk about a few biblical examples of those who didn't give in to peer pressure and societal norms. They look at instances where the majority was clearly wrong and encourage us to stand for right even when we have to stand alone.
In reality, you will never outrun the lion. But if you are wise, you can still escape his clutches.
A roaring lion is just one of the many portrayals of Satan in the Scriptures. He is real and he is someone to be aware of. Lions prey on the weak, the slow, and the unaware. This is why the Scripture calls on us to be level-headed and vigilant. Otherwise, we can easily succumb to this adversary.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour," 1 Peter 5:8.
It has been said that God cast a vote for you, the Devil cast a vote against you and you get to cast the deciding vote.
That's an election worth showing up for. Listen as Gary and Rick talk about what it means to trust Christ.
Do you ever feel like God is judging you? Everything just seems to be going wrong. Isn't the life of a Christian supposed to be carefree? Not exactly.
You can't get past the first book of the Bible without seeing how good people face difficult challenges. That is the story from Genesis to Revelation. But no one summarizes this truth more succinctly than Joseph does when speaking to his treacherous brothers.
Rick and Gary take a look at how this man of God found purpose in his problems.
"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive," Genesis 50:20.
The Apostles were mesmerized. It wasn't like they had never seen Jesus perform a miracle before. They had seen plenty. But they never saw Him fly.
This is the last thing they see from Jesus as He ascends into the heavens. Unbeknown to them, however, a couple angels appeared while they were gazing up into the clouds. They had a message for these men. He'll be back. In the meantime, they had a job to do.
Jesus is coming again. Let's not be idle watchers but rather faithful doers.
Was Jesus disrespectful to his mother in Mark 3:31-35?
In this setting, his mother and brothers came to see Jesus and Jesus rhetorically asked, "Who is my mother and my brethren?"
At first blush it seems disrespectful. However, knowing that Jesus is without sin, Gary and Rick take a deeper dive into this passage to see exactly what Jesus was talking about.
"There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother."
What in the world does a whale have to do with a worm? Believe it or not, God used both to get Jonah's attention. The whale makes for an exciting and dramatic story. The worm is a little less dramatic but still effective.
Rick and Gary discuss how God can use things both big and small to get our attention.
There are all kinds of podcasts that can help you with investment strategies. Do you want long-term investments? Short-term? High-risk or low-risk strategies?
There is one strategy that is guaranteed to pay rewarding long-term dividends and Jesus describes it in Matthew 6:19-21
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 11-15 compliments the words of Christ.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
The guys remind us that the only things of value in heaven are the treasures that we send ahead.
Do you recall the opportunity to memorize any verse in the Bible to win a prize in Sunday School? We do. John 11:35 consists of only two words. It couldn't be easier.
However, when we read, "Jesus wept," what does that mean for us in real life today? Take five minutes to listen and discover.
Some people get remembered for the worst moments in their lives rather than the best. The Apostle Thomas was one of those people. Doubting Thomas is a moniker that he earned for one or two less than stellar moments in his life but the guys wonder if that is really fair.
In the meantime, Gary works on getting Rick to reveal his childhood nickname.
Can you picture Peter counting each fish in this large haul from the Sea of Galilee? John 21:11 tells us that they caught exactly 153 fish! The Sea of Galilee was the sight of many precious moments with Jesus and this is the last one.
Join Rick and Gary as they discuss what this means for us today.
Was Elvis Presley onto something? Gary reflects back to an old 45 rpm record from his parent's collection as the guys take a look at 2 Corinthians 11:14. "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."
You may want to hit the mute button when Click starts to sing!
People are more quick to judge than Christ is. Those most rebuked by Jesus were not those living in obvious sin but rather the religious leaders who cloaked their sin in self-righteousness.
In this episode, Gary and Rick explore what happened when the Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to be judged by Jesus in John 8. Listen to see how Jesus turned the table on her accusers and gave her hope and dignity for the future.
Who doesn't have something in their past that they would rather forget? Don't you just hate it when people keep dredging up those memories?
The Scripture teaches us that this is one of Satan's favorite past-times. He does so to give us a sense of inferiority and prevent us from moving on. This is why the Scripture calls him the accuser of the brethren in Revelation 12:10.
In this episode, Gary and Rick help us distinguish the difference between guilt and shame and how we can move on from a sin of the past that seems to haunt us.
Have you ever felt insignificant? Irrelevant? Uncared for or unloved? Did you think that your problems and issues were not that significant? Have you ever felt like no one, including God, wanted to be bothered with your petty problems?
We hope not. But just in case Rick and Gary want to know what Jesus had to say about that. In Luke 12:6, Jesus reminds us that the Father cares about even the least of us.
"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?" Luke 12:6
Gary complains that the less hair he has the more it seems to cost. He recalls a barber charging only a buck a haircut but he only knew one style. Today, it's nearly $20 for a buzz cut for a partially bald guy. What does that have to do with anything?
Well, it reminds us of Matthew 10:30, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered."
Laced with a little humor, Gary and Rick help listeners understand what this verse means for us.
What does it take to draw closer to God? Is it hard? Is it difficult?
Why do some people just seem to be closer to God while others appear to be so distant? Is there a magic formula for this? Well, it's not magic but there is a formula and it's not that hard.
In this episode, Gary and Rick examine that formula as revealed in James 4:8.
The Faith in Five Podcast will launch on August 1, 2022, featuring pastors Gary Click and Rick Ash from the Fremont Baptist Temple.
Faith in Five knows that you are busy and takes exactly five minutes to introduce a daily spiritual thought. The topics are sometimes light-hearted but always relevant. We don't go down too deep or stay down too long. This is not a Sunday morning sermon but rather a daily spiritual thought that may keep you thinking throughout the day.
Be sure to like, subscribe, or follow us on your favorite podcast provider. If yours isn't listed, please let us know. Also, feel free to suggest future topics by writing to us at info@faithinfive.org.
Faith in Faith is a bite-sized conversation engineered to facilitate a few spiritual thoughts in your daily life. Keeping each episode to five minutes keeps things simple and ensures that there is always time to consider a thought from God's Word.
Gary and Rick keep things pretty light-hearted while still providing meaningful content for those who find value in walking with God. It won't take long before you find Faith in Five to feel like a small part of your daily routine.