The Republican Party is reclaiming Labor Day under President Donald Trump, thanks to the pro-worker policies he has long championed and is delivering on. The post GOP Reclaims Labor Day as U.S. Enters Trump’s ‘Golden Age’ appeared first on Breitbart .
Source: GOP Reclaims Labor Day as U.S. Enters Trump’s ‘Golden Age’
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., joins ‘America Reports’ to weigh in on rising crime and criticize Democrats’ handling of major cities. #fox #foxnews #media #breakingnews #us #usa #new #news #breaking #americareports #johnkennedy #senjohnkennedy #kennedy #crime #crimenews #crimestory #criminal #police #chicago #illinois #democrats #democraticparty #democrat #majorcities #law #order #politics #political #politicalnews #government
Source: STOP BEING A PRINCESS: Kennedy
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
In 2024, the United States witnessed a significant uptick in acts of hostility targeting churches, with a total of 436 documented incidents—a sharp increase from 315 in 2023 and nearly double the 230 reported in 2022.
This data, compiled by the Family Research Council (FRC), highlights a troubling trend amid broader societal shifts, including a decline in regular religious attendance from 42% to 30% over the past two decades, according to Gallup polls.
The incidents spanned a wide range of hostile actions across 43 states. Vandalism was the most prevalent, accounting for 284 cases that included property destruction, defacement, burglary, and ransacking.
Arson followed with 55 events, encompassing both confirmed attempts and fires of uncertain origin, occasionally linked to individuals struggling with mental health.
Gun-related incidents surged to 28, more than doubling from 12 the previous year, involving threats, brandishing during services, and actual shootings. Bomb threats numbered 14, primarily hoaxes delivered via calls or emails.
Additionally, 47 other violent acts were recorded, such as assaults during church break-ins, exemplified by an event at Zion Baptist Church in Kentucky. Geographically, California led with 40 incidents, followed by Pennsylvania at 29, and Florida and New York tied at 25 each.
Motives behind these acts varied widely, from unknown causes and financial theft (like stealing copper wiring) to political disagreements on issues like sexuality, and even juvenile pranks.
Notably, pro-abortion motivations dropped dramatically to just 2 incidents, compared to 59 in 2022 following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Hostility related to LGBT issues persisted at 33 cases, a slight decrease from 42 in 2023, while satanic motives fell to 1 from 12 the prior year.
The FRC, which has been tracking these incidents, has itself been designated as an anti-LGBT hate group by the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center.
As religious landscapes evolve, these findings underscore ongoing challenges to places of worship in America.
The findings come in the wake of a horrific shooting at a Catholic Church school in Minneapolis.
Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.
Source: Stats Show Shocking Surge In Attacks On Churches In America
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
Senior White House advisor Stephen Miller shredded Democrats during a press briefing, defining them as having aligned with an overall ideology that is anti-human.
“[Democrats] are society destroyers,” Miller declared.
“It’s a simple choice. You either side with civilization, or with anarchy and violence,” he added.
“The Democrat Party as an institution – its judges, its lawyers, its community activists, and its politicians – exist to serve these criminal THUGS. We see it here in DC,” Miller contiuned.
He added, “We talk to the cops. They say, ‘We’re not allowed to arrest anybody, and when we do arrest somebody, they are immediately bailed out, they are immediately set free, they’re back on the street again.’”
“And what do they do? They kill, they attack, they rob, they rape. WHY would we put up with this?” He further urged.
“President Trump is PROUD to be using federal law enforcement and National Guard to make this city safe and peaceful for Americans,” Miller proclaimed, adding that the President “stands ready to help and assist any community that wishes to be Liberated from these criminal elements.”
Miller’s remarks come as Trump has indicated that he is also preparing a DC style cleanup for Chicago.
In DC, the administration deployed approximately 2,000 National Guard troops to address surging crime rates, homelessness, and urban decay, resulting in widespread arrests, the clearing of encampments, and enhanced law enforcement presence on the streets.
Extending this approach to Chicago, Trump announced that the city would likely be the next target, involving federal intervention to combat violent crime, which he compared to conditions in war-torn areas.
The plan includes sending federal agents and possibly the National Guard to assist local police in high-crime neighborhoods, aiming to restore order and reduce shootings and gang activity that have plagued the city.
Trump has also hinted at expanding the effort to other Democrat-led cities like New York, emphasizing a national strategy to federalize crime-fighting in areas he deems out of control.
The initiative is part of a broader anti-crime push, with plans potentially involving immigration enforcement as seen in preliminary discussions for Chicago.
Remarkably, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who initially opposed the president’s federal takeover of the capital, has reversed course and actually praised the surge in federal assistance in comments earlier this week.
Bowser noted, “The federal surge has had a significant [decrease] on crime in Washington, DC, and we greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what [DC’s Metropolitan Police Department] has been able to do in this city.”
The mayor further explained that overall crime in the district is down 15 percent since Trump initiated the federal cleanup. The drop in violent crime has been even more significant, down 45 percent over the same time period.
Bowser added that carjackings are down by a huge 87 percent, homicides have plummeted by 38 percent, and sexual abuse cases are down 44 percent.
Robberies are down 62 percent, burglaries down 47 percent, motor vehicle thefts down 35 percent and overall property crime down by 12 percent.
It’s another stunning victory for Trump, who touted the impact in a post Thursday, declaring “Carjacking in DC is down 87%. ALL other categories of crime are likewise down massively since I got involved.”
“DC will soon be a CRIME FREE ZONE, in only 14 days, far faster than scheduled. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” The President added.
Perhaps the most visible success story in DC has been at Union Station, which has been transformed from a haven for homeless camps and drug addicts.
WJLA news reporter John Gonzalez was stunned at the turnaround, remarking “We are in the main atrium here at Union Station, and I got to tell you, in my opinion, the place looks better than it has in years, cleaner than it has in years, but there’s still plenty of empty retail space.”
Lackluster student performance has plagued the Schenectady, N.Y., city school district for years.
The school district, like many others, implemented a “grading for equity” policy in response to dismal test scores.
However, as Aaron Gifford reports below for The Epoch Times, a recent national survey indicates that most teachers feel grade equity actually hurts students long term, although more than half of the schools and districts across the nation engage in the practice.
Schenectady’s 2022-2023 academic report said 95 percent of its high school freshmen were behind in math by three or more grade levels.
A year later, the district reported that in the first quarter of the 2022-2023 school year, more than half of its middle school students (grades 6-8) were three or more grade levels behind in both reading and math, while the daily attendance rate for high schoolers had dipped below 79 percent.
In response to these disappointing results, district leaders implemented a “grading for equity” policy whereby students are not penalized for handing in assignments late, and are allowed to retake tests with continuous guidance from teachers until their scores reflect proficiency levels. Incomplete grades for the semester require authorization from school principals. The policy took effect last fall.
“It’s almost academic fraud,” Christopher Ognibene, Schenectady High School social studies teacher, told The Epoch Times. He recalled a student who was given B’s all year but failed the end-of-the-year New York State Regents assessment with a score of 43.
“Watered-down report cards and transcripts mean nothing if you are left unprepared academically for college. And there are due dates in the real world—it doesn’t matter where you go after high school,” he said.
Most teachers agree with Ognibene’s assessment of the widely used approach, according to the recent survey by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and Rand Corporation education team members.
The Aug. 20 report, “Equitable Grading Through the Eyes of Teachers,” summarized responses from 967 teachers from K-12 districts across the country in late 2024.
“Turns out, teachers don’t like it when the powers that be take a sledgehammer to their few sources of leverage over student motivation and effort. Nor do they like giving students grades they don’t deserve,” the report says.
The report identifies five equitable grading practices—unlimited retakes, no late penalties, no zeroes, no homework, and no required participation.
More than half of those surveys identified at least one of those practices in their school, while a quarter noted that their district allows three of them, most commonly unlimited retakes, no late penalties, and no zeros.
Eighty-one percent of the teachers surveyed said they are particularly opposed to requirements for partial credit awarded on late assignments.
The survey included an open-ended response section, where teachers indicated that a guaranteed grade of 50 or higher is a common practice.
“We have gone to the ‘do nothing, get a 50’ grade policy,” one teacher wrote. The report did not identify respondents. “Students have figured out that, if they work hard for a quarter (usually the first), they can coast the rest of the year and get a D.”
This practice received negative national attention in Hartford, Connecticut, last year after an illiterate high school senior graduated and was accepted to college. The student, Aleysha Ortiz, later sued the district, noting that she completed assignments by using a talk-to-text function on her phone.
Carol Gale, president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers, previously told The Epoch Times that in addition to the automatic 50 score entitlement, her district only requires a 60 score to pass a grade level, and some students pass with 40 or 50 absences in a year.
“It seems to me this is allowed simply to embellish graduation rates,” she said.
The Fordham Foundation report doesn’t list the districts represented in the survey, but it does note that policies were hotly contested before their adoption in Schenectady, in Portland, Oregon, and San Leandro, California. It also said education leaders in Atlanta and Las Vegas are “reversing course” on grading for equity due to negative results.
Schools implement grade equity practices to counter low state test scores, bolster graduation rates, and address academic achievement gaps based on race and socioeconomic status.
Respondents said their school adopted policies from a 2023 book, “Grading for Equity: What it is, Why it Matters, and How it Can transform Schools and Classrooms.” The author, Joe Feldman, a former teacher and principal, consults with schools across the country to implement those policies.
“Anything that has to do with equity and diversity for city schools, people eat it up,” Ognibene told The Epoch Times. “Everybody wants a silver bullet, but no book is going to fix what’s happening.”
The Epoch Times reached out to the Schenectady City School District for comment.
Gherian Foster, an activist with the Albany-based Black Abolitionist Directive who previously worked for the Schenectady City School District, said she believes grading for equity is a viable solution to improve student performance over time.
She said it encourages engaging classroom activities and discussions over what she called outdated and ineffective methods of instruction: drilling students to regurgitate information for the sake of high test scores.
“If [students] are just looking at their Chromebooks for every lesson, that’s not engaging instruction,” Foster told The Epoch Times. “That just stresses the teachers and the students out. Do we have to test them so much, or are there other ways?”
Source: Half Of American Schools Require ‘Equitable’ Grading And Most Teachers Are Opposed: Survey
Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us,
Transgenderism is not a civil rights movement; it’s a social engineering experiment. The LGBT movement is not a struggle for equal rights; it’s a covert war for political control. The agenda of the people involved in the spheres of trans-activism are radical zealots hellbent on the destruction of their enemies by any means necessary – And if you believe in logic, objective reality, biological science and moral imperative, then you are one of their enemies.
A prime strategy of the trans movement is the indoctrination of our children. They rarely have any children of their own and in order to perpetuate their numbers they must groom future generations to their cause. And, it has become clear that if they can’t indoctrinate our kids, they are perfectly willing to murder our kids.
There are a lot of “watchers on the wall” in the alternative media that have been fighting for decades against the adoption of woke (or politically correct) narratives in America and I think many of us have grown tired of playing games of logic and reason. Many conservatives and libertarians today put endless stock into the power of debate, but after fighting this fight for so long you start to realize that debate rarely changes the minds of zealots.
We can present an airtight case for our ideals to the public and hope for the best, and I think we have been successful in many regards. However, I would suggest that we are not changing people’s views so much as we are informing people who simply weren’t paying attention until now.
We are adding more and more of the fence-sitters to our side, but we are doing very little to solve the root problem. Some conflicts cannot be dealt with using reason. In the end, there is something to be said for brutality over debate.
For the past couple years I have been predicting that the political left was going to take a nose dive (globally) in terms of government influence, but I also predicted that they would grow increasingly unstable and revert to targeted violence over their loss of power. In my article from January titled “The Monkey Wrench Sabotage Of America Begs For An Authoritarian Response”, I noted:
“Leftists throughout modern history have a habit of engaging in destabilization efforts when they don’t get what they want. They view their motivations as sacrosanct and beyond criticism, be it “saving democracy” or “saving the planet” or “taking down capitalists and colonists”.
In every case where the political left had influence over social conditions and then lost that power, they revert to directed exponential disruption and violence from riots to assassination. They claim to care about the right of the majority to have their voices heard, but in reality they don’t care at all. When the majority goes against the leftist narrative, leftists go rogue…”
Damn, I hate being right about this stuff but the evidence speaks for itself. The thing about the political left is that they are cowards at their core. Their relationship with warfare is more subversive, avoiding a stand-up confrontation whenever possible and only targeting people who can’t defend themselves.
The latest attack involves a leftist transgender activist named “Robin Westman” (originally Robert Westman, a man pretending to be a woman) murdering two children and injuring 17 others at a Catholic school and church in Minneapolis, then killing himself.
The resulting anger against the greater trans movement makes perfect sense: Americans have transgender fatigue. We are fed up with these unhinged lunatics. We are done with them, and they’re not going to like what comes next.
First, I want to break down what pisses me off about this shooting, beyond the targeting of innocent children. Specifically, I want to address the responses by the corporate media, Democrats and the media in general.
Democrat leaders say that Westman’s actions are separate from his beliefs and that conservatives are “trying to make the shooting political”. Bullshit. Transgender activism is the core influence in these shootings.
Westman’s writings reveal his violent fantasies about killing children, including wanting to be the “scary horrible monster standing over those powerless kids.” Westman’s videos, posted hours before the shootings, also show the phrases “kill Donald Trump” and “for the children” scrawled on gun magazines. On one AR magazine he writes “I am the Woker, baby. Why so Queerious?”
It is the trans ideology that equipped Robert Westman with the excuses to rationalize the killing of helpless kids. His writings display a clear hatred of Christians, conservatives and Donald Trump. These expressions are normal within the transgender community; they argue in favor of violence against conservatives on a regular basis.
Their assertion? That conservatives stopping children from being pumped full of puberty blockers or having their body parts mutilated is akin to extermination. Remember, these people see your children as targets for indoctrination and conversion – This is how they reproduce their kind. So, in their twisted minds, our efforts to stop trans grooming is the same as genocide.
There are many cases of politically motivated violence against innocent people in which the act cannot be separated from the ideology that inspired it. The word for this is “terrorism”. Robert Westman’s attack was trans terrorism, pure and simple, and there are many others out there like him.
This has been the go-to media narrative after almost every leftist act of violence; they try to distance themselves while still defending the person’s motives. In the case of Westman, his writings are clear; he’s a leftist. The media has latched onto two peripheral arguments to say otherwise:
First, Westman hated Jews. The media claims this makes him a “Neo-Nazi” and that automatically makes him a right-winger. Let’s be clear, leftists today are so antisemitic it’s enough to make the average Neo-Nazi blush. They hate Jews and they hate Israel and they’ve been courting Muslim groups for an alliance for the better part of a decade. Are there some right wing people that agree with Westman? Sure. But agreeing on a single issue doesn’t make him conservative.
Second, reports suggest that conservative/libertarian guntuber Brandon Herrera was mentioned in the shooter’s writings. Westman supposedly claims that he “met Herrera at SHOT Show in Las Vegas” and that they agreed on a number of topics. Herrera says he has no recollection of meeting Westman or any conversation with the trans lunatic.
He notes that a person like Westman would stand out like a sore thumb at an event like SHOT Show, which is generally restricted to industry professionals and the firearms media. SHOT Show has also put out a statement indicating that there is no record of Westman ever attending their conference.
My theory? I think the Herrera mentions have been planted as a way to distract from Westman’s full bore leftist cultism, offering the woke movement deniability. In other words, it’s a fake out that doesn’t match with any other evidence presented on the man’s background.
I am so tired of the mainstream media continuing to perpetuate the fallacy that people can choose their gender. Even in the case of a mass killer, they insist on “respecting the person’s pronouns”. This behavior is enabling these mentally ill bottom feeders to act the way they do.
Westman in his manifesto confesses that his transition efforts were a mistake and that he wished he had never “brainwashed himself”. He noted that he “wished he was a girl” but had accepted that it was impossible. He kept his hair long as the “last shred” of the facade of being transgender because he was afraid to cut it and admit “embarrassing defeat”.
This revelation supports what I have been saying for years – The vast majority of trans people are frauds. They are putting on an activist costume because they are rebels desperate for any cause to latch onto. People with legitimate gender dysphoria are exceedingly rare, but mental illness in general is common in America today.
The trans ideology was weaponized by globalists and governments over the course of the last decade. There’s a good reason why the number of people that identify as trans skyrocketed since 2018 – The level of propaganda aimed at children has been intense and the incentives to gain social approval are overwhelming.
The philosophy appeals to people with preexisting emotional disturbances and it is especially attractive to narcissists who gravitate to the moral and scientific relativism inherent in gender fluid thinking. In other words, it’s easy to tell which people are going to be a potential problem in any given community, just look for the trans flags and clown makeup.
In the wake of the shooting Democrats are trying to turn the event into a gun issue. It’s not. Millions of Americans have guns and almost no one decides to go shoot up a school filled with little kids. No, this is about an ideological cult that glorifies mental illness. This is about transgenderism. Trans activists and the people who enable them are the problem.
I want to be clear that I’m not talking about all people who dress up as the opposite gender (or sex, whatever you prefer). There are conservative trans people out there that disagree with the LGBT movement on most things. I’m talking about the leftist political militants. They need to go. There is no room for them in the US any longer.
I think the solution is obvious: It’s time to bring back the asylums and lock up the crazies. It’s not a novel idea, it’s become a mantra for many people in 2025. I discussed the advantages of asylums in my article “How To Solve Violence In The US? Remove Democrat Run Cities And Bring Back Asylums”, published in 2023.
During the peak of America’s asylum era crime plunged to all time lows. If asylums are coupled with extended prison time for repeat offenders, crime nearly disappears. There were trespasses and abuses within some hospitals that should be addressed, but I would argue that overall the use of asylums was an undeniable net positive for society. After we shut them down, crime skyrocketed. We’ve been trying to cope ever since using state prison systems.
The time for discourse is over. The time for compromise and compassion is over. The time for brutal ignominy is at hand. At the very least these people need to be laughed at, mocked and shamed out of existence. Every aspect of trans activism needs to be shunned and erased from our society. Those who express clear threats of violence need to be locked up as they would have been 70 years ago.
Over time the cancer of wokeness is going to disappear, but this long term cultural shift does not resolve the immediate threat. Either we throw them up in padded rooms or we boot them from the country, but letting these zealots continue to wreak havoc, or possibly regain political power one day, is not an option.
* * *
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Source: Bring Back Asylums: It’s Time To Talk About Transgender Fatigue In America
“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (14:25–26)
Throughout His ministry, Jesus had been the source of truth for the disciples (cf. v. 6). “These things (the Father’s word; v. 24),” He reminded them, “I have spoken to you while abiding with you.” But just as He would not leave them without a source of comfort, so also He would not leave the disciples without a source of truth. He would send the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth” (v. 17), to guide and teach them. Apart from His revelation, there is no way to know spiritual truth. Since “the world through its wisdom did not come to know God” (1 Cor. 1:21), fallen mankind is “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). It is only when people are “saved [that they] come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).
Even the disciples, before Pentecost, found it difficult to understand all that Jesus taught them. According to John 2:22, it was not until after the resurrection that they understood His teaching in verse 19. Nor did they grasp the full significance of the triumphal entry until after Jesus had been glorified (John 12:16). Because of their obtuseness, Jesus told them, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (16:12). They needed instruction, so Jesus promised them, The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name (cf. Acts 2:33) He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (cf. 16:13). The phrase, in My name, means “on My behalf,” as it also does in verse 13. Just as Jesus came in the Father’s name (5:43), so also will the Spirit come in Jesus’ name. As another Comforter like Jesus, the Spirit will always act in perfect harmony with Christ’s desires, purposes, and will. “He will glorify Me,” Jesus would later tell the disciples, “for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you” (16:14). In the divine plan, the Spirit’s ministry is to testify about Christ (15:26), not draw attention to Himself (cf. 16:13).
The Spirit is the believer’s resident truth teacher (1 John 2:20, 27); by illuminating God’s Word to their understanding, He thus grants Christians the knowledge of God that leads them to spiritual maturity.
But Christ’s promise that the Spirit would bring to their remembrance all that He had said to them was primarily a promise to the apostles of divine inspiration. The Holy Spirit’s supernatural guidance granted them an inerrant understanding of Jesus Christ’s person and teaching. The apostles (and their close associates) recorded that divinely inspired truth in the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament.
Peter described the process of inspiration in 2 Peter 1:20–21: “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” The apostle Paul declared, “All Scripture is inspired by God” (lit., “God-breathed,” 2 Tim. 3:13). The Holy Spirit inspired the very words of Scripture, not merely the thoughts of the writers (1 Cor. 2:13). The Bible is therefore inerrant and authoritative, and thus the only infallible rule of faith and practice. It alone contains “the sacred writings which are able to give [one] the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). For the redeemed, the Bible is “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17) and is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).
Armed with the truth and accompanied by the presence of God, the disciples and their contemporaries would soon be those who “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6 KJV). But in this moment of distress, just hours before the cross, the situation looked desperately hopeless. Aware of the disciples’ distress, Jesus pointed them to the ultimate and only sure source of hope—the triune God. In the same way that the promise of God’s presence heartened them two millennia ago, it should still bring confidence and courage to believers today, since it provides comfort both now (2 Cor. 1:3–4; cf. Pss. 23:4; 86:17; Matt. 5:4; Acts 9:31), and forever (Isa. 25:8; 2 Thess. 2:16; Rev. 7:17; 21:4).
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2008). John 12–21 (pp. 119–120). Moody Publishers.
John 14:25–26
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
John 14:26 is the shortest of those sections of the final discourses dealing with the Holy Spirit, yet it is probably true that it gives us the fullest definition. The Holy Spirit is described as the “Counselor.” We have already seen what this means in our discussion of verses 16–18. He is described as being “holy”—the Holy Spirit. Finally, he is described as being a “teacher.” Here are three definitions: the Counselor, Holy One, and Teacher. Yet when the verse is looked at closely, it is undoubtedly the last of these, the fact that the Holy Spirit is a teacher, that is emphasized. The role of the Holy Spirit as Counselor is emphasized in the earlier verses. The matter of holiness is emphasized in 16:7–11. But here (as also at 15:26–27 and 16:12–15) the special ministry of the Spirit as teacher is brought forward.
When the Lord says that the Holy Spirit is to “teach you all things,” the reference is primarily to the apostles. These were those whom Jesus had chosen to be authoritative spokesmen for the truth he had revealed. They were to remember it and then record it in the pages of what has become the New Testament. Moreover, this teaching was to become normative for the church. This same idea is clear in that verse in which the Lord says, “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all [the] truth.” Jesus did not mean that all that could possibly be known would be revealed to them. All things that can possibly be known are known only to God. But he did mean that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them the full truth of the gospel centered in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. And this he did. This was a unique ministry of the Holy Spirit to the apostles.
At the same time, however, there is a secondary sense in which these words apply to Christians who are living today. The Holy Spirit teaches us as well, and the Holy Spirit is the One who brings these things to our remembrance.
Need for Teaching
We need to look at the disciples first, however. Clearly, here were men who needed to be taught. They had been with the Lord Jesus Christ for three years. One might think that they would have understood the essence of his ministry and the gospel. He had spoken to them about these things. But the truth is that, although he had spoken to them about this, nevertheless they had not understood him. It is significant that verse 25 says, “All this I have spoken while still with you.” He had spoken to them, but that is not quite the same thing as saying that he had taught them. Obviously he had tried to teach the disciples, and had taught them many other things, but they had not yet really learned the great truths of the gospel. Actually, they were confused men who needed the Holy Spirit’s teaching.
They also had a particular problem with learning in this instance, for the Lord had announced his departure to them, and this had so seized upon their minds that they were not really hearing what he was saying. He had spoken about another Counselor, but they were not interested enough in the other Counselor even to learn about him. All they could grasp was that Jesus was to be taken from them.
So the Lord tells the disciples, “You need teaching; you really do. You have heard a lot, but you do not understand it. You need to be taught. I am going. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is coming, and one of his roles (a very important role) is to teach you.”
The second interesting thing about the teaching of the Holy Spirit is that God himself earnestly wanted to teach the disciples. We see this in the fact that the entire Trinity is mentioned in this verse: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you.” In other words, the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is sending the Holy Spirit to teach the disciples, so much is he interested in having them come to the knowledge of the truth concerning Jesus.
I suppose that if we had been the Lord Jesus Christ, we might have said at this point, “Oh, these dull, dull disciples!” We could even have boasted about the quality of our instruction. We could have said, “It is impossible to imagine a better teacher than they have just had. Furthermore, they have gone through an entire seminary course in three years and have combined formal teaching with on-the-field experience. They have had the advantage of a first-class example. So if they still do not get it, I will flunk them.” We might have said that. But this is not the attitude of God. The God who recognizes, on the one hand, that the disciples needed teaching, is the same God who, on the other hand, sends the Holy Spirit in order that they might be taught.
If we ask at that point, “Were they taught?” the answer is yes; of course they were. The proof of it is our Bible. Furthermore, once the Holy Spirit had come, they began to get it quickly, because on the day of Pentecost, Peter, who on an earlier occasion had said when the Lord announced his crucifixion, “Far be it, Lord, that such a thing should happen to you,” who did not understand Jesus at all, this same Peter stood up and announced with great understanding that what had occurred in Jerusalem six weeks before had been by the foreordination of God. In other words, the crucifixion of Christ had fallen out in accordance with God’s perfect plan and was the heart of redemption. Then Peter preached Christ to the very men who had crucified him, and the Holy Spirit blessed the message so that many came to faith on that occasion. The disciples did learn through the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the Holy Spirit guided them to write these things in the books that became our New Testament.
These books record what the Lord Jesus Christ said and did, explain it, and draw conclusions. In this sense the critics are right when they say that these books are not pure biography, that is, objective historical biography. They are biography with an interpretation attached. But the interpretation, as well as the biography, is that which the Holy Spirit gave.
Our Teacher Too
All this applies primarily to the disciples, but it also comes down to us in a much closer way. For we need to be taught also, and the Holy Spirit, who taught the disciples, is our teacher as well.
Paul writes about it to the Corinthians. He talks first of the fact that in ourselves we are unable to understand spiritual truth, even when it is recorded in the pages of Scripture. But he tells us in addition that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who inspired the Bible, speaks from its pages to bring us understanding. “As it is written, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we many understand what God has freely given us. This is why we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spritiual truths in spiritual words” (1 Cor. 2:9–13).
Here the ministry of the Holy Spirit as teacher is explained. It was exercised, in the first instance, when God revealed truth to the apostles and they recorded it in what would later become canonized as the pages of the New Testament. It is then exercised, in the second instance, when this same Holy Spirit teaches us from the truths that they have recorded.
Remembering
The first part of John 14:26 speaks of the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, but there is a second part that speaks of remembrance. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.” Why, if they were taught all things, does anything need to be brought back to mind? As we begin to reflect on this word, we see that a ministry of the Holy Spirit in helping us remember is necessary because of what we are like and because of the inability of our minds to retain important teachings. It is possible to be well taught, even brilliantly taught, and still forget; or, in the disciples’ case, to be taught the meaning of Christ’s ministry but forget that upon which it is based.
The Lord’s emphasis on remembering teaches us two separate truths. First, it teaches us that the wisdom of God is not a new thing. It is that which God has revealed in the past and that is the same because he is the same. We have a tendency, especially in America and in our age, always to be inventing theology. Churchmen speak about “process theology” today. It means “evolving” theology. But this is not the outlook of the Scriptures. Some of our contemporaries seem always to be searching the Bible in the light of newspapers and popular books in order to come up with something that no one has ever heard before. When they do and when they write a book about it, they get a hearing. This is the nature of The Passover Plot, The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, and some other popular religious books. People buy them and say, “We never heard that before! Therefore, it must be true!” But it is not true, nor is it a product of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. The Holy Spirit does not give us new doctrines. Rather, he brings old truths to our remembrance.
So what we preach is not new doctrine but the old doctrine once and for all delivered to the saints. It is the doctrine of man’s total inability to help himself spiritually, God’s grace in Jesus Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit who takes these truths and brings them home to our hearts and minds so that we understand them, and God’s unfailing perseverance with his people. We preach that God does not abandon us, that God who has begun to save us in such a marvelous way, giving us a new spirit and creating a new soul, will persevere to the end, at which time he will give us a new body and make us like the Lord Jesus Christ forevermore. These are not new doctrines. They are old doctrines. They are the doctrines that the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance.
The second truth the word “remind” teaches is that we tend to forget these doctrines, even though we have heard them many times. The history of the church is the history of great blessing through the Holy Spirit, a time of reformation and revival, followed by a gradual forgetting of the message. This happens again and again; so one of the jobs of the minister is to remind the congregation of the old truths. One of the jobs of Christian people is to remind each other of them, and one of the jobs of the Christian church is to remind the world of these old doctrines, even though the world may reject them.
He Shall Testify of Me
This verse also says something else, and we do not want to miss that either. It says that the object of the teaching is Christ. This is true in this text: “He will remind you of everything I have said to you.” It is also true in the verses about the Holy Spirit in John 15 and 16: “When the Counselor comes, whom I well send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning” (15:26–27). “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you” (16:12–14).
We have a danger, even as evangelical people, of making the Scriptures an end in themselves. We study the Bible as we would a textbook. We memorize the data. But we are always in danger of forgetting that the purpose of the Scriptures is not to exist as an end in themselves, though they will endure forever—“heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will not pass away”—but to reveal Christ to the seeking heart and mind.
God’s Power
There is a final point that belongs with what we have been saying. The Holy Spirit is also the One who enables us to teach these truths to others. Teaching spiritual truths cannot be done in the power of the flesh. Paul writes about it in 1 Corinthians in the verses that come just before the ones cited earlier. “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.… My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (2:1–2, 4).
Three things are necessary if God’s truth is to be properly communicated. First, there must be the revelation of the truth to the apostles by the Holy Spirit. This has been done. Second, there must be the teaching of the Holy Spirit to our hearts, so that, as we read their words, we come face-to-face with the Lord Jesus Christ about whom they wrote. Third, there must be the continuing work of the Holy Spirit to take our testimony concerning this Word and carry it home to the hearts of those who have not yet heard or understood it. Three stages!
But there can be error in each. There are some who do not begin with the Scriptures. They consider the Bible to contain the words of men rather than the very words that the Holy Ghost taught to the apostles. Having thrown out the base, they have nothing on which to stand, and their theology becomes mere speculation. There are others who accept the Bible as the Word of God but who do not allow the Holy Spirit to teach them. They study the Bible in an academic way. Although they may have a high doctrine of Scripture, they do not strive to see the Lord Jesus Christ in its pages. Then there are those who accept the Bible as the Word of God and who do meet with Jesus Christ, but they testify in their own power in a way that brings glory to themselves, and few are won.
We do a farmer’s work. First, we prepare the soil. Then we take a seed and plant it. We water it, and we wait for it to grow. But we do not give life to the seed. The seed already has life in it. Moreover, we can scratch a furrow and put the seed in it, but the ground must have the nutrients that God has placed there. And even then the work of God is not finished, for the seed will not grow unless the sun shines upon it. The Holy Spirit must be the sun in our witnessing. We must be faithful in scratching the furrows, watering, even pulling out weeds. But we must look to God to give life.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 1147–1152). Baker Books.
Old Testament Proverbs 25:2–10
Psalm Psalm 131
Epistle Hebrews 13:1–17
Gospel Luke 14:1–14
Index of Readings
OLD TESTAMENT
Proverbs 25:2–10
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take away the dross from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the smith;
5 Take away the wicked before the king,
And his throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not promote your majesty in the presence of the king,
And in the place of great men do not stand;
7 For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of a noble,
Whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go out hastily to plead your case;
Lest, what will you do in the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
9 Plead your case with your neighbor,
And do not reveal the secret of another,
10 Lest he who hears it bring disgrace upon you,
And the bad report about you will not turn away.
PSALM
Psalm 131
PSALM 131
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 O Yahweh, my heart is not exalted, and my eyes are not raised high;
And I do not involve myself in great matters,
Or in matters too marvelous for me.
2 Surely I have soothed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother,
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, wait for Yahweh
From now until forever.
EPISTLE
Hebrews 13:1–17
1 Let love of the brothers continue.
2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
3 Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves also are in the body.
4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled, for the sexually immoral and adulterers God will judge.
5 Make sure that your way of life is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”
6 so that we confidently say,
“THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.
WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
9 Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no authority to eat.
11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.
12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one to come.
15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name.
16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them—for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they will do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you.
GOSPEL
Luke 14:1–14
1 And it happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely.
2 And behold, in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy.
3 And Jesus answered and spoke to the scholars of the Law and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”
4 But they were silent. And He took hold of him, healed him, and sent him away.
5 And He said to them, “1Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”
6 And they could make no reply to this.
7 And He was telling a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they were picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,
8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not recline at the place of honor, lest someone more highly regarded than you be invited by him,
9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in shame you 1proceed to occupy the last place.
10 “But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who recline at the table with you.
11 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.
13 “But when you give a 1reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
14 and you will be blessed, since they 1do not have the means to repay you; for it will be repaid to you at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Lutheran Service Book Three Year Lectionary. (2009). Concordia Publishing House.
GALATIANS 5:16-26
I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
OUR FATHER, Your Word makes it clear
there are only two ways to live:
by the flesh or by Your Spirit.
One is sinful and the other holy.
One represents those who are without hope and without You;
the other is characteristic of those who belong to You.
Empower us by Your Spirit to be people
who are loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good,
gentle, faithful, and self-restrained.
Since we live by the Spirit—our spiritual life comes from Him—
we beg You to help us walk daily in His strength.
Anything less is neither worthy of You
nor consistent with our new nature as Christians.
You, our God, are the source of all life.
We were by nature dead in trespasses and sins,
in bondage to the lusts of our flesh,
indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind—
children of wrath.
You alone could redeem us from the curse of our sin.
Even now we stand in desperate need
of Your mercy and grace, and we are thankful
that You are slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
We yield ourselves up to You as living sacrifices.
We rightly belong to You—all of us;
every aspect of our being—
body, soul, spirit, intellect, will, and affections.
Grant that we would have purified minds
to seek and obey divine truth.
Give us cleansed hearts to love You better.
Give us right spirits to serve You more faithfully.
And give us a new disposition that desires Your will rather than our own.
O gracious Father, hear our prayer and empower us to live
in a way that gives honor
to the One who has given salvation so freely to us!
Let not our vision of Christ be clouded or blurred
whether by deliberate sin or by careless negligence.
May we not trifle away our lives
in foolish or worldly pursuits.
May we instead make the most of every opportunity
for service, ministry, and worship.
Take us by the hand to keep us from stumbling.
Never allow us to do anything that would cause
Your truth to be obscured,
Your people to be injured,
Your name to be dishonored,
Your Spirit to be grieved,
or Your Son to be blasphemed.
May all our labors be useful
to accomplish Your will on earth as it is in heaven.
Keep us ever mindful of the grace that drew us to Christ,
the blood that cleanses us,
the righteousness that justifies us,
and the truth that sanctifies us.
We long to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength—
but to do that we need the Spirit.
May He control us completely so that we live for Your glory,
to the praise of Christ,
in whose name we pray. Amen.
MacArthur, J. (2014). A Year of Prayer: Growing Closer to God Week After Week (pp. 171–173). Harvest House Publishers.
THEME
The story of Joseph is also a story of envy, betrayal and forgiveness, as well as having many symbols of the life of Christ (Gen 37:1–4, 12–28). Because Christ gave his life for us, we tell others the good news (Rom 10:5–15). God offers peace, salvation, love and justice for his people (Ps 85:8–13). We spend time in solitude, as Jesus modeled for us in the Scriptures. Because Jesus is ruler over everything, we need not fear; rather, we need to have faith (Mt 14:22–33).
OPENING PRAYER: Proper 14
Lord our God, great, eternal, wonderful in glory, who keeps covenant and promises for those who love you with their whole heart; who are the life of all, the help of those who flee to you, the hope of those who cry to you; cleanse us from our sins, secret and open, and from every thought displeasing to your goodness. Cleanse our bodies and souls, our hearts and consciences, that with a pure heart and a clear soul, with perfect love and calm hope, we may venture confidently and fearlessly to pray to you. Coptic Liturgy of Basil
OLD TESTAMENT READING: Genesis 37:1–4, 12–28
REFLECTIONS FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS
Envy Damages the Soul. CHRYSOSTOM: Envy is a terrible passion, you see, and when it affects the soul, it does not leave it before bringing it to an extremely sorry state. [It damages] the soul that gives it birth and affect[s] the object of its envy in the opposite way to that intended, rendering him more conspicuous, more esteemed, more famous—which in turn proves another severe blow to the envious person. Homilies on Genesis 61.4.
The Prefigurement of the Cross. AMBROSE: Accordingly, even at that time, the cross that was to come was prefigured in sign; and at the same time that he was stripped of his tunic, that is, of the flesh he took on, he was stripped of the handsome diversity of colors that represented the virtues. Therefore his tunic, that is, his flesh, was stained with blood, but not his divinity; and his enemies were able to take from him his covering of flesh but not his immortal life. On Joseph 3.15.
They Were Unconcerned That He Was Their Brother. CHRYSOSTOM: What an unlawful contract! What baleful profit! What illicit sale! The one who caused the same birth pangs as yourselves, the one so dear to your father, the one who came to see you, who never did you the slightest wrong, you endeavored to sell—and sell to savage people traveling down to Egypt. What unlawful frenzy! What dreadful malice! I mean, even if you did this out of fear of the dreams, convinced that they would certainly come to pass in every detail, why did you attempt the impossible and give evidence by what you did of your hostility toward God, who had foretold this to Joseph? If, on the contrary, you give no credence to the dreams but consider them nonsense, why did you do what brought you everlasting defilement and caused your father irreparable grief?… They abandoned every sane consideration and had one thing on their minds, allowing their envy to have (as they thought) an immediate effect. Homilies on Genesis 61.15–16.
PSALM OF RESPONSE: Psalm 85:8–13
NEW TESTAMENT READING: Romans 10:5–15
REFLECTIONS FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS
Descent and Ascent. DIODORE: The Word of God leaves believers in no doubt either about the descent of the Lord from heaven for our sake or about the resurrection from the dead and the ascent into heaven. Pauline Commentary from the Greek Church.
The Creed. AUGUSTINE: The creed builds up in you what you ought to believe and confess in order to be saved. Sermons for the Recent Converts, Homily 214.1.
Consistency Needed. IGNATIUS: Men believe with the heart and confess with the mouth, the one unto righteousness, the other unto salvation. It is good to teach, if the teacher also does what he says. Epistle to the Ephesians 15.
GOSPEL READING: Matthew 14:22–33
REFLECTIONS FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS
The Plain and Spiritual Meaning. HILARY OF POITIERS: The spiritual significance of this must be discerned, comparing the temporal order with the coming revelation. The historical event of his solitude in the evening anticipates a future event; his solitude at the time of the Passion, when everyone else had fled in fear. He then orders his disciples to get into the boat and cross the sea while he dismissed the crowds. Once they are dismissed, he goes up on the mountain. This prefigures that he is on the sea and within the church. He orders that he be carried throughout the world until he returns in a dazzling second advent to all who are left from the house of Israel, when he will bring salvation and forgive sins. Finally, in dismissing the crowds, the Lord is symbolically permitting them to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Then he proceeds to give thanks to God the Father, which anticipates his taking place in glory and in majesty. On Matthew 14.13.
Into the Hills. CHRYSOSTOM: For what purpose does he go up into the hills on the mountain? To teach us that solitude and seclusion are good, when we are to pray to God. With this in view, you see, we find him continually withdrawing into the wilderness. There he often spends the whole night in prayer. This teaches us earnestly to seek such quietness in our prayers as the time and place may afford. For the wilderness is the mother of silence; it is a calm and a harbor, delivering us from all turmoils. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 50.1.
It Is a Ghost! CHRYSOSTOM: Note that he did not too easily remove the darkness. He did not come quickly to their rescue. He was training them, as I said, by the continuance of these fears and instructing them to be ready to endure. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 50.1.
CLOSING PRAYER
O Lord, holy and true, who opens and none can shut; as you have set before your church an open door, strengthen your servants boldly to enter in and to declare your name, that they who oppose may yet come to worship and may know that you love your church. Grant to your people patience to keep your Word, and keep them from the hour of trial which is coming upon the whole world to try them who dwell on the earth. And encourage all Christians in every land to hold fast that which you have given, that their crown of glory be not taken away but that, having overcome, they may stand before you as pillars in the temple of God and bear the name of the heavenly city and your own new name, O Christ our God. Father, we commend to you all who are joined to us by natural ties and bonds of love; the little children dear to our hearts, and all who for our sakes daily deny themselves. May all our kindred, having your Holy Spirit as their helper, be at peace and have unfeigned charity among themselves. And grant them, O Lord, not only sufficient to supply the wants of this present life but also the good and eternal gifts that are laid up for them who do your commandments. Columba
Oden, T. C., & Crosby, C., eds. (2007). Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings: Lectionary Cycle A (pp. 185–188). IVP Books.
Here’s a quick question: if you were building something, perhaps a house, would you build it on rock-solid ground or on quicksand? If you said quicksand, you’d better rethink the situation. If the foundation is built on unstable land, then the whole building will be wonky and unstable. On the other hand, building upon a solid foundation of rock will ensure a building that will last. The same is true of the foundation of our life.
Many people build upon the unstable whims of the world. Money cannot buy happiness. It might buy you a few fair-weather friends, who will stick close to you when you have money to buy them things, but as soon as the money is gone, they disappear.
“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).
It’s not the money that’s the problem but the love of it. As Christians, there should be nothing we love more than Jesus. He is our solid Rock, and all things should be done in His name and for His glory. Money will last until the next stock market crash, but salvation through Jesus Christ is eternal. Where is your hope? If it is in anything other than Jesus, you’re in quicksand.
MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS By Edward Mote
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
There’s no hope without Jesus. Life may seem wonderful; you may have wealth, and everything’s going your way, but never forget that all the riches in this world are left here at the moment you die. You cannot take your bank accounts to Heaven with you. The truth is, without Jesus, you won’t get to Heaven. The only hope for salvation is found in Christ, the solid Rock.
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).
When you build your life upon Jesus, you’ll follow Him.
We all sin. We can wrestle against sin and make up our minds not to yield to temptation, but our sin nature is always a part of us. Praise God for Jesus!
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).
Our hope is built upon Jesus and His righteousness. We cannot possibly be righteous enough to stand before God Almighty by our own merit. We are only righteous enough through the pure blood of Jesus, untainted by sin. Salvation is offered to everyone, but like any gift, it has to be accepted.
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
Belief is the foundation upon which a Christian’s life must be built.
When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
Too many new believers think that life will be a bed of roses once they’ve accepted Christ for salvation. Unfortunately, that just isn’t true. It will be true when we enter eternity, but until then, we will have struggles. When the doctor says “Your child has leukemia,” or the boss says “We appreciate your many years of service, but you’re fired,” we are jarred to the bone. Then we start asking questions. “If God is real, why did this happen?” God is real and will give you strength to get through life. Nowhere in Scripture are Christians promised smooth sailing.
When the time had come for Jesus to lay down His life for us, He had a serious talk with His disciples. He knew that they would face strong persecution, and most would be martyred for their faith. Many years have passed, but Christians still face persecution and death because of our faith in Christ.
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
No matter what we face in this life, when we build our life on the solid Rock, He will see us through. Yes, sometimes that means death. If you’ve built your life on the Rock, death is the step into eternal life. Only Christians have the promise of eternal life through the grace of God through the blood of Jesus.
“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 8-9).
When a Christian passes from this life, we who are left behind suffer the pain of loss, but our loved one steps into Glory, forever with Jesus. Praise God!
Spiritual darkness is caused by the Evil One, who wants us all to stumble and fall. Jesus said, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Let His light shine through you. When you come to true faith in Jesus, the sin and darkness of this life no longer hold any power over you. The Holy Spirit will guide you to understand Scripture and will help you build your life upon the solid Rock.
His oath, his covenant, his blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
God has made various covenants with humans through the years, such as the one He made with Noah after the Flood, saying He would never destroy the world again with water (see Genesis chapter 9).
Another covenant was made with Abraham (see Genesis chapters 12, 13, 15, and 22). God promised Abraham the land we now call Israel and that he would be the father of physical descendants. Abraham and his wife were quite old, but when God makes a promise, He means it.
There was a covenant with Moses, which included the Ten Commandments and also the rest of the Law containing over 600 commandments (see Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy).
God made a covenant with David (see 2 Samuel 7:8-16). The Mosaic Law involved blood sacrifice of animals in order to cover sin. Although animal blood was used for sacrifice, their blood isn’t human, so its unable to redeem humans. No blood, animal or human, was sufficient.
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
All human blood is tainted by sin, and therefore, it cannot take sin away. Since Jesus was fully human through Mary, but His father was God, His blood was pure and untainted. This is the New Covenant of Grace. “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” (Romans 10:9).
I believe and I confess Jesus Christ is my Saviour. He is my hope for life eternal. I’m a sinner, saved by His grace.
When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
Dressed in his righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Jesus died on the cross. His physical body was tortured and crucified, then placed in a securely sealed tomb, and Roman soldiers were sent to guard it. Still, according to prophecy, Christ arose on the third day! After that, He appeared to many people. Death is no longer the end, but is a beginning for believers. Then the Good News gets even better.
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).
What a day that will be! Christians will be taken in the Rapture to be forever with Jesus. We won’t be dressed in the filthy rags of sin but clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Because of His sacrifice on the cross, our sins are forgiven. But you must make a choice to accept Jesus.
What is the Gospel? The Christians in Corinth weren’t following God’s truth and therefore had a lot of bad doctrine. They were proud of being woke and accepting of sin. Sounds a lot like today’s congregations. The Apostle Paul wrote them a letter and pointed out their need to change their ways. He reminded them that he had told them of the Gospel, which was exactly as it had been presented to him.
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
That’s salvation in a nutshell: faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When you make that confession of faith and truly believe it, your eternity is secure. There’s no other way except through Jesus. That’s when we should begin to see sin as God sees it; it’s repulsive. The Holy Spirit will change you, and you’ll no longer find pleasure in sin.
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:25-30).
Sin will always hamper your walk with Christ, but the Holy Spirit will help you change. We cannot take pride in our own good works, but only humbly give thanks for the grace found in Jesus.
Time is short, and Jesus will call Christians home soon. Don’t compromise your faith.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Build your life on the solid Rock and not on sinking sand. “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: 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. 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: 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” (Matthew 7:24-27).
It seems to me as if there are a lot of foolish people in this world, but when Christians aren’t ashamed of Christ and speak boldly as a witness to the lost, even foolish people can find salvation. Their houses can be rebuilt upon the solid Rock of Jesus Christ.
Where is your hope? Do you think that all roads lead to Heaven? Maybe you think that your sin gets a special pass from Jesus so you don’t have to repent. Faith in Jesus is our only hope.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).
The post Solid Rock or Sinking Sand? :: By Nathele Graham appeared first on Rapture Ready.
Written by Dave Jenkins
In today’s postmodern world, absolute truth is often rejected. People are told to “live your truth,”
follow their hearts, and treat doctrine as divisive or outdated. But when everything is relative,
nothing is reliable. This cultural chaos is why sound doctrine is more necessary—not less.
So why does sound doctrine still matter in a postmodern world?
Sound doctrine refers to the faithful teaching of what the Bible actually says about God, humanity,
sin, salvation, and the Christian life. Paul tells Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine”
(Titus 2:1), and he warns Timothy that “the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching”
(2 Timothy 4:3).
Doctrine isn’t just for pastors or scholars—it’s for every Christian who wants to know God,
grow in grace, and guard against error.
Sound doctrine isn’t cold, dry, or irrelevant. It fuels worship. It stirs love. It anchors hope.
Good theology leads to godly living. In 1 Timothy 6:3, Paul warns against those who teach “a different
doctrine”—not because he’s nitpicking, but because bad doctrine produces pride, division, and ruin.
Sound doctrine still matters because truth still matters. In an age of confusion, the church must be
a pillar and buttress of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Without doctrine, we drift. With it, we endure,
worship, and bear witness to the glory of God in a truth-starved world.
Doctrine divides—but it divides truth from error, life from death, and light from darkness. That’s not
something to fear. That’s something to thank God for. Let us hold fast to sound doctrine—not just
because it’s right, but because it leads us to Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Check out Contending for the Word Q&A at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube.
Source: The Importance of Sound Doctrine in a Postmodern World
If your spirit feels unsettled, these verses offer truth you can stand on and promises you can pray when fear or doubt tries to take over.
Source: 9 Scriptures to Hold on to When the World Feels Chaotic
Source: Freed from the Tyranny of Sin
One of my favorite writers on the topic of prayer was the South African writer and pastor, Andrew Murray. I have used many of his quotes in past devotions, but today’s quote made me think just how wonderful a prayer his words ring true to my heart: “May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love and joy of God’s presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of myself as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love.”1
As I read and re-read these words I thought to myself shouldn’t I start each day praying this marvelous prayer. In the first part of the prayer Murray asks God to continually surround him with the light, love and joy of our Savior’s presence. Being continually in this blessed state should be the heart cry of every believer for two reasons. First, having God’s light, love and joy allows one to get lost in true intimacy with Jesus because there is no more beautiful light, no more precious love, and no more exhilarating joy then to be in the very presence of the Lord. And second, when we are experiencing the light, love, and joy of Jesus it arms us with never wanting to leave this state or sin against such a wonderful God. This awesome state of being reminds me what the psalmist said in (Psalm 119:11): “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” When we are experiencing the deep intimacy of the Lord, or as I like to say hiding ourselves in His light, love, joy and Word, why would we ever want to leave this euphoric state of being by being disobedient to our Lord.
In the second part of Murray’s prayer he shares what some would call a great sacrifice, but I call a great privilege. Here he talks about his desire to completely surrender himself as a vessel for God to use to advance His kingdom and bring Him glory. For you see when we are full of the Holy Spirit and the love of Jesus, our heart’s desire should be to live a holy life and reflect the love of Jesus to a hurting and dying world.
In closing I would like to share a quote by the great missionary to Africa, David Livingstone. The occasion for this quote was in response to the question of how was he able to make such a great sacrifice in dedicating his life to serving as a missionary in Africa, instead of living a life of comfort in England. The audience he shared these words with was in a speech he gave at Cambridge University in 1857:
“For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. . . . Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.”2
My friends, Livingstone understood, and I pray we do to, how glorifying God and experiencing joy go hand in hand even when sacrifice, self-denial, and suffering are often required of the Christian!
May I challenge you to start your day with this wonderful prayer by Andrew Murray. And maybe before you go to bed, take a moment to read the quote by David Livingstone. I pray that they both will inspire you as they inspired me.
1 150 Andrew Murray Quotes | ChristianQuotes.info
2 “I never made a sacrifice” – Theology for the People
The post A Beautiful Prayer! appeared first on Bible Apologetics – A DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
Source: A Beautiful Prayer!
“And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi.” – Genesis 25:11
Scripture reading: Genesis 25:1-11
Our reading today may not seem exciting. Abraham dies, and he’s buried. That’s it. What are we to take from this? One thing we must remember is that the story is not ultimately about Abraham. He was a sinner like us, with challenges and failings. The story is about God – His grace, and His faithfulness to His promise and purpose. That’s a comfort to us. The words of Moravian missionary Nikolaus von Zinzendorf are helpful: “Preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten!”
It’s encouraging to read that Abraham died full. He lived a full 175 years, but literally verse 8 simply says that he was full. He was full because he walked with the promise-keeping God. He died in full confidence in God’s promises. Blessed are those who die in the Lord! By grace we can say, “I am full,” in Christ (Philippians 4:11).
Abraham gave gifts to his other children, but gave everything to Issac (v.5). The focus was on Issac. The work of God would continue as promised. “In Issac your seed shall be called” (Genesis 21:12). It had to be from Issac that Jesus would be born.
God’s blessing continues from generation to generation. The work goes on. The promise will be fulfilled. The nations will be blessed. And one day, there will be a multitude no one can number from every tribe and tongue. We are part of the great work. May God bless us to be such “so-that” people from generation to generation.
Suggestions for prayer
Thank God for the fullness we have in Christ. Praise Him for the confidence we may have in death. Pray for faithfulness from generation to generation in God’s “so-that” mission and preach, die, and be forgotten. Soli Deo gloria.
Pastor John A. Bouwers is pastor of the Hope Reformed Church (URCNA) in Brampton, ON, where he has served since December 2017. He is married to Julie, and they praise God together for His abounding grace and covenant faithfulness. And it is their prayer that together with all of God’s people they and their descendants may be thankful “so-that” people, being taught the ways of the Lord, embracing the promises of the Lord, keeping covenant with the Lord, and then getting out of our comfort zones, “so-that” many more from all the nations may be glad to know God and worship Him. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
Matthew Henry’s “Method For Prayer”
We must acknowledge it an unspeakable favor and an inestimable privilege that we are not only admitted, but invited and encouraged, to draw near to God in prayer.
You have commanded me to pray always, with all prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, and, to that end, to keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints; Ephesians 6:18(ESV) to continue in prayer, and in everything, by prayer and supplication, to let my requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6(ESV)
You have directed me to ask and seek and knock, and have promised that I will receive, I will find, and it will be opened to me. Matthew 7:7(ESV)
You have appointed for me a great High Priest, in whose name I may draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that I may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16(ESV)
You have assured me that while the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, the prayer of the upright is acceptable; Proverbs 15:8(ESV) and that the one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies you; Psalm 50:23(ESV) and the sacrifice of thanksgiving will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. Psalm 69:30-31(ESV)
You are he who hears prayer, and therefore to you shall all flesh come. Psalm 65:2(ESV)
You say, “Seek my face,” and my heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” Psalm 27:8(ESV) For, should not a person inquire of his God? Isaiah 8:19(ESV) To whom shall I go but to you? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68(ESV)
The truth is, Noah didn’t take two of every kind of animal into the ark, and the reasons why are fascinating. The Bible says Noah was instructed to bring more of certain animals than others, but what made some animals clean and others unclean? We’ll explore why Noah took seven pairs of every clean animal, what the specific rules for clean and unclean animals were in the Bible, and why this distinction was about more than just a healthy diet. In this video, Pastor Nelson answers your question: What made some animals clean and others unclean?
*** Source Article:
https://www.gotquestions.org/animals-clean-unclean.html
*** Recommended Book:
Genesis: (An Exegetical & Theological Bible Commentary – BCOT)
by John Goldingay
https://amzn.to/4kUDN42
*** Related Got Questions Articles:
What does the Bible say about what foods we should eat?
https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-foods.html
What are the animals considered clean and unclean in the Old Testament?
https://www.gotquestions.org/clean-unclean-animals.html
What does the Bible mean when it says something is unclean?
https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-unclean.html
Source: What made some animals clean and others unclean? | GotQuestions.org
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