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Religion & Spirituality Podcas

Disciple Up is a Podcast designed to help Empower Disciples to understand and live out their faith in Christ every day.

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United States

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Disciple Up is a Podcast designed to help Empower Disciples to understand and live out their faith in Christ every day.

Twitter:

@louiefmarsh

Language:

English

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9285756178


Episodes

A Gospel Betrayal & a Hiatus

4/19/2023
Disciple Up #301 Gospel Betrayal & a Hiatus By Louie Marsh, 4-10-2023 Links Used in the show https://dailycaller.com/2023/04/04/pastor-nashville-shooters-trans-identity-jesus-crucifixion/ Pastor Compares Nashville Shooter’s Trans Identity To Jesus’ Crucifixion A Lutheran pastor appeared to compare Jesus’ crucifixion with the transgender Nashville school shooter in a sermon delivered just days after the attack. Pastor Micah Louwagie, who leads the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota, delivered a sermon on Palm Sunday discussing Jesus’ crucifixion and how it was “baffling” that “someone’s existence can be so threatening” that they should be killed. Louwagie then claimed that those who point to 28-year-old Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale’s transgender identity as a potential motive for the shooting are calling for the “eradication of trans folks,” just like those who called for Jesus’ death “The chief priests and the whole counsel were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, those leaders were looking for any excuse, valid or not, to crucify Jesus,” Louwagie said. “They would kill the one whose reputation as a teacher and healer and whose mission of love and dignity was so very threatening to their own reputation that they needed to kill him in order to preserve their own good image. There are a significant number of people who have deemed that the fact that the Nashville shooter happened to be a trans person, so it’s been reported, is just the excuse they need to call for the eradication of trans folks.” I wondered if the mainline response to Nashville would be a little less crazy than usual, but nope, we’ve already got a tortured analogy linking Jesus’ crucifixion to the transgender mass shooter pic.twitter.com/ULm1xi9BoV — Woke Preacher Clips (@WokePreacherTV) April 3, 2023 Louwagie later went on to criticize the lack of focus on “gun violence” and that “six people were dead.” The pastor said that the desire to cause “harm” to certain communities “has happened before,” citing the Holocaust, Japanese internment camps during World War II, racial segregation and “migrants being held in cages.” “Jesus did not die for this,” Louwagie said. “Jesus did not die so violence could be perpetuated in God’s name, Jesus did not die for access to guns. God incarnate did not die on that cross so that people could value money, power, and the preservation of their own image over the bodies and lives of people. Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s what Jesus died to free us from, so why are we still not free?” Second Link Used: https://www.milarch.org/walter-reed-national-military-medical-center-terminates-catholic-pastoral-care-contract-during-holy-week/ Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Terminates Catholic Pastoral Care Contract During Holy Week Move violates First Amendment Right to Free Exercise of Religion APRIL 7, 2023 WASHINGTON, DC – Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has issued a “cease and desist order” to Holy Name College, a community of Franciscan Catholic priests and brothers, who have provided pastoral care to service members and veterans at Walter Reed for nearly two decades. The government’s cease and desist order directed the Catholic priests to cease any religious services at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This order was issued as Catholics entered Holy Week, the most sacred of days in the Christian faith, in which they participate in liturgies remembering Jesus’ passion, and leading the Church to celebrate the Resurrection on Easter morning. The Franciscans’ contract for Catholic Pastoral Care was terminated on March 31, 2023, and awarded to a secular defense contracting firm that cannot fulfill the statement of work in the contract. As a result, adequate pastoral care is not available for service members and veterans in the United States’ largest Defense Health Agency medical center...

Duration:00:41:16

God in Drag - Drag Is Holy?

4/5/2023
Disciple Up #300 God In Drag – Drag Is Holy? By Louie Marsh, 3-29-2023 Link to article below: https://hotair.com/david-strom/2023/03/21/oh-my-god-n538175 Oh. My. God. DAVID STROM 12:31 PM on March 21, 2023 I am not a theologian, nor do I play one on TV. I didn’t even stay in a Holiday Inn Express. Still, as a convert to Catholicism, I was catechized as an adult, and have a passing familiarity with Christian theology. I also, I hope, am not a complete idiot, and it takes a complete idiot to take the new theology being pushed by the Left seriously. Two different videos I ran across inspired me to write this piece. The first was a video of a progressive preacher explaining why drag performances are holy. Not just acceptable. Not even a wonderful expression of the diversity of human experience. Holy. ‘Drag is holy’? Get help buddy. pic.twitter.com/l8tmlOfAsE — 🇦🇺🇳🇿 ♀️Emma ♀️ 🇭🇺🇬🇧 (@TheCynicalHun) March 20, 2023 Holy doesn’t just mean “good,” “fun,” or even “excellent.” It means sacred. As in a sacrament. It has a specific theological meaning that even those with the meanest of intelligence should be able to understand. Certainly, a pastor should be able to. But no. This particular pastor, The Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines, believes that Jesus is God in drag, and hence drag is holy. At first, I was certain this was a parody since no Christian pastor (nor, I would imagine, any other person schooled in any of the Abrahamic faiths) could possibly make this argument. Jesus is God in drag? Who would say that? But no, this dude is real, and people actually pay attention to him. The Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines is an ordained minister with standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. He currently serves as the Senior Minister of University Christian Church in San Diego, as the Co-Executive Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org, and as the Co-Host for “The Moonshine Jesus Show.” He has a passion for pursuing social justice for the marginalized, demonstrating the Good News of God’s radically inclusive love, and proclaiming a relevant message for today’s ever-changing world. At the time he was called to his current church, Caleb was the youngest Senior Minister in his congregation’s history. Within three years, the congregation had already grown by over 50% and experienced much revitalization; a trajectory that continues. Caleb’s views on the intersection of religion and public life have been featured in diverse publications, such as The Nation Magazine, The Economist, The LA Times, Disciples News Service, Chalice Press, The Christian Left, The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, The Center for Prophetic Imagination, the Convergence Leadership Project, and Sojourners. He currently serves on the national boards of ProgressiveChristianity.org and Jubilee USA Network. Caleb has served churches and nonprofits in Missouri, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. Caleb is the author of The Great Digital Commission: Embracing Social Media for Church Growth and Transformation (Cascade Books, 2021), which quickly reached #1 on Amazon’s New Releases for Church Growth and was awarded a Silver Medal Illumination Book Award in Ministry/Mission. So Caleb has some minor claim to fame, and clearly, there is some real money behind him and his message. Drag is holy. Jesus is God in drag. Lord help us. PLAY VIDEO, the respond. Drag is Holy Jesus mother hen - “37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38See, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”” (Matthew 23:37–39, ESV) Jesus does NOT call himself a hen! Gender is a construct -this man doesn’t know what a metaphor...

Duration:00:48:32

Rethinking the Quiet Time

3/22/2023
Disciple Up # 299 Rethinking the Quiet Time By Louie Marsh, 3-22-2023 Intro. Sorry for mix up and briefly posting Sunday’s sermon on this feed! State of the podcast, what about next week? We’re hitting number 300! That’s quite a run. What would you like to hear on that one? https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/april/quit-quiet-time-devotions-bible-literacy-reading-scripture.html Is It Time to Quit ‘Quiet Time’? Effective biblical engagement must be about more than one’s personal experience with Scripture. DRU JOHNSON AND CELINA DURGIN | MARCH 13, 2023 I began to realize that their poor grasp of Scripture wasn’t necessarily due to a lack of reading, although that’s also a large problem in the US. From 2021 to 2022, Bible engagement—scored on frequency of use, spiritual impact, and moral importance in day-to-day life—fell 21 percent among American adult Bible users. It was the American Bible Society’s largest recorded one-year drop in its annual State of the Bible study. And almost 1 in 5 churchgoers said they never read the Bible. But for my students, many of whom read the Bible daily and have chosen to attend a Christian college, their poor grasp on and application of Scripture seems to be due to the way they engage with it. It is a way many American Christians have been reading the Bible for decades: through “daily devotions” or “quiet time.” The way daily quiet time is typically practiced today is unlikely to yield the fluency required to understand and apply biblical teaching. Only when devotional time is situated within a matrix of Scripture study habits can it regain its power to transform our thinking and our communities. How could my students be reading the Bible so much yet have so little understanding of the Torah, pay almost no attention to its focus on the new heavens and new earth, and be confused over concepts like salvation and evil? CT previously discussed the Lifeway Research statistics that reveal this trend of Bible illiteracy among the wider population. Their daily devotion to Scripture seemed to distance them from understanding key parts of it. My students were not Bible literate. They didn’t really know the stories, characters, ideas, and themes in the Bible, much less how the literature itself fits together and argues for a particular view of the world. And as Christians, we must aim beyond basic literacy. We hope to know and practice the thinking and instruction of Scripture fluently, extending its wisdom into all the areas of life that it doesn’t directly address. Johnson traces the modern practice of quiet time to the 1870s, when American evangelicals merged two previously separate Puritan devotional practices: private prayer and private Bible study. This fusion of prayer and Bible study morphed into “morning watch,” which emphasized intercessory prayer. From there it became “quiet time,” which deemphasized intercessory prayer in favor of quiet listening or meditation. This new emphasis on individuals receiving daily insights from God transformed the nature of the Bible engagement taught to generations of American Christians. Daily devotions have been characteristically solitary and have not usually involved rigorous study of Scripture. Instead, readers often focus on one chapter or even a few verses per session, from which they may expect to receive God’s guidance for their personal life in that moment. Daily devotions typically include a period of prayerful “listening” for God’s voice, which is believed to manifest either in the verses read that session or via direct communication to the mind of the listener. Though this listening may be expectant, it is essentially passive. It’s often guided by a tacit belief that God’s Word speaks and transforms through sudden insights directed at individual readers, rather than through sustained study and active questioning in community. In contrast to sermons and group Bible study, daily devotions became exercises...

Duration:00:44:01

Christian Publishers are LYING to You!

3/15/2023
Disciple Up # 298 Dishonest Christian Publishers By Louie Marsh Links used during this Podcast https://estephenburnett.lorehaven.com/pssst-christian-endorsers-of-bad-books-may-not-have-even-read-them/ https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/march-web-only/christian-publishers-book-endorsements-authors-tgc-butler.html https://archive.thinkprogress.org/meet-donald-trumps-new-evangelical-advisory-board-6a5bfc5460d7/ Excerpts from CT article: The Problem with Christian Book Endorsements Publishers and authors have played along by pushing celebrity blurbs—but it’s time to rewrite the rules of promotion. KATELYN BEAT As an editor at a Christian publisher, I review multiple book proposals each week. Authors pitching a new project will share a table of contents, a sample of their writing, their bio, statistics about their platform, and—always—a list of confirmed or potential endorsers. It’s a strange detail, since most trade nonfiction books aren’t already written when the author goes under contract with a publisher. This means that endorsers have agreed to endorse something that doesn’t exist. Authors and agents are simply playing the rules that publishers set, and in Christian publishing—as with all book publishing—it’s about who you know. Many authors hate seeking endorsements; it feels self-promotional and vulnerable. But endorsements are simply part of the deal, going back to at least 1856, when Walt Whitman had Ralph Waldo Emerson’s letter praising Leaves of Grass published in the New-York Tribune prior to the book’s second edition. It's a risky thing to do—especially when an endorser hasn’t read the book. Last week, The Gospel Coalition published, then unpublished, an excerpt from the forthcoming book Beautiful Union: How God’s Vision for Sex Points Us to the Good, Unlocks the True, and (Sort of) Explains Everything. Readers criticized the author, Joshua Ryan Butler, saying he misconstrued the marriage metaphor in Ephesians 5, making it pornographic, male-centric, and ripe for abuse. As criticisms mounted, ministry leader Dennae Pierre and pastor Rich Villodas publicly retracted their book endorsements. Pierre said she had written hers “based on training Josh had done for local pastors” and had done a “quick skim” of the book. Villodas said a mutual friend had invited him to endorse the book: “I agreed to the favor, but in poor judgment, read only 25-30% of it.” It was good for Pierre and Villodas to admit they hadn’t fully read a book that will feature their names, at least on the first printing. Their retractions are a wake-up call for book buyers: Endorsements aren’t always about quality of writing or theological soundness. In practice, they aren’t even always an honest assessment of someone else’s work. Rather, in an age fixated on platform, endorsements are about establishing the market appeal of an author based on their connections to famous people. As such, endorsements are usually driven by celebrity, mutual back-scratching, and power consolidated through loose social, professional, and ministry networks. There’s a reason that endorsements come through the marketing team (not editorial): Endorsements are marketing tools, not editorial reviews. Of course, many endorsers offer blurbs for good reasons. They want to support friends and acquaintances. In a market where sales often boil down to platform, many famous people want to share the spotlight, or shine it on emerging voices. Plus, a Christian culture of niceness—and the blurring of lines between friendship and commerce—make it hard to say no to endorsement requests. (Note that Villodas said he agreed to a “favor.”) After all, whoever blurbs sparingly will also be blurbed sparingly, for God loves a cheerful blurber. I consider it a red flag that some faith-based publishers will write an endorsement for a celebrity who doesn’t have time to write it themselves. Let me repeat that: A publishing team member,...

Duration:00:41:53

The Gospel Coalition's Sex Article

3/8/2023
Disciple Up #297 The Gospel Coalition’s Sex Article By Louie Marsh, 3-8-2023 An article was published on the Gospel Coalition’s website last week. It immediately drew criticism, even from people who don’t engage in online criticism like Rick Warren. In response TGC published a PDF of the intro and first chapter of the as yet unpublished book to help “give context.” That only drew even more criticism and so as of March 6, 2023 the link to that PDF became a link to an Open Letter. I’ll be reading the letter and then reading some excerpts from the PDF which I downloaded and is no longer available. In the show notes you’ll find a few excerpts from the article but not the PDF since I don’t own it and don’t want to break the law. The link to the letter of apology is below. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/sex-wont-save-you/ Dear Readers, Thank you for your feedback on the Keller Center’s book excerpt from Joshua Butler posted on March 1, 2023. And thank you for your patience while we took the time to listen to our critics and the serious objections from concerned fellows, as well as discuss this matter with our Board of Directors and care for our friend Josh. Earlier this week, we accepted Josh’s resignation as a Keller Center fellow. He will no longer lead an online cohort with the center nor speak at TGC23. While he will no longer participate in these events, Josh remains a beloved brother and friend whom we respect and care deeply about. To our fellows and our readers, please forgive us. The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics is a new effort by TGC, and we are still learning how to work with our directors and our fellows to produce content that will serve our readers in a way that is trusted and wise. To ensure greater accountability with our fellows, we will develop better review systems for our work together. We will also review our publication processes more broadly at TGC and develop plans to ensure greater accountability to you, our readers. Again, thank you for your patience with us. At TGC, we want to provide a venue for healthy dialogue and robust debate on important matters that affect us all. We want to model grace-filled conversations, and we want to learn from one another. In this case, we failed you and hurt many friends. Thank you in advance for your continued prayers. For Christ and his gospel, Julius Kim President The Gospel Coalition Excerpts from the article that started it all Sex Won’t Save You (But It Points to the One Who Will) MARCH 1, 2023 JOSH BUTLER I used to look to sex for salvation. I wanted it to liberate me from loneliness; I wanted to find freedom in the arms of another. But the search failed. Sex wasn’t designed to be your salvation but to point you to the One who is. Union with Christ Sex is an icon of Christ and the church. In Ephesians 5:31–32, a “hall of fame” marriage passage, the apostle Paul proclaims, “‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church” (NIV; I’ve translated proskollao as “cleave”). Paul says both are about Christ and the church. This should be shocking! It’s not only the giving of your vows at the altar but what happens in the honeymoon suite afterward that speaks to the life you were made for with God. A husband and wife’s life of faithful love is designed to point to greater things, but so is their sexual union! This is a gospel bombshell: sex is an icon of salvation. How? I’d suggest the language of generosity and hospitality can help us out. At a deeper level, generosity is giving not just your resources but your very self. And what deeper form of self-giving is there than sexual union where the husband pours out his very presence not only upon but within his wife? Here again, what deeper form of hospitality is there than sexual union where the wife...

Duration:00:55:52

Is It Right to Accuse an Elder (Pastor)?

3/1/2023
Disciple Up # 296 Is It Right to Accuse an Elder (Pastor)? By Louie Marsh, 2-27-2023 Link to podcast on YouTube. Youtube.com/@discipleuppodcast9019 Response to last week – name redacted. · "Oh Lucifer, the great accuser and slanderer. Praise Jesus Christ the living Son of the living God. I'll stay focused on the cross and Christ's redeeming blood, I suggest anyone… · "Oh lofty one, you're not an elder in this church, merely a Karen seeking for yourself your own vanity." · "Your post is in direct rebellion against the will of God, Mr. Pastor" · "Forgive me, I'm arrogant. But nonetheless, this doesn't belong on public platforms for all to see." What the Bible Says: “19Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” (1 Timothy 5:19, ESV) Against an elder (κατα πρεσβυτερου [kata presbuterou]). In the official sense of verses 17f. Receive not (μη παραδεχου [mē paradechou]). Present middle imperative with μη [mē] (prohibition) of παραδεχομαι [paradechomai], to receive, to entertain. Old verb. See Acts 22:18. Accusation (κατηγοριαν [katēgorian]). Old word (from κατηγορος [katēgoros]). In N. T. only here, Titus 1:6; John 18:29 in critical text. Except (ἐκτος εἰ μη [ektos ei mē]). For this double construction see 1 Cor. 14:5; 15:2. At the mouth of (ἐπι [epi]). Idiomatic use of ἐπι [epi] (upon the basis of) as in 2 Cor. 13:1. - A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 1 Ti 5:19. A Red Herring: “15saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”” (Psalm 105:15, ESV) In the verses leading up to God’s command “Do not touch my anointed ones,” we read this: “19When you were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it, 20wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, 21he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, 22saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”” (1 Chronicles 16:19–22, ESV) This passage refers to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When “they” (the patriarchs) were few in number, they lived as wandering strangers in a strange land (see Hebrews 11:9). Through all their travels and travails, God protected them, increased their number, and prevented the powerful rulers of the lands where they stayed from harming them. David applied it to himself: 1 Samuel 26:9–11 (ESV): 9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” 10 And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” Remember: There’s a big difference between questioning what someone says, and questioning their character. “16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–22, ESV) What should our attitude be towards our leaders? 1) Respect them – or if you can’t respect them you respect the position they hold 2) Approach them in love and with witnesses. 3) Have the goal of finding the truth and restoration foremost in your mind

Duration:00:42:14

The Asbury Revival & How God Works

2/22/2023
Disciple Up #295 The Asbury Revival & How God Works By Louie Marsh https://www.christianpost.com/news/asbury-university-revival-moving-to-new-sites-as-movement-expands.html https://churchleaders.com/news/445275-asbury-chapel-speaker-thought-he-totally-whiffed-sermon-2-weeks-later-christians-around-the-nation-are-still-responding-to-it.html Youtube Revival link Asbury Chapel Speaker Thought He ‘Totally Whiffed’ Sermon; 2 Weeks Later, Christians Around the Nation Are Still Responding to It By Dale Chamberlain -February 20, 2023 During his chapel sermon on Wednesday, Feb. 8, Zach Meerkreebs instructed students to ask on another, "Do you love me?" (screengrabs via Asbury University) What does it feel like to preach a sermon that sparks a weeks-long spiritual awakening filled with prayer, singing, and repentance, and which garners national attention and sparks hope in the hearts of Christians around the country? For Zach Meerkreebs, it actually didn’t feel that great. In fact, he thought the sermon had bombed. “Latest stinker. I’ll be home soon,” Meerkreebs reportedly texted his wife after delivering a chapel sermon on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 8, in the Hughes Auditorium of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Meerkreebs later told The Free Press he was certain that he had “totally whiffed” the sermon.

Duration:00:47:34

Is John MacArthur Enabling Abusers?

2/15/2023
Disciple Up # 294 Is John MacArthur Enabling Abusers? By Louie Marsh, 2-15-2023 Grace Community Church Rejected Elder’s Calls to ‘Do Justice’ in Abuse Case While a former leader hopes for change, women who sought refuge in biblical counseling at John MacArthur’s church say they feared discipline for seeking safety from their abusive marriages. KATE SHELLNUTT| - FEBRUARY 9, 2023 03:00 PM https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/february/grace-community-church-elder-biblical-counseling-abuse.html Last year, Hohn Cho concluded Grace Community Church had made a mistake. The elders had publicly disciplined a woman for refusing to take back her husband. As it turned out, the woman’s fears proved true, and her husband went to prison for child molestation and abuse. The church never retracted its discipline or apologized in the 20 years since. As a lawyer and one of four officers on the elder board at Grace Community Church (GCC), Cho was asked to study the case. He tried to convince the church’s leaders to reconsider and at least privately make it right. He said pastor John MacArthur told him to “forget it.” When Cho continued to call the elders to “do justice” on the woman’s behalf, he said he was asked to walk back his conclusions or resign. No one from GCC responded to requests by CT to discuss the church’s counseling philosophy or response to abuse, or to questions about specific cases. Six pastors and elders were contacted for comment by phone and email repeatedly over a three-week period prior to this article’s publication, as well as one former pastor and elder. (Update: Following publication, Grace Community Church released a statement: https://www.gracechurch.org/news/posts/3672 “Our church’s history and congregation are the testimony.”) “Now that the facts are indeed known, it is not too late to ‘do justice’ even at this late stage, almost 20 years later,” he wrote to the elder board. “One’s own integrity, and upholding justice and righteousness, and being faithful even in the small things, even for something 20 years ago, all matter immensely.” “They sided with a child abuser, who turned out to be a child molester, over a mother desperately trying to protect her three innocent young children. “Numerous elders have admitted in various private conversations that ‘mistakes were made’ and that they would make a different decision today knowing what they know now.” After that, Cho said, he was told by elder board chair Chris Hamilton that he would need to “walk back” his findings about the church’s mistakes if he wanted to remain an elder. (Hamilton did not respond to requests for comment.) Cho and his wife resigned their membership the next day. “the man who taught me that was John MacArthur.” Those are just a few excerpts from this article, which I urge you to read in full!

Duration:00:48:11

Stewardship IS Good Leadership, Pt. 2

2/8/2023
Disciple Up #293 Stewardship IS Good Leadership, Pt. 2 By Louie Marsh, 2-8-2023 LESSON TWO: Good stewards serve Jesus not Tradition. 1) WATCH OUT for counterfeit philosophies. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Col. 2:8 3 Characteristics: · HOLLOW · DECEPTIVE · BASED ON HUMAN TRADITION · Basic principles of this world 2) GRASP your fullness in Christ! · BELIEVE that Christ is GOD in human form. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, Col. 2:9 · FIND spiritual fullness in Christ alone! and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. Col. 2:10 · SEAL this fullness through baptism. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Col. 2:11-12 For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power. When you came to Christ, he set you free from your evil desires, not by a bodily operation of circumcision but by a spiritual operation, the baptism of your souls. For in baptism you see how your old, evil nature died with him and was buried with him; and then you came up out of death with him into a new life because you trusted the Word of the mighty God who raised Christ from the dead. Col. 2:9-12 (LB)

Duration:00:39:24

Stewardship as Leadership, Pt. 1

2/1/2023
Disciple Up # 292: Stewardship As Leadership By Louie Marsh, 2-1-2023 LESSON ONE: 1st Leadership Principle in the U.S. Marine Corps is this: “Know Yourself – Seek Self Improvement” To know yourself as a Christian leader is to know all you have and are comes from God. It is to know you are a steward.Seeking self-improvement isn’t trying to exalt yourself, but to become more like Christ. All done from a Stewardship Centric point of view. Leadership Stewardship as Leadership “7For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,” (Titus 1:7, ESV) Good, Better, Best They ask, “How can I do or be better?” Moses excuses 1st Excuse – They Won’t Listen “1Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ”” (Exodus 4:1, ESV) God’s Answer – miraculous proof “8“If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”” (Exodus 4:8–9, ESV) 2nd Excuse – Which God? “13Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”” (Exodus 3:13, ESV) Provides His Sacred Name “14God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”” (Exodus 3:14, ESV) 3rd Excuse – I can’t talk well. “10But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”” (Exodus 4:10, ESV) Answer - God can. “11Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”” (Exodus 4:11–12, ESV) 4th Excuse – He gets honest “13But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”” (Exodus 4:13, ESV) God Shuts Down the Debate “14Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”” (Exodus 4:14–17, ESV)

Duration:00:44:36

Louie VS the AI

1/26/2023
Disciple Up #291 Louie VS. ChatGPT Intro – Crazy schedule, origin of this idea, etc. Here’s what the Chatbot wrote, read by Word’s voice. I find it fitting and proper to have a software program read what another software program wrote! Sermon on Salt of the Earth "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. In these verses, Jesus is telling his disciples that they are the salt and light of the earth. Salt is a preservative and a flavor enhancer, and Jesus is telling his disciples that they too must preserve and enhance the world around them. They are to be a positive influence on society and to bring flavor and richness to people's lives. Jesus also compares his disciples to light. A light cannot be hidden; it shines brightly for all to see. In the same way, Jesus's disciples should not try to hide their faith but should let it shine for all to see. Their good works should be visible to others so that they may give glory to God. We all have the potential to be the salt and light of the earth. We can enhance the lives of those around us and bring flavor and richness to the world. We can also let our light shine by living out our faith and being a positive influence on society. Let us strive to be the salt and light of the earth, and bring glory to our Father in heaven. Write a sermon on Ephesians 2 "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. In this passage, Paul is describing the state of humanity before salvation, as being dead in sin and under the power of Satan. He is also highlighting the fact that salvation is not something we can earn by our own good works, but it is a gift of grace given to us by God. God, in his love and mercy, made us alive in Christ, saved us and raised us up with him to sit in heavenly places. This is not something we can earn or deserve, but it is a gift of God's grace. Paul also emphasizes that this salvation is not just for now but for the coming ages, and that God's grace is immeasurable and eternal. The message for us today is that we are saved by grace, not by our own works. We can have the assurance that God's love and mercy are available to us, and that we have been raised to new life in Christ. Let us live in thankfulness for the grace given to us and share this good news with others. Sermon on Romans 6:1-3 "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. In this passage, Paul is addressing the...

Duration:00:45:08

Christian Baby Boomers Want Change Too

1/12/2023
Disciple Up #290 Christian Baby Boomers Want Change Too By Louie Marsh, 1-12-2023 Here’s some excerpts from the article I read and commented on in this podcast… https://broward.us/2023/01/04/christian-boomers-like-me-want-change-too/ Christian Boomers Like Me Want Change Too Some of us are working to change the unhealthy evangelical church culture we helped create. MICHELLE VAN LOON | JANUARY 4, 2023 In the last couple of decades, American Christian boomers (myself included) have been given an advance peek at the kind of obituary the church and the world has already begun to write about us. Not all these critiques are made in good faith—whether they’re from political scientists, sociologists, op-ed writers, exvangelicals, or from the generations born before and after us—but a surprising majority of them are. For example, CT’s Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast details the leadership failure and organizational implosion of the church franchise led by Mark Driscoll. And while Driscoll himself was a Gen X pastor, Mars Hill was nourished in the soil cultivated by boomer megachurch leader culture. In a CT piece earlier this year, “The Church Is Losing Its Gray Heads,” Adam MacInnis offered a snapshot of many boomers who’ve exited the church building, even though “just under half of Christians over 40 who stop attending church feel they’re still practicing their faith.” Like some members of the younger generations, many boomers still love Jesus, but not the local churches they once attended. The late Phyllis Tickle famously observed that the church engages in a kind of spiritual rummage sale that every 500 years or so—and in these times of “rearrangement and upheaval,” the “institutionalized church throws off things that are restricting its growth,” which allows a “more vital form of Christianity” to arise in the aftermath. Michael Metzger of the Clapham Institute summed it up well: “To date, our legacy as Baby Boomers is indulgence, narcissism, and moralism. If we are to emerge as wise elders, our view of faith, fame and forever ought to migrate from Boomer biases to a more biblical Christianity.” For one, Boomers played an outsized role in encouraging greater authenticity in the church. We learned from our culture in the 1960s to let it all hang out. As that messaging filtered through the church in subsequent decades, it became more acceptable to share our struggles and questions in Christian community. The unwritten rule of the churches I attended back then was that it was only acceptable to talk about your struggles if they happened before you were a Christian. SNL star Dana Carvey’s Church Lady character may have exaggerated church life for comic effect during the 1980s, but too many congregations back then seemed to encourage a religious facade. Secondly, boomers have helped lead the movement toward both destigmatization and education of mental health issues in many evangelical streams. There’s still much work to be done in how the church embraces mental health issues, but it has certainly come a long way over the past few decades. Third, many boomers have joined, and in some cases are leading, the effort to create safe communities for those who have experienced church abuse. Christian social media can be a cesspool of conspiracy theory, bullying, and wacky theological hot takes. But it has also been an essential connection point for survivors of abusive leaders or toxic congregations. In The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis said that “the typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, ‘What? You too? I thought I was the only one.’” Social media has created powerful fellowship as survivors discover they aren’t the only ones—and this has brought them together to drag into the light what has festered in the dark corners of the church. Finally, many boomers are exhibiting a growing distaste for evangelical leader culture. Perhaps the boom bubble in churches...

Duration:00:38:29

Where Did American Christmas Traditions Come From?

12/21/2022
Disciple Up # 289 Where Did American Christmas Traditions Come From? By Louie Marsh 12-21-2022 Older Christmas Episodes You Might Want to Listen to: 34 – What is Christmas All About 87- The non-Pagan Roots of Christmas 88 – Christ IS In X-Mas https://broward.us/2022/12/14/unitarians-and-episcopalians-created-american-christmas/ Unitarians and Episcopalians Created American Christmas But evangelicals have rightly made it more gospel centered. DANIEL K. WILLIAMS | DECEMBER 14, 2022 Conservative evangelical Christians have sometimes been eager advocates of the modern campaign to “keep Christ in Christmas” and preserve the traditional religious meaning of the holiday. There’s one major problem with this campaign: The original religious message behind the American Christmas was not evangelical at all. Instead, it was the creation of Unitarians, Episcopalians, and other liberal Protestants who had little interest in several key tenets of the evangelical understanding of the gospel. Those of us who are evangelical in our faith can still have a merry Christmas. But if we want to do so in a way that foregrounds the gospel, we may have to discover a new approach to the holiday that does more than simply preserve the old. …As Penne Restad describes in Christmas in America: A History, early 19th-century New England Congregationalist children whose parents ignored Christmas marveled when the Episcopalians in their towns wrapped their church buildings in garlands of greenery and gathered to sing on Christmas morning. Some of them expressed a longing for a little of this Christmas cheer. The yearning became more acute when German Lutheran immigrants brought new Christmas traditions to America—especially the Christmas tree and Santa Claus. …Evangelicals who believe in the gospel of the Incarnation cannot therefore find much comfort in public campaigns to replace “Happy Holidays” with “Merry Christmas” or set up creches in the town square. What we need is not a return to the 1950s or even the Victorian era but rather a recovery of wonder at the incarnate God coming to earth in the form of a baby in order to save humanity. Daniel K. Williams is a professor of history at the University of West Georgia and the author of Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement Before Roe v. Wade.

Duration:00:30:28

Preaching VS. Cheerleading

12/14/2022
Disciple Up #288 Preaching VS. Cheerleading By Louie Marsh, 12-14-2022 What is “cheerleading?” I’m defining it as the constant speaking of bromides, platitudes and cliches that we know everyone agrees with, in the place of real teaching and preaching. It also all too often takes the place of genuine fellowship as well. Scripture quoted during the show: “15And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15, ESV) “1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” (1 Corinthians 15:1–7, ESV) “5These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 10:5–7, ESV) “7Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things,” (Ephesians 3:7–9, ESV) http://Waltermartin.com “1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1–3, ESV) “26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.” (Luke 24:26–29, ESV) “2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:2–5, ESV)

Duration:00:49:40

Restoring Leaders Who've Fallen

12/7/2022
Disciple Up # 287 Restoring Leaders Who’ve Fallen By Louie Marsh, 12-8-2022 Link to article: https://broward.us/2022/12/04/matt-chandler-restored-to-ministry-after-three-months/ Matt Chandler Restored to Ministry After Three Months The Village Church offers few details about process it says was successful. Matt Chandler returned to the pulpit of The Village Church on Sunday, restored to ministry by the Texas church’s elders a little more than three months after he took a leave of absence to deal with what one elder called “some challenges that arose.” A few minutes later, 48-year-old Chandler started preaching about sin. “It is my understanding that I have fallen short of the glory of God and he has met me with grace,” he said. “It is my understanding that I am inconsistent and I do have spots that are hypocritical, and there are parts of me I don’t even understand.” Quoting Ephesians 2:13–17, Chandler urged the congregation to see that the true promise of Christmas is reconciliation with God. But that can only start, he said, if people acknowledge their sin, as he himself had done on that same stage in late August. “To humble ourselves before a living God gives us a shot at peace,” he preached. “I’ve got a part of this I’ve got to own. It might just be 1 percent, but that’s my 1 percent. Forgive me. Now we’ve got a shot at reconciliation.” While he acknowledged his sinfulness again on Sunday, Chandler didn’t offer any more details about the situation that led to his leave of absence. In late August, he confessed to an inappropriate online relationship with a woman he was direct messaging on Instagram. Chandler said at the time that the ongoing exchange was neither sexual nor secret—his wife knew about it—but the church’s elders were nonetheless concerned “about frequency and familiarity,” and specifically “a familiarity that played itself out in coarse and foolish joking.” A statement … Continue reading… “13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” (Ephesians 2:13–17, ESV) https://www.amazon.com/No-More-Dragons-Religion-Monsters/dp/140020562X?crid=48GJVTVJUKMV&keywords=no+more+dragons+jim+burgen&qid=1649216200&sprefix=no+more+dragons+,aps,109&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=micahdey741-20&linkId=48dd9e661528b87b314308a0f15855ca&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl What Should We Do? 1) Pray for them. 2) Love them enough to hold them accountable. 3) Give them the time and space needed for real recovery.

Duration:00:36:40

Positive & Negative Energy

11/30/2022
Disciple Up # 286 Positive & Negative Energy By Louie Marsh, 11-29-2022 Dear Louie Marsh, My name is Xavier. I am emailing you as I been meaning to bounce some ideas off you and wanting to hear some truth and depth to them. First, I apologize for how long it took to get this going as I am a double major student, step-father/father (however you want to put it haha), and I am playing basketball professionally in Armenia away from my family. I listen to your podcast when I feel I need encouragement or guidance. Recently though I been finding myself more in tune with who I am needed to become and willing to accept the challenges. I am 28 years old and excited with my journey in the Lord so far. My subject title “Positive and Negative” came a few months back when I was with my sister in law and heard she doesn’t believe in negative energy or negative forces but says positive energy is real. She isn’t one to believe in the Word. But she isn’t one to just ignore it. I feel that the childhood her and my wife were brought into was a blinded truth and left in darkness. I have been working with my wife on her own discipleship but this is besides the point haha. Anyway, I am curious, what is there that proves negative energy/forces do exist? Where am I able to show this? Explain more in depth how they work. In a sense of how one knows it’s a positive or negative influence upon them. I have tried to show with actions and not words as this side of the family is much more about the actions. But I believe if having words with my actions align then the course of light will dim on them more and allow them to find a truth by following the light. I believe, after just listening to your stewardship part 5 on children, ministry, and weakness, that my gift is to help with action. I am a huge go getter in terms of achieving. I have had many downfalls but I’ve had many successions. For one addiction. Two being patient. These are just a couple of downfalls I have very strongly yet lead to even greater achievements. Which aren’t even my accolades. I hope this is something you’re willing to share and talk about. I apologize again for my long await and for the word email. Feel free to email me and just know I’m always listening! Peace be with you. Thank you, Dear Xavier, Thanks so much for writing – twice in one week! That’s a big encouragement! Oh, by the way, this is my personal email address. It’s just easier to answer from here so that’s what I usually do. Sorry it’s taking me so long to get back to you but things around here are keeping me busy. As a Father, husband and basketball player I’m sure you know all about that. So this e-mail will just focus on your question about positive and negative energy and I’ll cover some of the rest in another one. I’m also thinking about making this a subject of a podcast soon. You asked: “Anyway, I am curious, what is there that proves negative energy/forces do exist? Where am I able to show this? Explain more in depth how they work. In a sense of how one knows it’s a positive or negative influence upon them. I have tried to show with actions and not words as this side of the family is much more about the actions. But I believe if having words with my actions align then the course of light will dim on them more and allow them to find a truth by following the light.” Notice I put parts of what you wrote in bold, because you are really asking two (at least) different questions here. The first one is does positive or negative energy exist? That’s a good question since so many people just assume they do in fact exist. When you talk to them about it they’ll reference times when they felt positive or negative energy from someone or something as proof of this. But is it true? My answer is a hard no. There’s nothing in the Bible nor science to prove or even suggest that people can somehow transmit any kind of energy between us. You’ll notice that unlike our current culture...

Duration:00:42:59

Stewardship Pt 9: Use of Finances

11/23/2022
Disciple Up # 285 Stewardship Part Nine: Use of Finances By Louie Marsh, 11-23-2022 Introduction: Where we’ve been and where we’re probably going! 9 Biblical Financial Principles 1) God is My Source The first principle is that God is the source of everything. “19And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19, ESV) “8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8, ESV) 2) Giving Is Essential “38give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”” (Luke 6:38, ESV) “23And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.” (Deuteronomy 14:23, ESV) One purpose of tithing was to teach the people of Israel to put God first in their lives. 3) Saving Is Critical The third financial principle concerns saving money-setting something aside for a rainy day. “20Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.” (Proverbs 21:20, ESV) 4) Keep Out of Debt The fourth principle is to keep out of unnecessary debt and thus avoid the debt trap. “21The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives;” (Psalm 37:21, ESV) Borrowing for a house or car is one thing but taking on financial obligations one can't keep-buying beyond the ability to pay-is another. “7The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7, ESV) 5) Be Content with what you have The 5th principle is being content with what one has. “5Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”” (Hebrews 13:5, ESV) “11Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Philippians 4:11, ESV) “10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 6:10, ESV) 6) Have a Budget The 6th principle is that of keeping records and making a budget. “23Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.” (Proverbs 23:23, ESV) “3By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” (Proverbs 24:3–4, ESV) 7) Don't Cosign The 7th principle is, don't cosign. “1My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, 2if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, 3then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor. 4Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; 5save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.” (Proverbs 6:1–5, ESV) 8) Work Hard The eighth principle is that of hard work. “23In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23, ESV) “19Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.” (Proverbs 28:19, ESV) 9) Seek Godly Counsel The last principle is that of seeking godly counsel. “1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;” (Psalm 1:1, ESV) “22Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22, ESV) 6) How this works...

Duration:00:54:12

Stewardship Pt. 8: My Witness, Growth & Work

11/16/2022
Disciple Up # 284 Stewardship Pt. 8: My Witness, Growth & Work By Louie Marsh, 11-16-2022 Evangelism/Personal Witness “5As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5, ESV) Fulfil (πληροφορησον [plērophorēson]). First aorist active imperative of πληροφορεω [plērophoreō], for which see Col. 4:12. In Col. 4:17 Paul uses πληροω [plēroō] to Archippus about his ministry as he here employs πληροφορεω [plērophoreō]. Both verbs mean to fill full. - A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 2 Ti 4:5. “6For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6–8, ESV) What is Evangelism? “16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:16–20, ESV) Making DISCIPLES not DECISIONS! It’s far more than just inviting people to church, as good as that is. It’s telling people about the Gospel of Jesus and your experience with it (your past) should be one tool in your arsenal to use in accomplishing this mission Jesus gave us. Spiritual Growth “3His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3–8, ESV) Work “23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23–24, ESV)

Duration:00:53:10

Discipleship Pt 7, My Past Pt. 2

11/9/2022
Disciple Up # 283 Stewardship Part 7: My Past, Part Two By Louie Marsh, 11-9-2022 I forgot a very important passage last week when dealing with Stewardship of my Past. “15The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15–16, ESV) Acts 22:1-11; Acts 26:12–29, ESV But how does that fit in with this?? “2Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16Only let us hold true to what we have attained.” (Philippians 3:2–16, ESV) ἐπιλανθανόμενος – most common word in NT, means to forget, neglect or overlook. Paul didn’t forget, since he remembered enough to repeat it and list much of his past in Philippians.HOWEVER, he did forget in the sense of overlooking his past. He was free from it even though he remembered what happened of course. Forgive and forget. But it can be done, and should and must be done, if we mean overlook, or neglect the guilt and pain of it. Instead, we focus on Christ. Good stewardship is using my past, at the right time, in the right place, and in the right way.

Duration:00:45:02

Stewardship Pt. 5 - My Past

11/2/2022
Disciple Up # 282 Stewardship Lesson #5 -My Past By Louie Marsh, 11-2-2022 Stewardship: LeadershipServanthoodTrust/Faithful MY PAST! My Past - “15but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15, ESV) I cannot bury it and pretend it didn’t happen. Nostalgia – idol of the past Denial – burying it Glorifying the past – living in it today. Shouldn’t be ashamed of my past.Regret it yes but remember your forgiven. Paul’s use of his past - (Acts 22:1–5, Acts 24:10; 25:1-8; 26:1-2, 24) Paul calling himself the chief of sinner, 1 Timothy 1:15. “15The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15–16, ESV) “1“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.” 2And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said: 3“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.” (Acts 22:1–5, ESV) “6“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.” (Acts 22:6–11, ESV) “12“In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ 19“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. 21For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22To this day I have had the help...

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