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When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over Him. John 7:40-43

In the Book of John, we see a growing division occurring surrounding Jesus as we come to chapter 7.  There are the Pharisees on one hand; bitterly opposed and against any claims that He is the Messiah.  There are the adherents to His ministry; His disciples and other followers.  But in the middle of both camps there is a third group:  those who are in the middle ground and undecided about Jesus.  They are compelled by His words.  They know there is something about Him.  But the naysayers are speaking loudly; trying to drown out Jesus' voice.  

As we look at this passage today, we must admit not much has changed in our world.  There is still a middle ground group that is somewhere between belief and unbelief, faith and doubt.  It is this group we must pray for and minister to.  We are at the edge of great revival as many are turning to Jesus right now.  

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After this summer's sabbatical and break from AS BOLD AS LIONS content, Derek is back with a new episode taking us into the fall.  Into this season, God is saying "It is time to go back to school."  This is timely and a reminder that in life, we need God's Word and truth daily.  We need to be students of Scripture, approaching it with humility and able to teach others.  When we have a love for the Word like David had, we find that it causes us to want to see the truth untarnished and proclaimed boldly.  Today, we are going back to school...the Lord's classroom is in session.  

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Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!  Psalm 37:7

What does it look like to "rest expectantly" or to rest with expectation?  This episode considers this idea against the backdrop of several verses in Psalm 37.  As we come into the summer, we often trade one level of busyness and "over-programming" for a season that moves at the same pace (just with a different look).  These months are often perfect times to pull away, to find rest in our Savior, and to quiet ourselves before Him.  Sadly, we often don't utilize them as we should.  Let this podcast take you into the summer, recognizing your need for more of His presence and less of the world's pace.  Find rest and be expectant for what He will do!  

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In Acts 17:16-34, we see Paul's encounter in Athens at the Areopagus.  This was a center of philosophical thought, higher learning, and judicial proceedings.  It was a place to go to discuss ideas and to debate.  Paul was invited to share about his God and his beliefs in front of an audience at the Areopagus.  Within this chapter, we see Paul makes inroads and finds common ground with his audience.  He follows the right "evangelical" course, yet some were disapproving and even mocked his message.  Still, others wanted to listen and hear Paul out.  Finally, some believed!  We see the power of the Gospel through this event.  From this Acts 17 account, there is much we can use in terms of our own witness and our need to boldly speak about Christ just as Paul did.  

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When we look at the holiness of God and how we can get it wrong, we need not look any further than the example of Ananias & Sapphira in the early Acts church.  As we come to Acts 5, we see the church in line with the Lord's leadership -- it is seeing miracles occur, needs taken care of, and God is adding to their number.  Suddenly the brakes are hit as we learn of Ananias & Sapphira, their sin and choice to withhold from God the full truth of their donation.  In this story, we see that God indeed takes holiness seriously and He desires a pure Bride, a pure Church.  We can hide nothing from God.  We must run to Him to confess and profess -- confess sin and profess Him as Lord.  

Watch short movie, Jesus The Narrow Way:  https://youtube.com/shorts/K7tfDmnK1vk?si=JzaqNnIHGqKdYOk_

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In the account of 1 Samuel 13-15, we see the demise and downfall of King Saul, the first king of Israel.  His undoing involved his unwillingness to wait for the Lord, his decision to make rash vows before Him, and the fact that he chose sacrifice over obedience.  In the mistakes he made, he allowed for compromise in the way he treated the holiness of God.  God takes holiness very seriously and we can look at various players in Scripture and learn from the mistakes they made.  In doing so, we can find a way that is better and is after the heart of God.  

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This week being Holy Week, we are contemplating the meaning of Easter.  With any major holidays around the church calendar (Christmas included), it can be easy to go through the motions and simply "check the box" by attending a service, participating in worship, and so on.  But what is the deeper meaning of these things and why do we celebrate, especially the death and resurrection of our Lord?  Today's episode reminds us of some of truths that accompany Easter; truths that when lived out, have the potential to transform our lives.  

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5 loaves of bread and a couple fish.  How would it ever be enough to feed the large crowd that stood before Jesus and the disciples?  Today's episode takes us to John 6:1-15, the account of Jesus feeding the 5000.  This passage can become very familiar to us; so much so that we miss the weight of just how powerful God is and what He can do.  In our lives God will often place before us a need that seems too big to imagine any solution.  In that process, He is asking us to display "obedient trust."  As we partner with Him and step in faith into what He is asking, we see His glory on display.  We see Him as the God of endless resources.  Be encouraged, God never runs out!  

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Mega church pastors falling into moral failure.  Epstein lists and Diddy files coming out into the open.  Government admission of misleading Americans during the COVID response.  Exposure and potential exposure is all around us.  When we focus on what we see and hear, we can get discouraged and perhaps even have our own faith shaken.  But if we are focused on the Lord, we don't lose heart.  Essentially, exposure must first start with us -- allowing the Lord to examine our souls.  From there, we allow ourselves to be used in the process that God is already doing.  Even from the ashes of what is being dismantled, God is building an unshakeable Kingdom.  May we be bold as we step out in faith in these days.  

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Exposure is a term we've been hearing a lot lately.  But when it comes to what God is doing and revealing, how do we respond?  How does it affect our faith?  Today's episode is part 1 of a 2-part series.  It focuses mainly on the Biblical and Scriptural support for exposure and realizing that today, God is still doing the same things we see in the Bible. We have to trust what He is doing and even partner with Him to be agents of change in our world.  The Lord is at work and exposing much...in 2025 and beyond.  

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