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Biblical Talks Encouraging Word for the Week, I am Rachel Tolliver,

There are no ordinary people. That’s not just philosophy—that’s kingdom reality. C.S. Lewis said it best: you’ve never met a mere mortal. Every person you laugh with, labor besides, love, ignore, or mistreat—they are immortal souls, stamped with eternity, walking in borrowed time.” “And Jesus backed it up in Matthew 25:40: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ That means when you serve the overlooked, you’re serving the Lord. When you bless the broken, you’re blessing the King. When you honor the forgotten, heaven takes notice.”

 “So don’t you dare treat people like they’re disposable. Don’t you dare walk past someone like they’re invisible. That homeless man? He’s not just a statistic—he’s a soul. That single mother? She’s not just struggling—she’s sacred. That teenager in crisis? That elder in silence? That neighbor in need? They are not ordinary—they are image-bearers of God.”

 “So, walk with reverence. Love with intention. Serve with compassion. Because every encounter is eternal. Every act of kindness echoes in heaven. And every soul you touch—you touch Christ Himself.”

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If You Love Me…” — A Call to Spirit-Empowered Obedience 

In John 14:15–24, Jesus doesn’t just whisper a truth—He declares it four times: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” That’s not cold law. That’s covenant love. That’s not a demand for robotic obedience—it’s an invitation into intimacy, where obedience flows like a river from the wellspring of love.

This is not new. It echoes the heart of God in the Old Testament. Before He ever said, “Thou shalt,” He first said, “I have delivered.” He brought Israel out of Egypt’s chains before asking for their devotion. Liberation came before legislation. Grace preceded obedience.

And now Jesus comes—not to free us from Pharaoh, but from something far worse: the tyranny of sin, the slavery of self, the dungeon of death. He did it not with plagues, but with pierced hands. Not with parted seas, but with a torn veil. He loved us first—and now He says, “Love me back.”

But this love? Oh, it’s not just emotion. It’s not just goosebumps in worship or tears at the altar. It’s a choice. A delight. A surrender. It’s saying, “Jesus, you are my treasure. You are my joy. You are my everything.”

Yet Jesus knows—we can’t keep His commandments on our own. Flesh will fail. Willpower will waver. So He promises another Helper—another of the same kind. The Holy Spirit. Not a lesser substitute, but the same divine presence. The Spirit doesn’t just walk beside us—He dwells within us. He empowers us to obey, even when we stumble. He reminds us of Jesus, teaches us truth, and strengthens our steps.

True disciples aren’t those who obey perfectly. They’re those who love deeply. They’re overwhelmed by the beauty of Christ, undone by His mercy, and moved to follow—not out of duty, but out of devotion. They say, “Lord, I want to obey—but help me!” That’s not weakness. That’s worship.

So when Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments,” we don’t respond with fear. We respond with faith. We say, “Yes, Lord—but help me love you more. Help me walk in your ways. Help me live like I’ve been redeemed.”

Because love that flows from grace will always lead to obedience that glorifies God.

Each month, Elder Tolliver offers a spiritually encouraging book to help you in your walk with Christ for any size donation. Please go to biblicaltalks.com website to take advantage of this opportunity. 

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This is a Spotlight on the Scriptures Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 

Success ain’t about status—it’s about purpose. For the child of God, success means walking in what God designed, ordained, and declared for your life. It’s not about climbing ladders—it’s about fulfilling your divine assignment. And how do you do that? You’ve got to marinate in the Word. Not just read it—meditate on it. Turn it over in your mind, chew on it like a cow chews its cud—slow, steady, and sacred. Let it roll around in your spirit until it sinks deep into your soul.

 Because when the Word gets down in you—really down in you—it starts shaping your decisions, guiding your steps, and fueling your fire. That’s when purpose gets activated. That’s when success gets real. That’s when heaven says, “Well done.”

This is a Spotlight on the Scriptures 

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Women roles in church

I’m about to walk us through the Word—and when I walk, I walk heavy. I ain't coming with opinions, I'm coming with Scripture. So buckle your spiritual seatbelt, because this truth might bump you.

I’ve always thought that being a TV weather forecaster would be a pleasant job. You don’t have to report on war or tragedies; you just get on camera and tell everyone about the chance of rain or snow or clouds or beautiful sunshine.

But I read recently that TV meteorologists frequently get hate mail and obscene phone calls. People call up and swear at them because the weather isn’t what they wanted. One forecaster received a hangman’s noose in the mail—as if he were personally responsible for the bad weather!

Being a preacher is kind of like that at times. I didn’t write the Bible. God didn’t even consult me in the process. I just try to report what it says. But sometimes people get upset with me because they don’t like the forecast. That’s probably going to be the case when I tell you what the Bible says about the conduct of women in the church. I confess, if I could write the script myself, I would not write it as Paul did. But being a Christian means obeying apostolic doctrine, not changing the message to be more compatible with our times. So my task today is to tell you what God’s Word says about this sensitive but significant topic.

I have read the arguments of the “evangelical feminists.” I wish I could be convinced, because their views are not as culturally offensive as the traditional view. Besides, I like women, I’m not threatened by women, and I don’t have a problem with the idea of women in church leadership--except that I can’t escape what to me is the plain teaching of Scripture that prohibits women from exercising authority over men.

Conclusion

I’ve spent most of the message explaining a difficult text—difficult exegetically, but also difficult culturally, because it runs against the grain of our modern world. I want to conclude by applying these verses to three areas:

(1) Check your attitude toward Scripture: Defiant or compliant? Because of our rebellion against God, we all have a tendency to shrug off the parts of His Word that we don’t like. If you only submit to the parts of the Bible you like, then you’re just using the Bible to reinforce your sinful desires. Even Satan quoted the Bible with Jesus to support his temptation! The test of whether you are under the lordship of Jesus Christ is when the Bible confronts your preferences. Yes, we need to determine what the Bible means before we apply it. But it’s easy to shrug off difficult truth by saying, “I don’t agree with that interpretation,” when really we don’t want to submit to God. Be careful!

(2) Check your attitude toward the opposite sex: Competitive or cooperative? There should be no war between the sexes in the church. Men should esteem and affirm godly women for their ministries. Women should respect and submit to godly elders in their leadership. Elders are not to lord it over the flock, but to be examples of godliness. The times when elders need to use their authority are rare. If we all submit to God and serve in our God-given roles, there will be cooperation. And, as our text shows, Christian men and women should relate to one another in purity, not in sensuality.

(3) Check your attitude toward the home: A burden or a blessing? Children should never be viewed by Christian women as a hindrance to their fulfillment through a career. Children are one of God’s greatest bl

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Biblical Talks Encouraging Word for the Week, I am Rachel Tolliver, Galatians 5:22–23 declares, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. "Saints, while the works of the flesh tear us down, the fruit of the Spirit builds us up—and refreshes everyone around us. It’s life-giving, not just for the soul who bears it, but for those within reach of its branches.

To love is to seek someone else’s good, especially when they have nothing to offer in return. Joy is the soul’s celebration that sings beneath sorrow. Peace is born when strife surrenders to divine harmony. Patience means enduring the storm without snapping at the wind. Kindness is choosing to heal when it's easier to harm. Goodness is the daily practice of kingdom virtues that bless others and honor God. Faithfulness is staying steady when the world shakes, showing up with perseverance and quiet strength. Gentleness is strength under control—a tenderness submitted to God’s will. And self-control? That’s power in restraint, holiness in action—especially when temptation calls your name.

The fruit of the Spirit shows up not in isolation, but in community—in how we love, serve, forgive, and stand with one another. It’s relational righteousness. It's spiritual produce with a kingdom purpose. For more encouraging, words please go to biblicaltalks.com or listen to biblical talks podcast on your favorite media app. 

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Dr. Erwin Lutzer’s sermon “We Will Not Bow” is a moving call for Christians to stand firm in the face of cultural pressure and ideological conformity. He coming from Daniel chapter 3, Lutzer highlights the courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—three Hebrew men who refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, choosing instead to face the fiery furnace with unwavering faith in God’s power, providence, and presence.

🕊️ Key Themes:

• Courageous Conviction: Lutzer emphasizes the importance of fearing God more than societal backlash or persecution.
• Modern Parallels: He compares today’s cultural climate to the Soviet Union, where loud passion for main ideologies often replaces merit and truth.
• Faith Over Fire: Christians are challenged to stand alone if necessary, speak truth in love, and resist the idols of modern secularism.

Each month, Elder Tolliver offers a spiritually encouraging book to help you in your walk with Christ for any size donation. Please go to biblicaltalks.com website to take advantage of this opportunity. 

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This is a Spotlight on the Scriptures: Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Saints! Paul wasn’t writing to pagans—he was writing to believers in Rome. Folk who had already been saved, but still needed to be sanctified. And here’s the truth: just because you’re saved don’t mean you can’t still choose sin. But hear me—when you do, you’re clocking in for the wrong master. And the wages? Weakness. Sickness. Emptiness. A loss of fellowship—not relationship, but fellowship—with the God who saved you.

Now flip the coin. Unbelievers? They live in spiritual death every day. Separated from God. Breathing, but not alive. And who’s signing the checks? The Devil. He’s the paymaster of sin, and he always pays in death. You work for him, you get what’s coming.

But thanks be to God! There’s another offer on the table—a gift! Not earned, not deserved, not negotiated. A free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! And how do we receive it? By faith. How do we live it? By faith. How do we walk it? Moment by moment, breath by breath, by faith!

You can’t live for God by yourself any more than you can save yourself. It takes constant dependence—not on your strength, but on His Spirit. So stop trying to earn what’s already been given. Stop working for death when life is freely offered. And remember: the Devil pays in death, but Jesus gives eternal life!”  

This is a Spotlight on the Scriptures. 

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The source text provides an extended homily or sermon based on Ephesians 6:10-20, focusing intensely on the concept of spiritual warfare. The speaker emphasizes that the conflict Christians face is not primarily physical or mundane, but an invisible, cosmic battle against spiritual forces of evil, asserting that everyday struggles like depression or divorce are symptoms of this unseen war. To equip believers, the text thoroughly examines the Full Armor of God, detailing each piece—the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God)—as necessary for both defense and offense. Furthermore, the sermon includes a classic passage by Paul Harvey, "If I Were the Devil," and highlights that the spiritual battlefield is often found inside the church or the believer's own heart, stressing that victory is guaranteed through Christ but requires active obedience and consistent prayer.

Each month, Elder Tolliver offers a spiritually encouraging book to help you in your walk with Christ for any size donation. Please go to biblicaltalks.com website to take advantage of this opportunity. 

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Biblical Talks Encouraging Word for the Week, I am Rachel Tolliver, “John MacArthur said it right—we’ve got to fight daily. Not just once, not just on Sunday, but every single day to break the habits of our former lives. That means training our souls to hate what we used to love. To despise the sin, we once cherished. Because holiness ain’t automatic—it’s a battle!” “And Paul, that apostolic preacher, laid it down in Ephesians 5: ‘Be imitators of God, as beloved children. Walk in love, just like Christ loved us and gave Himself up—a fragrant offering, a sacrifice to God.’ That’s not just poetry; that’s a call to purity. A summons to sanctification.”

 “But then Paul flips it—he says, ‘But sexual immorality, impurity, and greed? Don’t even let it be named among you. That ain’t proper for saints.’ In other words, if you’ve been bought by the blood, you’ve got no business living like you’re still bound by the flesh.”

“So, walk like a child of light. Love like Christ. Live like you’ve been redeemed. Because the fragrance of your life ought to smell like sacrifice, not sin. You were made to reflect the holiness of the One who saved you. So, fight the old you, and follow the new you—formed in Christ Jesus!”

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Jesus's prediction became a reality in A.D. 70 when the Romans invaded Jerusalem under Titus, decimating the city. 

Each month, Elder Tolliver offers a spiritually encouraging book to help you in your walk with Christ for any size donation. Please go to biblicaltalks.com website to take advantage of this opportunity. 

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